Coast Guard Skeet Team members participated in the Ironman shooting competition sponsored by The McChord Sportsmen’s
Club at McChord Air Force Base, April 12-13.
Coast Guard Lt. Marcus Alden and Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle shot in the Ironman Shoot, which is the first regional skeet
competition of the season. The Ironman Shoot is an event in which competitors shoot only 12 gauge rounds at a total of 400
targets in a two-day period.
The Ironman started more than 30 years ago as a way for competitors to perform under increased pressure and difficulty while
shooting the same competition format. What sets the Ironman competition apart from all others is that you can only use the
12-gauge shotgun for the entire event. Regular Skeet Shoots consist of four gauges for competition, the 12, 20, 28 and
410-gauges. The endurance and concentration required to participate in the Ironman taxes even the most experienced shooter.
Molle chose this shoot to test her new skeet shooting skills, and what a performance she turned in.
As the newest member to the Coast Guard Skeet Shooting team, this was Molle’s first registered competition and she posted an
outstanding performance by winning as Class Champion, Ladies Champion and second military overall. 
Many comments from her squad mates garnered huge praise on her performance as a new shooter.
“What an aggressive competitor,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. Bruce Jones.  “Petty Officer Molle walked right into the squad like
she had been shooting with us for years and held her own against an Army officer, an Air Force chief master sergeant and a Navy
chief petty officer.”
“As the senior Coast Guard shooter on the West Coast, I’m always interested in recruiting new team members,” said Alden. “I’m
extremely proud of Petty Officer Molle. She completed the competition that some shooters don’t or can’t do, especially on the
second day when everything from pain in your shoulder to struggling to lift your shotgun results in missed or lost targets.”
For more information on the Coast Guard Skeet Team, contact Lt. Cmdr. John Swidrak at (410) 636-3797 or Lt. Marcus Alden
at (425) 304-4728.