HomeNewsArticle Display

World Class Airman: Callage accepted to WCAP, shoots for Olympic gold

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  When Alex Callage joined the Air Force on Nov. 3, 2008, he did it because he believed in the mission. But soon, the Tinker Airman will be packing his bags because his enlisted life is taking on a whole new dimension.

A week ago the airman first class received orders for what will be an epic two-year assignment, pitting his shooting abilities against the best competition in the world.

In a little less than two years, Callage could be an Olympian, standing atop the podium at the 2012 London Olympics. But there's plenty of obstacles in his path. Namely a 1.5-inch bullseye that's deceptively difficult to hit with a .22 pistol held with one hand, while standing 50 meters away. But he's not afraid. He knows what he can do, especially given enough practice time. And that's one thing that he'll have plenty of.

Later this month, Callage will move to Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., to begin his bid for the Olympics and other competitions in international pistol shooting. A process that began nearly a year ago -- when he first inked his application to the Air Force's elite World Class Athlete Program -- is finally hitting the mark.

Callage was one of six athletes selected to WCAP Air Force wide for this Olympic cycle, and the only pistol shooter. He joins an elite team of shooters already at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Each Olympic cycle, 20 to 30 Air Force WCAP athletes receive a specific tasking to train for the two years leading up to the games. These top-tier athletes are chosen based on their potential to succeed in Olympic-level competition.

While Callage can drop a bullseye with the best of them, he differs from the other WCAP athletes. At 21, he's the youngest, lowest-ranking Airman ever to be selected to WCAP and the only enlistedman, as the other athletes are officers who likely competed in their respective sports at the Air Force Academy or in college, Callage says.

"Getting accepted was a huge deal -- not just for me, but for the Air Force Shooting Team, for my family and my shop that's been supporting me ever since I got to Tinker," says Callage, who placed fourth in standard pistol at a national shooting competition in June at Fort Benning, Ga. With his fourth-place finish he missed qualifying by one place for the World Shooting Championship in Munich last month. In May, Callage participated in the Sooner State Games, winning first in the Oklahoma State Championships in air pistol and standard pistol.

The Airman, a bioenvironmental technician assigned to the 72nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron, will begin training at least five to six hours per day, six days a week on various drills for the free, air and standard pistol events. The scenic front range of the Rockies will be his new firing range backdrop, as he vies for top spots in several national and international events each year, culminating in the London Olympics.

"This has always been a goal I've dreamed of and it just comes down to how things play out in the next few years," he says.