The 2014 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) take place this month in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The prestigious event, which runs through April 26th, kicked off yesterday with air pistol matches.
Following the pistol competition, Women’s Rifle takes to the range April 16-20, and then the NJOSC will conclude with Men’s Rifle, April 22-26. Both rifle weeks will include both Air Rifle and Three-Position (smallbore) competition.
For the first time in the history of the National Junior Olympics, all competitors will shoot on electronic targets. USA Shooting completed a massive range upgrade to improve lighting and enhance the spectator experience by incorporating more than 70 new electronic targets. This is cutting-edge technology that allows both real-time scoring and even live video streaming on the internet. Shown below are the target print-outs for Air Pistol.
In our dreams we could hope for electronic scoring at high power and long-range centerfire events. Wouldn’t it be cool to have scores appear instantaneously, in real time? In addition, after firing a relay you could get a print-out that would show the exact placement of your shots in the scoring rings. That would be handy for analyzing your wind calls. But best of all, with electronic targets, shooters would no longer have to pull pit duty in the hot sun! Over time we may see more of this technology for centerfire competition. We’re told that the new 500-acre, $20 million CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park, being built in Alabama, will have some electronic scoring capabilities.
USA Shooting Video Streaming of Junior Olympics Events
On its YouTube channel, USA Shooting will provide Live and recorded events from the USA Shooting Olympic Training Center Ranges in Colorado Springs. As we write this, the NJOSC 2014 Men & Women Air Pistol Day 2 Air Pistol Relays are streaming. CLICK Here for NJOSC Videos and Streamed Events.
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Story based on report by USAShooting.org The Alaska-Fairbanks rifle shooting program has produced many great champions, such as Matt Emmons and Jamie (Beyerle) Gray, both of whom went on to medal in the Olympics. (Jamie won the women’s 3-P 50m rifle gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics). Based on his recent performance at the 2013 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC), Ryan Anderson may be the next great world-class shooting talent from Alaska-Fairbanks.
At the 2013 Junior Olympic event, Anderson swept both men’s smallbore (.22 caliber) events — he won both the Three-Position and Prone titles. Combined with his silver-medal finish in the 10m Air Rifle event, Anderson proved to be one of America’s best young shooters — a rising star.
Dominant 3-P Performance
Anderson’s dominance was showcased in the Three-Position event where he walked into the event finals with an 11-point lead over Dan Geer. Anderson added 1.2 points to his lead, finishing the 10-shot final as the only competitor to shoot over 100 (101.1) in the final.
The smallbore prone event was a tight battle between Anderson and Air Force rifle shooter David Higgins. Going into the prone final, the two young men were tied — having both shot identical scores of 594 and 597 in each of their two relays. They’d follow that up with identical 105 scores in the finals. So the prone event came down to a ‘sudden death’ tie-breaker. Tied after 130 shots, the match came down to a 131st tie-breaker shot for gold. Anderson shot a 10.1 to win, while Higgins managed a 10.0 for second place. West Virginia’s Patrick Sunderman took third, 8.4 points behind.
Also to note in the Men’s Rifle events, Kentucky’s Cody Manning and Anderson’s UAF teammate Tim Sherry finished the competition as the event’s only three-event finalists. Manning finished fifth (Air), sixth (Prone) and seventh (3P). Sherry finished seventh (Air) and earned a pair of fifth-place finishes in the smallbore events.
The nation’s best young air rifle marksmen put on an impressive display at the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) on April 16th in Colorado Springs. A trio of Wildcats, a pair of Nanooks, a Falcon, a Mountaineer, and a home-schooled 17-year-old all battled for the National Title in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Final.
