Looking to provide the best resources and opportunities for its growing Paralympic shooting program, USA Shooting has hired Will Anti to fill the role of team coach/manager. Anti will begin his duties on-site at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 1.
Anti’s role comes at a critical juncture for the Paralympic shooting disciplines with 14 months to go until the 2020 Paralympic Games begin, the debut of the sport at the Para Pan American Games, August 23-September 1, and with the 2019 World Shooting Para Sport Championships set for October 12-18 in Sydney, Australia. Athletes are busy trying to secure Paralympic quota spots needed to compete in Tokyo next summer.
Athletes will benefit from Anti’s shooting experience as a former National Junior Team member, Junior Olympic and NCAA champion, and as captain of the West Virginia University Rifle Team. He graduates this May from WVU with degrees in finance and accounting.
Anti, 22, has grown up in the sport of shooting, so he hopes to use that to his advantage to get the program on target fast. His father, Mike, a four-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic silver medalist in Three-Position Rifle, is presently the head coach at the Naval Academy. For the first 12 years of his life, Will grew up at the Home of Champions and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, where his dad was stationed until 2009 while finishing out his own distinguished rifle career. While living in Colorado Springs with his family, Will was part of the successful National Training Center Junior Club that trains out of the same range he will now be helping the Paralympic program strive for greatness.
“I feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity to positively impact the Paralympic program at USA Shooting,” Anti said. “I have immense respect for these athletes and look forward to being a part of their journey toward the Paralympics and beyond. I am thankful to be a part of an organization that is providing so many life-changing opportunities in a sport that I have loved for many years, a sport that has been so good to myself and my family.
“My love for this sport is unmatched,” Anti added. “And while my career as a competitor is ending, I am thrilled that this opportunity would allow me to remain heavily involved in a sport and an organization that has given me so many blessings.”
“We believe strongly in our Paralympic program and those athletes currently competing for USA Shooting,” said USA Shooting CEO Keith Enlow. “The addition of Will Anti solidifies that opportunity we know exists for this program and our athletes to continue to excel in raising the flag for Team USA. We have no doubt that Will’s knowledge, energy, and passion will make our team better.”
As the new USA Shooting Paralympic Team Manager/Coach, Anti will be responsible for managing and coaching the USA Shooting Paralympic Program while working in coordination with the USA Shooting National Coaching Staff. This includes long-range planning, development, and execution of all facets of the Paralympic program. Part of the duties will include the coaching of technical aspects of Paralympic shooting in rifle, pistol and shotgun, as well as physical and mental training, and building a High-Performance Plan. Evaluating, recruiting, developing, and preparing athletes to win medals in domestic and international Paralympic competitions is the primary goal.