3 Soldiers Win 4 Olympic Shotgun Team Slots

 
FORT BENNING, Ga. - Three Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit have
made the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team and will represent the United States at the
Olympics Games in Athens, Greece, in August.

Sgt. 1st Class Bret E. Erickson, 43, who lives in Buena Vista, Ga., made
both the Men's Trap and Men's Double Trap Teams. Erickson was a 1992 and
1996 Olympian in Trap.

Sgt. 1st Class Shawn C. Dulohery, 38, and Sgt. 1st Class James T. Graves,
41, shot their way on to the Men's Skeet Team. Graves is a four-time
Olympian and won the Bronze Medal in Skeet in the 2000 Olympics. Dulohery,
a former World Skeet Champion, will be competing in his first Olympic
competition.

USA Shooting conducted its Final Olympic Selection Match for Shotgun March
17 to 27 at Fort Benning's Hook Range, and eight shooters won the nine slots
on the U.S. Olympic Shotgun Team.

Civilians who made the U.S. Olympic Shotgun Team were: Men's Trap - Lance
Bade, 33, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; he is a three-time Olympian and won
the Bronze Medal in Trap at the 1996 Olympics; Men's Double Trap - Glenn
Eller, 22, of Houston, Texas; he was a 2000 Olympian in Double Trap; Women's
Trap - Collyn Loper, 17, of Indian Springs, Ala., who is a junior at Oak
Mountain High School; Women's Double Trap - Kim Rhode, 24, of El Monte,
Calif.; she won the Gold Medal in Double Trap at the 1996 Olympics and the
Bronze Medal in Double Trap at the 2000 Olympics; and Women's Skeet - Connie
Smotek, 39, of Lyons, Texas; she was a 1992 Olympian in Skeet.

USA Shooting's Rifle, Pistol and Running Target Final Olympic Selection
Matches will be May 20 to June 3 at Fort Benning, where shooters will vie
for the remaining spots on the 2004 Olympic Shooting Team.

(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of
marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is
assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade of Fort Knox, Ky., which is under
U.S. Army Accessions Command, of Fort Monroe, Va. Accessions Command is
charged with overseeing recruiting and training of the Army's enlisted
Soldiers and officers. The Marksmanship Unit trains its Soldiers to win
competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer
clinics, research and development. The world-class Soldier-athletes of the
USAMU also promote the Army and assist recruiters in attracting young
Americans to enlist in the Army. For more information on the U.S. Army
Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436,
paula.pagan@usarec.army.mil or http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/amu/. For more
information on USA Shooting, contact media director Sara Greenlee at (719)
866-4896, sara.greenlee@usashooting.org or http://www.usashooting.com.)