Leadington man places fifth in national shooting competition

The Hartford Nationals event is organized by Move United, the premier national multi-sport championship series for athletes with physical, visual, and/or intellectual disabilities. The largest and longest-running national adaptive sports event in the United States. The 2025 edition (the 68th annual competition) was scheduled last month in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The previous location was held in Hoover, Alabama, (2023-2024) with hundreds of athletes and over 150 coaches participating nationwide, and it’s recognized as a stepping stone toward international and Paralympic competition.

Move United is a U.S.-based non‑profit that merged two legacy organizations in 2020. Its mission is to increase accessibility to adaptive sports and foster confidence, community, and purpose in individuals with disabilities across more than 150 chapters nationwide. Sports contested include archery, boccia (new to 2025), para powerlifting, paratriathlon, 10m air rifle target shooting, archery, swimming, track & field, and wheelchair tennis. The program also features clinics, educational sessions, and social events. Athletes must qualify through one of over 35 sanctioned local or regional competitions throughout the country.

Move United’s Warfighter athletes (veterans) generally receive free registration, and the event includes scholarships and grants, such as The Hartford Human Achievement Award with a $2,500 training/travel grant.

The Gateway Games are a Move United–sanctioned adaptive sports competition, organized in collaboration with The Hartford and local host DASA (Disabled Athlete Sports Association) in the St. Louis area. Held annually in the spring, this is a two-day qualifying event for athletes with physical disabilities—featuring sports such as archery, paratriathlon, powerlifting, shooting, and track & field. Athletes compete at Gateway Games to qualify for The Hartford Nationals, the largest national adaptive sports championship in the U.S.

Andrew Young placed fifth after competing in the finals.

Young’s experience

“This all began after my fiancé, Heather, and I went on our first out-of-state vacation trip to Colorado Springs. In that city, there is an Olympic training center that has many exhibits and displays relating to Paralympic sports. Seeing the adaptive equipment used for individuals with physical disabilities to compete on that level opened my eyes to possibilities to get back into competitive sports at a higher level than before I became disabled after the near-fatal vehicle accident in 2010.

“After we returned home, I started doing some research to see if there were any organizations for disability related athletic sports in the local area. Unable to find any close, I remember DASA in St. Louis from practicing with their wheelchair rugby team while I attended Webster University.

“Around October of 2024, I attended my first training session in St. Peter’s for air rifle shooting that was being put on by DASA. They had the equipment for those without their own, so I gave it a try. It was different, but I understood the basics, and I started off pretty well. The coaches asked me if I had done this before, which I hadn’t. The last time I competitively shot was before 2010, when I shot trap and skeet.

“I continued going up there week after week, every Monday, to practice with DASA. The rifle I was using was a basic one, but I wasn’t doing too badly with it. There were some challenges, and those helped me focus more. Fast forward to the regional qualification event. This took place in St. Louis at the St. Louis University High School on May 17th. This 10m air rifle shooting event included athletes from Florida to Texas, and as far as St. Louis. DASA brought some extra rifles, but there were athletes who had their own, and they were very nice-looking.

“I learned that two different groups of shooters were combined in this event. SH1 and SH2. In short, paraplegic vs quadriplegic. I am SH2. SH1 shooters hold their gun with no stand and no assistance loading. SH2 shooters are allowed a spring stand and assistance with loading if needed. This event had two parts to it. There were preliminary finals, followed by finals for the top scorers. The prelims started off very stressful.

“I was using a rifle I had not shot before, and had no experience with this type of one either. It was a more competitive brand than the basic one I was accustomed to, and I was having issues with the trigger pull. After not being able to sight the gun or even fire one shot in the first 15 minutes of the sighting period, the match began. We had 20 minutes to shoot 20 targets. I spent another 10 minutes struggling with the rifle before asking them to bring me a different one. By the time I was all situated, I had five minutes to shoot 20 targets.

“You may be wondering what these targets look like. Imagine a circle that would fit in your palm, and then put a dot in the center of it that is the size of a period on this paper. Then put that target roughly 33 feet away, and you will have a general idea of what it looks like. After that round of 20, the targets were swapped for a new 20, and we had to shoot those in a 20-minute span of time. I was more prepared this time and had more time to focus. The target swap occurred once more for a total of 60 targets altogether.

“When the scores came up, I shot a 501.2 out of 654. I felt good for my first time, and I ended up taking second place. When it came to the finals, the competition was more intense. Each of the finalists shot three targets, and then we began shooting one at a time. After each single shot, the lowest score was eliminated.

“I started off badly, ranking low on the list with a total score, but I began climbing my way up, passing the next shooter to stay in the match. When it came to the decision on who would be in 4th place, another shooter and I tied with our scores. So we had to do a shootout between the two of us. Shot after shot, we kept shooting a 10. On the fourth one, I outshot her and moved up in the ranking. I ended up getting second place in the finals and winning a seat at The Hartford Nationals.

“After the Gateway Games, I went back to practicing. On the side, I was trying to raise money to help fund the trip and to purchase my own equipment to use. I had until July 13 before making the trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the tournament. When it came time to leave, I had my own rifle to use and was ready to go. Though the tournament began a few days before, my shooting event didn’t begin until the 14th for a day of practice shooting, qualifiers on the 15th, and finals on the 16th.

“At the practice shooting event, I ended up shooting about 150 shots as I was trying to get used to the location, get a better feel for my new rifle, and try out some different ways of shooting to get better. When it came time for the qualifying round, we had 15 minutes for sighting, which I took a few shots, felt good, and rested for 12 minutes or so. Then the match began.

“For this match, we were using an electronic scoring system, and it was much more advanced than what we used in St. Peter’s. Shot after shot, I was able to see each individual score just a split second after the shot was fired. This time, I was doing much better than before. In less than 25 minutes, I had fired all 60 shots and was finished with a score of 602.1, more than 100 points better than I did at the Gateway Games. I ended up taking second place in the preliminary finals round.

“The next day, I competed in the finals, which were composed of the four best SH2 adult league shooters and the four best SH2 junior league shooters. I was thrilled to have made it this far in my first competition, and I finished by taking fifth place overall.

“Although I didn’t win at the finals, I am still thrilled to have participated in the competition, met many wonderful athletes from across the nation, and had the opportunity to travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan.”

Submitted by Andrew Young