A Teen Reigns Supreme

At 16, Vincent Hancock became the best in the world at International skeet!

He's handsome and athletic, but Vincent Hancock might not stand out in a crowd, that is, until he steps up to the firing line. Last year, at age 16, Hancock competed against the best adult shooters on the globe at the International Skeet World Championship in Korea, and after he fired his last shot, he stood head and shoulders above the competition. Not only did he become the youngest champion ever and the number one shooter in that discipline in the world, but he set three world records in doing so.

"When I shot my last target, it was unbelievable,"Hancock said. "We had a couple hundred people watching from right behind us, and it was on American TV!"

In 2006, Hancock shot in seven world matches and earned an unprecedented seven medals, gaining him recognition as the co-shooter of the year by an international panel of shooting sports journalists. His rise to the world's No. 1 ranking in International skeet has been fast, steady and on target.

Inspired by his dad Craig and brother Matt, who were active trap shooters, Vincent shot his first clay target at age five. By 11, he was shooting competitively, and it didn't take him long to win his first match in American skeet.

At another's shooter's suggestion, Vincent tried International skeet--and fell in love with the game.

"Compared to American, International's targets travel 20 miles per hour faster at 60 miles per hour,"Vincent said, and then explained other differences. "After you yell, ‘Pull,' the targets can be released anywhere from immediately to three seconds later, keeping you on your toes. You have to hold your gun down, with the butt below a line on your vest and then mount after you call for the target. And three of the stations send out two targets; in American skeet you can have your gun mounted, and you don't have any doubles."

Like anyone who becomes the best in the world at anything,Vincent has had to devote time and effort to his pursuit. After his day at Gatewood School in his hometown of Eatonton, Ga., where he is a junior,Vincent chows down on a snack and then heads out to the skeet field that his dad has constructed in their backyard. There he shoots four or five 25-shell boxes of ammunition a day--"until it gets dark," he said--and then does the other routines that help keep his mind sharp and his body conditioned, including push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and dips, as well as relaxation and visualization exercises on his living room floor.

Looking back, Vincent recalls his shooting progression. He started with the basics, he says. He credits participating in the National Shooting Sports Foundation's Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) with not only making friends and having fun, but also giving him more target experience in a competitive environment.

Looking ahead,Vincent has an ultimate goal: winning Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008

In a short time, he's gained enough wisdom to offer this advice about competitive shooting, especially SCTP.

"Go out and try it with an open mind," he said. "You'll fall in love with it. The thing is, you can't give up. Just keep going at it full blast. Always go for the gold!"