TargetTalk

For Immediate Release
Oct. 14, 2004

USA Shooting Hires New National Pistol Coach, Looks for Growth in Pistol Discipline

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— At the conclusion of the 2004 Olympic Games, USA Shooting had to say goodbye to its long-time National Pistol Coach, Erich Buljung, and start gearing its pistol program in a new direction in order to build a larger and more competitive athlete pool. Increased emphasis on growing and interacting with the pistol grassroots programs, as well as the need to reach out to the established clubs and shooters, brought USA Shooting to the final conclusion that a change was necessary.

“We have a great deal of respect for Coach Buljung, his technical expertise, and his dedication to the program, but it just became increasingly apparent that we had to start broadening the overall program to grow it to the levels necessary to support international success.” said Wanda Jewell, Director of Operations.

USA Shooting has hired Sergey Luzov to head the National Pistol Team and build its grass roots pistol program into a success. “I think Sergey will add a new dimension to the pistol program that will be both positive and well received by the athletes,” said Jewell. “He is very excited about this opportunity to work with this group of athletes and has pledged himself to making a difference for them. I have a lot of confidence in Sergey's ability to reach out to all the pistol athletes and help them reach their goals.”

Luzov was a competitive shooter for 15 years and was the 1986 World Champion and world record holder in running target. He also won three World Cup gold medals while competing for Belarus in 1986 and 1988. Having experienced so much success in his own competitive shooting career, Luzov is in a good position to tell his athletes that Olympic medals are definitely within their grasp. Luzov was the running target coach for the national Olympic team of Belarus from 1991-94. In 1996, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., with his family to take the position as the Running Target National Coach with USA Shooting in time for that year’s Olympic Games in Atlanta. He has been coaching the National Team ever since.

But, after the decision was made to cut the running target discipline from the Olympic program, Luzov had planned on leaving USA Shooting. That was until the opportunity arose within the pistol program.

“Certainly Sergey is a well-skilled coach,” CEO Robert Mitchell said. “ We are looking for him to build participation, develop our grass roots program, and help elite shooters get on the medal stand. He is very respected throughout the world. And looked to be a most capable person to head the national pistol program into the new quadrennial.”

USA Shooting is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for Olympic Shooting sports. For more information on the USA Shooting Team, please log on to www.usashooting.org. or contact USA Shooting’s Media Relations Director at sara.greenlee@usashooting.org.

Seems a strange switch from running target to pistol. I also wonder how much experience the guy has of coaching pistol, nothing is mentioned and I would have thought that would have been a big pre-requisite.

Rob.

Maybe this is a start to a brillant new strategy to cross train our shooters for all the various shooting events, then you could save travel expenses by sending just a handful of folks to shoot everything; more likely, it's simply another ill-conceived move by our governing body leadership to just give the appearance of doing something. In all fairness to Sergey, he may turn out to be the best pistol coach we've ever had, but the burden of proof is on him and I wish him the greatest possible success in his new role.

If the pistol program is ever going to improve, we need to reunite with the NRA and it's huge bullseye competitor base and superior sports funding. Also, to increase the talent pool to draw from, we need to drop the multiple selection match process and go to a simple three courses of fire at the national championships to determine the team. Eliminating the selection matches would cut USA Shooting expenses dramatically, allow the Camp Perry crowd to easily justify being involved with international events from a time required and expense required perspective, and thereby we would end up with a much stronger talent pool and team.

WTF, O?

I have to agree with Mr. Swartz on this one, when you've got two people not all that familiar with the situation bad mouthing the new development.

Sergey has been a surrogate coach to a number of the pistol shooters at times, and was one of the names I have heard mentioned on several occasions amongst the pistol competitors over the last 12 months as a good alternative if Erich had to leave. I think Sergey will do a great job.

Having dealt with one of Sergey's compatriot coaches from Belarus, I know that they are not trained to deal with just one discipline. He was a pistol coach who also could coach rifle. The key being TRAINED to coach. Their program involved taking a successful ex-shooter, and then developing the skills required to communicate with shooters. Maybe we should give him a fair go.

I've regularly participated in the selection matches, national championships and 3X events and have listened to the leadership long enough to recognize some of the problems. I believe that their egos are getting in the way of any real solutions; the leadership is so hell-bent on making it without any outside influences, they won't dare to admit their own management failures.

