Edgefield, SC -(AmmoLand.com)- Vincent Hancock, a two-time gold medal winner in Olympic skeet and new spokesperson for the Palmetto Shooting Complex, surprised 2016 National Wild Turkey Federation Turkey Shoot competitors and visitors by participating in most of the festivities in Edgefield this past weekend.
“Partnering with the NWTF and attending events like Turkey Shoot is a great way to help grow involvement in shooting sports, as well as get more people outside,” Hancock said. “It is my hope that we can have a lasting impact on both youth and adults to open the doors to our sport for generations to come.”
During Friday’s 100-target prelim, Hancock joined with and shot alongside a lucky group of competitors that included several youth.
“It is really cool for Vincent to be here at the Turkey Shoot,” said Chet Thompson, a South-Georgia youth who shot with Hancock. “He is a real class act, and I am honored to have shot with him.”
Hancock spent Saturday interacting with event attendees, posing for pictures and showing his two gold medals to excited youth competitors. He even gave a brief shooting demonstration before the evening’s banquet.
“It was great having Vincent in town for our annual sporting clays tournament,” said George Thornton, NWTF CEO. “He is well respected in the shooting sports world by both youth and adults, and we know he will continue to have a positive impact on our efforts to recruit the next generation of hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts.”
In addition to his two gold medals, Hancock’s career highlights include: three-time world champion; gold medalist at the 2014 Championship of the Americas; 16-time medalist in World Cup and ISSF World Championship competitions; and holder of numerous national, world and Olympic skeet records.
About Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.:
The NWTF’s Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to give the NWTF more energy and purpose than ever. Through this national initiative, NWTF has committed to raising $1.2 billion to conserve or enhance more than 4 million acres of essential upland wildlife habitat, recruit 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting, shooting and outdoor enjoyment. Without hunters, there will be no wildlife or habitat. The NWTF is determined to Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.
About the NWTF:
The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage. Through dynamic partnerships with state and federal wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, improving more than 17 million acres of wildlife habitat and introducing 100,000 people to the outdoors each year. The NWTF was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C. According to many state and federal agencies, the restoration of the wild turkey is arguably the greatest conservation success story in North America’s wildlife history.
To learn more, visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.