Volunteer of the Year
BY PETE CARSON COMPETITIONS DIRECTOR
Congratulations Earl Litherland: USA Shooting Volunteer of the Year
USA Shooting is proud to an-
nounce 2013 Volunteer of the Year, Mr. Earl Litherland. Earl, a resident of St. Fran-
cisville, La., has volunteered with USA Shooting for nearly a decade. Like many other USAS volunteers, Earl (pictured fore- ground) became interested in becoming a USA Shooting of- fi cial by attending his son’s matches and fi nding it hard to sit without helping. Earl fi rst started his offi ciating career back in 2003, working the Gary Ander- son Invitational in Ft. Benning, Ga. as a Range Offi cer. From there, Earl has worked more than 50 matches with USA Shooting and continues to take on more every year. Earl, who originally hails from
Rhode Island, is married to Me- lissa Litherland and has one son, Austin. It’s safe to say that the entire Litherland clan loves the sport of shooting as much as he does. Melissa, who shoots air pistol at their local club, has been a volunteer with USA Shoot- ing for over eight years. Melissa most often works as a Classifi ca- tion Offi cer, but is also certifi ed to be a Range Offi cer. Earl and Melissa often talk about how shooting allows them to spend time together, sharing a love for the sport and the athletes. These two continuously work USA Shooting’s Rifl e and Pistol National Championships and many ISSF (International Shoot- ing Sport Federation) World Cups held here in the United States. Austin, is also passionate about
shooting. He got his start at their local 4-H club and continued on from there, receiving a scholar- ship to shoot at Tennessee Tech, eventually fi nishing his college shooting career at the University of Akron, where he obtained his Master’s Degree. Before dedicat- ing the majority of his time to USA Shooting, Earl worked as a volunteer fi re fi ghter and served as an EMT, acting as the depart- ment Rescue/EMS Chief. Earl is also a wood craftsman, build- ing custom cabinetry out of his shop, located on their fi ve-acre property. Unlike other volunteers, Earl
doesn’t stick to one discipline. In 2012, Earl was asked if he would ever be interested in working at a shotgun match. Not being trigger-shy, Earl said he’d give it a shot. Two years later with mul- tiple shotgun matches under his
belt, Earl enjoys working with our shotgun programs just as much as he does rifl e and pistol. To have a volunteer that you can call on for anything is fantastic - This allows USA Shooting Competi- tions to better plan for staffi ng at events. As most USA Shooting volunteers know, we are one big family and spend weeks together at a time. Earl always brings a smile to everyone’s face and can provide a good laugh when much needed. Earl also has interna- tional experience as well, serving as an ISSF Jury Member at the World Cup in Munich in 2011. In a recent interview, he was
asked the question of “Why do you volunteer with USA Shoot- ing?” He responded with saying, “I can learn something new from a shooter I see every match, it provides me with the opportunity to grow my knowledge of a sport
that I am so passionate about. I also feel extremely lucky to work with the talented athletes, help- ing them along the Olympic path. I enjoy being able to work with other volunteers that share my passion and excitement for the Olympic movement.” We here at USA Shooting are
extremely lucky to have Earl as one of our many dedicated vol- unteers. Like many other National Governing Bodies, USA Shooting relies heavily on its staff of highly qualifi ed and highly passionate volunteers, as without them our events would not run. We love to share our commitment to the sport with these volunteers and will be forever grateful for the long hours spent at the ranges. Congratulations, Earl! We look forward to many continued years of working with you.
March 2014 | USA Shooting News
35
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