Little Guns and Big Hearts - Our Youngest Junior Olympians
US OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER, COLORADO SPRINGS - It's not the size of the
shooters that matter, just the size of their competitive spirits. The three youngest air rifle shooters at the 2002 US National Junior Olympic Championship in Colorado Springs certainly demonstrated that motto.
Leading the tiny triad was Matthew Pueppke, 10, of Amenia, North Dakota. Pueppke posted the best results of the trio by winning a bronze medal in the J3-class (14 and under age group) while competing against shooters as much as four years older than him. Sporting a FWB P70 JR air rifle and a pair of shooting pants with the cuffs rolled half way up to his knees, this young Harry Potter look-alike conducted himself with maturity and competence well beyond his tender years. Upon receiving his bronze medal from Lones Wigger, Pueppke also got a special bonus – a grandfatherly bear hug from the three-time US Olympic medallist.
"It was lots of fun, but next year I want to do even better, and get the silver or gold medal," said the slender, shy young shooter after the match. "I want to get a .22 and start shooting smallbore next year, too." Pueppke, at age 10, has a full decade ahead of him to collect many more medals.
PJ Snyder, 12, of Bozeman, Montana, and Kyle Youngs, 12, of Golden, Colorado rounded out the trio of youngest shooters in the Championship. Both were shooting in their first US Junior Olympic Championship. Each of these three young men entered the competition as full equals with the other competitors, shot well and weren't intimidated by being surrounded by older and more experienced shooters nearly twice their size.
And what was the most memorable part of their first Junior Olympic experience? According to Kyle Youngs, it's the dessert bar in the athletes’ cafeteria at the US Olympic Training Center. "The fudge ripple ice cream is just awesome, and you can have all you want!" gushed Youngs with a big grin.
The air rifle event is contested indoors at a distance of 10 meters using single shot compressed air rifles firing a 4.5mm lead pellet at a ten-ring that is only one-half millimeter in diameter, or about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Each shooter fires from the standing position. Both men and women compete in air rifle at all skill levels, from local club matches through the intercollegiate ranks and even the Olympic Games.
The 2002 National Junior Olympic Championship takes place each year in late March and early April, with multiple events for both men and women in the rifle, pistol and running target disciplines. The Junior Olympic Program is one of the USA Shooting Team's primary athlete development pipelines. Young shooters qualify through state-level Junior Olympic competitions held around the country. The top at-large shooters at the state competitions in each age-group also are invited to the National Championship, held each year at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The top finishers in the national competition earn positions on the National Development Team, where special training and advancement opportunities are provided.
The US Olympic Committee (USOC) recognizes USA Shooting as the national governing body for Olympic shooting in the United States, while the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) recognizes USA Shooting as its US member federation. International shooting includes more than two-dozen different events for both men and women in four different disciplines; pistol, rifle, shotgun and running target. 17 of these events are currently contested in the Olympic Games. USA Shooting trains and selects the USA Shooting Team, which represents the United States throughout the year in numerous major international competitions including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Championship of the Americas and ISSF World Cups. To learn more about USA Shooting, visit their website at
www.usashooting.com.
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