Armed Forces Sports

43rd World Military Shooting Championship

United Sates Armed Forces CISM Shooting Team

Photo - United States Armed Forces CISM Shooting Team at the awards ceremony for winning the “Best Nation” Trophy. The “Best Nation” Trophy is a pair of silver dueling pistols first presented by the King Paul of Greece in 1957.

Front row (kneeling left to right) Mr. Ray Arredondo, USAMU; Captain Janine Mills, USMC; PO1 Sandra Uptagrafft, USNR; SPC Nicole Cooper USAMU; SSG Elizabeth Callahan, USAR; SSG Robert Park, USAMU; LTC Rhonda Bright, USAR;
Second Row (left to right) SFC Jason Parker, USAMU; SSG Armando Ayala, USAMU; SFC Thomas Rose, USAMU; SFC Eric Uptagrafft, USAMU; SGT Michael Gasser, USAMU; LTC Frank Muggeo, CDR USAMU; Mr. Michael Behnke, USAMU; SGT Kelly Dove, USAMU; Mr. Glenn Sulser, USAMU; SSG John Ennis, USAMU; SFC Thomas Tamas, USAMU; SSG Shane Barnhart, USAMU

Team USA Wins Four Medals and
Best Nation Title

List of Medals by Nations
Country Nat                   Gold              Silver              Bronze            Total
China CHN                        6                   2                        3                  11
Norway NOR                    2                   4                       2                   8
Belarus BLR                      2                                             3                   5
U. S. of America USA       1                   2                        1                   4
Switzerland SUI              1                   1                        1                    3
Sweden SWE                   1                  1                                             2
Austria AUT                      1                                             1                  2
Slovenia SLO                   1                                             1                  2
Estonia EST                      1                                                                  1
Germany GER                                      5                         1                  6
Ukraine UKR                                         1                                              1
India IND                                                                         1                  1
Poland POL                                                                      1                  1
Turkey TUR                                                                      1                   1

MEN MEDALISTS
Rifle 300 m - Men - Standard 3 Positions - Individual
1. BORGE Marcel SUI 589p
2. PARKER Jason USA 587p
3. MARKOJA Robert SLO 585p
Rifle 300 m - Men - Standard 3 Positions - Team
1. Austria AUT 1750p CWR
2. Norway NOR 1743p CWR
3. Switzerland SUI 1738p
Rifle 300 m - Men - Military Rapid Fire - Individual
1.DEBEVEC Rajmond SLO 576p
2. BERG VebjØrn NOR 576p
3. UPTAGRAFFT Eric USA 568p
Rifle 300 m - Men - Military Rapid Fire - Team
1. NORWAY NOR 1724p CWR
2. SWITZERLAND SUI 1698p CWR
3. AUSTRIA AUT 1695p CWR
Pistol 25 m - Men - Center Fire - Individual
1. GAO Zheng CHN 592p
2. ROSE Thomas USA 587p (S-Off 49 49)
3. KHVATSOVAS Oleg BLR 587p (S-Off 49 47)
Pistol 25 m - Men - Center Fire - Team
1. CHINA CHN 1747p
2. UKRAINE UKR 1744p
3. INDIA IND 1743p
Pistol 25 m - Men - Military Rapid Fire - Individual
1. LIU Yadong CHN 590p
2. GAO Zheng CHN 588p
3. JIN Yongde CHN 586p (S-Off 49)
Pistol 25 m - Men - Military Rapid Fire - Team
1. CHINA CHN 1750p
2. NORWAY NOR 1737p
3. TURKEY TUR 1734p

