Have gun, will travel: Cadet earns national title

  • Published
  • By Butch Wehry
  • Academy Spirit staff writer
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Cadet 1st Class Brian Vickers has been awarded the National Riflemen Association's Second Team All-American for Standard Pistol; Second Team All-American for Air Pistol, First Team All-American for Free Pistol and First Place, Individual Aggregate Championship in March and appointment to the National Pistol Development Team pending approval of the national head coach.

Each of the recent Fort Benning, Ga., events were invitation-only to the top nation-wide 30 shooters. He is now eligible to represent the United States overseas in pistol competitions and has a gold medal and a trophy to prove it.

The shooter had next to no skills with a pistol before arriving at the Academy.

"I had shot a little bit for fun before coming to the Academy but nothing very serious," said the environmental engineering major with Cadet Squadron 31. "I didn't even start in earnest until about two years ago."

Three guns were used in three different events in collegiate pistol.

The first event was "Air Pistol" which uses a pistol that works on compressed air or CO2 to fire a pellet at a bulls eye 10 meters down range. The second event was "Free Pistol" and it uses a .22LR single-shot pistol to fire at a target 50 meters away. The last event is "Standard Pistol" and, unlike the other two pistol disciplines, it is a rapid fire event. A .22LR five-shot pistol wads used to shoot five-round strings at a target 25 meters away in as little as 10 seconds.

Each of the targets was a black and white bulls eye and, with the exception of standard pistol, are the same ones used in the Olympics.

"By and large I didn't practice at the Academy," said the cadet from Durham, N.C. "There is currently no intercollegiate pistol team at the Academy," said the budding communications and electronics officer. "I got started shooting on a semester exchange to the Coast Guard Academy. When I returned the rifle team was gracious enough to allow me to train on their range when it was not in use and, for that, I'm eternally grateful."

Earlier this year, however, he began training daily with the National Pistol Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Only great time-management skills allowed for practice.

"Until this year, I had to just squeeze it in when I could but at the start of this year, the rifle team made me a 'manager' of their team so that I could get an intercollegiate academic schedule and thus practice in the afternoons," Cadet Vickers said. "Perhaps most pertinent is the value of focus and self discipline. If I ever really master these, I might be a really good shooter one day."

The governing body for international shooting sports in the United States, USA Shooting, has just overhauled their selection criteria for international competitions and winning collegiate nationals alone no longer qualifies as grounds for selection to the National Development Team.

"In due time, however, I will make the team and be proud to represent the U.S.," said the cadet.

Another competition beckons.

"About two weeks after graduation I'm going back to Fort Benning to shoot in the U.S. National Pistol Competition," he said. "Even after moving to active duty I would like to compete in as many national-level matches as time and funds allow and hopefully be selected for the National Pistol Team soon."