I shoot a Pardini SP New 22 for the 22 portion of bullseye shooting and have often wished I could shoot (or at least try) the Pardini HP New in 32 for the centerfire portion of the match but have always been discouraged by the reports of others who say it just doesn’t have the juice at the 50 yard line.

Apparently Dave Wilson in Seattle makes a great barrel for them that can get the job done at the long line.

There’s hope after all!

I notice one top shooter missing from the list but that aside, I’ve climbed from 21st to 10th in Air Pistol!!

I’m not ranked in Free Pistol as I only competed in one free pistol match this year.

I haven’t competed since March and have only been to the range a handful of times this year due to business and personal commitments. Seeing your name near the top of such a distinguished list is pretty motivating though.

I may try to get back into the swing of things. I have missed it.

Read more at: USA Shooting.

In light of the quota change, USA Shooting added one US Team member to the travel team for each event for which a quota slot was available. This proved pivotal as the US Team walked away with 9 of the 11 quota slots available (they had already earned some at prior competitions).

Congratulations to everyone on their performances and go USA!

Read more at USA Shooting.

At his first World Cup in Korea early this year, he won the gold medal, set a world record, a junior world record, and a finals world record, and picked up a coveted quota slot for men’s skeet at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At his second World Cup in Rome, he won silver (missing gold by one clay). At the World Championship (held only every 4 years), he again won gold. At the World Cup in Belgrade, he won silver. At the World Cup in Brazil, he finished the year as he started it, winning gold and tying his own world records.

I can’t begin to emphasize how rare this accomplishment is. I can’t be sure but I’d guess there have been only a handful of instances in the last 109 years of Olympic style shooting where an individual has held this kind of dominance over an event.

Now remember this was done by a 16-year-old young man…

Congratulations are an understatement, but certainly in order for Vincent.

Beyond that, thank you Vincent for showing us all that an American can dominate a shooting sport worldwide. It’s a great inspiration to everyone involved in the Olympic shooting sports.

Read more at USA Shooting

This performance sets him apart as the only person in the Championships’ century-long history to win seven times. Congratulations to Gy. Sgt. Zins on his outstanding performance and distinguished shooting legacy.

The NRA National Championships are held every July and August at Camp Perry, Ohio. Over 700 individuals typically compete in the pistol division.

For more information:
Zins Wins Historic Seventh Title at NRA National Matches
NRA National Championship Results
John Dreyer’s Bullseyepistol.com

The main departure from this past quad is that one of the two slots available for each event for the 2008 Olympic Games will be selected based on a points system athletes can begin accruing starting in 2006 that rewards international competition experience. The final slot will be selected based on performance at Olympic selection matches. In this past quad (for pistol at least), selection for both slots was based on performance at selection matches. In lay terms, this means that at least one of the two slots will be filled by an individual with at least two years of experience competing on the “big stage” against the same people they’ll face at the Olympic Games.

My kneejerk reaction is that this is a good thing if winning medals is what we’re after (and it most certainly is). It provides a balance between sending someone with a pedigree of international competition experience and offering an opportunity to talented up-and-comers to make the Olympic team.

There have been lengthy discussions in the last few years about the inconsistency in the US Shooting Team selection process and in how good shooters are developed into great shooters. I hope this is a step in the right direction.

For more information:
2006 World Championship Selection Information
2008 Olympic Selection Information

A bid will be placed by USA Shooting to host a Rifle and Pistol World Cup there in 2007. It would be great to have a world class shooting facility just “down the road” from me (relatively speaking, it’s still 5 hours away).