USA Gold Medal Women’ Prone Team

WOMEN MEDALISTS
Rifle 50 m - Women - Prone - Individual
1. VORONOVA Anzela EST 595p
2. FRIEDEL Eva GER 593p
3. VESTVEIT Kristina NOR 591p
Rifle 50 m - Women - Prone - Team
1. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA USA 1775p
2. GERMANY GER 1773p
3. NORWAY NOR 1768p
Rifle 50 m - Women - 3 Positions - Individual
1. OLOFSSON Linda SWE 580p
2. OLSSEN Gyda E NOR 580p
3. BOGACKA Sylwia POL 579p
Rifle 50 m - Women - 3 Positions - Team
1. NORWAY NOR 1724p
2. SWEDEN SWE 1722p
3. GERMANY GER 1721p
Pistol 25 m - Women - Pistol - Individual
1. CAO Ying CHN 585p
2. ZHU Yan CHN 582p
3. SHAPIALEVICH Zhanna BLR 580p
Pistol 25 m - Women - Pistol - Team
1. CHINA CHN 1735p
2. GERMANY GER 1728p
3. BELARUS BLR 1710p
Pistol 25 m - Women - Military Rapid Fire - Individual
1. SHAPIALEVICH Zhanna BLR 592p CWR
2. THURMANN Stefanie GER 584p
3. CAO Ying CHN 580p
Pistol 25 m - Women - Military Rapid Fire - Team
1. Belarus BLR 1734p
2. Germany GER 1734p
3. China CHN 1708p

CISM Final Standings

Team USA wins 4 medals, best nation title

By Paula J. Randall U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, Accessions Support Brigade

BODEN, Sweden - Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, of Fort Benning, Ga., won four medals and the coveted title of Best Nation in the World at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire - called CISM - at the Rodberget Shooting Centre.

"We were down by as many as 40 points," said USAMU Commander Lt. Col. Frank Muggeo, USA CISM Team chief of mission. "The work that these Soldiers did to come back was really something. Ultimately we pulled it out by 10 points and have won the title of Best Nation. We have not won this event in eight years. We beat Scandinavian militaries that actually have a CISM Team in the military and the Germans who had their Olympic Team shooting. Our Soldiers were shooting in events that are only shot at CISM and they are not events that we practice throughout the year; this just goes to show how important the fundamentals of marksmanship are."

The first CISM Gold Medal was awarded to USA's Women's Rifle Team Sept. 16. With 17 teams competing in the Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Prone Team Match, the Gold Medal went to Sgt. Kelly A. Dove and Spc. Nicole M. Cooper of the Army Marksmanship Unit and Army Reservist Lt. Col. Rhonda L. Bright, formerly of the USAMU. Bright scored 596 points, Dove shot 593 points and Cooper got a 586; a perfect score is 600; top scores are 590 to 595. In this match, the women fired 60 shots in 1½ hours at a target with a bull's eye smaller than a dime. Germany took the Silver Medal and Norway the Bronze. In the Men's 300-Meter Three Position Standard Rifle Team Match Sept. 16, Austria set a new military world record and won the Gold Medal. The Silver Medal went to Norway and Switzerland got the Bronze.

The USA Team of Parker, 1996 Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Eric A. Uptagrafft, and Staff Sgts. Armando R. Ayala and Shane M. Barnhart, all of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit; took fifth place out of 29 teams.

In the Women's 25-Meter .22-Caliber Center Fire Pistol (Precision Course) Team Match Sept. 16, the USA just missed the medal stand and finished in fourth place out of 12 teams behind China with the Gold, Germany the Silver and Belarus the Bronze. USA Team members were Marine Corps Capt. Janine Mills, four-time Olympian Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Elizabeth A. Callahan and Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Sandra Uptagrafft.

The Men's Pistol Team ended up in seventh place out of 29 teams in the 25-Meter .32-Caliber Center Fire Pistol (Precision Course) Team Match. Pistol Team members were Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Rose and Staff Sgts. Robert S. Park II and John C. Ennis and Sgt. Michael S. Gasser of the Army Marksmanship Unit. China won the match followed by Ukraine in second and India in third.

Three-time Olympian and former CISM Champion Sgt. 1st Class Jason A. Parker took the Silver Medal in the Men's 300-Meter Three Position Standard Rifle Slow Fire Individual Match Sept. 17. This match consisted of 20 shots in each position (standing, kneeling and prone) over 2 hours and 15 minutes at a target whose bull's eye is 10 centimeters wide shot from more than three football fields away. With a score of 587, Parker finished just 2 points behind Sgt. Marcel Burge of Switzerland who took the Gold with a 589. Warrant Officer Robert Markoja of Slovenia received the Bronze with a 585; 54 shooters competed. A perfect score is 600 points; top scores are in the mid-580s.

