US Shooting Team - Rifle and Pistol
These are our dedicated National Athletes who train to stand very still to break the perfect shot to a ten ring smaller than a pencil eraser. They are our best in the challenging international rifle and pistol sports. They brought home medals from the Olympics in Athens, but you wouldn’t know it if you watched the Olympics on TV. We’re very proud to report the story that’s never been told, as we profile the USA Shooting rifle and pistol teams, representing us with precision 22s and airguns.
Unless you’ve seen these athletes in competition, it’s impossible to appreciate the mental stamina and physical skills the international rifle and pistol sports demand. Some critics say these shooters really aren’t athletes at all, but we’re convinced and you will agree that they are athletes when you see our national shooting team perform on the firing line. These are tough competitors.
Imagine the challenge of holding a 17-pound rifle, off-hand, while standing motionless for up to two minutes, before breaking a shot. Consider the pressure, knowing if the shot is off by a hundredth of an inch, you could lose an Olympic Gold Medal. That’s the mental and physical toughness the competition demands of America’s shooting sports athletes. The members of the US Shooting Team are not only up to the challenge… they thrive on it.
Our USA team is made up of great people with great stories about how they got started shooting and what it means to realize their competitive dreams.
Olympic Gold Medallist, Matt Emmons, competes in three shooting sports. He says achieving that goal took years of training. And he not only spends his time at the shooting range but also in the gym. Matt has a thing or two to say about whether shooters are athletes and about the exotic air and small bore rifles that have helped him become one of the best in the world.
This special episode of Shooting USA will make you proud of our nation’s shooters. We have high-quality people representing America and high-caliber athletes representing the Stars and Stripes. We’re also asking for your support for our nation’s shooting team to help ensure its future success in international competition.
