Murray State University Athletics
Racer Riflers To Compete At USA Nationals
6/13/2007 5:00:00 AM | Rifle
Murray State rifle coach Morgan Hicks as well as 2006-07 team members Brandy Boucherie and Bryant Wallizer will compete in the 2007 USA Shooting Rifle and Pistol National Championships, to be held June 17-24 at Fort Benning, in Columbus, Ga.
Hicks and Boucherie will take part in all three women's rifle events: the three-position smallbore (standing, kneeling and prone), prone and air rifle. Wallizer will take part in all three men's rifle events: the three-position smallbore (standing, kneeling and prone), prone and air rifle.
"I'm training almost every single day," Hicks said, "shooting both air rifle and smallbore. I didn't shoot as well as I wanted to at the last match (the Pan American Games qualifier), so I'm training extra-hard. I feel a little more confident going into this match, a little more prepared. I've been shooting five to seven days a week, at least two hours a day, at the (Murray State) shooting range.
"I've shot a lot of times at the range at Fort Benning, so I'm starting to get comfortable with it. I understand the way that the wind reads a lot better. I've also shot in the nationals in Los Angeles and in Atlanta. It's a big match; a lot of people compete in the nationals."
Hicks said that there are some adjustments to make from shooting indoors to shooting at the outdoor range in Georgia.
"Our range here isn't air-conditioned, so I kind of use that as a training tool, in a way," she said. "That prepares me for the heat that we're going to experience down there. There is wind, and the distance is further, so when you add all of those factors in, you really have to be on your game, and you have to pay attention to every little detail."
The indoor course is 50 feet, while the outdoor range distance is 50 meters, or just over 164 feet.
"We'll shoot the air rifle indoors," Hicks said. "This is one of the only competitions where women's prone is available for us to shoot. It's not an Olympic event, so you don't see it too often in matches for the women. It's kind of a nice thing to have, a little extra match for the women to shoot in."
Hicks still has an eye focused on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and plans to continue to compete to qualify for those games next summer (Aug. 8-24).
"There are several competitions that go throughout the year," she said. "There is the typical fall selection, and three times in December, but for the most part, I'm continuing my training program, knowing where my goal is and what I want to be at so that I do shoot my peak scores when the Olympic trials come around, and I hope to carry that momentum over to the Olympics."
For Boucherie, this is her first USA Shooting national competition, although she has competed in national competitions sponsored by the National Rifle Association.
"I've shot in the NRA nationals, which are held in Camp Perry, Ohio," she said. "I also took part in the Pan Am Games trials.
"One thing that's different with training for this kind of competition is training in the heat. Also, we're not in our regular season, so we have to be more disciplined with our practices, and that helps you train mentally, too, because with this, you're shooting for yourself instead of being one of four shooters scoring for a team.
"Practice has been a little iffy for me," she said. "I took a nice break after the NCAAs, so it's been a little rough getting back into it. This will be a good match for me to get more national competition experience, and it's a good match for me to kind of wrap up my four-year shooting career at Murray State."
Boucherie graduated in May 2006 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and expects to earn her master's degree in organizational communications in May.
"I'd like to continue shooting and somehow stay in touch with the shooting," she said. "As a career -- I don't know. Any time you're this involved with something, it's hard to let go, so I would like to find a career involved with shooting, like coaching someplace. It's really hard to just let go, all at once."
Here is a look at the schedule for the USA Shooting Rifle National Championships:
Sunday, June 17: Women's Air Rifle, Men's Three-Position Smallbore, Men's Prone
Monday, June 18: Women's Air Rifle, Men's Three-Position Smallbore
Tuesday, June 19: Women's Air Rifle, Men's Three-Position Smallbore
Wednesday, June 20: Women's Three-Position Smallbore, Women's Prone, Men's Prone
Thursday, June 21: Women's Three-Position Smallbore, Men's Prone
Friday, June 22: Women's Three-Position Smallbore, Women's Prone, Men's Air RIfle
Saturday, June 23: Women's Prone, Men's Air Rifle
Sunday, June 24: Men's Air Rifle