In the Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Prone Individual Match, Cooper took fifth place only 5 points behind the winner Cpl. Anzela Vornova of Estonia Sept. 17. Staff Sgt. Eva Friedel of Germany took second and Sgt. Kristina Vestveit of Norway was third; Bright placed 10th and Dove finished 15th.

Rose won the Silver Medal in the Men's 25-Meter .32-Caliber Center Fire Pistol Individual Match Sept. 18. Rose, five points behind Gold Medalist 2nd Lt. Zheng Gao of China, was tied with two other shooters for second place. After the shoot-off, Rose emerged victorious and took the Silver Medal two points ahead of Bronze Medalist Lt. Col. Oleg Khvatsovas of Belarus.

In the Women's 25-Meter .22-Caliber Center Fire Pistol Individual Match Uptagrafft finished in eighth place, Callahan was 12th and Mills finished 13th. Senior Col. Ying Cao and Cadet Yan Zhu of China took the Gold and Silver Medals and Lt. Zhanna Shapialevich of Belarus got the Bronze.

Sept. 19, the USA just missed medaling in the Men's 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Team Match. Team USA finished in fourth place behind Norway, Switzerland and Austria. In the Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Three Position Team Match, Team USA placed 9th; Norway won the Gold Medal, Sweden received the Silver and Germany got the Bronze.

On the last day of the competition Sept. 20, USAMU's Uptagrafft won the Bronze Medal in the Men's 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Individual Match; Olympic Medalist Warrant Officer Rajmond Debevec of Slovenia took the Gold Medal and Sgt. Vebjorn Berg of Norway the Silver.

In the Women's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .22-Caliber Individual Pistol Team Match, Naval Reservist Uptagrafft, the wife of the USAMU rifle shooter, placed 5th; Callahan was 16th and Mills finished in 19th place. Shapialevich won the Gold Medal, followed by Warrant Officer Stefanie Thurman of Germany with the Silver and Cao with the Bronze.

In the Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Three Position Individual Match, Dove ended up in 6th place. The Gold Medal went to Sgt. Linda Olofsson of Sweden, the Silver to Capt. Gyda E. Olssen of Norway and the Bronze to Pfc. Sylwia Bogacka of Poland.

Ennis placed 12th in the Men's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .32-Caliber Pistol Match, in which Rose was 17th. China took all the medals; Maj. Yadong Liu the Gold, Gao the Silver and Maj. Yongde Jin the Bronze.

CISM ended Sept. 20 with the Closing Ceremony. The team left Sweden Sept. 21 and returned to Fort Benning Sept. 22.

(The USAMU's mission is to raise the standard of marksmanship proficiency and combat readiness throughout the Army by sharing knowledge gained from competing and winning in national/ international competitions, research and development and advanced training programs while enhancing the Army's recruiting effort through an active public information and public relations program. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, Paula.Randall@usaac.army.mil or www.USAMU.com.)

World Military Shooting Championships -- Team USA wins 3 medals, best nation title

By Paula J. Randall
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, Accessions Support Brigade

BODEN, Sweden - Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, of Fort Benning, Ga., won three medals and the coveted title of Best Nation in the World at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire - called CISM - at the Rodberget Shooting Centre.

"We were down by as many as 40 points," said USAMU Commander Lt. Col. Frank Muggeo, USA CISM Team chief of mission. "The work that these Soldiers did to come back was really something. Ultimately we pulled it out by 10 points and have won the title of Best Nation. We have not won this event in eight years. We beat Scandinavian militaries that actually have a CISM Team in the military and the Germans who had their Olympic Team shooting. Our Soldiers were shooting in events that are only shot at CISM and they are not events that we practice throughout the year; this just goes to show how important the fundamentals of marksmanship are."

