Preserving the future of shooting sports means providing a variety of assets to young shooters, including mentors, ranges, and funding. Recently, MidwayUSA Foundation offered all three to air rifle and air pistol shooters at an Air Gun Training Camp held in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the impressive X Count facility. Young shooting athletes received expert instruction from Olympic shooters and elite coaches. To attend, athletes made a tax-deductible donation to their team’s endowment with MidwayUSA Foundation, a public charity working to sustain and grow youth shooting sports. Donations are also matched through a matching program offered by MidwayUSA Foundation.
The coaches making this camp possible included recent silver medalist from the Tokyo games in mixed team air rifle, Lucas Kozeniesky. This two-time Olympian is also the Founder of Team Winning Solutions, a professional organization that provides personal training and guidance to shooting athletes. Another competitor in the Tokyo Olympics, James Hall, also shared his expertise. Hall finished in the top ten at the 2020 Olympics in both men’s and mixed team air pistol and currently works for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) as the Director of Development – International Pistol and Rifle.
Three time Olympian and USA’s National Pistol Team Coach, Jason Turner, also provided expert instruction. Alongside the three Olympians was highly decorated rifle coach, Gregg Rice. He is the Head Coach and President of The X Count and is licensed by the International Shooting Sports Federation, one of only five rifle coaches in the nation. James Hall talked about the importance of passing along knowledge to the future of shooting sports. “Having experience with rifle, as well as pistol and getting to work with these young athletes at this developmental age is a key component to giving back to the sport.”
MidwayUSA Foundation continues to find new ways to help communities fund their local youth shooting teams. Events, like this air gun training camp, can not only bring in donations but can also connect the community to the team and the athletes it serves. Funding provided by a team’s MidwayUSA Foundation endowment ensures current and future athletes have the funds to cover critical expenses needed to practice and compete. To see pictures from this event visit or learn about more MidwayUSA Foundation events, visit https://www.midwayusafoundation.org/events/.
The MidwayUSA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity working to sustain and grow youth shooting sports by providing long-term funding to youth shooting teams. Every donation made is tax-deductible and allows the Foundation to assist in expanding and enhancing the leadership skills, confidence, and discipline of today’s youth through shooting sports activities. The Foundation supports all shooting disciplines. MidwayUSA Foundation Auctions and some incentives are void in California. For more information about how the MidwayUSA Foundation is changing the future of youth shooting sports, please visit MidwayUSAFoundation.org or call 1-877-375-4570.
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