World-class shotgunning finds its way to Kerrville this week as athletes gather for a World Cup match.   Events begin with the United States Olympic Committee officially designating the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center this week as an Olympic training site. The Kerrville range’s new status came only days ahead of the World Cup Skeet, Trap and Double Trap competitions. The event’s opening ceremony is set for 4 p.m. Friday.   Approximately 325 athletes from 50 countries around the globe will compete through May 11.   The draw also will impact hotel and motel operations in Kerrville during competition weeks, said Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sudie Burditt.   The CVB is working in conjunction with the shooting center and USA Shooting to…

KERRVILLE, Texas- The ISSF World Cup USA, scheduled for May 5-11, will bring more than 40 countries and 300 athletes and officials to Hill Country Shooting Sports Center (HCSSC) in Kerrville, Texas to contest the Olympic shotgun disciplines. USA Shooting, the National Governing Body for the Olympic Shooting Sports in the United States, will conduct this event as the official sponsor and host. “As always, we are thrilled to be able to showcase and promote our sport within the U.S.,” Bob Mitchell, CEO of USA Shooting said. “It is particularly exciting to be able to host this World Cup at the new Hill Country Shooting Sport Center given that during the competition the venue will be awarded status as an official Olympic Training Center for…

… to the National Association of the Right Information and Direction for seniors and Dietert Senior Center for giving seniors the security and mobility of a cell phone without the cost. The FCC requires that any phone that is deactivated must still be able to dial 911, which gives seniors a lifeline in the case of an emergency. … to the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center, which the United States Olympic Committee officially designated as an Olympic training site. Also to those who are attending and who have organized the World Cup Skeet, Trap and Double Trap competition. The event’s opening ceremony is set for 4 p.m. today. … to those who pot together the the Ag Awareness Day, which was sponsored by the Kerr…

A Wild West shoot-out kicked off the opening ceremony of the World Cup shotgun match with a bang Friday afternoon at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center. The Texican Rangers re-enactment was the beginning of a historic afternoon that saw the Olympic flag raised over the Kerrville shooting range and the flags of the 50 nations competing in this week’s World Cup carried in by mounted Kerr County 4-H Horse Club members. Many tributes were paid to Rose and Jack Burch, the shooting center’s founders, for their vision in developing Roses family ranch into a world-class shooting venue. Masters of ceremonies Steve Alex and Harley Belew introduced Rose Burch to the hundreds of athletes, coaches and community members as a fourth-generation Kerr County resident, whose…

Vasiliy Mosin of Russia won the men’s double trap Monday at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center during the World Cup Shooting Championships. Mosin finished with a 145 out of 150 in the qualifying rounds, then shot a 44 in the final for a 189 total score. Hakan Dahlby of Sweden took the silver medal after beating Richard Faulds of Great Britain in a shoot-off. Dahlby finished with a 139 qualifying score and a 46 in the final, whereas Faulds hit a 137 qualifying and a 48 in the final. Faulds took third. The U.S.’s top shooter was 20-year-old Pfc. Josh Richmond of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Richmond of Hillsgrove, Penn., finished in eighth place with a 135 qualifying score, just one point out…

Suzy Balogh is not only from another country, she’s from a part of the world that is now in its winter season. The Australian native has spent the last week in Kerrville preparing for the women’s trap competition in the ISSF World Cup, which is taking place at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center. While it is in the 30s or 40s in Australia, Balogh is enjoying the warm climate in Texas, among other things. This weather is similar to Australia weather in November, Balogh said. It’s lovely and very pretty here. I love Texas. The people here are very friendly, and the shooting range here has to be one of the top 10 in the country. Balogh, a self-confessed daddy’s girl, learned the sport…

Caitlin Barney, 16, of Kerrville won the gold in women’s trap on Wednesday at the Continental Cup at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center. In front of her hometown crowd, Barney shot a 76 total score to win the first Continental Cup for Women’s Trap held at the HCSSC. It was so cool participating in my first international event. I was able to meet shooters from close to 50 other countries. Barney said after the match. The fact that I won this event not only in the USA  but in my home state of Texas made it just that much more special. Barney actually found herself in a three-way tie for third place after she shot the 75-target course. Qualifying for the final with a…

Work has begun on the 35,000-square-foot air hall at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center. Final approval for a $500,000 Economic Improvement Corp. grant came last Tuesday from Kerrville City Council. Kerr County Commissioners also approved the grant Nov. 13 I like this kind of project, Pct. 4 Commissioner Dave Nicholson said. Because it clearly brings revenue and jobs. That’s what economic development is all about. Another $300,000 grant could come before the end of this year, if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approves an environmental assessment performed at the shooting range on Cypress Creek Road. USFW spokesman Susan MacMullin said Monday that 56 public comments were submitted in October and are being incorporated into the environmental assessment. Some were really concerned about issues…

Schreiner University’s Shooting Sports Society made a good showing in the 40th Annual Association of College Unions International Clay Target Championships April 9-13. Rachael Heiden took second place and won a silver medal in Women’s International Skeet. Heiden also placed fifth in Women’s International Trap and sixth in Women’s American Skeet. The Schreiner Shooting Sports Society’s top male shooter, Cameron Schuster, placed fifth in the Men’s American Skeet. The five-person team of Heiden, Schuster, James Heikkenen, Kenny Babcock and Will Drummond came in 15th out of the 40 teams competing in American Skeet. The ACUI event attracted 290 student competitors representing 38 schools from across the United States. ESPNU will air the American Skeet competition June 13 and 20 and American Trap June 27 and…