The 12th Championship of the Americas (CAT Games) Preview

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Championship of the Americas (aka the CAT Games), the event takes place every 4 years and is the official continental championship event for the American continent. The name “CAT Games” comes form the Shooting Confederation of the Americas, or Confederaciòn Americana de Tiro – CAT.  CAT was founded and recognized by the ISSF in 1973 as the Continental Confederation for the Shooting Sport for all countries of the American Continent.  The Pan-American Sports Organization (ODEPA/PASO) recognizes the Shooting Confederation of the Americas as the continental sports federation responsible for the technical control of the Shooting Sport in the Pan-American Games.

The 12th Championship of the Americas kicks off today at the Club Cinegético Jalisciense in Guadalajara, Mexico and runs through November 10th. It marks the last, and probably best, opportunity for the US to pick up Olympic quota places in 2018. There’s 2 quotas up for grabs in both Men’s and Women’s trap, and 1 each in Men’s and Women’s skeet. There are no more quota spots available for mixed team trap.

The teams might look familiar because they’re made up of many of the same shooters that went to the World Championships in Changwon, Korea recently. In fact, the Women’s Skeet team is the same exact squad of current World Champion, Caitlin Connor, Six-Time Olympic Medalist, Kim Rhode, and 2014 CAT Gold Medalist, Amber English. At the previous CAT Games in 2014, the USA Women’s Skeet Team swept the podium with Amber taking the gold, Haley Dunn with Silver, and Brandy Drozd bringing home Bronze. Since the US Women have maxed out on Olympic quotas, they will not be competing for the single quota place that’s up for grabs.

The Men’s Skeet team will be missing the current World Champion, Vincent Hancock, but will have the 2014 CAT Bronze medalist and Two-Time Olympian, Frank Thompson. Joining Frank will be a pair of shooters from the US Army Marksmanship Unit, Phillip Jungman and Dustan Taylor. With Vinny winning Gold in Changwon, there’s still one quota place available for the US Men.

The Women’s Trap team, like the Women’s Skeet Team, is the same squad that competed in the World Championships. 2014 CAT Gold Medalist Ashley Carroll will be joined once again by teammates Kayle Browning and current National Champion, Aeriel Skinner.

Men’s Trap too is the same as the WCH team. 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Glenn Eller will be joined by Grayson Davey and 2014 CAT Silver Medalist, Jake Wallace. At the 2014 CAT Games, Jake equalled the qualification world record with a perfect 125/125.  Should any of the

Even though there’s no quota places available for Mixed Team, the US is still competing. The two teams will be made of up Ashley Carroll and Grayson Davey along with Glenn Eller and Aeriel Skinner, who recently won the 2018 National Championship.