OCTOBER 2004

2004 OLYMPICS

KIM DOES IT AGAIN

Lester L. Greevy, Jr.

Kim Rhode, of El Monte, California, a three time Olympic medalist at age 25 won
the Gold medal in Women's Double Trap at the Athens' games tying an Olympic
record. It was the first medal the USA Shooting team won and the only medal for
the USA Shotgun Team. And we got to see it on T.V.

Women's Double Trap has only been an Olympic event for 3 games, 1996 in Atlanta,
2000 in Sydney and the 2004 Athens games. Kim Rhode not only shot in each, she
medaled in each. Two Golds, '96 and '04 and a Bronze in '00, to say that she
dominates the sport would be an understatement. But Women's Double Trap will no
longer be an Olympic event. It has been cancelled by the International Olympic
Committee. So Kim will remain the defining athlete in that short lived Olympic
event.

With this win, Kim has become the most decorated U.S. Women's shooting athlete
in any discipline.

Kim said, "The fact that this is my last Olympic shooting Double Trap brings out
mixed feelings. It is sad because I look back at those eight years with tons of
memories, but it is also a start of a new era. A new event brings on a new
challenge."

Kim didn't wait very long to start the new event. The very next day she was
shooting Olympic Skeet, and made the finals finishing 5th, one place ahead of
USA Shooting Team's Regular Olympian Connie Smotek (Texas). Although each
country can have a maximum of only one quota spot per Women's shotgun event, a
special rule allows a woman shooter who makes the Olympic team in one event to
shoot in another event if she has earned a minimum qualifying score in
International competition during the past four years. Only Kim had done that.

At the USA Shooting Nationals this year, I asked Kim which discipline, Trap or
Skeet, she would switch to. She was undecided, but thought she would choose
Trap. That surprised me. I knew that she began her shotgun career shooting Skeet
and her very good Olympic showing in Skeet with very little, almost no practice
demonstrates she has a gift for it. But she also has a love of Trap.

Kim is said to train daily for 6 or 7 hours averaging about a thousand rounds
per day when preparing for a big event.

One thing is for sure, she won't quit Olympic Shotgun. She says, "I've got maybe
7 or 8 more Olympics in me. There is no time or age limit in it. The oldest
medalist in the history of the Olympics was a shooter. He was 72."

Collyn Loper, age 17, a high school senior from Alabama and blind in her right
eye placed 4th in Woman's Trap, just one target from the medal podium, but that
didn't phase her. She told one of my shooters by phone that she was happy to
make the finals. She can be very proud too.

Collyn, whose real 1st name is Whitly, started her sports career as a gymnast
and cheerleader but switched to shooting at age 11. Her father taught her to
shoot with a BB gun firing at frisbees in the back yard.

She is the youngest member of the USA Shooting team to travel to Athens and won
the sole Women's Trap spot on the team in a dama filled shoot-off at the Fort
Benning Spring Selection match.

Like Kim Rhode, Collyn has lots of Olympics left in her and like Kim she is a
pleasure to be around, very friendly and a great promoter of the shooting
sports. The Trap Shooting community can be very proud of these 2 young Olympians
and role models.

Unfortunately, the American Men Trap Shooters did not fare so well. Double trap
was won by Ahmed Almaktoun of the United Arab Emerates. A member of the Royal
family, quiet and reserved, Ahmed has been shooting very well in the last year.
He took the Gold by storm, 10 targets ahead of his nearest competition and in
the final did not miss a target until the Gold medal was in the bag and tied an
Olympic record while doing it in very difficult windy conditions.

Ahmed was putting on a clinic and the finals were on television. It was worth
watching and analyzing. He has an interesting way in which he cants the gun
differently at each station to bend the elevation of pattern to conform with the
angle and lead of the target, very complicated, very subtle, but also very
effective.

Brett Ericson, 3 time Olympian, of the Army Marksmanship Unit and just
recovering from a recent life threatening heart problem, placed 13th in Double
Trap tied with 2000 Gold medal winner, Richard Foulds from the U.K. He also
placed 13th in Trap, a great showing because few shooters compete in both
disciplines. Brett will be retiring from the Army Marksmanship unit in the Fall
after a full and successful career. He has the experience to put things into
perspective. As he says, "There are too many variables to control. Sometimes it
just comes down to who is hot that day."

Glenn Eller from Houston, Texas, current world champion, in his second Olympics
ran into more bad luck. At Syndey, food poisoning laid him up right before the
games and he finished 12th. This year a pinched nerve caused problems at the
Olympic trials.

At the games, he was having trouble seeing the target. "My eyes weren't
adjusting quite right to that second target." Eller said. "I just wasn't seeing
them the way I should have. I wasn't making good moves toward the target and
basically struggled on every shot I took."

At age 22, Glenn is the youngest man on the US Shooting team. He is a 5 time
National team member and had made the finals in the 11 of the last 13
International events. He has had 2 disappointing Olympics, but at his age and
skill level has several more to look forward to.

But he wasn't the only disappointed American shooter. Lance Bade in his 3rd
Olympics (Bronze in '96) was tied for 2nd place going in to the finals. Lance is
normally very strong and composed in the finals, but he uncharacteristically
shot a 21 and dropped to 5th place.

"They pretty much handed me the medal", Bade said after the match. "And I just
threw it away. That is the hard part to get over. The finals match should have
been easy. But I got antsy and started to jump the gun when the target was
thrown. I lost sight of the target and just couldn't catch it with my second
shot."

That has to be very disappointing. Bade was at the top of his game and on a
mission to win a medal in Athens to cap off his career. But as he says, "there's
a real fine balance between being in a groove and letting it flow, and trying
too hard." How many times to you see it, especially in the Olympics.

The '04 Olympics are now over and it is time to start getting ready for the 2008
at Bejing, China. Watch out for the Chinese team because they are really
producing some shooters, both men and women.

The good part of these Olympics was that we got to watch some Clay Target
Shooting on T.V. The Women's Trap and Double Trap finals, as well as the Men's
Double Trap and Men's Skeet finals were all shown at least in part. They may
have ben abbreviated and at odd times, but they were on.

Lets thank NBC, MSNBC and BRAVO for sharing these events with us and encourage
more exposure of the Olympic Clay Target games.