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July 11th, 2017
 In the archives of On The Mark magazine, DCM Emeritus Gary Anderson, an Olympic Gold medal-winning shooter in his younger years, offers sage advice for competitive shooters.
In his article Ten Lessons I Wished I Had Learned as a Young Shooter, Anderson provides ten important guidelines for everyone involved in competitive shooting. Here are the Ten Lessons, but you should read the full article. Anderson provides detailed explanations of each topic with examples from his shooting career.
READ Full Article by Gary Anderson in On the Mark.
LESSON 1 – NATURAL ABILITY WILL NOT MAKE YOU A SHOOTING CHAMPION.
(You also need hard work, training effort and perseverance.)
LESSON 2 – ANGER IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD SHOOTING.
(The key to recovering from a bad shot is to stay cool, no matter what happens.)
LESSON 3 – BAD SHOTS CAN TEACH YOU MORE THAN GOOD SHOTS.
(Today, error analysis is one of the most powerful tools for improving scores.)
LESSON 4 – NEVER GO WITHOUT A SHOT PLAN.
(A shot plan is a detailed breakdown of each of the steps involved in firing a shot.)
LESSON 5 – PRACTICE IN BAD CONDITIONS AS WELL AS GOOD CONDITIONS.
(Most competitions are fired in windy conditions or where there are plenty of distractions.)
LESSON 6 – CHAMPIONS ARE POSITIVE, OPTIMISTIC PEOPLE.
(Negative shooters expect bad results; positive shooters expect to train hard to change bad results.)
LESSON 7 – IT’S NOT ABOUT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE.
(It’s about how hard you try to win.)
LESSON 8 – YOUR DOG WON’T BITE YOU AFTER SHOOTING A BAD SCORE.
(Hopefully your coach, parents and friends won’t bite you either.)
LESSON 9 – YOUR PRESS CLIPPINGS CAN HURT YOU OR HELP YOU.
(Winning can go to our heads. We start thinking we are so good we don’t have to work hard any more.)
LESSON 10 — YOU NEVER SHOT YOUR BEST SCORE.
(Great champions are always looking for ways to improve.)
About Gary Anderson
 Gary Anderson served as the Director of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) from 1999-2009, and is now DCM Emeritus. As a Nebraska farmboy, Gary grew up hunting and shooting. Dreams of winning an Olympic Gold Medal in shooting led Gary to the U.S. Army. In 1959, he joined the elite U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Just two years later, he won his first national championship.
At the 1962 World Shooting Championships in Egypt, Anderson stunned the shooting world by winning four individual titles and setting three new world records. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Gary won the 300m free-rifle Gold Medal, setting a new world record in the process. At the 1966 World Shooting Championships in Germany, Anderson won three additional world titles. At the 1968 Olympics, Gary won a second gold medal in the 300m free-rifle event.
 Gary retired from active international competition after the 1969 World Championships in Spain, where he set a 50m, three-position world record. After his “retirement” from international competition, Gary competed in the National High Power Championships, winning the President’s National Trophy in 1973, 1975 and 1976. Over his competitive career, Anderson won two Olympic Gold Medals, seven World Championships, and sixteen National Championships. No American has ever won more major shooting titles.
Gary’s influence on shooting sports extends beyond the United States. Gary has attended eleven Summer Olympic Games, three as a competitor and eight as technical delegate or a jury member. Gary is the first American ever elected as Vice President of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), and still serves in that capacity. In 2012, Gary received the International Olympic Committee’s highest honor, the Olympic Order.
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October 15th, 2014
50 years ago today, October 15, 1964, Gary Anderson (now CMP Director Emeritus) celebrated his Gold Medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics. Gary earned Olympic Gold for winning the 300m rifle event. A few days later, Gary’s team-mate, Lones Wigger, won a gold medal for the USA in 50m rifle competition.
Photos from CMP Archives. Follow the CMP on Facebook.
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July 8th, 2014
The 2014 National Matches started with the signature shot of a target rifle. This year the first shot was taken by a legendary marksman — DCM Emeritus Gary Anderson, who used the vintage Model 70 Winchester with which he had won many titles. Anderson, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, also served as keynote speaker for the National Matches Opening Ceremony. Anderson stated that the National Matches have “truly [become] a great shooting festival. It’s about all of us getting out on the field and participating.”
