ANNISTON, AL (July 18, 2008) – Three junior air pistol competitors from the Arlington International Airgun Club (AIAC) of Arlington Heights, IL, won the gold medal at the 2008 USA Shooting Progressive Air Pistol Championship held at the new CMP Competition Center in Anniston, AL.
The Progressive Air Pistol Championship, headed by USA Shooting with support from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), brings junior teams from across the country to compete for the title as top junior air pistol team in the nation.
After 2 days of competition, the “AIAC Juniors” team of James Stack (Arlington Heights), Lorraine Maligaya (Mundelein, IL), and Luke Mattox (Bradley, IL) came out on top. The team’s final score of 2033 points put them ahead of the second place team by 21 points. Earlier this season the team won the 2008 Illinois State Progressive Air Pistol Championship to qualify for the national championship.
Team Captain James Stack also took the individual gold medal at the championship with a 2-day combined score of 818, 19 points over the next competitor. In addition to the gold medal, James also received appointment to the USA Shooting National Development Team for his outstanding performance.
“The team really pulled together, helping each other to overcome some last-minute adversity.” said Coach Don Weber (Arlington Heights, IL), referring to an ill-timed bout with the flu for one of the team members. “Airgun competition stresses mental toughness, and our team proved it had what it takes to win the championship.” added Coach Weber.
The Arlington International Airgun Club is open to adults and juniors (ages 12 to 18) that are interested in Olympic-style airgun shooting. The junior program focuses on teaching proper gun safety and promoting competitive achievement. In addition to air pistol, the junior program also offers 3-Position (3P) air rifle and International air rifle training.
USA Shooting is the U.S. Governing Body of Olympic shooting and is headquartered at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.