SHOOTING: 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Shooting (Smallbore) to be Held at Ft. Benning, Ga. May 12-22

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 28, 2008)-Over 170 top rifle and pistol shooters from around the United States will be vying for spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Shooting (Smallbore) May 12-22, which will be held at Ft. Benning's International Shooting Complex in Columbus, Ga., home of the U.S. Army Marksmanship (USAMU). The U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Shooting is a collaborative partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Shooting. In smallbore rifle, there is one U.S. Olympic team spot available for Men's Prone and Men's 3-Position (Matt Emmons has already secured a spot in both Prone and 3P) and there are two spots available in Women's 3-Position. In pistol, there are two U.S. Olympic team spots available for Men's Free Pistol and one spot in Men's Rapid Fire Pistol. There are two spots for Women's Sport Pistol. Among the athletes competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in Men's Rifle will be two-time Olympian Jason Parker (Omaha, Neb.), a member of the USAMU and 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist. Parker will be trying for his second spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, having already qualified for a spot in Men's Air Rifle. Parker's USAMU teammate and three-time Olympian Mike Anti (Winterville, N.C.) will be looking to earn a berth to his fourth U.S. Olympic Team. Anti is the silver medal winner in Men's 3 Position Rifle from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Michael McPhail (Darlington, Wis.) will be vying for a spot on his first U.S. Olympic Team in both 3-Position and Prone Rifle. McPhail recently captured the bronze medal in Prone at the"Good Luck Beijing"2008 ISSF World Cup, which was the test event for the 2008 Olympic Games. Two-time Olympian Tom Tamas (Columbus, Ga.) is looking to earn a spot on his third U.S. Olympic Team in Men's Prone. Tamas is fresh off his silver medal win in Prone at the World Cup in Beijing. Both Tamas and McPhail are members of the USAMU. Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.), the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in Men's Prone Rifle, has already secured two spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in both Prone and 3 Position, and will also be competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials for Shooting (Smallbore). Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, Pa.), the 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist, along with 2004 Olympian Morgan Hicks (Roy, Wash.), the 2008 Rio World Cup gold medalist will each be competing for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Women's 3-Position Rifle. In Men's Pistol, two-time Olympian and member of the USAMU, Daryl Szarenski (Saginaw, Mich.), will be attempting to make his third consecutive U.S. Olympic Team. Szarenski recently earned the bronze medal in the Men's 50m Free Pistol event at the"Good Luck Beijing"2008 ISSF World Cup, which was the first World Cup medal won by a U.S. shooter in Men's Free Pistol since 2000. Also vying for his second U.S. Olympic team spot will be 2004 Olympian Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.), who has already earned a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Men's Air Pistol. Turner is the reigning Pan American Games gold medalist in Men's Air Pistol and Men's Free Pistol. In Men's Rapid Fire Pistol, five-time Olympian John McNally (Heath, Texas) will be looking to land a spot on his sixth U.S. Olympic Team. Keith Sanderson (San Antonio, Texas), the 2007 World Cup Munich bronze medalist and Olympic quota slot winner will be looking to snag a berth to his first U.S. Olympic Team in the Men's Rapid Fire event. Fifty-six year old Libby Callahan (Columbia, S.C.), a three-time Olympian, along with Beki Snyder (Colorado Springs, Colo.), also a three-time Olympian, will both be vying for a position on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Women's 25m Sport Pistol. Snyder has already earned a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team in Women's Air Rifle. The rifle/pistol athletes will be selected to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team based on a combination of the three days of match scores, plus each athlete's top two finals scores. News and results throughout the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Shooting (Smallbore) will be posted online at www.usashooting.org. 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Shooting (Smallbore) Competition Schedule (competition will begin at 8:00 each morning): Monday, May 12 Men's Free Pistol official training Women's Sport Pistol official training Men's Prone Rifle official training Tuesday, May 13 Men's Free Pistol match and finals Women's Sport Pistol match and finals Men's Prone Rifle match and finals Wednesday, May 14 Men's Free Pistol match and finals Women's Sport Pistol match and finals Men's Prone Rifle match and finals Thursday, May 15 Men's Free Pistol match, finals and awards Women's Sport Pistol match, finals and awards Men's Prone Rifle match, finals and awards Friday, May 16 Men's Rapid Fire Pistol official training Men's 3-Position Rifle official training Saturday, May 17 Men's Rapid Fire Pistol match and finals Men's 3-Position Rifle match and finals Sunday, May 18 Men's Rapid Fire Pistol match and finals Men's 3-Position Rifle match and finals Monday, May 19 Men's Rapid Fire Pistol match, finals and awards Men's 3-Position Rifle match, finals and awards Women's 3-Position Rifle official training Tuesday, May 20 Women's 3-Position Rifle match and finals Wednesday, May 21 Women's 3-Position Rifle match and finals Thursday, May 22 Women's 3-Position Rifle match, finals and awards Media interested in more information should contact Mary Beth Vorwerk, Media and Public Relations Manager, USA Shooting, at (719)866-4896 or marybeth.vorwerk@usashooting.org. About USA Shooting USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. It is USA Shooting's mission to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. The organization implements and manages development programs and sanctions events at the local, state, regional and national levels. Website: www.usashooting.org