NSSF Bullet Points Articles

Cluth Shot Gives US Its First Shooting Medal

For someone who has only been shooting her event competitively for a little over two years, 21-year-old Corey Cogdell looked like one of the most experienced trap shooters in the world on Monday in Beijing. Cogdell, of Eagle River, Alaska, claimed the United States' first Olympic medal in shooting, winning bronze in women's international trap. "I wasn't even supposed to get on the Olympic team. My goal was to be on the 2012 Olympic team, so to win a medal at the Olympics at this point in my career is really a dream come true," said Cogdell, a former standout in NSSF's popular Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). Cogdell entered the final round just one target off the lead. In the 25-target final, she struggled early but finished strong, forcing a shoot-out with three other shooters for bronze. After each of the other shooters missed their targets, Cogdell came through in the clutch to claim her spot on the medal stand. Full Story | Photos

Eller Takes Double Trap Gold, Sets Olympic Record

DOMINANT DISPLAY GIVES U.S. SECOND MEDAL . . . The United States' Glenn Eller won the gold medal in double trap Tuesday, setting two Olympic records and claiming the second medal so far for the U.S. shooting team at the Beijing Olympics. Eller began his day strong, setting a new Olympic record in qualifying for the final with a 145, and continuing his dominance through the final with a total score of 190, also a new Olympic record. Eller, 26, of Katy, Texas, is a three-time Olympian. This is his first Olympic medal. A member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, he finished 12th at the Sydney Games and 17th in Athens. The previous Olympic record of 144 was set by Ahmed Almaktoum of the United Arab Emirates at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Almaktoum and Russell Mark of Australia (Atlanta 1996) were the previous final score record holders with 189.

Media Resources for National Hunting and Fishing Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A variety of resources are available at www.nhfday.org for media members covering National Hunting and Fishing Day, the Congressionally appointed annual commemoration of hunters, anglers and conservation.

Rhode Wins Silver in Skeet

THREE BATTLE IN DOWNPOUR FOR MEDALS . . . Through torrential rains, women's skeet competitors battled in Beijing today, with American Kim Rhode claiming the silver medal in an exciting shoot-off. Italy's Chiara Cainero took the gold, while Germany's Christine Brinker won bronze. All three shooters were tied at 93 targets after the finals and went into a shoot-off as the downpour intensified, the Associated Press reports. Cainero hit her first two targets to take the gold, as Rhode and Brinker both missed one. Rhode and Brinker continued into another shoot-off, with Rhode claiming the silver. Rhode, 28, of El Monte, Calif., is now a four-time Olympic medalist. She won the gold in women's double trap in 1996 and 2004 as well as the bronze in 2000. Rhode switched to skeet full-time after the women's double trap event was taken out of Olympic competition in 2004. "After double trap was eliminated in 2004, it was a bittersweet win for me," said Rhode. "On one hand I won the gold, but on the other hand I knew the challenge I faced in completely switching to skeet. I couldn't be happier with winning a medal today. Gold, silver or bronze, I don't think it matters. I am just so glad to be back at the Olympics and representing my country." The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday featured a story and online video profiling Rhode.

In other shooting news, Jamie Beyerle, 24, of Lebanon, Pa., just missed out on a medal in the women's three-position rifle event. Beyerle finished in fifth place with an overall score of 686.9. Sandra Fong, 18, of New York, N.Y., also competing in women's three-position and the youngest member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic shooting team, finished in 21st place with a score of 577.

For complete coverage of the shooting events in Beijing, visit USAShooting.com and NBCOlympics.com.

NSSF Passes Torch of Popular Youth Program to New Foundation

In terms of sheer numbers of participants, the eight-year-old Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) has been the most successful youth-oriented program in National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) history. Nearly 30,000 youths have participated in the program, which includes trap, skeet and sporting clays competitions.

76% of Sportsmen Say They Prefer to Elect a President Who Hunts or Fishes

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sportsmen have a solid history of voting, with 9 in 10 currently registered to vote and of those 83 percent say they will vote in the November election, according to a new survey by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. Overall, there are an estimated 40 million sportsmen of voting age in the United States.

NWTF Founder Honored With Special Award

Tom Rogers of Edgefield, S.C., received a one-of-a-kind Founder's Award from the National Wild Turkey Federation in recognition of his action to create what has become one of the largest and most influential conservation and sportsmen's organizations in the country. "Tom's influence on the conservation industry, on wildlife and hunters' rights is immeasurable," said NWTF CEO George Thornton.

Bureau Draws Praise For Sage Grouse Anouncement

The Bureau of Land Management's announced efforts to conserve sage grouse habitat in northeastern Wyoming's Powder River Basin have drawn praise from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the North American Grouse Partnership. The temporary measures, affecting approximately 1 million acres of sage grouse habitat, include limits on the density of gas and oil wells in the area. Sage grouse populations have decreased dramatically in the area.

Hunting Tactics Applied To Marine Corps Training

Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Camp Pendleton in California are sharpening their ability to detect potentially dangerous people under the tutelage of both police personnel and big-game hunters, reports the Associated Press. Combat Hunter is a two-week program to teach how to observe, profile and track potentially dangerous individuals. "Anecdotal evidence and after-action reports from commanders in theater say that this training is saving lives," said Capt. Michael G. Murray, commander of the training company overseeing Combat Hunter.

Steel Challenge Wraps Up In California

U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit shooter K.C. Eusebio won the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships, held this past weekend in Piru, Calif. Eusebio won with a record time of 79.16. Kay Clark-Miculek won the women's division with a time of 105.85. Los Angeles television station KABC featured a story about the championships on the Thursday evening news. NSSF again teamed up with the Steel Challenge this year to offer newcomers a chance to give shooting a try through several First Shots seminars held at the range over the weekend.