Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification Number: 200392411059
Story by Lance Cpl. J. Agg



MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.(Sept. 11, 2003) -- The U.S. Marine Corps Pistol Team has returned from some well-deserved leave to resume training at Quantico following a commanding performance at Camp Perry, Ohio, where the team won the 2003 National Rifle Association National Pistol Championship held July 15-19.

The team won the .22 caliber team match, the .45 caliber team match, and finished second in the centerfire team match to capture the national championship title and The Comin' Through the Rye Trophy.

Additionally, Gunnery Sgt. Brian Zins captured the NRA National Pistol Championship and the Harrison trophy for the fifth time with a score of 2665-141X. With this victory, Zins became only the sixth person in the 68-year history of the competition to win the championship more than four times. Zins was also awarded the General Custer Trophy with the high score in the Service Pistol match.

Teammate Staff Sgt. Justin Giorgio finished second with a score of 2648-129X, and Sgt. Robert Park won the President's Pistol 100 and the President's Pistol Trophy. Fourteen of 19 shooters on the Marine Pistol Team placed in the top 100 of the President's 100. Park also won the Military Police Corps Trophy as the high shooter during the National Trophy Team Match with a score of 287-11X, and the McMillan Trophy as the Marine with the high aggregate score for both the National Trophy Individual and NTT matches.

Zins has won the championship title for each of the five years he has competed (1996,1998, 2001-03), and is currently training for the first 2004 Olympic Selection Match to be held at Fort Benning, Ga., on Sept. 22-27.

"If I can make the [Olympic] Team, I will be in Athens for the 2004 National Matches," said Zins. "I don't want to miss Camp Perry, but for an Olympic Team berth, I'll do it."

Zins, who won both the .22 caliber and centerfire matches and fell one point shy of a win with the .45 caliber to become the National Champion, reached a personal goal by winning the .22 caliber match for the first time at Camp Perry.

"I've been second place in the .22 [caliber] match too many times. It was getting old," said Zins.

Staff noncommissioned officer in charge Master Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Burke credits his team's success to mental preparedness and unwavering commitment to the mission.

"I think a high state of discipline and keeping focused on the task at hand was instrumental, said Burke. "As always there were frustrations, but staying focused and disciplined made the difference."

Staff Sgt. Giorgio, who competed for the second time at the National Championships this year, said that he was much more at ease the second time around having gained important insight into the psychology of competition.

Giorgio credits mastery of the mental game as being the key to success for the Marines at Camp Perry this year.

"Mindset is the biggest thing," said Giorgio. "Gunnery Sgt. Zins is going to do what Gunnery Sgt. Zins is going to do, and Sgt. Park is going to do what Sgt. Park is going to do, but only you can control what you do. If you don't go in with the mindset 'I have to do this', it's not going to work."

Members of the Marine Pistol Team are selected from the top 10 percent of competitors from Marine Corps division matches, and usually spend about three years competing before rotating back to the fleet.

"In the Marine Corps there are so many Marines with unbridled talent, it makes it hard to choose the competitors who are going to put us on top," said Scarlet Team coach Staff Sgt. Shawn Pickard. "The main thing I look for is not who has talent, but more importantly, who has a good attitude and is willing to learn. [I look for the Marine] who is the sponge."

Pickard praises the Corps' practice of limiting Marines'tenure with the team despite making competition against other service teams with highly experienced, career competitors much more challenging.

"It keeps us on our toes, [but] Marines as a general rule want to learn, and it is important that our knowledge gets back out there," said Pickard.

Sempers,

Roger