Current & Future Stars Gather in Colorado Springs for 2014 Nat’l Jr. Olympic Shooting Championships
OutdoorHub 04.07.14
The current and future stars of USA Shooting are set to begin 17 days of competition during the 2014 National Junior Olympic Shooting (NJOSC) Championships taking place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 10-26. The best junior men’s and women’s pistol competitors will get things underway beginning Thursday.
Following pistol, Women’s Rifle takes to the range April 16-20, and then NJOSC will conclude with Men’s Rifle, April 22-27. Both rifle weeks will consist of an Air Rifle and Three-Position (smallbore) competition. In order to compete in this year’s NJOSC, competitors must have been born in 1994 or later, providing for a junior competition that is unparalleled in the shooting sports.
There is a lot at stake for the young shooters that will travel to Colorado from all corners of the country. Each event will provide two opportunities to be appointed to USA Shooting’s National Junior Team. This is a remarkable opportunity for the nation’s top young shooters to gain valuable experience through different camps and international events. The pressure continues to build as these shooters come to the realization that there are potential collegiate scholarships on the line in rifle. Air Force, Akron, Army, Alaska Fairbanks, Kentucky, Murray State, NC State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, TCU, and West Virginia are a few of the 20 different collegiate teams that are regularly in attendance.
The field of pistol entries is stout with nine of the 11 current National Junior Team members set to attend. Perhaps head of the class is Lydia Paterson (Kansas City, Kan.) who became one of the youngest National Team members in 2013 after finishing second in women’s air pistol at the USA Shooting National Championships. She also currently sits second in the race to compete at the 2014 World Championships with a May Selection Match remaining. However, this success won’t protect her from a hungry group of air pistol competitors that have proven themselves as well over the past 12 months. Alana Townsend (Kalispell, Mont.) is the reigning NJOSC National Champion and recently took top honors at the NRA Intercollegiate Championships. Darian Shenk (Annville, Pa.) finished second in 2013 and recently finished with a finals victory during one of two March Selection Match competitions.
All six medalists from the men’s pistol competition in 2013 return to try and earn more hardware including reigning National Champions Wyatt Brown (Twin Falls, Idaho) and Robert Wells (Pontotoc, Miss.) in air and sport pistol, respectively.
For the first time in the history of the National Junior Olympics, all competitors will shoot on electronic targets. USA Shooting underwent a massive range upgrade to improve lighting and enhance the spectator experience by incorporating more than 70 new electronic targets. The upgraded range is a testament to USA Shooting’s commitment to providing the best possible experience for its athletes. Not to be forgotten are the dedicated parents who will now be able to live stream the entire competition through our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/usashootingteam in the “Live Events” section. The upgrade would not have been possible without a large amount of generous donations and several very long days put in by USAS staff members and volunteers.
2014 NJOSC Schedule
Pistol
Thursday, April 10 Men’s & Women’s Air Qualifying
Friday, April 11 Men’s & Women’s Air Qualifying + Final (Men’s – 10 am; Women’s 1:45 pm)
Saturday, April 12 Men’s Sport Qualifying + Final (3 pm)
Sunday, April 13 Women’s Sport Qualifying + Final (1:30 pm)
Women’s Rifle
Wednesday, April 16 Air Qualifying
Thursday, April 17 Air Qualifying + Final (1 pm)
Friday, April 18 Smallbore Qualifying
Saturday, April 19 Smallbore Qualifying + Final (3:30 pm)
Men’s Rifle
Tuesday, April 22 Air Qualifying
Wednesday, April 23 Air Qualifying + Final (12:15 pm)
Thursday, April 24 Smallbore Qualifying
Friday, April 25 Smallbore Qualifying
Saturday, April 26 Smallbore Qualifying + Finals (Prone + 3P, 3:30 pm)
For schedules & complete list of participants, click here: http://www.usashooting.org/7-events/njosc
