SHOOTING: USA Shooting to Host 2008 ISSF World Cup USA for Shotgun May 3-10 in Kerrville, Texas

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 22, 2008) - USA Shooting, the National Governing Body for the Olympic Shooting Sports in the United States, will be hosting the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup for clay target shooting at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center in Kerrville, Texas. Competition will run May 3-10 and will include all Olympic shotgun events for men and women (Skeet, Double Trap and Trap). The Hill Country Shooting Sports Center and the city of Kerrville previously held a World Cup for Shotgun in 2006. Approximately 230 shotgun shooters from 37 different nations will be participating in this event with 23 athletes from the U.S. competing for a World Cup title, as well as 35 additional U.S. athletes participating out of competition."We are very excited to be hosting the World Cup,"said Robert Mitchell, Executive Director of USA Shooting."Having a World Cup here in the U.S. gives many of our shooters the opportunity to participate in a competition they wouldn't normally get to compete in. It is also a great way to prepare our Olympic team members for the upcoming Summer Games in Beijing."Among the U.S. athletes competing for a World Cup title will be six members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, who all qualified for a spot on the Olympic team during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center in Kerrville in March. Three-time Olympic medalist (1996 and 2004 gold medalist, 2000 bronze medalist) Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.), along with Sean McLelland (Mission, Texas), will be competing in the Skeet event. U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) teammates Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas) and Jeff Holguin (Yorba Linda, Calif.) will be shooting the Double Trap event. Two-time Olympian Eller is coming off a silver medal win at the"Good Luck Beijing"2008 ISSF World Cup, which was the test event for the 2008 Olympic Games. Eller is also the reigning World Cup final champion in Double Trap and Holguin was the silver medalist at last year's Pan American Games. Air Force shooter Dominic Grazioli (San Antonio, Texas) and 2007 Pan American Games and World Cup Korea bronze medalist Corey Cogdell (Eagle River, Alaska) will be the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team members competing in the Trap event. The 37 nations sending athletes to compete at the World Cup USA include: Netherlands Antilles, Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Hong Kong, China, India, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. News and results throughout the World Cup will be posted on www.issf.tv and www.usashooting.org. World Cup USA Competition Schedule: Saturday, May 3 Skeet Official Training Opening Ceremony Sunday, May 4 Skeet Women Match Skeet Men Match-Day 1 Final Skeet Women Monday, May 5 Skeet Men Match-Day 2 Final Skeet Men Tuesday, May 6 Double Trap Official Training Wednesday, May 7 Double Trap Men Match Final Double Trap Men Thursday, May 8 Trap Official Training Friday, May 9 Trap Women Match Trap Men-Day 1 Final Trap Women Saturday, May 10 Trap Men Match-Day 2 Final Trap Men Closing Ceremony Media interested in more information should contact Mary Beth Vorwerk, Media and Public Relations Manager, USA Shooting, at (719)866-4896 or via email at marybeth.vorwerk@usashooting.org.