07-15-2005, 05:08 PM
[font "Times New Roman"]Storms Wreak Havoc on ESPN Great Outdoor Games;
Abbreviated Rifle Competition to Air This Week[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]LAKELAND, Fla.[/font]—With six inches of floodwater on the shooting range, more rain in the forecast, periodic hail and lightning, tornadoes nearby, and Hurricane Dennis prowling the area, the shooting sports were a virtual washout last weekend at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Only an abbreviated rifle competition [font "Times New Roman"]will be included when the Games air on ESPN and ABC Sports, Wednesday through Sunday.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Games officials from ESPN ended the rifle event after its qualifying round, and cancelled the shotgun competition all together, Saturday at the Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training Range in Lakeland. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]By ending the rifle event early, Doug Koenig of Alburtis, Pa., was awarded first place based on his qualifying time of 23.67 seconds in the 14-target event. His time was 3.71 seconds faster than the next best time, 27.38, shot by Mike Cumming of Altoona, Pa., the defending gold medallist. Defending silver medallist Jerry Miculek of Princeton, La.[/font]—[font "Times New Roman"]who won gold in 2001 and 2002[/font]—[font "Times New Roman"]shot the day’s third best time, 30.67 seconds.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]In a great show of sportsmanship, the rifle competitors voted unanimously to split the prize money, which totaled more than $25,000, equally among the 16 shooters.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Koenig, who would have pocketed a $10,000 first-place purse, said everyone was disappointed that the traditional head-to-head competition didn't happen, adding that the atmosphere surrounding a qualifying round doesn’t match the actual competition. “Everyone was prepared to shoot, but there’s not much you can do with these storms,” he said. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]“We’re very disappointed, obviously, because this is a spectacular opportunity to share the shooting sports with the rest of the country,” said Steve Wagner of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the event’s organizer for the Games. “We have shooting sports in the Olympics, but the Great Outdoor Games gives these sports far more exposure, not only for the 40 million Americans who actively shoot firearms, but for all the other viewers who tune in to ESPN.” [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]NSSF sponsors and manages the rifle and shotgun events for the Games, which also include archery, timber sports, ATV racing and sporting dog events. Last year, the Games set an all-time attendance record with 68,000 fans on site, and the TV broadcasts carried rifle and shotgun competitions to 35 million viewers—a 37 percent increase over the previous year. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The shotgun competition originally was postponed Friday night and officially canceled Saturday morning, without a shot being fired. Brett Dorak of Sobieski, Wis., the 2003 silver medallist and a runner-up in 2004, agreed it was imperative to keep everyone safe from the threatening storms. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]“It’s very disappointing because everyone puts so much time and effort into preparing for this, but we’ll look forward to next year,” Dorak said. “We wanted to get out there and compete, but never got to fire a shot. It’s probably much more difficult for the rifle shooters because they actually got started and had to stop.” [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Prize money will be distributed evenly among the 16 shotgun shooters. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Rifle Final Standings (Time)
1. Doug Koenig, Alburtis, Pa. (0:23.67)
2. Mike Cumming, Altoona, Pa. (0:27.38)
3. Jerry Miculek, Princeton, La. (0:30.67)
4. Carl Bernosky, Ashland, Pa. (0:36.50)
5. Vince Cumming, Altoona, Pa. (0:37.70)
6. John Bagakis, Livermore, Calif. (0:41.47)
7. Jorge Rodriguez, Las Vegas, Nev. (0:44.18)
8. Keith Brown, Greensboro, N.C. (0:48.42)
9. Richard Aitken, Peyton, Colo.(0:51.13)
10. Randy Hollowbush, Topton, Pa. (0:58.30)
11. Bruce Piatt, Montvale, N.J. (0:58.86)
12. Doug Fuller, Claremore, Okla. (0:59.10)
13. Randy Hendrix, Clemmons, N.C. (1:12.26)
14. Tim Vaitekunas, Edwardsville, Ill. (1:14.80)
15. Robbie Purser, Macon, Ga. (DQ)
15. Tony Holmes, Otterbein, Ind. (DQ) [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Purser and Tony Holmes, were disqualified for not completing one phase of shooting before moving onto the next. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]NSSF, formed in 1961, is a non-profit trade association for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. It directs a variety of outreach programs to promote greater participation and a better understanding of the shooting sports, emphasizing safe and responsible ownership of firearms. For further information, please visit [url "http://www.twelvehorses.com/ct/493X7J/HXICSDEV/*http://www.nssf.org/"]http://www.nssf.org/[/url]. [/font]
