FORT BENNING, Ga. -(Ammoland.com)- Two members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Action Shooting Team brought home medals from the World Championships last week. Four Soldiers of the Army Marksmanship Unit represented the USA at the International Practical Shooting Confederation World Shoot XV in Bali, Indonesia, Oct. 19 through Nov. 2.
The United States captured six team and four individual world titles. 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, Spc. Kamille C. “K.C.” Eusebio of the USAMU finished first among all Junior Open Division shooters while USAMU’s Sgt. Travis E. Tomasie took high overall in the Standard Division.
Athena Lee of Houston, Texas, was named the top Lady Open shooter and JoJo Vidanes of Norco, Calif., 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 U.S. Practical Shooting Association, the national governing body for action shooting, which runs the IPSC matches in the United States.
A total of 30 titles between team and individual competition were awarded at this year’s World Shoot. The USA’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, his USAMU teammate Staff Sgt. Maxient “Max” J. Michel Jr., 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 USA its biggest margin of victory with a 646-point lead over the second-place junior squad from the Philippines. Spc. Brad A. Balsley 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 USA dominate among all junior shooters by capturing six of the top 12 spots. Australia and Germany finished third and fourth respectively.
Led by 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.
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, 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 USA 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 outshot 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.
The IPSC World Shoot is conducted every three years. The 2008 World Shoot consisted of 36 stages, which was shot over six days.
About USAMU:
The USAMU’s mission is to raise the standard of marksmanship proficiency and combat readiness throughout the Army by sharing knowledge gained from competing and winning in national/ international competitions, research and development and advanced training programs while enhancing the Army’s recruiting effort through an active public information and public relations program. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, [email protected] or www.USAMU.com . The U.S. Practical Shooting Association is a nonprofit membership association affiliated with the International Practical Shooting Confederation, which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. For more information, contact Dave Thomas at (360) 855-2245 or [email protected].
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