West Virginia University rifle coach Jon Hammond is accustomed to success on the international stage. The Aberdeen, Scotland, native has represented Great Britain at several prestigious competitions, including the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the 2010 50th ISSF World Championship.
With each competition, Hammond, the fifth-year Mountaineer coach, enjoys a renewed sense of pride – representing your country is an honor all athletes aspire to achieve.
Earlier this month, Hammond broke from practice and earned the unique opportunity to represent his home country, Scotland, at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in Delhi, India.
So familiar with competing under the Union Jack, Hammond welcomed the break from custom, yet even he was not prepared for the success his allegiance change would prompt.
“It (the games) was something that I hadn’t done before, and it was a great opportunity,” the two-time Great American Rifle Conference Coach of the Year said. “It was something I was very keen to do, and to represent Scotland was obviously great as well.”
The Commonwealth Games are a large, multi-sport event, similar to the Olympic Games, open to all of the countries associated with the Commonwealth of Nations. Seventy one teams participate in the games, and all four Home Nations of the United Kingdom, such as Scotland, are represented by a different squad.
Hammond said several factors made him swell with pride at the games’ opening.
“I’m very much Scottish as I am British,” he began. “I think Scottish people have a lot of pride in being Scottish. There is a lot of history and tradition.”
After beginning his shooting career at the age of nine, Hammond progressed from representing his school team, to the Scottish team as an individual, to finally earning his place on the Great Britain team at the senior level. He says that returning to Team Scotland added balance to his journey throughout the years.
“It all does come full circle,” he explained. “In the majority of my competitions now, I represent Great Britain. To come back and represent Scotland, after representing the country as a junior, is nice.”
Hammond ran with his “nice” opportunity at the games. Following a five-day period between the games’ opening ceremony and his first competition, Hammond finally took to the line for the men’s pairs 50m rifle 3 position competition. Pairs competitions are unique to the games, and Hammond was anxious to compete alongside his partner, Neil Stirton, a friend for more than 15 years.
“(Pairs) isn’t something we normally compete in,” Hammond expanded. “There is a lot more riding on pairs matches, and a lot more pressure. Like college rifle teams, you have to rely on a teammate – it’s not just yourself.”
Hammond and Stirton saw success in their first match, as the duo claimed the Bronze medal with a combined score of 2308. Though happy to win a medal, the pair was not pleased with how the final results shook out, as they lost to the English team of James Huckle and Kenny Parr on a tie-breaker. Since both squads shot a combined score of 2308, placement was determined by “x” count, with the English team owning a slight 105-104 advantage.
“It’s always tough to lose on a tie-breaker, especially with the English-Scottish rivalry,” said a competitive Hammond. “We know the British shooters really well – we train with them all of the time, and we’re teammates when we shoot for Great Britain. There was some good banter associated with that (match).
“We were a little disappointed, but after it all settled, we were just happy to win a medal. We recognized that we had won a medal and had to move on from there.”
And did Hammond ever move on. He followed his pairs 3 position Bronze medal with a Silver medal in the individual match, shooting 1164 in the elimination relay, and 91.3 in the final, for an aggregate total of 1255.3.
Day three of the shooting events saw Hammond and Stirton team up again for the men’s pairs 50m rifle prone. This time, the duo did not let a tiebreaker dictate their success, and instead captured the Gold medal outright, shooting a combined total of 1181 for the win. The English team finished second with a score of 1178.
“That was a really good match, too,” said Hammond. “It was probably the most-pressure match that we had that week. We definitely felt that it was our match to win. Both of us had been shooting well for the Great Britain team this year. We felt, as a pair, we were very competitive.
“Personally, it was really nice to win with Neil. We shot together at home at the same club, and we’ve shot together with the Great Britain team, too. We’ve talked about shooting at the games as a pair for years and years, and to finally get the opportunity, and to win Gold, was really great.”
Not satisfied with just one Gold medal, Hammond completed the games with an individual win in the men’s 50m rifle prone, shooting a relay-best score of 595 and a finals score of 101.9 for an aggregate total of 696.9. While he is a big believer in equal importance for all medals, Hammond does admit that his final medal is his favorite.
“That medal was definitely the most satisfying,” he shared. “The whole experience, being in a large hall, in a great atmosphere, was just great. It was the last match of the games, and it really came down to that last shot, and I was able to shoot a really good one. All of those things combined really gave me a lot of good experiences and good memories. Really, it is just a lot of positive things I can use for the future, which is really important.”
Hammond’s four-medal loot made him the most successful Scottish athlete at one games. As such, he was bestowed the privilege of carrying Team Scotland’s flag into the closing ceremony.
“It was really a special honor,” a still-awed Hammond said. “It wasn’t something I thought about going into the games. I had imagined and visualized winning four medals, but I had no idea what repercussions that would have.
“Carrying the flag was a great experience. I think any time you do an opening or closing ceremony at a big event like that, it’s really special.”
Not lost on Hammond in the moment was the fact that he was not only representing Scotland in the ceremony, but also Great Britain and West Virginia University.
“(The games) were a great opportunity for me to talk about West Virginia, the rifle team and what I do over here,” he said. “It got a good bit of publicity – I think by the end of the games, West Virginia and what I do here was in every national paper in Scotland. I have a lot of pride in sharing the story of how I came over here, what I do now and why I’m still here.”
With the games behind him, and a spruced-up resume in his back pocket, Hammond now turns his attention to securing a quota place next summer for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. He believes his experience at this month’s games will help him in his quest for his second Olympic berth.
“I think that even though the games weren’t the Olympics, I took that next step of being successful at one of those types of large, multi-sport events,” he explained. “Shooting in the finals, standing on the podium and talking to the media afterwards are all experiences that will help. Hopefully, if I get to London, and I’m lucky enough to shoot well and get into a final, I can draw on these experiences and have a comfort level.”
Until then, Hammond resumes his quest to lead the Mountaineers to a second NCAA title in three seasons. Though his squad boasts seven seniors, he knows his student-athletes can always benefit from new lessons, and he hopes that his time at the games will help WVU achieve its goals.
“We can build on my experiences and see what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “You have to know how to prepare for a big event and how to treat everything that comes with it. All of my experiences will help me, and having that knowledge to pass on to the team members will hopefully help us do all of the right things.”
Most importantly, after enjoying a busy, successful stint in India, Hammond is happy to put his rifle aside and strap on his coaching hat.
“It’s quite nice to have a break,” he laughed. “I think all hats are on all of the time, to a certain degree. When I’m away at these matches, I’m still thinking of recruiting things, still thinking of the team and still learning from other coaches about what I can do better as a coach.
“Right now, it’s nice to get back here and have a break from training. At the same time, I have plenty to do here to keep me busy. It’s nice to go back and forth, and it’s not too hard to switch the roles.”
A master of dual-representation, one thing is for sure – Hammond’s success at the 2010 Commonwealth Games made many fans, in Scotland, Great Britain and West Virginia, proud. All are happy to claim him as their own.
By Shannon McNamara
For MSNsportsNET.com
-WVU-
10/29/10
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