Magdalena Neuner — Germany’s 2011 Athlete of the Year Chalk one up for the Germans. While the American media spotlights substance-addicted actresses and foul-mouthed female hip-hop artists as “role models” for young girls, perhaps the most popular young woman in Germany is a healthy, hard-working biathlete named Magdalena Neuner. Miss Neuner was recently named Female Athlete of the Year in Germany (she also received this honor in 2007). The 24-year-old Magdalena was raised in a small village in Bavaria, where she started biathlon training at age nine.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Neuner is the most successful woman biathlete of all time, having won 10 World Championships, along with two Overall World Cup Titles. She is the youngest triple-World Champion in biathlon ever. As of December 2011, Neuner has won 26 World Cup races and has achieved 50 podium finishes. (That ranks Magdalena third all-time for career victories.) During five appearances at Biathlon World Championships, Neuner has claimed ten gold and three silver medals. In addition, she has won seven junior world championship titles.
While she is an excellent shot with her Anschütz straight-pull, Fortner action .22LR biathlon rifle, Neuner’s secret of success is her speed. Neuner has always been one of the fastest cross-country skiers in biathlon.
Neuner started biathlon when she was nine years old. After winning numerous junior world championships, she made her World Cup debut in 2006 and won her first World Cup race in January 2007. One month later, she claimed three gold medals in her first appearance at the Biathlon World Championships.
Sadly, it looks like Magdalena will be leaving biathlon next year. Magda recently announced that she would retire from the sport at the end of 2011–12 season, saying that “the time is right for a change” and that she wants to start a family. When not competing, Neuner works as a German Customs Officer.
Report By Steve Cooper, CMP Writer We’re always pleased to spotlight outstanding performances by young lady shooters. A 16-year-old Alabama high-schooler recently broke six records while winning an important CMP competition. Earlier this month, 16-year-old Katlyn Bass of Daleville High School Army JROTC set six new sporter air rifle Junior and JROTC National records. Bass fired her record scores in Anniston, AL at the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational 3-Position air rifle championship.
Katlyn Excels at All Three Positions
Bass’s qualifying score of 574-28 surpassed the open/overall 3×20 sporter record of 573 set by Micaela Jochum in 2006. Bass also set the Army JROTC record previously held by her former Daleville High School JROTC teammate Mikaelah Atchley (570-31). Bass also broke the records of Jochum and Atchley in the open/overall and Army JROTC 3×20 plus final with a combined score of 669.7, shattering the former mark by 5.9 points. Lastly, Bass broke both of Jochum’s Age Group II (15 & 16) records in the 3×20 and 3×20 plus final. Katlyn fired a 197-12 in prone, 184-6 in standing and 193-10 in the kneeling position for a total qualification score of 574-28. She fired a 197-12 in prone, 184-6 in standing and 193-10 in the kneeling position for a total qualification score of 574-28. Katlyn’s final score of 95.7 secured her record-setting victory in the match. Well done, young lady!
U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces veteran Eric Hollen utilized shooting as a tool for recovery after an injury that broke his back. Hollen is now the top-ranked Air Pistol and number two Free Pistol athlete in the world and has set a goal for himself: the Gold Medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Eric Hollen, a former U.S. Army Ranger, has been named the 2011 USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete of the Year. In addition, Hollen has secured a quota for the 2012 Olympics based on his performance 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The quota that Hollen won down-under earns him a nomination to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team (pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee). Barring something unforseen, this means that Hollen should compete for the United States at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Hollen Wins Silver and Bronze in Sydney
“Eric is an Army Special Forces veteran who has taken advantage of the unique opportunities available as an Olympic Training Center (OTC) Resident Athlete,” said Coach Bob Foth. At the IPC World Cup Sydney Hollen won a bronze medal in P4 Mixed 50m Free Pistol. Then, in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol even, Hollen fired 98.1 points to secure the silver medal. The historic part, however, came from the 2012 Paralympic quota that Hollen won along with the medal. This is the first-ever Paralympic quota won by an American shooter under the IPC’s new quota distribution system. An elated Hollen said, “I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing program and to the people who have helped me reach the next step to my ultimate goal — Coach Bob Foth, Coach Ray Arredondo, Sean McCann, Dave Johnson, Sergey Luzov and many more.”
