thedrifter
01-14-09, 07:20 AM
Area sharpshooter aims at 2012 Olympics
By Sean Eamon of The Montana Standard - 01/13/2009
An area rifle shooter is heading to the Summer Olympics Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to train for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Ramsay's Nick Mowrer, 20, will be a resident athlete at the Olympics Training Center next month, hopig to earn a spot on the United States team in air pistol or free pistol.
The United States Olympic Pistol Shooting Team added room for three additional athletes after Jason Turner earned a bronze in 10-meter air pistol at the Beijing Olympics last summer.
Turner's medal was the first in pistol shooting for the United States since Erich Buljung won a silver in 1988.
Now the United States is opening up more spots to train pistol shooters.
"They're trying to recruit people and I was one of the guys that got recruited for it," Mowrer said.
The marksman was named to two of the National Rifle Association's 2008 All-American Teams in March when he competed for Montana Tech. He was the only freshman who made the team.
He earned first-team spots on the standard pistol and the air pistol teams.
After that, Mowrer was awarded a scholarship to shoot with the Ohio State Buckeyes' pistol team.
The Buckeyes took second at the Collegiate National Championships last March. Mowrer was crowned national champion in air pistol there.
He edged teammate and Billings native Seth Berglee in the three-gun aggregate scores to make himself a national titleist in that as well.
Mowrer started off playing team sports in Butte and eventually gravitated towards individual sports.
"I decided I should find a more individual sport, then I found out about shooting," he said. "I had a couple of matches and everything took off from there." Last year he also topped the pistol shooting field at the 2008 Junior Olympics.
When he's home, he shoots at the Rocker Gun Club and sometimes at the Anaconda Gun Club.
The Butte High graduate also shoots rifles. The difference between rifle and pistol competitions is the positions and number of arms that shooters use.
"In rifle competition you use various positions," Mowrer explained. "You have sitting and off-hand positions. There's prone and full-support positions.
"Pistol is different because you hold the gun out there with one hand. It's probably the least stable of any shooting form," he said.
In air pistol, the competitors aim at a target 10 meters away. In free pistol the distance is 50 meters.
Mowrer's already had a taste of international culture thanks to his shooting abilities.
Last year he went to the Czech Republic and competed in the 2008 Meeting of the Hopes Match. Junior shooters from all over the world compete in the event.
Ramsey's deadeye will join 2008 bronze medalist Jason Turner in Colorado Springs. Turner is one of the residential athletes at the Olympic Training Center.
Brian Beaman of South Dakota will also be there. He ended up in fourth at the 2008 Olympics after losing a shoot-off against Turner.
Turner actually advanced into the bronze medal after a Korean shooter tested positive for banned substances.
Two of the other shooters will be Richard Gray of the Marines Corps and Mowrer's Ohio State teammate Stephen Lutz.
Lutz and Mowrer competed with Ohio State last fall and went to the Czech Republic last year.
Mowrer is the youngest of the group of shooters.
Once he gets to Colorado Springs, he'll train with the other athletes and a new coach.
He could be there for four years.
"If you prove to be a good athlete, then you'll stay there until the Olympics," Mowrer said.
Aside from his shooting endeavors, the Ramsay sharpshooter studies metallurgical engineering.
His parents are C.L. and Zona Mowrer.
Ellie
By Sean Eamon of The Montana Standard - 01/13/2009
An area rifle shooter is heading to the Summer Olympics Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to train for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Ramsay's Nick Mowrer, 20, will be a resident athlete at the Olympics Training Center next month, hopig to earn a spot on the United States team in air pistol or free pistol.
The United States Olympic Pistol Shooting Team added room for three additional athletes after Jason Turner earned a bronze in 10-meter air pistol at the Beijing Olympics last summer.
Turner's medal was the first in pistol shooting for the United States since Erich Buljung won a silver in 1988.
Now the United States is opening up more spots to train pistol shooters.
"They're trying to recruit people and I was one of the guys that got recruited for it," Mowrer said.
The marksman was named to two of the National Rifle Association's 2008 All-American Teams in March when he competed for Montana Tech. He was the only freshman who made the team.
He earned first-team spots on the standard pistol and the air pistol teams.
After that, Mowrer was awarded a scholarship to shoot with the Ohio State Buckeyes' pistol team.
The Buckeyes took second at the Collegiate National Championships last March. Mowrer was crowned national champion in air pistol there.
He edged teammate and Billings native Seth Berglee in the three-gun aggregate scores to make himself a national titleist in that as well.
Mowrer started off playing team sports in Butte and eventually gravitated towards individual sports.
"I decided I should find a more individual sport, then I found out about shooting," he said. "I had a couple of matches and everything took off from there." Last year he also topped the pistol shooting field at the 2008 Junior Olympics.
When he's home, he shoots at the Rocker Gun Club and sometimes at the Anaconda Gun Club.
The Butte High graduate also shoots rifles. The difference between rifle and pistol competitions is the positions and number of arms that shooters use.
"In rifle competition you use various positions," Mowrer explained. "You have sitting and off-hand positions. There's prone and full-support positions.
"Pistol is different because you hold the gun out there with one hand. It's probably the least stable of any shooting form," he said.
In air pistol, the competitors aim at a target 10 meters away. In free pistol the distance is 50 meters.
Mowrer's already had a taste of international culture thanks to his shooting abilities.
Last year he went to the Czech Republic and competed in the 2008 Meeting of the Hopes Match. Junior shooters from all over the world compete in the event.
Ramsey's deadeye will join 2008 bronze medalist Jason Turner in Colorado Springs. Turner is one of the residential athletes at the Olympic Training Center.
Brian Beaman of South Dakota will also be there. He ended up in fourth at the 2008 Olympics after losing a shoot-off against Turner.
Turner actually advanced into the bronze medal after a Korean shooter tested positive for banned substances.
Two of the other shooters will be Richard Gray of the Marines Corps and Mowrer's Ohio State teammate Stephen Lutz.
Lutz and Mowrer competed with Ohio State last fall and went to the Czech Republic last year.
Mowrer is the youngest of the group of shooters.
Once he gets to Colorado Springs, he'll train with the other athletes and a new coach.
He could be there for four years.
"If you prove to be a good athlete, then you'll stay there until the Olympics," Mowrer said.
Aside from his shooting endeavors, the Ramsay sharpshooter studies metallurgical engineering.
His parents are C.L. and Zona Mowrer.
Ellie