I have found that all happy skeet shooters are alike; each unhappy skeet shooter is unhappy in their own way. (Apologies to Leo Tolstoy – Anna Karenina.) So it was at the Mo-Joe Memorial Open and Club Championships, May 31 – June 2 at Fairfax Rod and Gun Club in Manassas, Virginia. Shooters from Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, and New Hampshire gathered together under near perfect conditions – ordered months in advance – in search of that elusive 100 straight.
Doubles, on Friday, resulted in champion Jerry Schaefer, runner-up Mike Ramsey, and third-place Muhamed El-Zoghbi. Class winners include Bob Shelly A1, Bob Myers B1, Steve Kling C1 and Mark Polansky D1.
The first event was the 20 gauge, and 99s and 98s were the order for the day. A three-way shoot-off for champ resulted in Jim Hickerson, champion; Fred Wood, runner-up; and Garrett Jordan, third. Class winners were John Snyder AA1, Steve Kling A1, Dick Weinley B1, John Liberty C1 and David Latimer D1.
Only two perfect 100s were posted during the weekend, and those were in the 12-gauge by T.R. Williams and R.U. Myers. Myers, with over 565,000 registered targets to his credit, has broken more Doubles than any other shooter. After going four stations, Myers won the shoot-off to claim the championship, with T.R. Williams at runner-up and Garrett Jordan at third. Class winners include Mike Ramsey AA1, Bob Shelley A1, Muhamed El-Zoghbi B1, Joe Scott C1, Colton Barrick D1 and Garrett Baisey E1. Each received a large can of Virginia peanuts, so, yes, they were all shooting for peanuts.
We had a short visit from NSSA Vice-President Chris Naler on Saturday during the shoot, which was an unexpected pleasure for his extended skeet shooting family. Unfortunately, we were not able to talk him into getting a gun and popping a few rounds off, but we were all glad to see him and sincerely appreciate having him out at our facility again.
Saturday evening, all shooters and guests were treated to thick, juicy steaks, baked potatoes, salads and an array of wonderful desserts brought in by various club members. David Latimer helped us all to take a few moments to remember James “Mo” Mozisek and Joe Hockersmith, as well as other Virginia shooters who are no longer with us.
In the 28 gauge on Sunday, David Outen and Brad Olson were the only ones posting 98s for champ and runner-up. This was a personal best for Brad Olson. The two were pulled out of B class for the event, and after saying the prayer that all those in shoot-offs secretly say to themselves (“Oh, Lord – just let me get off of station 3”) they cleared station three, and both crushed their pairs at station 4. However, at station 5, Brad narrowly missed one target. Third went to Gil Traore. Class winners were Garrett Jordan AA1, Meredith Kling A1, club president Jeff Bolster B1, Jeff Key C1 and David Latimer D1.
With the threat of a late Sunday afternoon thunderstorm, the .410 event was compressed into two rotations, thanks to the flexibility of Chris Christopherson and Bill Hobson. We were able to complete all shoot-offs in time, and the .410 event resulted in champion, Muhamed El-Zoghbi; runner-up, Garrett Jordan; and third, Gil Traore. Class winners were John Snyder A1, Fred Wood B1, Jeff Key C1 and Cynthia Yellen D1.
Garrett Jordan earned the HOA for the second year in a row with an uncontested 390, runner-up went to Muhamed El-Zoghbi (386) and third went to Gil Traore (383). HOA class winners were John Snyder AA1, Fred Wood A1, Dick Weinley B1, Jeff Key C1 and David Latimer D1.
Fairfax club champions were Doubles – Jerry Schaefer, 12-Gauge – R.U. Myers, 20-Gauge – Jim Hickerson, 28-gauge – Brad Olson, .410 Bore – Muhamed El-Zoghbi, and HOA – Garrett Jordan. Our Lady HOA Champion for the second year in a row is Meredith Tunick Kling.
Thank you to all our referees that kept the squads moving smartly throughout the weekend.
Of course, we all know that without the expert attention to the fields and machines by Jamie Martin, club manager, our shoots simply could not occur. Our new DOE (Dinner Organizer Extraordinaire) has risen to the task and makes sure that all the dinner supplies and appetizers were prepared for all the grazing that we skeet shooters do while waiting to be called to our shoot-offs. Thanks to Dutch Hillenburg for the coupons to the Pro Shop. Lastly, a very special thanks goes to Connie and Van Keys for lunch and dinner support. You are all very much appreciated.
