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Wednesday, June 14, 2000

Hawaii air-riflery team
wins national championship

By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin

For once, they didn't have to mail it in.

St. Louis and Sacred Hearts athletes, representing Hawaii, won a national air-riflery championship over the weekend.

They've done so before, but this time Michael Subido, Michael Tanoue, Ryan Tanoue and Sara Matsuura actually got to see their opponents and compete with them at the same time, in the same place.

They won the National Junior Olympic 3 Position Air Rifle Championship, completed Sunday in Atlanta, at the same site where the 1996 Olympic shooting events were held.

"This is the first time they've won a shoulder-to-shoulder national championship," said their coach, Zig Look. "They've won eight or nine in sectionals (where scores are compared with those from competitions at different sites in other regions of the country).

"This is the first shoulder-to-shoulder national championship held for this discipline," Look said.

Hawaii won the sporter division, with 4,053 points compared to 4,047 for second-place California. They were among 27 states represented.

Subido, a member of St. Louis' state championship air riflery team last fall, said he and his teammates approached this match like any other.

"It makes it more interesting when you actually go up against your opponents. For me it was totally new," Subido said. "But all we did was stick to our training. We made sure our positions were good."

Individually, Ryan Tanoue was second among 121 competitors with 1,165.5 points and Matsuura was seventh at 1,131.8.

Nathan Mill of Tennessee was first with 1,173.9.

Albert Santos and Kristen Aguilar of Waimea High School also competed as individuals.

The inaugural event was sanctioned by USA Shooting.