By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
COLO SPRGS, CO (Jan 29, 2024) – USA Shooting Olympic gold medalists, Will Shaner and Ginny Thrasher, along with World Championship medalist, Sarah Beard, will be attending the 2024 Safari Club International (SCI) Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, Jan 31-Feb. 3.
Shaner, Thrasher, and Beard will be at the SCI Hot Spot for meet and greets throughout the convention and will speak at a seminar on their shooting careers and how they got involved in the sport. These athletes have seen great success in the shooting sports and are excited to share their stories with SCI members.
“SCI is thrilled to have these impressive athletes attend SCI Convention in Nashville, Tennessee,” said SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin. “They represent incredible accomplishments in shooting and are inspiring athletes that demonstrate the exciting success of this sport.”
Shaner won his Olympic gold medal in Men’s 10m Air Rifle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. He shot for the University of Kentucky where he helped the team earn an NCAA Championship title in 2022 and 2021. He is currently the assistant rifle coach at the University of Mississippi.
Thrasher earned her Olympic gold medal in Women’s 10m Air Rifle at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She earned Team USA’s very first medal of the Rio Games. She shot for West Virginia University where she helped the team win two NCAA Championships. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Beard earned a gold medal in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Position team event at the 2023 World Championship. She helped her teammates set a new world record in the event. Beard shot for Texas Christian University and is currently a Cpt. in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
See the athlete’s schedule for the SCI convention below:
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
- 1:00pm-2:00pm
- Sarah Beard/Will Shaner: Booth #3413
Thursday, February 1, 2024
- 10:00am-11:00am
- Ginny Thrasher/Will Shaner: Booth #3413
Friday, February 2, 2024
- 12:00pm – 1:00pm
- Sarah Beard/Ginny Thrasher: Seminar in Room #201A
- 1:30pm – 2:30pm
- Sarah Beard/Ginny Thrasher: Booth #3413
Saturday, February 3, 2024
- 10:00am – 11:00am
- Sarah Beard/Ginny Thrasher: Booth #3413
SCI announced their exclusive sponsorship agreement with USA Shooting in 2023. USA Shooting athletes and SCI members possess an abiding appreciation and deeply rooted heritage in hunting, with many USA Shooting athletes beginning their careers in this ancient and noble sport to include Sarah Beard, an avid hunter.
SCI’s annual convention is registered as the number one hunting show in the world and will feature countless exhibits, auctions, seminars, and musical performances. Learn more about the convention here: https://safariclub.org/2024-Convention/
About SCI
Safari Club International (SCI) is the leading defender of the freedom to hunt and supporter of wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI is unique in the scope of our ability to defend and advance our freedom to hunt, mobilizing nearly 150 chapters and an affiliate network representing 7.2 million hunters around the world. SCI is also the only hunting rights organization with an international advocacy team based in Washington, D.C. and an all-species focus. SCI’s full time staff of professional advocates speak for hunters at federal and state levels on important issues such as access to hunting on public lands and the authority of states to manage their wildlife. www.SafariClub.org
About USA Shooting
USA Shooting, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation was chartered by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the Olympic & Paralympic Shooting Sports in April 1995. The organization develops and implements programs to promote growth in the sport and serves as a sanctioning body for local and national competitions. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, USA Shooting has a full-time staff dedicated to our sport.