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to US Shotgun Team By Sara John, The trap event of the 2006 Shotgun Spring Selection Match drew to a close March 11 at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center, in Kerrville, TX.
A total of 30 athletes will be chosen to represent the USA in the shotgun sports at the world's largest and highly anticipated shooting championships. The World Championships are different from other major International Shooting Sport Federation competitions, due to the fact that team events are included. This allows nations to demonstrate the strength of their programs, while also allowing countries a chance to secure Olympic quota spots for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Three-time Olympian Lance Bade of Colorado Springs, stepped up his game this spring to win a spot on the World Championship Men's Trap Team. Bade was sitting in 12th place after the fall match with a score of 236, but hit a 242 qualifying score this time around to boost him into first. Bade entered the final three points above his next competitors and hit a 22 for a total score of 500 and the top-spot. Three-time Olympian retired Sgt. 1st Class Brett Erickson, who recently left the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit of Fort Benning, Ga., finished in second with a 499, hitting a 240 in the fall, a 235 in the spring and a 24 in the final. Joining Bade and Erickson at the World Championships this summer, will be the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's Spc. Matt Wallace, who finished with a 238 in the fall, a 237 in Kerrville and a 22 in the final for a 498 total score. Sgt. 1st Class Joetta Dement, also of the Army Marksmanship Unit, finished on top in the Women's Trap event. Dement shot a personal-best 238 in the fall, and a rough 221 in the spring for a 459 qualifying score. She said that she felt a lot more pressure shooting this match, compared to the one in the fall, and it definitely had an impact on her score. But, after all was said and done, Dement led the entire selection match and finished with an 18 point final, for a 477 total score. "As always, it just reinforces that you should never
give up," Dement said. "That first day was bad. I nearly
gave the competition away. But the other women didn't jump on
it like I thought they would, and it all worked out in the end." She is married to USAMU Service Rifle Shooter Sgt. 1st Class Lance D. Dement, who was a 2000 Olympian in Running Target. They live in Seale, Ala., with their son, Logan, born May 16, 2005. Dement, who began shooting in 1989, has numerous shooting accomplishments. The following are some highlights over the course of her career: First Alternate, 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Trap Team; Double Trap Team Silver Medal, 2003 & 2002 World Championships & Team Silver Medal, 2003 Grenada World Cup; 2001 U.S. World Championship Trap Team Member and 2000 World Cup Double Trap Team Silver Medalist; 1998 Egypt World Cup Trap & Double Trap Team Bronze Medalist; 1998 Atlanta World Cup Grand Prix Women's Trap Silver Medalist Trap Gold Medalist & Double Trap Silver Medalist, 1997 Championship of the Americas, and 1996 National Women's Trap & Double Trap Champion. Dement will be joined by teammate Sgt. 1st Class Theresa E. DeWitt of the Army Marksmanship Unit who finished with a 226 in the fall and a 229 in the spring. After hitting a 20 in the final, DeWitt had the second position sealed with a 475. Mimi Wilfong of Malakoff, Texas, finished over 29 points below DeWitt with a 456 and rounded out the Women's Trap Team. DeWitt joined the Army in 1991 and was assigned to the Marksmanship Unit following her completion of Basic Training and Military Police Training.
California native Tamara Desso nearly gave the competition away, as well. Desso led the Junior Women's Trap event through the fall, shooting a 220. She successfully held on to the win, however, shooting a 201 in the spring, and a 15 in the final for a 436 total score. Fellow Californians, Susan Sledge and Breanna Heckenkamp will accompany Desso to the World Championships this summer. Sledge finished with a 433 (207, 206, 20) while Breanna clinched third with a 430 (206, 204, 20). The next closest competitor was over 16 points behind those top-three. Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade of the U.S. Army Accessions Command. The Marksmanship Unit trains its Soldiers to win competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer clinics, research and development. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, visit http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/amu/. USA Shooting is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Shooting Sport Federation as the national governing body for the Olympic and international shooting sports in the United States. For more information on USA Shooting, visit http://www.usashooting.com. |
The Spring Selection
Match is the second of two matches used to determine the US Shotgun
Team going to the ISSF World Shooting Championships in Zagreb,
Croatia, July 22-Aug. 5. USA Shooting hosted the first Shotgun
Selection Match in October in Colorado Springs. The scores from
that first match will be added to the scores from this second
match to calculate the top three open and junior men's and women's
competitors in each event.
DeWitt, who began
shooting in 1988 at the encouragement of her father, has numerous
shooting accomplishments. The following are some highlights over
the course of her career: 2003& 2002 Women's National Trap
Champion and Set Women's Trap National Record; 2003, 2002, 1999
& 1998 World Championship Team Member; 1999 Women's Double
Trap National Champion and 1997 Women's Trap Record-Setting National
Champion; 1999 Women's Interservice Trap & Double Trap Champion;
1996 Armed Forces Female Athlete of the Year; Silver Medalist,
1999 World Cup, Lonato, Italy, and 1996 USA World Cup, Atlanta,
and 1995 Pan-American Games Gold Medalist.