Hollen Achieves New Goals After Loosing Use of His Legs
Eric Hollen served in the U.S. Army for nine years, first with the 2/75 Rangers in Fort Lewis, WA, and then with the 10th Special Forces Group out of Fort Carson, CO. After leaving the Army, while farming in Tennessee in 2001, a tractor overturned on him, breaking his back. Despite that devastating injury, Hollen has gained a new lease on life. He enrolled in East Tennessee State University, earning his bachelor’s degree in April of 2010. He was awarded USA Shooting’s Paralympic Athlete of the Year honor after a terrific 2010 season. Hollen strives to help newly injured veterans reach their goals despite their disabilities. He advises junior shooters to: “Do the hard things — the hold drills and dry-fire drills that are not much fun — and you will find success.”
Check out this cool video filmed by Charles Le at the 2011 USPSA Handgun Nationals in Las Vegas. Charles focused on the top female competitors, gals with world-class speed and accuracy. The video features Julie Golob, Jessie Harrison, Maggie Reese, Diana Le, Athena Lee, Kippi Leatham, Bonnie Ryder, and Cindi Thomas. These ladies redefine, in a positive way, what it means to “Shoot Like a Girl”.
Watch High-Def Version of Video with Fast Connections
By default, this YouTube video runs in 360p. However, if you have a fast connection you can select a higher resolution including 720p and 1080p HD (High Definition). You can also click the arrows icon on the lower right corner of the video to expand for full screen. Watching this vid in 1080p on a full screen is pretty impressive — trust us. (During HD viewing, if the display is choppy, let the whole video download before playback.) Charles Le’s video shows the production quality that can now be achieved with affordable equipment. Charles used a Canon EOS 60d camera (body only about $700), and edited the video on a MacBook Pro using Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.
Celebrating its 15th year, the IDPA Indoor National Championships will take place at the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center in Springfield, MA, Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 23-25, 2012. The Indoor Nationals, as it is known, is one of the three major championships on the annual International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) shooting calendar. This event draws hundreds of top competitive shooters from across the nation. CLICK HERE to view image galleries from the 2011 IDPA Indoor Nationals in Massachusetts.
Registration Opens Next Sunday, December 18th
The 2012 championships will feature 12 stages and a minimum round count of 153. Online registration for the IDPA Indoor National Championships opens at 6:00pm ET on Sunday, December 18, 2011. Additional information on the 15th Annual Smith & Wesson IDPA Indoor National Championships is available online. Below is a video by Team S&W Captain Julie Golob on the 2011 IDPA Indoor Nationals. Bad weather delayed Julie’s arrival, but the video shows many other top competitors, such as fellow Team S&W squad member Jerry Miculek, in action. Team S&W dominated last years event, winning five National titles.
Legendary pistol and 3-Gun shooter Jerry Miculek stars in a great instructional DVD set from Brownell’s. The 3-Disc DVD set, “Jerry Miculek Practical Rifle”, shows Jerry working his magic with AR-platform carbines. This DVD set is available from Brownells.com (item 100-004-974) and from Jerry’s website.
The Jerry Miculek Practical Rifle DVDs cover every aspect of shooting the AR-15 in multi-gun matches — from the basics of stance, grip, trigger control, all the way to advanced shooting techniques. Specific topics covered include: 1) Setting up your rifle; 2) Stance grip and trigger technique; 3) Acquiring targets more quickly; 4) Shooting on the move; 5) Shooting multiple and moving targets; 6) Shooting behind cover; 7) Reloads and malfunction drills. Along with the instructional demos, the DVD provides basic and advanced drills that viewers can use to improve their shooting speed and accuracy.
The Miculek Practical Rifle DVD comes in a 3-Disc set. Disc One covers gun set-up and hardware selection (trigger, barrel, optics). Disc Two covers shooting technique — stance, position, weight distribution, target acquisition and other gun-handling skills. Disc Three is the “Application” — Jerry shoots typical courses of fire, showing how to engage various types and locations of targets with maximum efficiency.
We predict serious multi-gun shooters will add this DVD set to their libraries. Produced entirely at Brownell’s studios in partnership with Jerry Miculek’s Bang Inc., the complete 3-Disc set runs 2 hours and 17 minutes. Each Disc features multiple camera angles (including “shooters’ eye view” through the optic), slow motion footage, and animated illustrations.
