World Shooting Championships: Meet Matt Pueppke

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (July 23, 2010)

Meet Matthew (Matt) Pueppke of Amenia, N.D. Pueppke was this year’s silver medalist in the National Junior Olympic Championships in Men’s Air Pistol. He also won a bronze medal in 50m Free Pistol at Nationals in Fort Benning. Moreover, he recently won the title of Overall Champion at the Progressive Position Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. This decorated young athlete is multi-talented as well; he shot both Air Rifle and Air Pistol at NJOSC. He only recently decided to focus on a future in the pistol discipline.

Matt ventured into the shooting sports with BB gun competitions at age eight. That same summer he began shooting nationally in rifle and pistol matches. His father, Eric Pueppke, is Matt’s personal coach as well as a competitive pistol shooter. Armed with a Steyr LP-10e Air Pistol and Toz 35 Free Pistol, Matt is training hard for the Junior Men’s 50m Free Pistol event that he will shoot at the World Shooting Championships.

Shooting at his parent’s farm on a range that his father built in the shop, Matt is an athlete dedicated to repetition and consistent training. Matt advises junior shooters to, “Get a good solid position and shot plan, then practice what you have. Don’t try to constantly change things. Master what you have so you can train it over and over again exactly the same each time rather than always making small adjustments.”

Other than shooting or helping his parents on the farm, Matt cites snowmobiling and hunting as favorite pastimes. He enjoys bow hunting for whitetail deer in the fall and spending time on his sled after the first snowfall. Good luck Matt!

Dallas Safari Club (DSC) is a proud sponsor of USA Shooting’s Junior Team to the World Shooting Championship Team in Munich, Germany. An independent organization since 1982, DSC has become an international leader in conserving wildlife and wilderness lands, educating youth and the general public, and promoting and protecting the rights and interests of hunters worldwide. For more information on DSC visit www.biggame.org.

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