JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Staff Sgt. Andrew McNamara demonstrated remarkable readiness and resiliency at the 2016 World Skeet Championships almost two years after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
McNamara, an aircraft mechanic with the 3rd Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, finished first out of 708 competitors in the .410 bore event Oct. 8 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio.
“I never in my wildest dreams thought I was going to be the world champion,” said McNamara, who has been a member of the U.S. Air Force shooting team since 2009, including the last six years as team captain. “That day was really windy, and I just felt good about it.”
That championship day was 1½ years in the making for McNamara, 33, who began shooting as a 9-year-old growing up in Vermont.
McNamara suffered a severe concussion in December 2014, when he slipped on ice and hit his head while he was at his home in Alaska. The injury caused McNamara to sit out almost all of the 2015 season. After months of rehabilitation, he returned to competitive shooting in 2016.
There were times when McNamara, who still suffers chronic headaches, wondered if he would ever return to competitive shooting for the U.S. Air Force, said Doug Lester, Air Force Shooting Program Manager, but his determination to recover and finish therapy paid off.
“I was very surprised how well he bounced back from his injury after having to sit out last year’s championship,” Lester said. “His spirit of fierce competitiveness came through, and he was more determined than ever to give his best to this championship. He didn’t give up on himself or on his team, whom he encouraged to continue to represent the Air Force in competition in his absence.”
Part of McNamara’s recovery was testing his shooting skill.
“Although he was discouraged at the early results, his resiliency urged him on and he gradually improved his hand-eye coordination,” Lester said. “His resiliency is beyond imagination, and his discipline as a shooter is unparalleled. His focus when on the field is totally on the task at hand, and he is not easily distracted.”
In the championships, McNamara placed third in Class AA 28 gauge division after hitting 100 straight targets, but he was eliminated after eight targets in the shoot-off.
In the .410 bore event, he hit all 100 targets to move into a seven-person shoot-off, where shooters fire at two targets per round. He hit both targets in the final showdown to win the world championship.
For McNamara, it came down to shooting one target at a time.
“Every event is a chance to win and do well,” he said. “As a shooter, it’s just how you bounce back from a bad event that what makes you who you are in this sport.”
Airmen interested in joining or learning more about Air Force sports can visit here. Airmen can fill out an AF Form 303, which is a request for specialized sports training. The form outlines their particular skills and serves as a résumé for their athletic accomplishments.