In the Men's 300-Meter Three Position Standard Rifle Team Match Sept. 16, Austria set a new military world record and won the Gold Medal. The Silver Medal went to Norway and Switzerland got the Bronze. The USA Team of Parker, 1996 Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Eric A. Uptagrafft, and Staff Sgts. Armando R. Ayala and Shane M. Barnhart, all of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit; took fifth place out of 29 teams.

Other matches shot Sept. 19 are the Men's 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Team Match, Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Three Position Team Match, Women's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .22-Caliber Pistol Team Match and Men's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .32-Caliber Pistol Team Match.

The rest of the competition schedule is as follows:

Sept. 20: Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Three Position Individual Match; Men's 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Individual Match; Women's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .22-Caliber Pistol Individual Match; Men's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .32-Caliber Pistol Individual Match; and Closing Ceremony.

The team will leave Sweden Sept. 21 and return to Fort Benning Sept. 22.

Fourteen servicemembers of the U.S. Military Shooting Team left Sept. 12 for Sweden where they are competing in CISM.

Team USA is competing against 550 shooters from 45 countries from around the world. Ten shooters from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit as well as two Army Reservists, one Navy Reservist and one Marine, are representing the United States at the 43rd World Military Shooting Championships.

Also traveling with the U.S. Shooting Team from the Army Marksmanship Unit are: Michael J. Behnke, team captain; two-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Tamas, rifle coach; 1988 Olympian Ray Arredondo and Glenn Sulser, pistol coaches; and Richard N. Hawkins, jury member; three-time Olympian retired Lt. Col. Lones W. Wigger Jr., a shooter in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, is also accompanied the team as a jury member.

World Military Shooting Championships

Team USA wins 2 medals in 1st day at CISM in Sweden

By Paula J. Randall Pagan
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit
Accessions Support Brigade

BODEN, Sweden - Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, of Fort Benning, Ga., won two medals on the first day of competition at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire - called CISM - at the Rodberget Shooting Centre.

The first CISM Gold Medal was awarded to USA's Women's Rifle Team. In the Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Prone Team Match, the Gold Medal went to Sgt. Kelly A. Dove and Spc. Nicole M. Cooper of the Army Marksmanship Unit and Army Reservist Lt. Col. Rhonda L. Bright, formerly of the USAMU. Bright scored 596 points, Dove shot 593 points and Cooper got a 587; a perfect score is 600; top scores are 590 to 595. In this match, the women fired 60 shots in 1½ hours at a target with a bull's eye smaller than a dime. Germany took the Silver Medal and Norway the Bronze.

In the Men's 300-Meter Three Position Standard Rifle Team Match, Austria set a new military world record and won the Gold Medal. The Silver Medal went to Norway and Switzerland got the Bronze.

The Men's 25-Meter .32-Caliber Center Fire Pistol (Precision Course) and Women's 25-Meter .22-Caliber Center Fire Pistol (Precision Course) Team matches were also fired Sept. 16.

The rest of the competition schedule is as follows:

Sept. 17: Men's 300-Meter Standard Rifle Three Position Individual Match; Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Prone Individual Match; Men's 25-Meter .32-Caliber Center Fire Pistol (Rapid Fire Course) Team Match; and Women's 25-Meter .22-Caliber Center Fire Pistol (Rapid Fire Course) Team Match.

Sept. 18: Men's 25-Meter .32-Caliber Center Fire Pistol Individual Match; Women's 25-Meter .22-Caliber Center Fire Pistol Individual Match; Men's 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Training; Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Three Position Training; Men's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .32-Caliber Pistol Training; and Women's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .22-Caliber Pistol Training.

Sept. 19: Men's 300-Meter Military Rapid Fire Rifle Team Match; Women's 50-Meter Sport Rifle Three Position Team Match; Women's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .22-Caliber Pistol Team Match; and Men's 25-Meter Military Rapid Fire .32-Caliber Pistol Team Match.

The team will leave Sweden Sept. 21 and return to Fort Benning Sept. 22.

Fourteen servicemembers of the U.S. Military Shooting Team left Sept. 12 for Sweden where they are competing in CISM. Team USA is competing against 550 shooters from 45 countries from around the world.

