Military Olympians

Grazioli family making the most of its Olympic experience

By Bob Berghaus - Gannett News Service

BEIJING—Dominic Grazioli and his family are treating their trip to the Olympics as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I’m trying to get my hands on any ticket I can get," said Grazioli, a member of the United States shooting team and a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

There are also planned visits to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and a four-day family trip to Hong Kong before returning here to take in the final days of the Games.

Grazioli’s lone disappointment was his finish Sunday in men’s trap. He finished 23rd with a score of 113 (out of 125 targets). David Kostelecky of Czechoslovakia scored 121 in qualifying and 25 in the final to win the gold with a total score of 146. Giovanni Pellielo of Italy won the silver and Alexey Alipov of Russia won the bronze in a shoot-off against Australia’s Michael Diamond.

"I wish I had done better," said Grazioli, who is from Myrtle Beach, S.C. and is stationed at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. "I didn’t shoot up to my capabilities but overall I’ve enjoyed this."

Grazioli, 44, walked in the Parade of Nations during Friday’s opening ceremonies, although he and the other U.S. shooters who competed Saturday morning exited shortly after they entered the stadium.

"To see the athletes from the other countries all dressed up in their native garb was a lot of fun," he said.

He and wife, Tina, have also enjoyed watching their two children, Dominic, 10, and Lauren, 7, get into the Olympic spirit.

"They’ve had a blast, they turned into quite the pin traders," Grazioli said. "I think they’ve had their picture taken everywhere they’ve gone."

Grazioli said the Beijing Shooting Range, where his competition was held, is "top notch." The only negative was the weather.

"It was very difficult here," he said. "The heat and humidity were unbearable. But it was unbearable for everybody."

Bob Berghaus writes for The (Asheville N.C.) Citizen-Times.