Nick Massey literally has his “sights” set on becoming a member of TEAM USA – the shooting sports team that competes in the Olympics. Massey, a UT Martin senior business management major, is a Bolivar High School graduate, who now calls Jackson home.
He recently returned from the USA Fall Selection Match in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he competed against the nation’s best shooters for an immediate placement on TEAM USA and a spot to compete in the world championships. “The fall selection match is one of the two biggest competitions you can shoot in, in the U.S.” said Massey. “The other is the National Olympics, both of which are equal in importance.”
It was the second time he has competed in Colorado Springs. In 2007, he qualified for the National Junior Olympics and shot in that competition last fall. There, he tried competing for a spot on the National Development Team, which is the stepping stone to making the national team. Being on the development team allows an athlete to train with and for TEAM USA and shoot in international competitions, to get valuable competition experience. “This is how they train younger athletes to make the national team.”
While he did not qualify for the National Development Team this year, he is undaunted.
“It was a high-stakes competition. I was competing against the athletes who represented the United States in Beijing (for the 2008 Olympics). Even though they were on the Olympic team, they still have to qualify each year,” he said.
Massey said he received recognition from the TEAM USA coach during the recent competition. “He said it generally takes six years to develop an Olympian. He watched me shoot and thought I was well ahead of the curve.” Massey added, “I had several members from TEAM USA tell me the same thing.”
Massey’s love of shooting began as a five-year-old, learning from his father, Mike Massey, of Jackson, and grandfather, Shelby Massey, of Collierville. “When I was growing up, I enjoyed deer and turkey hunting. When I was about 12 or 13, I fell in love with shotgun shooting and ‘wing shooting’—shooting birds. That’s when I started duck hunting and when my love for shooting a shotgun took off.”
Massey still is a deer hunter and an avid outdoorsman, “but my preference is shooting birds. It just adds a little more of a challenge because they’re moving targets.”
The UT Martin clay target team has provided an extension of Massey’s love of shooting sports. “I think it’s great,” he said of the team that formed two years ago. “We brought in five or six freshmen this year. It’s good for the university.” He agrees with Coach Steve Vaughn and team adviser Dr. Phil Young that the team has recruiting potential for the university because clay target shooting is a very popular and rapidly growing sport with middle and high school-age boys and girls around the country. Tennessee, through the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, is actually leading the nation in developing youth clay target shooting sports.
“A shotgun shooting sports program teaches young athletes responsibility, most of all; and they also get to compete in a college-level sport.” Also, Massey noted that some competitions award collegiate scholarships to high-school shooters.
Massey thinks camaraderie is a special part of the team and the competitions. “I try to help young athletes,” he said. Making friends and “trying to help people better their shooting abilities” are two benefits he gets from the sport.
Massey is willing to do what it takes. “I couldn’t do this without the support of family, Coach Vaughn and the university, which drives me to put in the time, effort and dedication that it takes to excel,” he said. “My main goal in shooting is to acquire a spot on TEAM USA.”
“I am very proud of Nick. He is showing tremendous dedication and commitment in his quest to make TEAM USA. He is one of our hardest-working athletes, and that drive will take him far in life,” said Vaughn.
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