Olympians Share Gold Medal Strategies for Success with Youth at Pheasant Fest

1,500 competitive wingshooters in attendance at nations largest upland trade show

Saint Paul, Minn. February 11 United States Olympians & Team USA Shooting members including Sgt. Vince Hancock, Frank Thompson and Jon Michael McGrath are scheduled to present at National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic 2013 presented by Cabelas next weekend in Minneapolis. Speaking within Pheasant Fest as part of the Youth Village presented by MidwayUSA, these world class athletes will share their own personal strategies to success with 1,500 young adults.

These 1,500 young adults represent 144 competitive shooting teams traveling from as far away as North Carolina, Texas, Wyoming, Tennessee and Maryland to attend Pheasants Forevers signature event. Pheasant Fest takes place this February 15, 16 & 17^th at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Featured Speakers and Presenters Include:

Sgt. Vince Hancock - Hancock is a shotgun shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and is the current Olympic Gold Medalist and National Champion in Mens Skeet and owns every world record possible in the sport. Hancock joined the Army in June 2006 and completed basic training the same year at Fort Sill, Okla.

Frank Thompson - Thompsons competitive highlights include 8^th place in the 2012 Olympic Games, silver medalist in the 2012 National Championships, participation in the 2011 Pan American Games, the 2011 World Clay Target Championship Team, and was a silver medalist in the 2011 National Championships.

Jon Michael McGrath - McGrath won the Gold Medal for the United States in April, 2011 at the World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

Other presenters include wingshooters Tom Knapp and David Miller of CZ-USA, eight-time world record Xtreme Shooter Patrick Flanigan, Theresa DeWitt of the MidwayUSA Foundation and 1996 Olympian, Hillsdale College Shooting Sports Director Bart Spieth, Scholastic Clay Target Program Director Tom Wondrash, educator and coach Tom Fiumarello of Vernon National Shooting Preserve, and USA Junior Olympian Jordan Hintz.

A part of Pheasants Forevers National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, the Youth Village features a mix of activities for youth and families, including:

• Laser Shot, Air Rifle Range, Archery, and Casting Booth
• Visits from Rudy the Rooster, Pheasants Forever's youth mascot
• Challenge friends and family to a game of Wildlife Jeopardy
• Variety of crafts and activities make plaster animal tracks and make a seed ball of prairie flowers to plant in spring
• Game Scene Investigation (GSI) it's like CSI, but with animals!

Members of Pheasants Forever's National Youth Leadership Council will also be on hand running many of the activities. Members of the Council are spokespersons for their age group on hunting and conservation issues and help advise Pheasants Forever.

Pheasant Fest is country's largest event for upland hunters, sport dog owners and wildlife habitat conservationists, combining a national outdoor tradeshow, wildlife habitat seminar series, and family event complete with puppies, tractors, shotguns, and art. The event is presented by Cabela's.

For more information please contact Cheryl Riley, Vice-president of Education and Outreach, at (651) 209-4973 or Email Cheryl.

Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 135,000 members and 720 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure

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Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.