USA Shooting Shotgun Spring Selection will be held at Tucson Trap & Skeet Club beginning on February 25th and running through March 9, 2019 (see program here). This will be the last chance for our shotgun athletes to make the national team and compete in the World Cups and Pan American Games in order to secure a quota place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The US has already maxed out (2) quota places in both Men’s and Women’s Skeet, and we have one quota place for Women’s Trap. The Men’s Trap team is yet to earn a quota for Tokyo, though Glenn Eller has made it to the finals in both opportunities thus far.
The next opportunity for a quota place will come with the World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico, March 15-26, 2019. Team information will be posted in an article leading up to that event.
Spring Selection also marks the final event before we begin Olympic trials, so be on the lookout for an article on how to make the US Olympic Team coming soon.
When asked about how he an the other USAMU members felt felt going into Spring Selection, 2-time Olympian Josh Richmond said “Overall we are feeling great. We had a productive training camp there (Tucson) last week and we are excited for our first big competition of the year. As a team we are looking for strong performances here to allow us the opportunity to secure Olympic trap quotas for the USA.”
Team Keystone coach Allen Chubb told us, “I’m feeling real good about the team. I expect them to do real well in Tucson.” Keystone Team Member Heidi Bechtold expressed a similar sentiment; “I feel very confident going into this match! I have been training really hard and honestly I feel the best behind the gun then I’ve ever felt! I’m so excited to go out there and break some targets!” Team Keystone had their training camp in Tucson January 31st through February 3rd.