Tinker Airman shoots for Olympic gold

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFNS) --  When Airman 1st Class Alex Callage joined the Air Force, he did it because he believed in the mission, but soon the Airman here will have a new mission of his own.

A week ago, Airman Callage received orders for to the Olympic Training Center at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., to begin his bid for the 2012 Olympics in international pistol shooting - a process that began nearly a year ago when he applied to the Air Force's World Class Athlete Program. 

Airman Callage was one of six athletes selected to the WCAP for this Olympic cycle and the only pistol shooter. Each cycle, 20 to 30 Air Force WCAP athletes receive a specific tasking to train for the two years leading up to the games and arechosen based on their potential to succeed at the Olympic level.

"Getting accepted was a huge deal, not just for me, but for the Air Force Shooting Team, for my family and my shop that's been supporting me ever since I got to Tinker," Airman Callage said, who placed fourth in standard pistol at a national shooting competition in June at Fort Benning, Ga.

With his fourth-place finish, he missed qualifying for the World Shooting Championship in Munich. In May, Airman Callage participated in the Sooner State Games, winning first in the Oklahoma State Championships in air pistol and standard pistol.

The Airman, a bioenvironmental technician assigned to the 72nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron, will begin training at least five to six hours per day, six days a week on various drills for the free, air and standard pistol events. The scenic front range of the Rockies will be his new firing range backdrop, as he vies for top spots in several national and international events each year, culminating in the London Olympics.

"This has always been a goal I've dreamed of," he said.