Anderson also talked about the skill of the shooters at the National Matches: “There’s a big difference between shooting and marksmanship. Marksmanship is a skill. Marksmanship is the ability to hit difficult, long-range targets. Marksmanship is extreme precision performed under the pressure of competition. Marksmanship, not just shooting, decides the ultimate results.”
CLICK HERE for Video Showing 2014 National Matches First Shot Ceremony.
This year’s National Matches started with a military theme. World War II aircraft flew overhead, a WW II Sherman tank rolled past the spectators, and cannons fired. The National Matches are a joint effort of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the National Rifle Association, and the Ohio National Guard. The National Matches were were first held in 1903, and have been conducted at Camp Perry since 1907. After Anderson fired the first shot, he donated his Model 70 rifle to the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
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December 7th, 2012
 In November, the ISSF Administrative Council approved new ISSF rules calling for major changes in ISSF and Olympic Shooting Sports events. Starting in 2013, all Finalists will start with zero scores and there will be elimination rounds, ending with a final two-shooter duel for the Gold medal (the loser of the duel gets Silver). The new Finals procedure represents the ISSF’s first major format change since the introduction of finals in 1986. The new Finals format will be used in all 2013 ISSF Championships.
This rules were changed to make shooting events more “spectator-friendly”, attract media coverage, and engage a larger fan base. It is hoped that the new format, ending in a duel, is more appealing and easily understandable. The new ISSF rules contain new Finals formats for all Olympic shooting events mandating that ALL finalists start from zero. This means that qualification scores will not be carried into the Final anymore, making the scoring system immediately understandable for spectators. Furthermore, all Finals feature eliminations, and end with duels between the two best athletes to decide the gold and silver medals. The new 2013 Rules have been published on the ISSF website, ISSF-sports.org.
Other Shooting Rule Changes to Be Implemented
The new ISSF Rules also include the separation of sighting and match firing in 10m and 50m rifle and pistol events, a new position order for 50m Rifle 3-Position events, and a provisional test of decimal scoring for 10m Air Rifle and 50m Prone Rifle events. The Final for the 50m 3-P Rifle event will become a true 3-Positions Final, not a one-position Final like it used to be. And new time limits will require shooters to make more rapid position changes in future 3-position rifle Finals. Both 25m Pistol Finals will use hit-miss scoring to encourage more spontaneous spectator reactions.
ISSF Big Shots Praise Finals Format Changes
“The shooting sport has always been a leading sport in the Olympic movement. And with the new finals we made an important step forward to keep that leading position,” said ISSF President, Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña.
ISSF Sec. Gen’l Franz Schreiber concurred: “It was time to change….The ISSF has always been open to innovation, and we are proving it once again. All sports must adapt to the digital era of technology and media. The time has come to adopt new [formats] which fulfill these objectives.”
Legendary USA Olympic marksman and ISSF Vice-President Gary Anderson observed that the rule changes will present challenges: “We will have to work hard to make this work. But our sport will benefit from this new, appealing format.”
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November 21st, 2012
 USA Shooting President and two-time Olympic gold medalist Gary Anderson was awarded the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Order on Thursday. ISSF President Olegario Vazquez Raña presented the Olympic Order to Anderson in Acapulco, Mexico at an ISSF meeting.
The Olympic Order (for distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement), is the IOC’s highest individual award. Worn around the neck like a garland, the IOC Olympic Order features the five Olympic rings framed by olive branches.
“Gary Anderson has devoted his life to sport, both as an athlete and as a sports administrator in the USA and at the International Shooting Sport Federation,” said Raña. “He has placed his knowledge and experience as an elite athlete at the service of sports administration.” Anderson was a member of the USA Shooting Team for 10 years (1959-1969) and earned two Olympic gold medals in Tokyo (1964) and Mexico City (1968). He also claimed seven World Championship medals, two Pan American Games titles, 16 National Championship titles, and six individual World Records in his career.
