Single Action 2008 World Junior Champion Sam Medway
by senior correspondent Jennifer Martens
In the April 2008 issue of Australian Shooter, SSAA junior shooter Sam Medway said he wanted to become the 2008 Single Action Shooting World Junior Champion. That statement and his performance at the 2008 Single Action World Titles - also known as End of Trail - could be considered a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or it could simply be that the young man shoots ‘fine as cream gravy’ - for those of you who aren’t familiar with the cowboy slang, that simply means he’s a darn good shooter!
“It was an unbelievable feeling to win the junior World Title,” said the 17-year-old from Cowra, New South Wales. “It was all I had wanted and worked towards for a couple of years.”
The fact that Sam was nervous before he landed at the championships in New Mexico, USA, was no surprise. End of Trail was the first time he had competed at such an elite international level. “To see the level of competition in the Junior category made me feel even more nervous, but after shooting the practice match, I fell into my own match and just enjoyed being there.”
Considering that there were more than 500 competitors at the event, Sam said he would have been happy finishing in the top 20 overall. Having exceeded his own expectations, the Cowra Cowboys Club member said winning the Overall Speed Rifle match and finishing sixth overall in the world was “just awesome”.
Sam’s performance was no surprise to Single Action National Discipline Chairman and Team Manager, Damion Faith. Damion, who is also a world-class Single Action shooter, said, “Sam not only displays competitive talent, but a maturity, sportsmanlike attitude and pleasant personality usually associated with young men well beyond his age. I believe that these attributes contributed to his well-earned win as Junior World Champion…there is little doubt in my mind that Sam will continue to excel in the shooting sports.”
Sam, or ‘Savage Sam’ as he is known within Single Action circles, left New Mexico with a trophy as well as a hefty dose of confidence. “I now know that you can achieve anything you want, if you are willing to work hard for it.”
After touring through parts of the USA with his family, the 2007 Single Action Australian Junior Champion was able to ride the coattails of his win in New Mexico and finish first in three other Single Action competitions, beating the current world champion in a competition held in Fredericksburg, Texas.
While there is no doubt that his talent and hard work have produced those winning performances, he says he tends to compete better when his family is there to lend its support. His very own travelling cheer squad is made up of his father and coach, Brett Medway, his mother Leanne, sister and fellow Single Action National Junior Champion and Jessie-Lea, sister and newcomer to the sport Maddie and 10-year-old sister Casey. As three of the Medways are top-level competitive shooters, the family as a whole forms a formidable team. Not only do they pose a threat to their peers, but there is, according to Damion, a healthy amount of sibling rivalry between Sam and Jessie-Lea.
With the thrill of victory still fresh in Sam’s mind, he has dreams of returning to End of Trail one day and winning the Overall Traditional title. Until then, he’ll focus on improving his Single Action shooting skills and adding to his impressive Australian national title tally, which, as of October 2008, has gotten much longer. At the 2008 Australian Single Action Championships, Sam continued to dominate. He collected another Australian Junior national title, finished fourth place overall and won the Junior Category of the Pat Garrett Match. Just to prove he wasn’t playing games, he was also the outright winner of the Texas Star Challenge.
It is clear that Single Action is Sam’s passion, but his interest and participation in hockey and golf ensure that he remains a well-rounded teen. Don’t let his alias fool you - Savage Sam is a great role model for Australia’s up and coming shooters.
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