Library Sportsmen’s Association, near Finleyville, Pennsylvania, held the Demolition 500 on April 5-7. This was the last registered shoot at LSA for a while. Construction equipment will be moving in soon, and when they are done, there will be two brand spanking new skeet fields where the old ones used to be.
This was a 5-gun shoot. Paul Augustin was HOA champion after winning a shoot-off of 382s with Mike Naleppa; Ernie Avolio (475) won HAA champion honors, and Naleppa took runner-up with his 472.
Doubles were shot on Friday afternoon, .410 and 28 gauge on Saturday, and 20 and 12 gauge on Sunday. The weather was beautiful for early April, warm enough, not windy or rainy and just enough clouds to keep the sun from being an issue.
Fourteen shooters went after Doubles on Friday. Jack McGinness and Ernie Avolio shot 95s; Jack was champion, and Ernie took runner-up. Class firsts went to Debra Meade (AA), Glenn Davis (A), Naleppa (B), Mark Jones (C) and Marie Palmer (D).
Saturday morning, the .410 was on the menu. Seventeen shooters participated, and Davis emerged as champ with a very nice 96. Augustin’s 95 was good for runner-up. Michael Parrish, Carl Biddle, Eric Mitchell and George Gleich, respectively, were A1, B1, C1 and D1.
After a lunch break (Chuck’s Courthouse Café had a food truck just outside the clubhouse door on Saturday and Sunday, so no one went hungry), 18 shooters went after them in the 28-gauge. Biddle was champion after winning a shoot-off of 96s with Craig Duckworth, who came up from West Virginia to take runner-up. Class firsts (AA, A, B, C and D, respectively) went to Augustin, Ernie Avolio, Rich Rothrock, Mitchell and Gleich.
Fifteen shooters shot the 20-gauge event on Sunday morning. Naleppa had a 99 and was gun champion. Ernie Avolio took runner-up with his 97. Other winners included Biddle (AA1), Rothrock (A1), Augustin (B1), Jones (C1) and Mitchell (D1).
The 12-gauge was last and was shot on Sunday afternoon by 18 shooters; it was interesting to have the normal sequence of guns reversed for a change. Michael Parrish, who came up from West Virginia to shoot, was gun champion after winning a shoot-off of 98s with Gleich, runner-up. Class firsts were taken by Ernie Avolio, Augustin, McGinness, Biddle and Palmer, AA, A, B, C and D, respectively.
Shoot management was ably handled by John Avolio. Jacki Avolio delivered a lovely and tasty cake on Sunday morning. Many thanks to Marie Palmer for making and donating beautiful Demo 500 champion, runner-up and third shooting towels. Kudos to ACE Sporting Goods of Washington, PA for prizes awarded to champion and runner-up in 12, 20, 28 and .410. Two young referees from Bethel Park High School, Schayna Posler and Anthony Celletti, handled pulling and scoring on Saturday; Anthony also worked Sunday. Kudos to Chuck and the food truck as well.
– Contributed by George Gleich
