USA Shooting - Olympics

2008 U.S. Olympic Team Roster

AIRGUN
Emily Caruso (Fairfield, Conn.) - Women's Air Rifle
*Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, Pa.) - Women's Air Rifle
*Jason Parker (Omaha, Neb.) - Men's Air Rifle
Stephen Scherer (Billerica, Mass.) - Men's Air Rifle
Brenda Shinn (Riverside, Calif.) - Women's Air Pistol
*Beki Snyder (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Women's Air Pistol
Brian Beaman (Selby, S.D.) - Men's Air Pistol
*Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.) - Men's Air Pistol

RIFLE (Smallbore)
Mike Anti (Winterville, N.C.) - Men's Prone Rifle
*Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.) - Men's Prone Rifle, Men's 3 Position Rifle
*Jason Parker (Omaha, Neb.) - Men's 3 Position Rifle
Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, Pa.) - Women's 3 Position Rifle
Sandra Fong (New York, N.Y.) - Women's 3 Position Rifle

PISTOL (Smallbore)
Libby Callahan (Columbia, S.C.) - Women's Sport Pistol
*Beki Snyder (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Women's Sport Pistol
Daryl Szarenski (Saginaw, Mich.)- Men's Free Pistol
*Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.) - Men's Free Pistol
Keith Sanderson (San Antonio, Texas) - Men's Rapid Fire Pistol

SHOTGUN
Corey Cogdell (Eagle River, Alaska) - Women's Trap
Bret Erickson (Bennington, Neb./Muenster, Texas) - Men's Trap
Dominic Grazioli (San Antonio, Texas) - Men's Trap
Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas) - Men's Double Trap
Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.) - Men's Double Trap
Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.) - Women's Skeet
Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Ga.) - Men's Skeet
Sean McLelland (Mission, Texas) - Men's Skeet

*indicates athlete qualified in two events

Complete 2008 Olympic Shooting Competition Schedule

Complete NBC Broadcast Schedule for the 2008 Olympic Games (Shooting events highlighted in yellow. Schedule is subject to Change)

2008 Olympic Team Selection Procedures

2008 Olympic Team Selection Procedure Forms
USAS Performance Standards
USAS Code of Conduct
USAS Athlete Agreement

History of Olympic Shooting
From the spear and the projectile throwing contests to the modern day Olympic Games, shooting has evolved into a competitive sport with nearly 20 million target shooters participating in the United States alone.

The sport was reintroduced to the Olympic movement in 1896, when former French pistol champion Baron Pierre de Coubertin included shooting on the original Olympic program. Since, the USA has secured nearly 100 medals, with rifleist Carl T. Osburn tied for being the second most decorated U.S. Olympian of all time. He is listed among swimming legends Mark Spitz (13) and Matt Biondi (11) for earning the most career Olympic medals (11). (*as of 2004)

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will take place August 8-24 with the shooting portion of the competition being held August 8-17.

The U.S. is coming off a successful Athens Olympic Games, where the U.S. Shooting team earned two gold medals and one silver medal. Matt Emmons, who has already secured spots on the 2008 Olympic Team in Men’s 50m Prone Rifle and Men’s 50m 3 Position Rifle, took gold in Men’s Prone in 2004, while teammates Kim Rhode claimed gold in Women’s Double Trap and Mike Anti claimed the silver in Men’s 3 Position Rifle.

Visit www.usashooting.org throughout the year for updates on the development of the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, international competition successes, competition schedules, and more! Track other nations by logging onto the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) web site. ISSF is in the international governing body for the sport of shooting.

Shooting & The Olympic Program
At the Olympic Games there are 15 events: six for women and nine for men. The athletes are divided into shotgun, rifle and pistol disciplines.

The Olympic Games include the following shooting competitions on the program:

Pistol
• 10m air pistol – Men
• 10m air pistol – Women
• 25m rapid fire pistol – Men
• 25m sport pistol – Women
• 50m free pistol – Men

Rifle
• 10m air rifle – Men
• 10m air rifle – Women
• 50m rifle 3 positions – Men
• 50m rifle 3 positions – Women
• 50m rifle prone – Men

Shotgun
• skeet – Men
• skeet – Women
• trap – Men
• trap – Women
• double trap – Men

Click here to view an animated tutorial for the sport of shooting. Once the window appears, select "shooting."

Olympic Quota Slots
To qualify athletes for the Olympic Games, shooters worldwide must secure Olympic "quota" slots that determine how many competitors from each nation can be sent to the next Olympiad. To qualify athletes for the Olympic Games, shooters worldwide must secure Olympic "quota" slots that determine how many competitors from each nation can be sent to the Olympics. With 28 positions available for the 2008 Olympic Games, the U.S. Shooting Team secured 24 total quota slots in World Cup, World Championship and Pan American Games competition in 2005, 2006 and 2007, with at least one slot in each of the 15 events.

Each athlete must take part in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to be named to the Olympic Team. The Air Rifle and Air Pistol Olympic Team Selection will be held February 28 - March 3 in Colorado Springs, Colo., while the Shotgun Olympic Trials will take place March 8-16 in Kerrville, Texas and the Rifle/Pistol Olympic Team Selection is being held May 12-22 at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Making the U.S. Olympic Team
For many athletes the Olympic Games are an ideal. We see it on T.V. We read about it in the papers. We idolize its heroes. But that is where it often ends.

In the sport of shooting, making the jump from firearm safety to an Olympic hopeful may seem like a long shot, but as the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of shooting, it is USA Shooting’s mission to share the sport with interested individuals and groups throughout the U.S.

From becoming a member of USA Shooting to honing your shooting skills to a specific discipline, the sport can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Below is a brief explanation of the steps required to make the U.S. Olympic Team. This is a short listing, and further detail will be needed to comply with team selection regulations. Visit the USA Shooting Policies and Procedures for more information.

• Shoot in a preliminary tryout (PTO) sponsored by USA Shooting, and fire a minimum score, which has been established in each event. Only members can participate and access the regional event listing for the PTO nearest them.

• Athletes attaining the minimum score in their event will receive an invitation to participate in the USA Shooting National Championships (USANC), which is the first step for selection to either the National Team (NT) or National Development Team (NDT). Additionally, there are at least two team selection matches each year held in the spring and fall. The USANC can also be used as a team selection match.

• Once a rifle, pistol or shotgun shooter is named to the National Team, he/she must still qualify to serve on international squads that travel around the world. Beyond the World Cup and World Cup Finals, there are many international matches that run on a four-year sequence beginning the season following the Olympic Games (2004-2008, 2009-2012, etc.).

The competitions during the first year include the Championships of the Americas (CAT) and the World Clay Target Championships. The second year of the cycle consists of the prestigious World Shooting Championships. The Pan American Games and the World Clay Target Championships comprise the events of the third year, with the cycle ending in the fourth year with the Olympic Games.

So what are you waiting for? Now that you know what to do, start shooting, and one day you may be the next Olympic idol, standing on the podium of the world’s biggest stage.