Target Shooter Magazine has released its web-based December Issue, and it’s chock full of tech info and match reports from around the world. The FREE December Issue features in-depth reports on four great competitions: the European F-Class Championships, the prestigious World Long-Range Rifle Championship (Palma Match) from Australia, the World Handgun (Practical Pistol) Championship from Greece, and the World Muzzle-Loading Championships (MLAIC) from Bisley, England.
If you haven’t sampled Target Shooter Magazine yet, you should. The hardware photography is high quality and there is something for everyone — from Benchresters to Tactical shooters. You can view the 116-page December issue for FREE at www.targetshooter.co.uk. Target shooter also has an iPad/iPhone friendly version that can be downloaded.
Definitely check out the latest edition of Target Shooter Magazine. It offers outstanding match reports (with big, screen-filling images), and some of the most competent gear reviews on the web. When contributors such as Vince Bottomley or Laurie Holland review a product, they deliver intelligent conclusions you can “take to the bank”.
The CMP has issued the following invitation to shooting team coaches and their team members:
“You and your shooters are cordially invited to participate in the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational, to be hosted at both the CMP Competition Center South in Anniston, Alabama, and at the CMP Competition Center North at Camp Perry, Ohio. The match is a junior three-position air rifle match that is a sanctioned CMP Cup Match and an outstanding competition opportunity for every school or junior club shooting team. This event is named after the former Director of the Civilian Marksmanship Gary Anderson, whose influence and guidance has significantly impacted the success of three-position air rifle shooting. We sincerely hope you and your team will join us in Anniston (Alabama) or at Camp Perry (Ohio) in December for a great competition.”
Gary Anderson earned two Olympic gold medals, seven world championships, six world records, and 16 National championships. No other American has won more Olympic and world championship three-position rifle titles. Anderson transitioned from world champion to mentor — helping train thousands of US shooters, young and old, civilian and military alike. Anderson served as Director of Civilian Marksmanship from 1999 through December 2009. Today Anderson serves as DCM Emeritus for the CMP, President of the Board of USA Shooting, and Vice President of the International Shooting Sports Federation.
Story by Chad Adams for3GunNation.com Blog
Eight Multi-Gun Competitors will be competing for the $50,000 top prize at the 3-Gun Nation (3GN) Championship in Las Vegas on January 18, 2012 (during SHOT Show Week). Eight competitors punched their tickets to Las Vegas for the 3-Gun Nation Finale by winning elimination matches held at Peacemaker National Training Center (Glengary, WV) earlier this month. The winner of the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale will receive a huge payday — $50,000 from Leupold Tactical Optics and NBC Sports.
Rustin Bernskoetter, Taran Butler, Jeff Cramblit, Mark Hanish, Tyler Payne, Phil Strader,Tommy Thacker, and Mike Voigt all qualified for the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale via wins during the elimination round. Thacker was paired against current 3GN Champion Dan Horner of the USAMU. Horner finished the course faster, but the young soldier later conceded the match to Thacker after footage showed that Horner had failed to knock down one of the targets. In another notable one-on-one 3GN elimination at Peacemaker NTC, our buddy Taran Butler knocked off legendary Jerry Miculek. Anytime Jerry Miculek doesn’t make it into the finals, you know the competition is tough.
The road to the 3GN Championship began last September, as competitors have compiled series points at major 3-gun matches across the country. The top 64 competitors were invited to compete in the 3GN Championship Match (at Peacemaker NTC), a one-day Tactical Optics event that featured four stages of fire—each with all three guns.
In what most are calling the deepest 3-gun field ever assembled, the top 16 advanced into the Shoot-Off elimination round. Now the Las Vegas eight will compete for the highest cash payout in the history of the sport, with $50,000 going to the 3-Gun Nation Champion, courtesy of Leupold and NBC Sports. To learn more about 3-Gun competition, watch the video below in which Jerry Miculek, Mike Voigt, and Maggie Reese discuss the 3-Gun Nation shoot-off and the struggles of head-to-head competition.
Editor’s Note: Sometimes proven old designs are just as good as the latest technology. In the capable hands of Robert Vadasz, the scratched and well-used 11-year-old Smith & Wesson revolver shown below has won three PPC National Championships and the 2011 National Police Shooting Championship (multiple guns used). Here’s a profile of a great shooter and his trusty old wheelgun.
