Generations Skeet Club (formerly the 7-H Skeet Club) near Patton, Pennsylvania, hosted their 16th annual Ralph Holtz Memorial Shoot on May 31 through June 2.
Forty-one shooters shot at least one gun. Mike Wollard was HOA Champion after he won a shoot-off of 388s with Clay Gormish, runner-up. Meghan Darrough was the Ladies HOA Champion.
Seventeen shooters shot Doubles on Friday afternoon with partly sunny and breezy conditions. Mitch Chirdon’s 98 made him the outright champion. Class firsts went to Chris Kline (AA), Roy Holtz (A), Dave Cominsky (B, after a shoot-off of 96s with Tim Holtz), John Davies (C) and Joe McGarvey (D).
The 28-gauge shooting began on a sunny and warm Saturday morning, with 39 shooters participating. Roy Holtz was outright champion with a nice 99. Class firsts were Kline (AA), Wollard (A), Mark Saussure (B), Paul Hunt (C) and Jack Makdad (D).
The 3-Man Blind event (to be based on Sunday’s .410 scores) was set up with lively auction bidding for the 10 computer-picked teams before the meal on Saturday night.
Food was served in The Barn, adjacent to the skeet fields, on Saturday evening. Joe Vescovi provided delicious smoked cheese and grilled venison hors d’oeuvres. Grilled chicken quarters and Swedish meatballs highlighted the main menu with fried potatoes, several pasta salads and coleslaw also available. No one went away hungry – or thirsty, as beer and homemade wine were provided along with soft drinks.
After eating, several shooters and friends went over the hill from the skeet fields to relax, discuss the weekend’s events, have a drink and recreate around Lake Eddie. Several folks brought their fishing rods, and some nice-sized bass were caught and released. Storms moved through the area overnight, but the weather moved out by early Sunday morning.
The 3-Man Blind winners were Gary Nace, Mark Saussure and Debra Meade, who won $50 each. Bill Straub bought the winning team and took home $405.
The 20-gauge event, with 36 shooters, was last and took place on Sunday afternoon under changeable skies and a brisk wind at times. Kline and Frank Smithmyer shot 100 straights. Kline won the shoot-off and was champion. Smithmyer, Wollard, Nace, McGarvey and Hunt, respectively, took firsts in AA, A, B, C and D classes.
The shoot management team included Ryan and Matt Holtz in registration and scorekeeping and Michael Vescovi, chief referee. The young and efficient non-shooting referees were Abby Lansberry, Paige McMullen, Adam Bobak and Zach Stoltz, and all did a great job. As usual, Pat Leyo provided yummy doughnuts, much to everyone’s delight.
Ralph Holtz, the namesake for this shoot, died in 2003. Ralph’s wife Mary Louise, the Holtz family matriarch, died in October, 2018 at the age of 93. Both Ralph and Mary Louise are in the Pennsylvania Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Beginning next year, the Ralph Holtz Memorial Shoot will be renamed the Holtz Memorial Shoot in honor of both of them. The year will be retained, i.e., next year’s shoot will be called the 17th annual Holtz Memorial.
– Contributed by George Gleich
