The February tradition of the Rocky Mountain Rifle Championships continues with the 2015 chapter as more than 60 participants are set to take part in five days of rifle competition in both air and smallbore (.22 caliber) events beginning Wednesday. On the heels of the 2014 Winter Airgun Championships and January Rifle Selection Match, the match will serve as a building block for athletes preparing for the upcoming World Cup season that begins in April and demands that athletes be at the top of their game with Olympic/Paralympic quotas at stake.
The event will feature 10 U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athletes, six soldier athletes from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) along with a sampling of National Development and National Junior Team members. Collegiate rifle shooters are in the midst of school and preparation for the upcoming NCAA Rifle Championships and many have chosen not to participate.
Three 2012 U.S. Olympians will compete including Michael McPhail (USAMU/Darlington, Wisconsin), Eric Uptagrafft (USAMU/Phenix City, Alabama) and Amanda Furrer (Spokane, Washington).
National Championship medalists competing also include Dempster Christenson (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Daniel Lowe (Olympia, Washington), Sarah Beard (Danville, Indiana), Reya Kempley (Carson City, Nevada) and Amy Sowash (Richmond, Kentucky).
The Rocky Mountain Rifle Championships is unique in the variety of talent the match attracts. Twenty foreign competitors from seven countries are competing highlighted by international star Sergei Martynov of Belarus, the reigning Olympic Champion in Men’s Prone Rifle, who also has two Olympic bronze medals and two World Championship titles on his impressive career resume. Argentina has come with a world-class contingent featuring two-time Olympians Amelia Fournel, Pablo Alvarez and Angel Velarte as well as 2012 Olympian Juan Angeloni of Argentina. Great Britain has brought over a four-person Paralympic contingent highlighted by two-time Paralympic medalist and 2014 double World Champ medalist Matt Skelhon as well as four-time Paralympian Karen Butler and 2012 Paralympian Benjamin Jesson.
The match format includes two qualification days in all events. The top-eight finishers after two qualification rounds make the event final. The Championships will also include two mixed Super Finals, which are created for special training purposes featuring top U.S. athletes and foreign guests in a finals format competing for a $500 top prize.
2015 Rocky Mountain Championships Schedule
Wednesday, February 11 – M/W Air; Prone + Prone Super Final (4pm)
Thursday, February 12 – M/W Three-Position; Prone
Friday, February 13 – M/W 3P & Air; Prone; Paralympic Final (2pm); Standing Super Final (4 pm)
Saturday, February 14 – M/W Three-Position + Final (1 pm)
Sunday, February 15 – M/W Air + Final (1 pm)
Follow the match on Facebook, Twitter or visit the match results page or usashooting.org for complete scores and rankings. In addition, live scoring will also be available on USA Shooting’sYouTube page.