Mitchell himself has said at the competitors meetings that we were much better off funding wise when the NRA ran things; well it appears to me that for no other consideration but that, we should find a way to reintergrate with an organization that can solve that end of things at the very least.

As for the latest news, pistol shooters are already accustomed to being treated like step-children in an organization run by former rifle shooters.

I think that a good coach is a good teacher first.
What I like hearing is the emphasis on "grass roots" competitor pool.
I have already sent Mr. Mitchell the name of a shooter I know in Iowa who has great potential. I guess the "proof in the pudding" will be if they follow up.
Good luck to Mr Luzov!
JLK

Like Steve, I must also say "WTFO".

I truely understand decision from a dollars and sence perspective. Specifically that he is already in place, lives in Colorado Springs, is already on the payroll, is a "known quantity." running target is now no longer an Olympic sanctioned event and as a result he is now available, tec.

But gee whiz, when the heck are we going to get a coach that will bring those things to the "party" so we can build a reputation of being a world-class shooting power and be able to recruit some new, fresh, talented folks to be part of a, what we hope will be an ever growing USA Shooting program.

What I mean is that if we look at some of the great college football programs like Miami, Florida, Oklahoma USC, or Michigan (this one was for Steve) etc, we see a great coach at the helm. That coach brings a reputation that speaks volumes to a prospective elite athlete and says "here is a college as well as a football program worth being associated with." And please let's not use the that old tired, always used argument, that all that most of these kids are looking for is a fast track to the pros."

The point is that we really need an individual that can build a program that will attract the best and the most talented shooters available and who will make these athletes he comes in contact with really feel that they will benefit from his coaching, teaching as well as their association with him and more importantly, USA shooting's pistol program.

Based on what I have seen thus far, I don't believe this was the right decision I think that this was a decision of convenience.

In the long term, I hope I am wrong and if comes to past that I am, I will be the first to admit it.

Well, that is one man's opinion and like the old saying opinios are like belly botton, everybody's got one and this is mime

Keep'em all in the 10 ring,
Ian

Hi Mr. Blankenship,
My apololgies for not realizing that you were an active competitor. I also attend many of those events you mentioned and have’nt run across you and with a name like Blankenship in the shooting world, I am sure I would have picked up on it. I’m sure you get asked lots but any relation to Bill?

However, that aside, I can’t agree with several of your statements. I believe Bob Mitchell as CEO and the rest of the USAS staff work very hard to manage the organziation very well, and it has a board of directors from many walks of life who take an active interest in the programs and would not allow the situation you portray, UNLIKE the previous adminstration, who did not have the best interests of the shooters in mind and perhaps could have cared less. Your comments about the NRA are also out of line. I have already stated in other recent threads about USAS management that any discusssion of a NRA- USAS unification is a waste of bandwith and intellectual exercise. I wish it were not so. If you have some knowledge or influence of how to accomplish this that no one else in the NRA-USAS-CMP interface seems to have, then I beg you to use it. If I can help you in anyway for this, please let me know how I can do that, but on the whole, based on my knowledge, contacts and attempts, I don’t think its possible. Lastly, I think your comment about “step-children in an organization run by former rifle shooters, is a cheap shot and has no validity in reality, and is pushing the envelope of allowable statements per the rules and regs.
Best regards otherwise
Scott Pilkington

Just a question, what part of the rules & regs was he "close" to breaking. I think some of the others response were to the obscene and vulgar side, unless "WTF" means something other than what I think it means.

Gentleman,

I was a member of the National Team from '90-'98. My first coach was Dan Iuga. He was the national coach at the time. He was a complete coach in that he understood both slow and rapid fire disciplines, the mental game, and was on top of logistics. I'm not clear on all the reasons why he left, but I was disappointed. I still consider him a friend. After that, the next too coaches were not really coaches to me. They were both good guys, but I just didn't feel they could help me. I looked at them more as travel agents. In fact, on one occasion I had to FIGHT with him in a time when he should have been looking out for me!

