Olympian Wins AiR Challenge at National Match Air Rifle Event
October 3, 2016
By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Olympian SGT Nick Mowrer, 27, rose victorious during the AiR 15 Challenge, out-shooting 20 other competitors in the Super Final Shoot Off with an overall score of 246.1. This was his first time competing in the event.
“The prize money is pretty motivating. I’ve got bills to pay at home,” he joked. “And, it’s fun.”
For his first place win, Mowrer received a check for $700 from the CMP. Second place took home $500, as third place earned $350. With over 300 entries in the AiR-15 Challenge the CMP paid out $2,250 paying out to 7th place.
In 2012, Mowrer competed in Men’s 50m Pistol during the London Olympics. Just a few of his many other accomplishments include winning gold in the 2008 National Junior Olympic Championships in Free and Air Pistol, gold at the 2011 National Championships in Free Pistol and recently earning silver during the 2015 Pistol Selection in Free Pistol. He was also a member of The Ohio State University air pistol team.
Though pistol became his forte early on, he admits that rifle is a very similar discipline when it comes to the basics.
“It’s the same fundamentals – sight-alignment, trigger control. But I think it translates over pretty well,” he said. “Everything is kind of the same.”
On the outdoor ranges, Mowrer, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve team, finished in second place during the 2016 National Trophy Individual Rifle Match – just one point behind teammate and overall winner, MSG Robert Mango. Mowrer also helped his team to a win in the National Trophy Rifle Team Match.
Although he escaped the elements of nature to compete on the indoor air range of the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, where the AiR Challenge was held, firing inside the air conditioned, controlled climate still presented the same amount of challenge as the ranges beyond its walls.
“It was stressful. Heart beating, pounding away,” he said. “Nothing about it was easy. But it’s just sticking to your game plan. Shot procedure, going through your steps, whatever it takes to get you to shoot a good shot. I just stayed on task and executed, and it came out in my favor.”
This year, over 200 marksmen competed in the AiR 15 Challenge. Competitors qualify for the Super Final Shoot Off in a 20 Shot match. During the shoulder-to-shoulder final, shooters received an eight-minute sighter period, followed by 10 record shots in 10 minutes. A series of three-shot eliminations and single shot eliminations are then fired until only one competitor remains. The last marksman standing is deemed the winner of the shoot off.
Winning the Novice Prone Match was Geoffrey Lapsevich, 11, of Middleburg Heights, OH. The event is designed for young shooters aged 8-12 who are just beginning their shooting careers. Novice Prone introduces them to the exciting world of competitive shooting in a safe and fun way.
Taylor Farmer, 18, of Castalia, OH, overtook both the 20 Shot Re-Entry sporter and precision matches with perfect scores of 200. Christopher Tomasso, 34, of Clifton Park, NY, was the overall winner in the AiR15 20 Shot Match with a score of 200-7x.
A Top Center Shot was awarded during the 20 Shot Re-Entry Sporter Match to the competitor who fired the closest shot to center. Out of 82 entries, this year’s winner was David Petrun, 33, of San Clemente, CA, who fired a 10.9 within 3.5638 mm of center. For the win, he received a monetary prize from the CMP, based on the number of entries. The next seven closest competitors also received money for their efforts.
The air rifle events were popular this year, with nearly 2,000 entries recorded. For a complete list of results, visit http://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=14484&tab=results.
Photos can be found by visiting the “2016 National Matches” album on CMP’s Zenfolio: http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f352326966.