Anderson served as the Director of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) from 1999 to 2009. Anderson’s influence on shooting sports extends well beyond the United States. He has traveled extensively throughout his career in shooting, serving as a genuine ambassador for shooting sports, attending 12 Olympic Games, three as a competitor and nine as technical delegate or a jury member.
Anderson has served USA Shooting as President since 2009. At the international level, he joined the international shooting family in 1978 as member of the ISSF Administrative Council, and is now serving the international federation as Vice President.
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December 1st, 2011
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.”
DOWNLOAD Gary Anderson Invitational Match Program (PDF).
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.
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July 13th, 2011
 On Monday, 11 July, the 2011 NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships officially commenced at Camp Perry, Ohio. DCM Emeritus Gary Anderson led a procession of special guests into the ceremony.
Poor weather cancelled the traditional delivery of the colors by a parachute team, so the flag was presented to Anderson by a squad from the Ohio National Guard. VIP Guest Joseph Westphal, Under Secretary of the Army, addressed the gathering, and then Westphal fired the ceremonial First Shot, followed by wounded warrior SFC Sene Polu, who fired the second shot.
Now that the championships have begun, each morning the National Matches start with a bang — a big bang. With the raising of the colors, a cannon is fired in salute. On 12 July, Mike Krei, NRA’s Director of Competitive Shooting was chosen to fire the cannon, marking the first day that shots are going down range at the NRA National Pistol Championships.
Pistol Championships Underway
We are now into the second day of competition in the National Pistol Championships. It’s day two of the NRA National Pistol Championships, and that means competitors are firing the NRA Preliminary Pistol Championship today in three separate relays. In this morning’s first relay, shooters took to the range to complete the Center Fire, .22 Caliber, and .45 Caliber stages of fire. The aggregate of these stages comprises each competitor’s total score.
Who are the front-runners? SFC Jim Henderson of the Army Marksmanship Unit won this Championship last year with a score of 890-42X, but the record of 894-50X was set by Brian Zins in 1996. At this stage in the match it’s too early to tell who the winners might be, but with 10-time National Champion Brian Zins sitting out this year, there may be some surprises. James Lenardson, SSG Jean-Noel Howell, David Lange, and SSG Patrick Franks are just a few of the competitors who are riding high after yesterday’s Revolver Matches, but Philip Hemphill, SFC Henderson, John Zurek, and many others could still finish on top of the podium.
Story by Kerrin Brinkman and photos courtesy the NRA BLOG.
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June 5th, 2011
 The latest edition of the CMP’s ‘On the Mark’ newsletter for young competitive shooters has been released as a FREE, downloadable PDF file. In this Spring 2011 edition, you’ll find many items of interest including an excellent instructional article by Gary Anderson, Director of Civilian Marksmanship-Emeritus. The 4-page story is entitled: Three-Position Shooting — Teaching the First Steps. Here’s a sample from the story, Anderson’s discussion of target shooting order:
 Target Bull Firing Order
Anderson writes: “When firing starts, each shooter should have a plan for the order in which the sighter and record bulls are fired. Each record bull is numbered from one to ten, but the bulls do not need to be fired in that order. Indeed, to shoot them in numerical order is one of the least efficient ways to do this. The firing order should be designed to minimize movements from one record bull to the next. The illustration (on right) shows one recommended firing order that begins with the lower sighter bull, continues to the upper sighter bull and then proceeds around the target in a counter-clockwise direction.”
In addition to the Gary Anderson article, this month’s edition of On the Mark features extensive coverage of Collegiate shooting events, and the National Junior ROTC Championships.
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April 9th, 2011
 The winter 2011 digital edition of the CMP’s On the Mark Magazine is now available online for free in PDF format. This latest edition of On the Mark contains a number of interesting articles for competitive shooters including a great article on the “mental game” by Gary Anderson, former Director of Civilian Marksmanship. In addition to recent match reports, you’ll find:
- Mental Performance and Sports Psychology, by Gary Anderson, DCME
- Motivation: How to Stay ‘On the Mark’, by Lisa Markland
- Three-Position Air Rifle Rule Interpretations
- Profile of SFC Josh Olson, USAMU Paralympic Competitor, by Steve Cooper
- CMP Summer Rifle Camp Preview, by S. Wood
CLICK HERE to download On the Mark Digital Edition
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