I don't really know the new guy. I'm thinking about starting back with RF next year, but it doesn't really matter to me who is the coach. However, it does matter to the development of the program. I spoke with Mary in competitions last week and learned there will be no selection matches other than the nationals in 2005. She said no one was attending, so they canceled them. Mr. Blankenship will like this, but I was sad to hear that, for any program needs several high level matches to develope shooters. Shooting with IPSC timers, lights, and homemade targets is fine in the beginning, but eventually, high level, high quality matches are needed.

Another issue is finance. They have had trouble ever since they split from the NRA. We all know this, but it will never change. The fallout is fewer programs, and fewer people on the national team going overseas. The bottom line is if you want to shoot pistol, open up your checkbook. As an example, I was second in the 1997 selection match in RF for the championship of the americas team. Second by less than a point. The team was only funding the 1st place shooter. They didn't care about sending a 3 man team. The 1st person was military and would be funded by the military. My "coach" told me I could go, since I had earned a slot, at a price of $2500.00. I can thank Charlie Jackson for my experience in Buenos Aires. The team can thank Charlie Jackson for the two team medals we won down there.

I don't know what the answer is gentleman. I'm rather discouraged by the change in my discipline, the status of USA Shooting, and the status of our pistol program. I'm starting to miss it, so I'll suck it up and deal with the changes, open my checkbook, and figure out how to shoot 50's in 4 sec. with my soon to be converted OSP to .22 lr.

PS...it is possible to convert your OSP's to shoot .22lr, and I'm not talking about a GSP top.

Scott, I like this forum. I found it using the traffic stats on my webpage.

Eddy Esworthy

The bottom line is if you want to shoot pistol, open up your checkbook.

That is not enough!

The current philosophy is that one has to qualify for the team, AND be shooting a "travelling score" (which is well above an MQS) AND someone has to be willing to let you travel.

This was discussed at the competitors meeting at Ft Benning.

The two sides of the argument are:

1) If you are not shooting world class scores in the USA you will fall on your face at a world cup and become discouraged, and If you have to EARN the right to travel by meeting a very high standard you will train harder.

VS:

2) Lets put 2 record shooters and 3 MQS shooters on the firing line in every event in every WC etc there is. Many shooters will LOVE the international experience and be driven to train harder, we will have a larger pool of guys with MQS's in WC's. There are a LOT of USAS member shooters who can afford an overseas trip once every 2 or 3 years ("Honey can we take our family vacation at Camp Perry" or "Honey can we take our family vacation in Sydney".... GUESS which one will go over better?) Also there should be a strategy for chasing quota slots. We may have to expand the definition of "National Team member" to let more people attend WCs.

If we want to drive hard for the strongest team of 10 or 20 shooters, especially if funding is based on medal count, option 1 might be best. If we want to have the widest participation, get a lot of guys with MQSs and pick up a lot of quota slots. option 2 might be better.

I am not yet a member of the NT, this year is my first year in USAS competition. But I have goals and plans that extend for the next 4 years.

Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/

Bill Poole wrote: If we want to have the widest participation, get a lot of guys with MQSs and pick up a lot of quota slots

I know that this doesn't apply to you Bill but I know several shooters who believe that a similar level of shooting is required to get an MQS and to win a quota place. The two are worlds apart.

For shooters from the Americas and Europe, shooting an MQS at a qualifying match during the last Olympic cycle would hardly have got you on the first page of the results, let alone anywhere near to a quota place.

For information, the pistol MQSs leading up to the Athens Olympics were:-

Free Pistol 540
Rapid 573
Air (Men) 563
25m (Sport) 555
Air (Women) 365

These are good scores for most of us mortals, but certainly not world class.

Note:- Air (Women) score corrected after wrong MQS (565) being spotted by a poster who PM'd me, thanks.

Richard H,

hmmmm....well... yes.... you are right, I am sure WTFO means what you think it means. However, at least it was somewhat "coded" and was used in more of a flabbergasted sort of way, rather than being directed at an inidvidual (Or individuals) in an abusive sort of way, which was what triggered my response. Overall this board is very civil and everything is conducted in a "good sportsmanship" type manner and Warren , Denis and I have to do very little moderating, and I want to keep it that way.

From my perspective I was merely asking the question about his pistol record since it was conspicuous by it's absence in the original post. It doesn't matter to me because I'm in the UK but I am (was) just curious.

Rob.