The Univ. of Kentucky’s Connor Davis emerged victorious among a talent-rich NJOSC Air Rifle final that featured five USA Shooting National Junior Team members. Davis earned a 1.5-point victory over University of Alaska-Fairbanks rifle shooter Ryan Anderson while 2012 champ and U.S. Air Force cadet Tyler Rico took the bronze medal. Kentucky freshman Davis was joined in the final by Wildcat teammates Cody Manning and Elijah Ellis who finished fourth and sixth respectively. The surprise of the match was 17-year-old Mark Matheny. The home-schooled shooter from Delaware shot well to finish fifth overall and as the high J2 (15 to 17-year-old) competitor.
Davis’ victory affirms his fast-rise in the sport and backs up his fourth-place finish at the recent NCAA Rifle Championships. “Connor has great spirit and a work ethic to be envied,” said Amy Sowash, a National Development Team athlete and Univ. Kentucky Rifle Assistant Coach. “As a native Kentuckian, we are so proud he represents [Univ. of Kentucky]. He lives on the range and thrives on the excitement of competition, which I think is his greatest strength.”
Pennsylvanian Deanna Binnie is the newest USA Shooting National Junior Team member after winning the Three-Position event, as competition in women’s rifle concluded as part of the 17-day National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC). Binnie, who will enroll at Ohio State Univ. this fall, led from beginning to end in her two relay events. She shot the two highest scores (586, 578) in qualifying to give her a 10-point cushion heading into the 8-person final. Despite not shooting well in the Finals (96.1), she held on to win. Binnie’s 2013 victory was impressive given the fact that she only finished 19th in 2012.
Rachel Martin (who will attend Nebraska) also earned National Junior Team distinction after finishing second. Rachel was in a tight battle with Minden Miles. Both ladies shot a 99.3 in the final with Martin earning the silver medal given her two-point lead over Miles after qualification. The 16-year-old Miles was the only competitor in the field to have made two event finals and recorded the two highest final scores in the process.
Qualifying for the National competition begins at the state level as State Junior Olympic Championships included competition in 47 states utilizing 80 different USA Shooting clubs. The 2013 competition consisted of over 2,200 individual participants in rifle and pistol events. State champions and those who qualify via high scores are invited to Colorado Springs to compete in the NJSOC
The competition takes place over a three-week period with over 500 of the finest junior shooters in attendance. The top-two finishers in each event earn a spot on USA Shooting’s National Junior Team. The 17-day event features shooting matches in Men’s and Women’s Pistol (Air/Sport) and Rifle (Air/Smallbore). The NJOSC wraps up next Friday with the best male youth rifle shooters descending on Colorado beginning Sunday as they get ready to test themselves in three events (air, smallbore prone and three-position).
The rifle phase of the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) commences this week at the Olympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Women’s matches start on Tuesday April 9th, while the men commence their rifle competition on Monday, April 15th.
Pistol matches were held this past week, and National Junior Team member Starlin Shi scored an impressive win. Starlin still handily defeated her opposition to capture a third straight NJOSC Women’s Sport Pistol title. In the 10m Air Pistol events, USA Shooting Junior National Team members Wyatt Brown and Alana Townsend both secured national titles (in the men’s and women’s divisions respectively). In the men’s 25m Sport Pistol division, Robert Wells took top honors.
Rifle Shooting Starts Tomorrow
Women’s Rifle competition begins Tuesday (April 9) in Colorado Springs as the 17-day NJOSC competition moves on to its second of three weeks. The competition takes place over a three-week period with over 500 of the finest junior shooters in attendance. The top two finishers in each event earn a spot on USA Shooting’s National Junior Team. The 17-day event features shooting matches in Men’s and Women’s Pistol (Air/Sport) and Rifle (Air/Smallbore). More information can also be found on the USA Shooting website. For scores visit USA Shooting’s Match Results Page
Women’ Rifle (April 9-12)
April 9-10 — Air Rifle
April 11-12 — Smallbore
Men’s Rifle (April 15-19)
April 15-16 — Air Rifle
April 17-19 — Smallbore
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Tyler Rico — remember that name. We predict you’ll be hearing much more about this young man in the years ahead. Tyler, the youngest shooter ever to earn the CMP Distinguished Rifleman Badge, is one of the best of the new generation of shooters coming up through the junior ranks. With very sound fundamentals, Tyler has shown the ability to shoot just about any kind of rifle, at any distance — from 10m to 1000 yards. And despite his young age, Tyler has the discipline and mental focus it takes to win. Tyler demonstrated that most recently at the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) where he won the 10m Air Rifle Title, securing a place on the National Junior Team. Tyler will continue to compete in NJOSC smallbore competition over the next few days, where he will be one of the favorites in the Men’s 50m Rifle Three Position and Men’s 50m Rifle Prone.
