COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - Grande Spettaccolo!  That’s Italian for grand performance and it certainly was all of that and then some for the American contingent of 12 junior shotgun competitors bound for World Championships later this summer after competing in a warm-up Grand Prix match in Porpetto, Italy, May 19-22.  

How much so?  Let’s just say the quaint Italian shotgun range turned to into an American clay-crushing paradise as Team USA rolled in in dominant fashion to earn 13 medals with our National Anthem being played for the top medalist(s) on seven of the nine possible occasions.   

Individual victories were earned by skeet sensation Austen Smith (Keller, Texas) along with Dale Royer (PICTURED ABOVE -- Jackson, Montana) and Maddy Bernau (Waterford, Wisconsin) in trap.  The dynamic skeet trio of Smith along with Sam Simonton (Gainesville, Georgia) and Katie Jacob (Rochester, Michigan) earned yet another medal sweep to go along with the same rare honor as the earned at last year’s World Championship in Russia. Like last year, Simonton would earn the silver after leading in Qualification while the reigning Junior World Champion Jacob walked away with bronze. 

Nic Moschetti (Broomfield, Colorado) earned a silver in Men’s Skeet after leading the field through Qualification. Moschetti led the team that featured Alexand Ahlin (Bamburg, South Carolina) and Eli Christman (Hixson, Tennessee) to gold in the team event with Ahlin fourth and Christman ninth. Moschetti and Simonton would pair up in Monday’s Mixed Team event to earn gold there. Christman and Jacob would pair together in Mixed Skeet to earn silver. 

Royer and Bernau helped earned Mixed Team gold and Men’s and Women’s Team Bronze medals to go along with their individual accolades.  Mick Wertz (Muncy, Pennyslvania) was ninth followed by Logan Lucas (Pacific, Missouri) in 13th in the final Men’s Trap results.  Emma Williams (Savannah, Tennessee) was eighth followed by 13-year-old Carey Garrison (Crossville, Tennessee) in 11th on the women’s side.

The team returns home to prepare for the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championship in June and the upcoming USA Shooting Selection Match in late July before departing for World Championships at the end of August. 

ELEY is a Proud Sponsor of the USA Shooting Rifle and Pistol Teams: ELEY Limited, manufacturer of the world's most consistently accurate rimfire ammunition, has been the Official Sponsor and Official Supplier of .22 rimfire ammunition of the USA Shooting rifle and pistol teams since 2000. For more information on ELEY and their products, please visit eley.co.uk.

Federal Premium, headquartered in Anoka, MN, is a brand of Vista Outdoor Inc., an outdoor sports and recreation company. From humble beginnings nestled among the lakes and woods of Minnesota, Federal Premium Ammunition has evolved into one of the world's largest producers of sporting ammunition. Beginning in 1922, founding president, Charles L. Horn, paved the way for our success. Today, Federal carries on Horn's vision for quality products and service with the next generation of outdoorsmen and women. We maintain our position as experts in the science of ammunition production. Every day we manufacture products to enhance our customers' shooting experience while partnering with the conservation organizations that protect and support our outdoor heritage. We offer thousands of options in our Federal Premium and Federal® lines-it's what makes us the most complete ammunition company in the business and provides our customers with a choice no matter their pursuit.

Kevin Neuendorf
kevin.neuendorf@usashooting.org