NEWTOWN, Conn. — When it comes to talent, this competition is loaded.

	2002 Shotgun winner Robbie Purser will return to the event for the 2005 Games.

Two U.S. Army marksmen — one of them an Olympian — and five former ESPN Great Outdoor Games gold medalists are among the sixteen finalists headed to this year's Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge. These competitors will get fired up July 8-9 at Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training Facility in Lakeland, Fla.

"It's comparable to having the top 16 golfers in the world on the golf course at the same time," said Jack Robertson of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which manages the shooting events for the Games. "Any one of the 16 can rise to the top this year."

Some familiar faces to the Games make up the final 16, but some new blood could shake things up a bit this year.

Making their Great Outdoor Games debut are Shawn Dulohery, a 2004 Olympic skeet team member, and Ryan Hadden.

Both are members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit based in Fort Benning, Ga. And both put on impressive performances at an April qualifier in Pittsburgh, when Hadden came out on top by missing only one target in all of his matches and defeating Dulohery in the final.

Those making return trips to the Games will likely show why they are coming back. Included are the top four finishers from last year — 18-year-old Travis Mears of Burleson, Texas; 2002 winner Robbie Purser of Macon, Ga.; Andy Duffy of Ronan, Mont.; and Brett Dorak of Sobieski, Wis.

Defending champion Mears, who outlasted the field last year with enduring precision, said he is going into this year's competition with the same mind-set.

"I'm going to go in there with the same attitude, knowing that I've trained my best and that I have the ability to win it," Mears said.

	Travis Mears also is returning to the Games to compete in Shotgun.

About those shooters who'll be gunning for his title, Mears said, "I hope they're as prepared as I am."

Though they're no strangers to the Games, two competitors from other target sports will be crossing over into Shotgun this year.

One is multi-time Rifle medalist Doug Koenig of Albertis, Pa., considered by many to be the best all-around competitive shooter in the world. Koenig qualified for the Shotgun competition at the FITASC Grand Prix in May in Kennedyville, Maryland.

The other is 2000 Archery gold medalist Jackie Caudle of Gadsden, Ala. Caudle earned himself a spot with impressive accuracy at the Pittsburgh qualifier.

Another past champion making a return this year is 2003 Shotgun gold medalist Scott Robertson of Flower Mound, Texas, who qualified at the Angle Port Open in Dallas in March.

Others who qualified for the Games in Dallas were Cory Kruse of Conroe, Texas, who placed 11th in last year's competition, and three more newcomers — Ryan Elliott of Benton, Texas; Jake Montgomery of Burleson, Texas; and Richard Patty of Anniston, Ala.

Rounding out the final sixteen are Kim Spohn of Brownstown, Pa., who qualified at the FITASC Grand Prix, and Richard Aitken, a past Great Outdoor Games competitor in all three target sports.

Shotgun finalists

Travis Mears, Burleson, Texas
Robbie Purser, Macon, Ga.
Andy Duffy, Ronan, Mont.
Brett Dorak, Sobieski, Wis.
Richard Aitken, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Ryan Hadden, Pendleton, Ore.
Shawn Dulohery, Lee's Summit, Mo.
John Klisiewicz, Hollidaysburg, Pa.
Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala.
Cory Kruse, Conroe, Texas
Ryan Elliott, Benton, Texas
Jake Montgomery, Burleson, Texas
Scott Robertson, Flower Mound, Texas
Richard Patty, Anniston, Ala.
Kim Spohn, Brownstown, Pa.
Doug Koenig, Albertis, Pa.

Since the Great Outdoor Games began in 2000, the Rifle and Shotgun competitions have been sponsored and organized by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry.

Fans can catch the Great Outdoor Games live July 7-10, 2005 at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training Facility.

Admission to the 2005 Great Outdoor Games at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is $5 per person per day, with children 10 and under free. Admission to Tenoroc Shooting Sports and Training Facility is free. Re-entry is allowed each day.

Tickets can be purchased on ticketmaster.com through June 26 and purchased at the door the day of the event.

The Games will be aired on ESPN and ABC Sports July 14-17, 2005. For more information visit www.greatoutdoorgames.com.

The ESPN Great Outdoor Games feature top outdoor athletes from around the world and are the ultimate championship of outdoor sports, featuring one-of-a-kind, head-to-head competition in timber and target events, sporting dogs and ATV skills competitions.

While entertaining large crowds on site, the ESPN Great Outdoor Games also draw a worldwide television audience on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports.