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Following the USA Shooting (USAS) Team\u2019s success in London, the Team has begun making preparations for the future and beyond.\u00a0 The new National Rifle and Pistol Teams are comprised of 16 talented shooters and will represent Team USA at World Cups throughout the 2013 season.<\/p>\n
Athletes can earn a spot on the National Team through one of two ways: a top-3 finish at the USAS National Championships with a PSA or PSI score level or a coach appointment.\u00a0 This year\u2019s National Championship was held in Fort Benning, Ga., in June, in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Smallbore.<\/p>\n
USA Shooting\u2019s Director of Operations and former National Rifle Coach Dave Johnson<\/strong> said, \u201cEarning a spot on the National Team is a culmination of years of hard work, training and dedication.\u00a0 These athletes have advanced from the ranks of National Junior Team and National Development Team to the top tier\u2014the National Team.\u00a0 They are the best in the U.S., and will be strong representatives at international competitions in the upcoming year and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Rifle Team includes nine athletes\u2014eight of which were members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, two Olympic medalists and three Olympic finalists.\u00a0 These athletes have won countless World Cup medals, World Championship titles, National Titles and more.\u00a0 Leading the team with their recent Olympic victories are Jamie Gray<\/strong> (Lebanon, Pa.) and Matt Emmons<\/strong> (Browns Mills, N.J.).\u00a0 Gray outshot the competition for the Women\u2019s 50m Rifle Three Position Olympic gold.\u00a0 Nearly as impressive, Gray has shot in the final in every Olympic event she has entered.\u00a0 Emmons, former University of Alaska Fairbanks teammate with Gray, completed his medal set with a bronze in 2012 in Men\u2019s 50m Rifle Three Position. Emmons is also a National Team member for Men\u2019s 10m Air Rifle.<\/p>\n The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit lays claim to nearly half of the National Rifle Team with the addition of Olympians Sergeant First Class Eric Uptagrafft <\/strong>(Men\u2019s 50m Rifle Prone\/Phenix City, Ala.), Sergeant First Class Jason Parker<\/strong> (Men\u2019s 50m Rifle Three Position\/Omaha, Neb.) and Staff Sergeant Michael McPhail<\/strong> (Men\u2019s 50m Rifle Prone\/Darlington, Wis.).\u00a0 They are joined by 2010 CAT Games Men\u2019s 50m Rifle Three Position gold medalist Sergeant Joe Hein<\/strong> (Lansing, Mich.).<\/p>\n Collegiate shooters Sarah Scherer<\/strong> (Texas Christian University\/Woburn, Mass.), Amanda Furrer<\/strong> (The Ohio State University\/Spokane, Wash.) and Sarah Beard<\/strong> (Texas Christian University\/Danville, Ind.) round out the National Rifle Team in Women\u2019s 10m Air Rifle and Women\u2019s 50m Rifle Three Position.<\/p>\n Just like the National Rifle Team, their pistol counterparts are replete with Olympic experience\u2014every single member is an Olympian.\u00a0 \u201cThe depth in this year\u2019s National Team is unprecedented,\u201d said National Pistol Coach Sergey Luzov<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u201cWith the experience these athletes have gained over the last two years, we are going to be a force to contend with in the 2012-13 season.\u201d<\/p>\n Veteran talent Sergeant First Class Daryl Szarenski<\/strong> (WCAP\/Seale, Ala.) has four Olympic Games to his name, in addition to several World Cup and National Championship titles in both Men\u2019s 10m Air Pistol and Men\u2019s 50m Free Pistol.\u00a0 Joining him in the oldest shooting event\u2014free pistol\u2014is U.S. Olympic Training Center Resident Athlete Nick Mowrer<\/strong> (Butte, Mont.).<\/p>\n The Men\u2019s 25m Rapid Fire athletes are Sergeant First Class Keith Sanderson <\/strong>(WCAP\/Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Emil Milev<\/strong> (Temple Terrace, Fla.).\u00a0 Since 2009, Sanderson and Milev have amassed five World Cup medals and have adapted to the new finals format.<\/p>\n 2008 Olympian Brian Beaman <\/strong>(Selby, S.D.) and Jason Turner<\/strong> (Colorado Springs, Colo.) are internationally competitive in both Men\u2019s 10m Air Pistol and Men\u2019s 50m Free Pistol.\u00a0 At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Turner and Beaman finished third and fourth respectively in air pistol.<\/p>\n