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Abbreviated Rifle Competition to Air This Week[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]LAKELAND, Fla.[/font]—With six inches of floodwater on the shooting range, more rain in the forecast, periodic hail and lightning, tornadoes nearby, and Hurricane Dennis prowling the area, the shooting sports were a virtual washout last weekend at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Only an abbreviated rifle competition [font "Times New Roman"]will be included when the Games air on ESPN and ABC Sports, Wednesday through Sunday.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Games officials from ESPN ended the rifle event after its qualifying round, and cancelled the shotgun competition all together, Saturday at the Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training Range in Lakeland. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]By ending the rifle event early, Doug Koenig of Alburtis, Pa., was awarded first place based on his qualifying time of 23.67 seconds in the 14-target event. His time was 3.71 seconds faster than the next best time, 27.38, shot by Mike Cumming of Altoona, Pa., the defending gold medallist. Defending silver medallist Jerry Miculek of Princeton, La.[/font]—[font "Times New Roman"]who won gold in 2001 and 2002[/font]—[font "Times New Roman"]shot the day’s third best time, 30.67 seconds.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]In a great show of sportsmanship, the rifle competitors voted unanimously to split the prize money, which totaled more than $25,000, equally among the 16 shooters.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Koenig, who would have pocketed a $10,000 first-place purse, said everyone was disappointed that the traditional head-to-head competition didn't happen, adding that the atmosphere surrounding a qualifying round doesn’t match the actual competition. “Everyone was prepared to shoot, but there’s not much you can do with these storms,” he said. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]“We’re very disappointed, obviously, because this is a spectacular opportunity to share the shooting sports with the rest of the country,” said Steve Wagner of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the event’s organizer for the Games. “We have shooting sports in the Olympics, but the Great Outdoor Games gives these sports far more exposure, not only for the 40 million Americans who actively shoot firearms, but for all the other viewers who tune in to ESPN.” [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]NSSF sponsors and manages the rifle and shotgun events for the Games, which also include archery, timber sports, ATV racing and sporting dog events. Last year, the Games set an all-time attendance record with 68,000 fans on site, and the TV broadcasts carried rifle and shotgun competitions to 35 million viewers—a 37 percent increase over the previous year. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The shotgun competition originally was postponed Friday night and officially canceled Saturday morning, without a shot being fired. Brett Dorak of Sobieski, Wis., the 2003 silver medallist and a runner-up in 2004, agreed it was imperative to keep everyone safe from the threatening storms. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]“It’s very disappointing because everyone puts so much time and effort into preparing for this, but we’ll look forward to next year,” Dorak said. “We wanted to get out there and compete, but never got to fire a shot. It’s probably much more difficult for the rifle shooters because they actually got started and had to stop.” [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Prize money will be distributed evenly among the 16 shotgun shooters. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Rifle Final Standings (Time)
1. Doug Koenig, Alburtis, Pa. (0:23.67)
2. Mike Cumming, Altoona, Pa. (0:27.38)
3. Jerry Miculek, Princeton, La. (0:30.67)
4. Carl Bernosky, Ashland, Pa. (0:36.50)
5. Vince Cumming, Altoona, Pa. (0:37.70)
6. John Bagakis, Livermore, Calif. (0:41.47)
7. Jorge Rodriguez, Las Vegas, Nev. (0:44.18)
8. Keith Brown, Greensboro, N.C. (0:48.42)
9. Richard Aitken, Peyton, Colo.(0:51.13)
10. Randy Hollowbush, Topton, Pa. (0:58.30)
11. Bruce Piatt, Montvale, N.J. (0:58.86)
12. Doug Fuller, Claremore, Okla. (0:59.10)
13. Randy Hendrix, Clemmons, N.C. (1:12.26)
14. Tim Vaitekunas, Edwardsville, Ill. (1:14.80)
15. Robbie Purser, Macon, Ga. (DQ)
15. Tony Holmes, Otterbein, Ind. (DQ) [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Purser and Tony Holmes, were disqualified for not completing one phase of shooting before moving onto the next. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]NSSF, formed in 1961, is a non-profit trade association for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. It directs a variety of outreach programs to promote greater participation and a better understanding of the shooting sports, emphasizing safe and responsible ownership of firearms. For further information, please visit [url "http://www.twelvehorses.com/ct/493X7J/HXICSDEV/*http://www.nssf.org/"]http://www.nssf.org/[/url]. [/font]
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