Tyler has shown the ability to compete head to head with adult-age group shooters — even High Masters. Last year, Tyler won the Service Rifle division outright at the 2011 Western Creedmoor Cup. Among junior across-the-course shooters, he is one of the best ever. He was the top Junior Shooter at the Camp Perry National Trophy Individual Matches four years in a row (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008). A senior at Tucson Wells High School, Tyler will enroll in the U.S. Air Force Academy as a cadet this June.
Rico Also Excels with Centerfire Rifles
Unlike many Air Rifle and Smallbore shooters, Tyler Rico is equally capable (and confident) when shooting centerfire rifles — whether ARs in Service Rifle, or “space guns” in across the course and long-range matches. Tyler regularly competes in Service Rifle and High Power matches — with considerable success. He won the 2010 Nevada High Power Rifle Regional Championship, out-scoring seasoned competitors with decades of experience. Click thumbnail photos below to see larger versions.
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Catherine Green, a 19-year-old sophomore at Texas Christian University (TCU), is a rising star. Over the past few days, Catherine finished her National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) career on a high note — she won Gold in BOTH Women’s 10m Air Rifle and Women’s 50m Rifle 3-position events. Catherine’s double-gold performance earned her an appointment to the USA National Junior Rifle Team. Catherine, one of the nation’s top young shooters, displays dedication and “mad skills” with a rifle. We predict we may see Catherine standing on an Olympic podium in the not-too-distant future.
In the prelims, Green shot 1158 match points to take a ten point lead over her competitors. She followed it up with 94.7 points in the final. Sporting dangling air-pellet earrings all week, 19-year-old Green won the NJOSC Women’s 10m Air Rifle title on Sunday. Her performance reasserted her appointment on the National Junior Rifle Team. Green turns 21 next year so she will not be eligible for the 2013 NJOSC. “I was a little worried today that I would lose the ten point lead,” said Green. “I tried to stay focused and not think about missing, about coming down on my target and envisioning a ten. I was diligent about completing my shot process and focusing on the ten-ring. I’m grateful for the support of my parents, coaches Makucevich and Monez and God.”
The 2014 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) take place this month in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The prestigious event, which runs through April 26th, kicked off yesterday with air pistol matches.
The Alaska-Fairbanks rifle shooting program has produced many great champions, such as Matt Emmons and Jamie (Beyerle) Gray, both of whom went on to medal in the Olympics. (Jamie won the women’s 3-P 50m rifle gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics). Based on his recent performance at the 2013 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC), Ryan Anderson may be the next great world-class shooting talent from Alaska-Fairbanks.
Qualifying for the National competition begins at the state level as State Junior Olympic Championships included competition in 47 states utilizing 80 different USA Shooting clubs. The 2013 competition consisted of over 2,200 individual participants in rifle and pistol events. State champions and those who qualify via high scores are invited to Colorado Springs to compete in the NJSOC
Catherine Green, a 19-year-old sophomore at Texas Christian University (TCU), is a rising star. Over the past few days, Catherine finished her National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) career on a high note — she won Gold in BOTH Women’s 10m Air Rifle and Women’s 50m Rifle 3-position events. Catherine’s double-gold performance earned her an appointment to the USA National Junior Rifle Team. Catherine, one of the nation’s top young shooters, displays dedication and “mad skills” with a rifle. We predict we may see Catherine standing on an Olympic podium in the not-too-distant future.
