Having not had time to clean my gear after returning from last weekend's Bianchi Cup in Columbia, Missouri, I'm realizing there's barely enough time to prep before the final U.S. Olympic Shooting Trials open (tomorrow) at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Bianchi Cup champ Doug Koenig bears down at the Barricades. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photo.

Winding down Bianchi, it's really difficult to describe an event that really did go down to the wire, but had a thirteen-time champ repeat as "suspense-filled". But Doug Koenig's win at this year's Cup really showcased Koenig's ability to do two things: focus on the task at hand, and, shoot. Koenig is known for dropping into his own zone during competition. That ability to focus is one reason that he's occasionally been described as distant or aloof. This year, however, he was providing what was essentially play-by-play of each stage for the camera crew recording his performance for his TV show "Championship Season". Instead of shooting and retreating to a quiet spot, Koenig finished his stages, looked over his targets (they are genuinely boring, almost all 10-ring shots), then talked to the camera about his performance on that stage. Speaking with him afterwards, I asked him how he liked that change in his shooting routine. Not surprisingly, he told me he preferred to "shoot my stages and go" but realized this was part of the TV production process. Maybe so, but not everyone can manage that switch on/switch off gear shift. This year's Ladies Champ, Julie Golob is another of those shooters who goes deep inside herself to focus before shooting. The normally gregarious Julie is replaced by a flinty-eyed competitor for several minutes before she steps to the line. Like Koenig, she's able to drop out of that zone very quickly after shooting, occasionally picking up her camera and shooting photos of the camera guys who had only minutes before been focusing on her performance.

2012 Ladies Champ Julie Golob turns with the targets on The Mover, one of the stages that's the undoing of many competitors. Jim Shepherd, OWDN photo.

For some shooters, the Bianchi Cup represents the ultimate handgun competition. Others don't find the pace very exciting when compared with the Steel Challenge, USPSA or IDPA competitions. Granted, the pace isn't as run-and-gun as the other practical events, but there's plenty of excitement if you're a competitor and find yourself staring at a plate rack at 25 yards knowing you have a relatively short time to try and put your rack down. Performance pressure is palpable in either setting. This year's Bianchi Cup was a good event, but next year's competition is going to be enhanced by the inclusion of twenty first-time college competitors. They'll be given "scholarships" to shoot the Cup in an outreach program everyone involved hopes will bring even more young shooters into the sport. And just in case you've not seen the results already, here are the 2012 Bianchi Cup winners: Open 1. Doug Koenig: 1920-182x 2. Richard Siebert: 1920-159x 3. Andrea Moroni: 1918-173x Metallic 1. Robert Vadasz: 1878-135x 2. Bruce Piatt: 1877-145x 3. Phil Strader: 1872-119x Production 1. Vance Schmid: 1887-118x 2. Enoch Smith: 1885-123x 3. Rob Leatham: 1879-127x Women's Division 1. Julie Golob: 1907-144x 2. Jessie Harrison-Duff: 1902-153x 3. Tiffany Piper: 1879-143x If you understand the way the scores are shown, you appreciate just how good these shooters really are. There are 192 shots fired in the competition. If the shot goes in an eight inch area called the ten-ring, it's worth ten points. If it's in the 4-inch x-ring inside that eight inch circle, it's worth an x. What that means is Doug Koenig fired a perfect score (192x10= 1,920). But eight of his 192 shots were outside a four-inch circle on moving and still targets at distances from 10 to 25 yards. That's how accurate you have to be to win the Bianchi Cup. And the country's finest Olympic pistol shooters are spending the next few days as guests of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, Georgia. The last of the 2012 London Olympic Games slots will be decided there. You can read more about the competitions in today's news section. It's down to the short straws at this point, so between now and June 11, it'll be a process to go from the more than 240 shooters hoping for slots to the seven shooters who get the team nominations. It's three courses of fire and the two top finals for the chance to compete in London beginning July 27. As always, we'll keep you posted. --Jim Shepherd Editor's Note: Today's Shooting Wire (www.shootingwire.com) has an added feature-an interview with 2012 Bianchi Cup Ladies champion, Julie Golob.