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thedrifter
08-08-03, 10:02 AM
United States Marine Corps

Press Release
Division of Public Affairs
Headquarters, U. S. Marine Corps
Washington, D. C. 20380-1775
Telephone: 703-614-4309 DSN 224-4309 Fax 703-695-7460
Contact: National Rifle Association
National Rifle & Pistol Championships
Camp Perry, Ohio

Joe Roberts (703) 267-1595

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Release # 0808-03-0802
Aug. 08, 2003

Gunnery Sgt Zins makes National Rifle & Pistol championship history

Camp Perry, OH.--Gunnery Sgt Brian Zins of the Marine Corps Shooting Team has joined a very select group. With a three-day aggregate score of 2665-148X, Zins became the sixth competitor in the 68-year history of the NRA National Pistol Championship to win more than four national titles. Zins' teammate, Staff Sgt Justin Giorgio took second place at 2648-l29X. And Camp Perry veteran Steve Reiter, who in 2000 became the fifth, five-time winner, was third at 2643-132X.

Zins' eventual victory seemed a sure thing from the outset of this year's championships. The Quantico, Va., Marine began his run for the victory with a win in the .22 Caliber Championship, fired on the first day of competition. His win in the .22 Championship was convincing - an 895, that was only two points shy of the record, set in 1997.

Zins continued to dominate during the Centerfire Championship - the second of three sub- aggregates that comprise the National Championship - with an 886-48X, then posted a second place 884-51X finish in the final contest - the .45 Caliber Championship - behind Steve Reiter's 885043X. At that, Zins' total for the three-stage National Championship was 17 points ahead of Giorgio and 22 points ahead of Reiter. As Zins was nailing down his title, others were making their respective marks. Reiter parlayed his third place overall into Senior category honors (the Senior Trophy) for the championship. Judy Tant, a clinical psychologist from East Lansing, Mich. tallied an aggregate 2577-78X to win both the Alexander Memorial Trophy, for the Women's championship, and the Vincent Trophy, for the high-scoring civilian woman. Junior honors went to Teresa Meyer of Dearborn, Mich., at 2467-61X. Collegiate laurels went to Patrick Powell, of Columbia, Tenn., with 2440-40X.

Right now, Brian Zins is pursuing two goals. He is determined to earn a place in the "Six-championship Club," the membership presently consisting of the late Harry Reeves and Joe Benner, and Bill Blankenship. He would like to equal Blankenship's mark of five consecutive championships, too, but that may have to wait. Brian Zins will spend the winter honing his skills in Olympic pistol shooting disciplines. "The trials are coming up," he notes. "And if I can make the team, I will be in Athens during the 2004 National Matches. I don't want to miss Camp Perry, but for an Olympic team berth, I'll do it."

In team contests, the "Coming Through the Rye" trophy, emblematic of the NRA Pistol Team Championship, went to six Marines, the USMC "Scarlet" team. Under the leadership of Chief Warrant Officer 5 Danny Luke and coached by Staff Sgt Shawn Pickard, the team's four firing members: Gunnery Sgt Brian Zins, Staff Sgt Justin Giorgio, Staff Sgt Michael Lawson, and Sgt Robert Park tallied a three-team match aggregate of 3491-143X.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/releaseview/67B1333E8CD7A47685256D7C00422A34?opendocument


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: