When he was done with
his computer, he had writ- ten over 4,000 lines of code and assembled a computer box that basically will work on any range in the world. While he was at it, he de- cided to go ahead and write the code to control Trap targets as well.
“Glenn is one of the
smartest guys I know. He is very aware of his weak- nesses and his strengths,” Weger acknowledged in telling the above story. “The level of dedication to his craft is second to none.” “As a competitor, he lives
for shooting. He is a student of the game, and spends hours and hours training DQG À JXULQJ RXW EHWWHU ways to train and make his game better,” echoed his close personal friend, Mike Balke. “I have been around many parents who openly say their son or daughter is going to the next Olym- pics. It makes me chuckle because you may know how to point that gun and be a good shot, but getting to the level of a Glenn, a Vincent Hancock, or a Kim Rode you need a bit more than just being a good gun pointer. You need to be that student and know the game; know how it works and how to train, and have the mental toughness that comes with LW DOO +H LV QRW D À YH WLPH Olympian just because he is lucky.”
Looking to instill more
GLVFLSOLQH À QG PRUH RSSRU tunity and train alongside the best, he joined the Army in 2006.
“My dad hung up on me,”
Staff Sgt. Eller laughs when describing his parent’s reac- tion at the time. “My mom
cried, but I told her, ‘Mom, , À QDOO\ JRW D MRE DW OHDVW · She didn’t think that was funny.” Frankly, it’s the best decision he’s ever made. In an individual sport, it is Eller’s teammates that have driven him to his greatest successes and vice versa. The ability to train and compete alongside fellow Olympians Josh Richmond and Jeff Holguin, as well as rising star Derek Haldeman, is a powerful motivator. The trio of Eller, Richmond and Holguin have combined for 34 World Cup medals, nine World Championship med- DOV DQG À YH :RUOG WLWOHV “Anytime I go shoot a bad
round and they [his USAMU teammates] whip you and are shooting good, you want to know why they are whip- SLQJ \RX <RX ZDQW WR À JXUH out how to beat them,” Eller admits. “With each of their successes, you’re happy for them, but at the same time, you’re like ‘I want to win.’ In this room, we expect ourselves to be the best. When one of us wins, we all win, but we all want to take something away from that. If you’ve never been around a winning culture, it’s kind of hard to break through that. When everyone you hang out with wins on a regular basis, you know that winning is possible and you expect that. We’re success- ful because of each other.” He thanks the USAMU
for the opportunity given. ´:KHQ , À UVW JRW LQWR WKH Army, it gave me the struc- ture I needed. The Army was instrumental to me winning in Beijing. Now, I’m the most experienced guy in the room with guys
coming to me for answers. The USAMU now gives me the stability to train when I QHHG WR DQG WKH Á H[LELOLW\ WR train how I need to.” The Olympic journey has
meant everything to Eller. He recalls fondly the day he arrived at the Olympic Vil- lage in Sydney. “It’s my best memory and what has kept driving me all these years,” he recounts. “We pulled up and there’s 10,000 athletes running around from all the different countries and I just recall how awesome it was to be pulling in there. Having that feeling, it’s hard to think what it would be like if I ever missed an Olympic Team. I don’t think I’d be able to watch it, not knowing what I know now.” Rest assured, he won’t
have to contemplate such a scenario this time around and he’s not lacking any motivation to ascend to the top of his game once again in Rio. “I still love winning and competing. I love being
March 2016 | USA Shooting News 41
Eller wins gold at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Photo by: Tim Hipps
great at something. It’s the Olympic Games, who wouldn’t love going? I love being able to get ready, be prepared, travel, have a great competition and be the best.”
thing. Sure, there’s an untold
story in the biography that is Eller’s life. Every person spoken to about this story says as much. Some things are best left to the imagina- tion. To summarize, however,
let’s just say that in pursuit of life, Eller found excel- lence.
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