Story by Lars Dalseide, for The NRA Blog
When I first approached U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Vadasz about profiling the guns he used to win the 2011 National Police Shooting Championship — his third in four years — he had just completed the final stage of the Revolver 1500 Match. A match that he won with a score of 1490-117X. A match in which he used his Bob Jones PPC revolver.
“It’s a .38 Special Smith & Wesson,” said Vadasz. “My Bob Jones PPC revolver. The very first competition gun that I ever had built … probably back in 2000″. Fitted with Hogue Monogrip, the .38 hasn’t been tinkered with since the day it arrived. “Exact same gun,” said Vadasz. “It’s never been worked on. It’s never been changed. I won all three of my PPC National Championships with this gun. It’s real special to me.”
In a 2001 NRA Law Enforcement Division Newsletter, gunsmith Bob Jones talked about his work on PPC pistols: “I started working on pistols in the Navy, and it kind of stuck — it was something I really enjoyed doing,” said Bob, thinking back to his days as a Naval armorer who tinkered with .45s.
Bob’s typical modifications to a Smith & Wesson revolver include fitting a Shilen barrel, bobbing the hammer (cutting off the cocking spur), adding an Aristocrat Sight Rib, tuning and smoothing the trigger, and installing a trigger stop. The Shilen barrel increases accuracy, adds some additional weight for stability, and its increased size (and surface area) helps with heat dissipation.
Chalk one up for the Germans. While the American media spotlights substance-addicted actresses and foul-mouthed female hip-hop artists as “role models” for young girls, perhaps the most popular young woman in Germany is a healthy, hard-working biathlete named Magdalena Neuner. Miss Neuner was recently named Female Athlete of the Year in Germany (she also received this honor in 2007). The 24-year-old Magdalena was raised in a small village in Bavaria, where she started biathlon training at age nine. 
While she is an excellent shot with her Anschütz straight-pull, Fortner action .22LR biathlon rifle, Neuner’s secret of success is her speed. Neuner has always been one of the fastest cross-country skiers in biathlon. 
We’re always pleased to spotlight outstanding performances by young lady shooters. A 16-year-old Alabama high-schooler recently broke six records while winning an important CMP competition. Earlier this month, 16-year-old Katlyn Bass of Daleville High School Army JROTC set six new sporter air rifle Junior and JROTC National records. Bass fired her record scores in Anniston, AL at the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational 3-Position air rifle championship.
Eric Hollen, a former U.S. Army Ranger, has been named the 2011 USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete of the Year. In addition, Hollen has secured a quota for the 2012 Olympics based on his performance 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The quota that Hollen won down-under earns him a nomination to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team (pending approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee). Barring something unforseen, this means that Hollen should compete for the United States at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
“You and your shooters are cordially invited to participate in the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational, to be hosted at both the CMP Competition Center South in Anniston, Alabama, and at the CMP Competition Center North at Camp Perry, Ohio. The match is a junior three-position air rifle match that is a sanctioned CMP Cup Match and an outstanding competition opportunity for every school or junior club shooting team. This event is named after the former Director of the Civilian Marksmanship Gary Anderson, whose influence and guidance has significantly impacted the success of three-position air rifle shooting. We sincerely hope you and your team will join us in Anniston (Alabama) or at Camp Perry (Ohio) in December for a great competition.”
Gary Anderson earned two Olympic gold medals, seven world championships, six world records, and 16 National championships. No other American has won more Olympic and world championship three-position rifle titles. Anderson transitioned from world champion to mentor — helping train thousands of US shooters, young and old, civilian and military alike. Anderson served as Director of Civilian Marksmanship from 1999 through December 2009. Today Anderson serves as DCM Emeritus for the CMP, President of the Board of USA Shooting, and Vice President of the International Shooting Sports Federation.
Rustin Bernskoetter, Taran Butler, Jeff Cramblit, Mark Hanish, Tyler Payne, Phil Strader,Tommy Thacker, and Mike Voigt all qualified for the 3GN Shoot-Off Finale via wins during the elimination round. Thacker was paired against current 3GN Champion Dan Horner of the USAMU. Horner finished the course faster, but the young soldier later conceded the match to Thacker after footage showed that Horner had failed to knock down one of the targets. In another notable one-on-one 3GN elimination at Peacemaker NTC, our buddy Taran Butler knocked off legendary Jerry Miculek. Anytime Jerry Miculek doesn’t make it into the finals, you know the competition is tough.
Story by Lars Dalseide, for 
