USPSA Shooters Take 10 Titles at World Shooting Championships
SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Washington – The United States captured six team and four individual world titles at the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Shoot XV held this past week in Bali, Indonesia.
In team competition U.S. shooters took first in the Open, Modified, Standard and Production divisions as well as taking first in Junior Open and Ladies Open contests.
In individual competition U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) member and Diamond Bar, California native, Spc. K.C. Eusebio finished first among all junior Open division shooters while Athena Lee of Houston, Texas, was named the top lady Open shooter. Sgt. Travis Tomasie, another USAMU member and a native of Kirkland, Washington, took high overall in the Standard division. JoJo Vidanes of Norco, California, finished high overall in the Modified division.
“We’re extremely pleased with the performance of our shooters. We sent a very strong team to compete against the world’s best and with 10 titles in hand I think it’s safe to say Team USA delivered,” said Michael Voigt, President of the United State Practical Shooting Association which
A total of 30 titles between team and individual competition were awarded at this year’s World Shoot. The U.S.’s 10 victories were more than twice that of its nearest competitor, Italy, which finished the World Shoot with four. The Czech Republic and Ecuador tied for third place with three titles each.
The strong U.S. team showing was led by the Open division squad of Eusebio, USAMU teammate Staff Sgt. Max Michel of Meraux, La., Chris Tilley of Raleigh, N.C. and B.J. Norris of Tyler, Texas. The Open squad outpaced second place Philippines by 238 points with France in third, Australia in fourth and the U.S. Junior Open squad claiming fifth.
The U.S. Junior Open team gave the U.S. its biggest margin of victory with a 646 point lead over the second place junior squad from the Philippines. Spc. Brad Balsley, a Uniontown, Penn. resident and member of the USAMU, led the junior squad finishing an impressive eighth overall. Teammates Shane Coley of Leland, Wash., James McGinty, of Tabernacle, N.J. and Forrest McCord of Houston, Texas, along with Eusebio and Norris of the official U.S. Open team, helped the U.S. dominate among all junior shooters by capturing six of the top 12 spots. Australia and Germany finished third and fourth respectively.
Led by Athena Lee, who topped all women shooters in the Open division, the U.S. Ladies Open team defeated the Austrians by 300 points. Joining Lee in victory were teammates Kay Clark-Miculek of Princeton, La., Lisa Munson of Marysville, Wash. and Eva Beecroft of Desert Hills, Ariz. Ladies squads from Australia and Italy finished third and fourth.
Travis Tomasie, the 2008 USPSA Limited National Champion, continued his winning ways by taking the Standard division World Championship and leading his U.S. squad teammates Shannon Smith of Tampa, Fla., Taran Butler of Simi Valley, Calif., and Manny Bragg of Kirksville, Mo. to a 434 point victory over second place Italy. The Czech Republic took third with the Philippines and Spain finishing fourth and fifth.
In the Modified division, JoJo Vidanes led all shooters and helped teammates Michal Voigt of Chino, Calif., James Ong of Reno, Nev. and Barry Dueck to a 532 point victory over the second place squad from the Philippines. Team Italy placed third with the Czech Republic in fourth and Indonesia in fifth.
Rounding out the team victories for the U.S. was the Production division squad of Matthew Mink of Conway, Ark., Robert Vogel of Wapakoneta, Ohio, Angus Hobdell of Mesa, Ariz. and David Olhasso of Holland, Pa. The U.S. shooters out shot the second place Czech Republic squad by 231 points. In third was the team representing the Slovak Republic followed by Italy in fourth and South Africa in fifth.
In related news, Greece was selected as the host nation for World Shoot XVI, beating out the United States by just one vote. The World Shoot which runs nine days draws upwards of 1,000 competitors and provides significant economic impact for the local community hosting the international shooting championships. World Shoot XVI will be held in 2011.
About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has over 17,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the U.S. Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, visit www.uspsa.org .
Media Contact: Dave Thomas (360) 855-2245 [email protected]
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