It was interesting that no one was floating any names of other potential coaches here before (or after) the announcement.
I think the idea in the past has been to hire a good shooter with little formal training in COACHING (doesn't mean they can't coach, just not trained for it). That is how we got to this point. We have no program to develop NT level coaches and should be thankful that Belarus does. In addition, Sergey has been trained (by experience) to work successfully with US shooters. He took a RT program with virtually NO grassroots and produced serious contenders for international medals. He is well known to most of our best pistol shooters and has the support of many, if not all, of them.
One negative or questioning post doesn't classify anyone as a whiner, but PLEASE, get together and support the new coach (now that the change has been made). Put your energy into recruiting and training even more young pistol shooters. Go to Nationals and try to make the team and support USAS. You are likely to learn more in that week than any other during the year. Funding is an issue. Make a tax deductible donation, buy USAS logo stuff, sign up members, etc.
We are all TEAM USA
(or AUS, GBR, etc...)

... I'm sure he will do a fine job for USA Shooting. But the issue, to me, is much larger. Unless said national coach has a plan to work directly with teams in the USA, i.e., the clubs that feed him talent, then it's all mute.

Not to sound crass, but by the time shooters get to work with USAS national coaches, they have (usually) already gone through a jr. development program and know what to do & how to do it. The team coaches help them fine-tune their program, gain better mental training/skills, techniques, etc., and expose them to higher level competitions.

From a NATIONAL perspective, I think you folks may be overstating the importance of the National Team coaches, at least as they operate today.

Bill

Okay, I'm Canadian, but I have been involved with the coaching programs in the USA. In fact, it is such a good program, it is worth the inevitable chat with the INS.

(Imagine: a Canadian, explaining to an US INS officer at a Toronto airport, that I am a pistol instructor {in Canada????} heading down to take a weekend pistol coach/instructor course. They never believe me initially.)

USA Shooting, the NRA and CMP, have been coordinating their efforts in delivering a top notch coaching certification program. It progressively develops coaching skills, and encourages participants to join in at whatever level they are comfortable with (i.e. accredited as opposed to certified, certified versus advanced, etc.) HQ Moody and Marcus Raab head up the program for the NRA and they are doing a great job.

Beyond the certification process, and to support its delivery, there is the National Coach Development School (NCDS.) Here they take proven coaches and do two things: help them become better coaches and teach them how to instruct new coaches.

Beyond the NRA/USA Coaching, there is the ISSF Licensed Coach certifications (C, B and A progressively). You attend a C License course, do the work and follow the criteria. From there you can get your B and then your A License. I believe that your NGB must approve your attendance. These courses are held annually around the globe, but expect a trip to Europeand a weeklong stay (not cheap.)

I don't know how newer coaches get that initial international experience in the USA. In Canada, I volunteered to go along to a couple of world cups, as I was the personal coach for one of the national team athletes. Our NGB, the Shooting Federation of Canada, gave me team credentials. Other than that, I was on my own. There is no funding and there doesn't seem to be a formal process in place for developing our international coaches. Since in Canada, our coaches are unpaid (but healthcare is taken care of), we can't hire talent from abroad. You would think an emphasis would exist on building local talent. Unfortunately, it doesn't and this is a huge problem.

I think to a certain extent, the USA has this problem. Some cash means that you can hire from abroad. But what is being done to take your developmental coaches and start giving them the experience necessary to assume leadership roles tomorrow?

I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this.

Good shooting.
Patrick

Patrick,
I hope this doesn't turn in to venting but you have brought up a subject I have recently been involved in.
I recently took over the shooting programs for the City of Lincoln Parks and Recreation Dept. The program consists of a BB gun and air rifle program including basic classes up to and including the shooting team. We also have adult classes for basic pistol and rifle programs. These are taught by NRA instructors. I have 4-H certification in rifle only.
In order to try to grow the program in to precision air and small bore I will need further training.
This training is very difficult to come by.
I have gotten a list of training counselors in my area from the NRA.
Guess what?
None of them will teach an instructor class regardless of discipline.
4-H tried to hold additional leader training at the beginning of this month but guees what?
Canceled because of lack of interest.
This is the "grass roots" everyone is talking about.
From here it looks like it is turning brown awful fast.
There may be an NRA coaches school held in the area later this year but I am holding my breath.
Eventually it could become very easy to quit beating your head against the wall.
JLK