FORT BENNING, Ga. Two U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) instructors and competitive shooters, Sgt. Aaron Eddins and Staff Sgt. Jacob Hetherington, will compete at the 2025 International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Shoot Handgun Championships in South Africa from September 2227. Assigned to USAMU at Fort Benning, Georgia, both soldiers are part of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) contingent representing the United States at what Eddins describes as the Olympics of practical shooting, an event now held every four years. The World Shoot will draw more than 1,700 marksmen from at least 50 countries, with competitors tackling 30 stages over five days. Stages are designated short (12 rounds or fewer), medium (1324), and long (2532), collectively demanding nearly 600 rounds per shooter while testing speed and accuracy across diverse courses of fire. Event materials list participating nations that span Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific, reflecting the sports international scale and the depth of the competitive field. Eddins will compete in the Open division alongside civilian teammates Christian Sailer, Bryan Jones, and John Vlieger. Their Open squad will face 358 individual competitors while also contending for team honors against 35 other countries. Hetherington will shoot in the Production Optics division with civilian teammates JJ Racaza, Tom Castro, and Jay Beal, seeking gold against 447 individual competitors and 40 other national teams. Athletes earned World Shoot slots by participating in four qualifying matches, with each shooters top three scores combined to determine selection; in each division, the top four in a country advance to that nations team. The 2025 program fields six competitive divisions: classic, open, production, production optics, revolver, and standard. IPSCs format has evolved since the early World Shoots, which laid down the equipment rules that shape todays mix of optics-enabled and iron-sight pistols. Courses of fire are designed to challenge stage planning, transitions, and precision at speed, requiring athletes to balance aggression with control over multiday schedules. USAMUs Action Shooting Team brings an established pedigree to the match. Unit veteransincluding Travis Tomasie, Max Michel, KC Eusebio, and Shane Coleyhave competed and medaled in multiple World Shoots, highlighted by a 2008 junior-category podium sweep by Eusebio, Brad Balsley, and Coley. Although the team paused international competition for several years due to administrative challenges, it has renewed its focus on the global stage while continuing domestic excellence in practical shooting, precision rifle series, and multigun competition. Eddins said he prepared by competing in seven international events over the last three years. Hetherington, who earned the highest qualifying points in Production Optics, secured his berth via results at French Nationals, Extreme Euro in the Czech Republic, and the Viking Extreme in Denmark. It will be his second World Shoot; in 2014 he competed as a civilian on the U.S. Junior Production Team, earning an individual silver while the U.S. Team won junior team gold. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Workman, USAMU Action Shooting Team chief, emphasized the significance of returning to IPSCs premier match: It is important for these world-shooters to be able to represent the U.S. Army and the Army Marksmanship Unit on an international stage, not only matches within [the United States]. Team USA begins competition on September 22, with the 30 stages divided across five areassix stages per day. With a field exceeding 1,700 shooters and a demanding five-day course, the World Shoot represents a high-tempo test of consistency under pressure. For USAMUs Eddins and Hetherington, the assignment pairs instructional roles at Fort Benning with a chance to compete for both individual podiums and team titles in Open and Production Optics.