Six-time Olympian, family duos to lead Canadian shooters at 2010 CWG

New Delhi, Sept.16 (ANI): The Shooting Federation of Canada and Commonwealth Games Canada has confirmed the athletes and coaches who will be participating in the shooting competition for Canada at the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

With Susan Nattrass (Vachon, Washington, USA), six-time Olympian and triple medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia and two sets of family members on the list of Canadian shooters, it will be a close-knit, experience-laden team.

It’s a talented group that will aim to continue the successful run of Commonwealth Games medals at the shooting range that started in Manchester in 2002.

Father-son combination Paul and Drew Shaw (Collingwood, ON) will make up the men’s trap and double trap teams at the Games. Paul, 61, represented Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games and has won numerous international medals in a competitive career that has spanned over 20 years.

His son Drew, 23, a newcomer to the national team, is looking forward to contending for both individual and pairs medals with his father in Delhi.

Sisters Dorothy Ludwig (Langley, BC) and Lynda Hare (Calgary, AB) are targeting podium positions in women’s air pistol. Dorothy won pairs gold and individual silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and looks forward to aiming for similar results with her sister in Delhi.

“Having the opportunity to attend the recent air pistol competition in Beechburg, Ontario, I can well appreciate the unique demands of this sport and the incredible diversity within the various shooting events,” said Martha Deacon, Canada’s Chef de Mission. “We look forward to our shooters performing at a very high level in Delhi and to be in the mix for several medals at the shooting range.”

Susan Verdier, Technical Director of the Shooting Federation of Canada, added, “The Commonwealth Games traditionally offer a friendly and very competitive environment for target shooters and the Delhi Games will be no different. Our athletes are very much looking forward to Delhi and anticipating strong performances in many of the 36 events that make up the shooting program at the Games.”

Athletes named by the Shooting Federation of Canada to Team Canada for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were selected though an internal process that included trials conducted for air guns at the 28th Canadian Airgun Grand Prix (February 2010 in Toronto); for 25m and 50m rifle and pistol events at the USAS Spring Selection matches (May 2010 in Fort Benning, Georgia) and for shotgun events at the USAS National Shotgun Championships (July 2010 in Colorado Springs, Colorado). They include:

Richard McBride (Saskatoon, SK) - Men’s Skeet - Canadian Champion in international skeet in 2003 and 2005, Member of the 2007 Pan American Games Team.

Jason Caswell (Edmonton, AB) - Men’s Skeet - 8-time Canadian champion, 1994 Commonwealth Games Team, 1995 Pan Am Team Bronze, 1996 Olympic Team, 2000 Olympic Team.

Drew Shaw (Collingwood, ON) - Men’s Trap and Double Trap - Member of the 2010 Canadian National Shooting team that competed at the 2010 World Championships in Munich, Germany.

Paul Shaw (Collingwood, ON) - Men’s Trap and Double Trap - Bronze individual and silver team trap medals at the 1987 Pan Am Games in Indianapolis USA; Silver team trap medal at the 1995 Pan Am Games in Argentina;

5th in double trap at the 1994 World Championships in Lignano, Italy; 3-time Canadian Champion in double trap, 1990-1992

Wynn Payne (Edmonton, AB) - Men’s Prone Rifle - Canadian Champion 2001, 2004-08; 1962 Canadian Cadet Fullbore Rifle champion; 1980 Canadian Postal Champion - Smallbore Rifle; Vice-President Shooting at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.

James (Jim) Paton (White Rock, BC) - Fullbore Rifle - Gold Medal in Individual Fullbore at the 1998 Commonwealth Games; Queen’s Prize at Bisley, UK in July 2005 with a score of 300.40, qualling match scoring record.

Desmond (Des) Vamplew (Scarborough, ON) - Fullbore Rifle - Gold Medal in Individual Fullbore Rifle at 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton; Smallbore Prone Rifle Gold Medal - 1982 ISU (ISSF) World Cup, Benito Juarez, Mexico; 2-time Canadian National Highpower Champion; Member of 1980 Canadian Gold Medal (Palma)

World Championships Team; Member of 1994 Canadian Silver Medal (Palma) World Championships Team; Individual Gold Medal and two Silver Medals at the 1994 (Palma) World Championships.

Sylvain Ouellette (Val-d’Or, QC) - Men’s Air and 50m Pistol - Gold Medal at the 2010 Canadian Airgun Grand Prix in Toronto; 2010 Commonwealth Games will be his first international event

Metodi Igorov (Montreal, QC) - Men’s Rapid Fire and Center Fire Pistol - 14-time Canadian Champion in Rapid Fire Pistol; 2-time Gold Medalist in Rapid Fire Pistol at 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games; Commonwealth Games Silver medalist in Pair Centre Fire in 1998 and Bronze medalist in Pairs Rapid Fire Pistol in 2006.

Alan Markewicz (St. Albert, AB) - Men’s Air, 50m, Rapid Fire and Center Fire Pistol - 2-time Canadian Champion in Centrefire Pistol; competed at the CISM World Military Shooting Championships 11 times since 1992.

Susan Nattrass (Vashon, WA, USA) - Women’s Trap - 7-time Women’s World Trapshooting Champion (1974 - 1981, 2006); 6-time Olympian (1976, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008); 4-time World Championship Silver Medalist (1971, 1982, 1991, 2001); 4-time World Championship Bronze Medalist (1983, 1985, 1986, 2005); winner of a Canadian Championship for 41 years; 2-time Silver and 3-time Bronze medalist Commonwealth Games (2002, 2006); Gold Medalist Pan American Games 2007; Bronze medalist 2003

Cynthia Meyer (New York, NY, USA) - Women’s Trap - 13-time Canadian Women’s Champion; 3 Olympic Games with a fifth place finish in Sydney; 2 previous Commonwealth Games with 7 medals won including gold in 2002 Manchester Women’s Trap; silver medal in Pan American Games in Santo Domingo; silver medal in 2007 world Championships in Lima, Peru.

Lea Wachowich (Edmonton, AB) - Women’s 25m Pistol - 2002 Canadian National Champion

Patricia (Pat) Boulay (Kingston, ON) - Women’s 25m Pistol - member of the Canadian National shooting team and Canadian Military Shooting team since 2005 and won the Canadian Air Gun Grand Prix in 2009

Dorothy Ludwig (Langley, BC) - Women’s Air Pistol - Canadian National Champion in 2006 and 2008; Team Gold and individual Silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester; 4th place at he 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Lynda Hare (Calgary, AB) - Women’s Air Pistol - Bronze Medal at the 2003 Pan American Games; competing in World Cups since 1999, placed 19th at Australia World Cup 2010

The coaches are Richard Lanning (Union, ON); Alexander (Sandy) Peden (Victoria, BC).

The team leader is Jean-Pierre Huot (Thetford Mines, QC).

The Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games will be the world’s largest multi-sport competition this year, drawing more than 4,000 athletes from 71 nations and territories. For more information on Team Canada, visit www.commonwealthgames.ca.

The Shooting Federation of Canada (SFC) is the national sport governing body responsible for the promotion, development and governance of organized, recreational and competitive target shooting in and for Canada. (ANI)