A Prediction Confirmed

by
posted on February 1, 2017
thrasher-hammond-ncaa1.jpg

Above: West Virginia University rifle coach Jon Hammond and 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Ginny Thrasher. Regarding Thrasher, Hammond said, "The amount of improvement she has made, all the preparation and work learning our system at WVU before going to Rio—all while maintaining the same high standards at practice, that is a very hard thing to do." Photo by WVU Athletics.

Of the five rifle shooting events in the 2016 Rio Olympicsfour were won by products of U.S. Intercollegiate Shooting programs: Niccolo Campriani (Men’s Air Rifle and Three Position); Henri Junghaenel: (Men’s Prone) and Virginia Thrasher (Women’s Air Rifle).

In the May 1954 American Rifleman, in an article interviewing five of America’s finest international rifle shooters, the question was posed: Does any type of present-day competition lead into free-rifle shooting?

Robert (“Sandy”) Sandager replied, in part, “It is my opinion that present-day college gallery shooting leads very naturally into free-rifle shooting and it is primarily because of scarcity of suitable outdoor ranges and lack of competition which prevents continued development of young shooters after they leave school. Perhaps many of our fine college shooters would move into the free-rifle phase if they only had the opportunity.” The above three individuals are, in significant part, products of university shooting team programs at West Virginia University (Thrasher and Campriani) and University of Kentucky (Junghaenel).

To be fair, we didn’t have to wait sixty-two years to see Sandy’s prediction come true. From its creation in 1956, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) brought clinics to many colleges and universities—not only to teach the collegians the right way to shoot but as a recruiting tool for the AMU.

Shooters like Lones Wigger, Jack Foster, Margaret Thompson Murdock, Glen Dubis and Lanny Bassham, to name just a few, are examples of those who made the transition from collegiate to international achievement. Some current Olympians who have made the collegiate-international connection include Jamie Beyerly Corkish and Matt Emmons.

These successful shooters likely did not learn to shoot in college; most were, I suspect, products of good, solid NRA junior shooting programs—or of similar programs in their native countries: Italy (Campriani) and Germany (Junghaenel). Virginia Thrasher shoots with the Optimist-Acorns Junior Rifle Club in Northern Virginia.

Sandy’s prediction was spot-on.

Latest

GUNS Silencercentral Partner 2
GUNS Silencercentral Partner 2

Silencer Central, Guns.com Join Forces For Suppressor Fulfillment

Online suppressor giant Silencer Central is partnering with Guns.com to fulfill all Guns.com online suppressor purchases.

2024 NSCA National Championship: Team Winchester’s Matarese Secures Third Place In Main Event

Team Winchester and White Flyer shooters claim top finishes at 2024 NSCA National Championship, including Anthony Matarese, Jr., taking third in the Main Event and Joe Fanizzi in third for juniors.

Magpul’s New PMAG 20 LR/SR GEN M3 Magazine Has Round Count Verification Window

Magpul adds windowed PMAG 20 LR/SR GEN M3 variant to its 7.62x51 mm NATO/.308 Win. magazine lineup.

CMP Class Teaches Advanced M1 Garand Rifle Maintenance

Civilian Marksmanship Program releases dates for 2025 Advanced Maintenance classes to be held in Anniston, Ala.

Classic SSUSA: The Inaugural NRA World Shooting Championship

Begin with 159 world champions, run them through 11 shooting stages, all with standard guns provided by the match sponsors, and you end up with a new trophy and $50,000 awarded to the inaugural NRA World Shooting Champion.

Legends: Sue Ann Sandusky 1952-2024

The shooting sports community mourns the loss of Sue Ann Sandusky, a three-time NRA All-American, Army veteran and Distinguished service rifle shooter, who sadly passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.