ESPN's broadcasting of the Great Outdoor Games have begun, and Shotgun and Rifle events, both sponsored and organized by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, will be broadcast July 15-16.
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| Travis Mears was nearly perfect in taking Shotgun gold at the 2004 Games. |
Veteran shotgunner supports curfew
Ten o'clock is curfew for many students. But on Saturday night in Madison, Wis., 17 year-old Travis Mears was more awake than any other time in his life.
The young shooting star from Burleson, Texas, was busy winning the most watched shotgun championship on the planet, taking the 2004 gold medal after a sudden-death finals shoot-off against decorated veteran shooter and GOG multi-medalist Robbie Purser of Macon, Ga. Mears is the youngest person ever to win the title.
And what did Purser think of the young champ? "My competitor tonight was up way past his bedtime," he said with a grin.
Rifle shooting's four-man dynasty
Of the 15 medals awarded over five years of GOG rifle-shooting competition, 13 have been shared among just four competitors reigning as the sport's elite.
Doug Koenig of Albertis, Pa., leads this fearsome foursome with four total medals, although he didn't get one this year.
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| Mike Cumming couldn't contain the emotion after winning the gold medal in the Rifle event at the Great Outdoor Games. |
Just how dominant is this quartet of shooters? Together, they have ousted a cumulative 74 other competitors who've tried but failed to upset the dynasty.
Interesting cast in Rifle competition
This year's rifle competition boasts a diverse field of interesting characters, including former pro bull rider Jorge Rodriquez of Henderson, Nev., who became interested in competing in the ESPN GOG after watching the event on television.
Rodriguez, who earned his berth at the NSSF-sanctioned qualifying competition in Las Vegas, Nev., will compete against a field that includes Louisiana's Jerry Miculek, a two-time gold medalist in his fourth outing at the games.
Miculek's specialty is speed shooting. He's known as "the fastest trigger finger." His ultimate goal as a competitive shooter is to achieve a record of five shots in two-fifths of a second.
Speaking of speed, John Bagakis of Livermore, Calif., led his own fast-paced life before taking up shooting sports. Bagakis spent years road and drag racing before trying a new kind of head-to-head competition.
Young and restless for a win
Of the 16 competitors in this year's shotgun competition, 7 are in college or high school, age 22 or less. But if you think these young guns were here out of sheer luck, you're mistaken.
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| Rob Purser had to endure an overtime battle to take the silver medal. |
With just enough swagger to make you believe him, 17 year-old Travis Mears of Burleson, Texas, who won this year's gold medal, said, "We have younger eyes and younger reflexes and we expect to win."
Watch the broadcast and keep watch on Dorak, Mears, Cory Kruse, 20, Liberty Hill, Texas; Justin Huckabay, 22, Odessa, Texas; Jamie Riggs, 19, Franklin, Tenn.; Chris McClelland, 17, Stewartstown, Pa.; and Anthony Matarese, 17, Pennsville, N.J.
Less pressure for returning gold medalist
No worries. That's what Scott Robertson was feeling as the GOG shotgun competition drew near.
The accomplished shooter who went home to Flower Mound, Texas, with a gold medal in 2003, said, "I feel less pressure this year. I have no worries and more confidence now because it's no longer an unknown as to whether or not I can shoot this game."
Robertson has practiced much more this year than last, but admitted he's "not a good practicer." He said the environment at the games, with its keen competition, bright lights, cheering crowds, loud music and piercing cameras, provides what he needs most to perform his best.
Rifle shooter demonstrates skills to police
The "fastest trigger finger in the world," Jerry Miculek of Princeton, La., took an opportunity at the games to demonstrate the shooting skills that earned him his unique nickname and reputation.
ESPN cameras rolled and a live audience — mostly Madison-area police officers — applauded as Miculek drew a law enforcement service revolver out of its holster, aimed and fired 6 times in only 1.64 seconds, all with amazing accuracy. One police officer tried but was unable to match that time.
Miculek, who won a silver medal in the 2004 GOG in the rifle shooting competition, went on to demonstrate his speed and accuracy with a semi-auto handgun and with two guns at once.
A record for Miculek
Miculek confirmed his "fastest trigger finger in the world" reputation by breaking a record in the qualifying round of the games' rifle shooting competition. Miculek used only 15.69 seconds to hit all 14 targets, smashing the old record of 22 seconds (which he also held).
Targets range from 4-inch circles down to 1¾-inch circles positioned 50 and 60 yards downrange. While all the other competitors use custom rifles with special parts, Miculek shoots a stock rifle that fans can buy at any sporting goods store. He needed fewer than 20 bullets to hit all the targets.
"I play clean and make sure that I am throwing as much lead down the bank as possible until the target is hit," said Miculek.
International influences
Unlike most competitors in this year's shotgun competition, Andy Duffy brings a competitive background steeped in old English shooting traditions.
Duffy, a New York native now living in Polson, Mont., has competed and won a number of shoots in England. He says the English shooting form is classic, the targets typically more technical and demanding, and the competitors more experienced.
Despite the many different styles and pedigrees on display at the games, Duffy said, "The shooters here are every bit as good as they are in England."
Two-sport star
Randy Hendrix is no stranger to GOG. The Clemmons, N.C., resident has competed in target sports the past four years.
From 2001-2004, Hendrix qualified to compete in both archery and rifle, leaving with three gold medals in archery. Rarely has an athlete demonstrated such consistent high-level performance in two sports.
He worked hard preparing for this year's competitions, mostly concentrating on rifle targets with an objective in place.
"I would like to place in the top 4 in rifle this year," Hendrix said prior to the competition.
Backing up the backup gun
Jamie Riggs, the only female in the firearms events, competed this year with a backup shotgun after her old favorite was destroyed in a fire. Riggs, of Franklin, Tenn., said her backup was still not as familiar as she would have liked.
Nevertheless, she didn't consider herself handicapped. Instead, she brought to the competition a collection of tools that matters even more than her gun — greater experience, maturity, practice, concentration, and the confidence that "whoever works the hardest is going to win this game."
Crowd favorite
When the fans gathered for the shotgun-shooting events, one competitor quickly emerged as the crowd favorite — Sobieksi, Wisconsin's, own Brett Dorak. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student competed in his second GOG after finishing second last year.
Dorak, a collegiate cross-country runner who logs at least 60 miles per week, says running provides certain skills that complement shooting.
"Self discipline and self determination are important in sports where you can't rely on teammates or coaches," he said. Dorak practices shooting 4 times per week.
He says once the mechanics are good, mental preparation becomes the biggest part of winning: "You have to visualize the targets and then be able to focus enough to block out the lights and cameras and crowds."
Shooting interests grandfathered in
His grandfather helped shape Jeff Vick's early interest in shooting, but the influence was more utilitarian than competitive.
The Northport, Ala., shooter, who appeared in this third GOG, says his grandfather viewed shooting only as a way to put meat on the family table.
"He only shot rifles because that's what he needed to feed his family. He thought firing a shotgun was a waste of a time — it just took too many shots to collect enough game to make a meal!" Vick said with a grin.
But, later, as Vick developed into one of America's best shotgunners, his grandfather became a tongue-in-cheek yet devoted fan. The old hunter died earlier this year, leaving Vick reminiscing as the games neared.
