Q& A Todd Graves helps guide
the shotgun endeavors of America’s shooting team. He talks about success, dis- appointment and relishing that Olympic moment on the verge of leading his team into the 2016 Olympic year with expectations as high as they’ve ever been follow- ing two ultra-successful pre- Olympic years.
It’s disappointing again to not get a Men’s Trap quota or secure a second in Wom- en’s Trap, so talk about what you see in terms of what has to happen to change our fortune in Trap next quad? It was only disappoint-
ing because we did not win the quotas we needed. The Trap shooters fought hard over the past two years with very close results. Athletes PDGH À QDOV DQG SXW WKHP selves in position to get the quotas, which was different than in the last quad. We are a young team and that is a very big factor international- ly, particularly in trap. When you are shooting against 35 to 40 year olds who have shot numerous World Cups and our average age is 25 WR ZLWK VLJQLÀ FDQWO\ OHVV international experience, it makes a difference. Some of our shooters made the team IRU WKH À UVW WLPH WKLV \HDU and that played a role as ZHOO :H·UH GHÀ QLWHO\ H[FLWHG about the future with a lot of great young shooters com- ing up. The entire coaching
Todd Graves National Shotgun Coach
alize you are an Olympian. The hardest
thing about
staff believes we are on the right track and that with a lit- tle more experience, we’ll be back contending for medals and placing representatives at the Olympics. As you look ahead to the 2016 Olympic year, what advice do you have for both the up-and-coming shooter and the veteran as they look to try and secure spots on the Olympic Team? The advice is the same
for both. First, we want you to enjoy the moment and recognize how special be- ing a part of all this really is. You’re trying out for the Olympic Team and someone is going to make the Team and a lot of people who try will not. You just have to be- lieve in yourself and abso- lutely trust what got you to this point. Don’t put any ad- ditional pressure on yourself just because it says Olympic Selection match. The pres- sure will already be there.
We wish everyone going through it good luck. What skills do you see our athletes needing so as to remain competitive with other countries in the future?
The skills are always go-
ing to be there. We just need to continue to develop our younger shooters so that we will remain a powerhouse in the future. At the same time, we need to keep on giving our veteran shooters the tools and support they need to be successful in the present. As a former athlete, what do you remember of your Olympic experience and how can you use that to help
your athletes going
through it next year? Making the Olympic Team
was one of the greatest mo- ments of my life. Walking into the stadium and seeing 80,000 people screaming is the very moment you re-
Year in Review 2015 | USA Shooting News 53
the Olympic Games is trying to stay focused despite all that’s going on around you. You have family and friends there. They want to hang out with you, spend time with you and you feel like you have to do that. You have to remember that you are there for you, so spend time with them after your event. I NQRZ LW VRXQGV VHOÀ VK EXW it is the Olympic Games and they only come around ev- ery four years and you never know if you’ll get another op- portunity.
By bringing Jay Waldron on at the Olympic Training Center, how has that helped bolster the program? Having Jay in Colorado and being part of the coach- ing staff is outstanding. Jay has competed at the high- est level in shooting and for him to be able to share his experiences with our team is priceless. Jay and I are al- ways on the same page as to what we want to accomplish for the team, now and in the future. There is a lot of stuff that I could not do without his assistance. I could not be more thankful to Jay for making the move.
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