Ten shooters from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit as well as two Army Reservists, one Navy Reservist and one Marine, are representing the United States at the 43rd World Military Shooting Championships.

The U.S. Team shooters are: Men's Rifle Team -Parker, 1996 Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Eric A. Uptagrafft, and Staff Sgts. Armando R. Ayala and Shane M. Barnhart, all of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit; Women's Rifle Team - Dove, Cooper, and Bright; Men's Pistol Team - Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Rose and Staff Sgts. Robert S. Park II and John C. Ennis and Sgt. Michael S. Gasser of the Army Marksmanship Unit; and Women's Pistol Team - Marine Corps Capt. Janine Mills, four-time Olympian Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Elizabeth A. Callahan and Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Sandra Uptagrafft.

Traveling with the U.S. Shooting Team from the Army Marksmanship Unit are: Michael J. Behnke, team captain; two-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Tamas, rifle coach; 1988 Olympian Ray Arredondo and Glenn Sulser, pistol coaches; Richard N. Hawkins, jury member; and USAMU Commander Lt. Col. Frank Muggeo, chief of mission; three-time Olympian retired Lt. Col. Lones W. Wigger Jr., a shooter in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, is also accompanied the team as a jury member.

FINAL RESULTS

2006 World Military Shooting Championships

CISM Competition Kicks Off in Norway

By Paula J. Randall Pagan
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit
Accessions Support Brigade

RENA, Norway – The U.S. Military Shooting Team has arrived and is training for the World Military Shooting Championships that will be conducted here through June 27.

Six shooters from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit of Fort Benning, Ga., as well as one from the Army Reserve and one from the Navy, are representing the United States, at the 41st Conseil International du Sport Militaire in Rena, Norway, June 21 to 27. The competition takes place at Østerdal Garrison, which is considered to be one of NATO’s most modern army garrisons.

Team USA is expected to compete against hundreds of shooters from dozens of countries around the world in the World’s Military Shooting Championships.

The U.S. Team shooters are: Men’s Rifle Team – Lt. Col. Robert E. Harbison, Maj. Michael E. Anti, Sgt. 1st Class Thomas A. Tamas and Sgt. Shane M. Barnhart of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit; and Men’s Pistol Team – Navy Cmdr. Thomas White of the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., Sgt. 1st Class Daryl L. Szarenski and Staff Sgt. John C. Ennis of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, and Army Reservist Staff Sgt. James Henderson of Festus, Mo. The United States is not sending a Women’s Pistol and Rifle Team.

Anti, who won the Silver Medal in Three-Position Rifle at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, said he is excited about being on the CISM team because this will be his first time ever competing at CISM.

“This is a very important match for the unit. It’s one of the few times we ever get to compete as a team, so it’s an opportunity for us to shine as a team,” Anti said. “We’re sending a competitive team but we’ll be competing against other Olympians and some of the best shooters in the world. The competition is pretty tough; it’s one of the hardest to win, so it will be an interesting match.”

Harbison, Tamas and Szarenski are also Olympians. Harbison competed in the 1996 Olympics, Tamas in the 2000 Games and Szarenski in 2004 and 2000. Barnhart is the 2005 NRA National Three-Position Rifle Champion, Ennis is the 2005 NRA Center Fire National Champion and Henderson is the Army Reserve National Pistol Champion.

Accompany the U.S. Shooting Team are the chief of mission Air Force Col. Joe Chang of Strategic Command, Nebraska; team captain Michael Behnke, rifle coach Frank Briggs, pistol coach Ray Arredondo, and gunsmith Glenn Sulser, all of the Army Marksmanship Unit, as well as Harry Allen of Littleton, Colo., who will be a jury member.

The CISM Shooting Championships consist of men’s and women’s rifle and pistol competitions. The rifle shooters compete with standard rifles at 300-meters in the prone, kneeling and standing positions in both rapid and slow fire matches. The pistol team will compete in the Center Fire and Military Rapid Fire Championships.

Only the men’s teams’ scores count in the overall “Best Nation” awards; the women’s teams only compete for their own individual and team awards.

The schedule of events is as follows:

June 21: