The 64th Canadian Skeet Championships were held in Courtenay, British Columbia, during the weekend of June 28-30. The grounds of the Courtenay and District Fish and Game Protective Association were in excellent shape. Over 40 shooters participated, and the organizers were pleased to welcome guests from five different Canadian provinces. While it is mandated that the championship tournament be moved around the country, this was the first time the event had been held in British Columbia. The volunteers at the club went above and beyond to ensure that the participants and organizers were made to feel welcome.
The program commenced on Friday afternoon with the Doubles event. The podium consisted of Dean Herzberg, champion; Brad McRae, runner-up; and Bob La Rue, third. Class winners from AA to D were Steve Loveday, Hilton Robinson, Greg Meister, Elizabeth Hoeppner and Chris Watters. Matthew Bauer was Junior Champ, and Ladies Champion was Lisa Cunningham.
Dean Herzberg captured the 12-Gauge Championship after a shoot-off of 100s with Bob La Rue. Third place was taken by John Sanderson with the lone 99. Class champions were Brad McRae (AA), James Whyte (A), Rob Broadfoot (B), Joe Craig (C), Greg Metz (D) and Rudy Luiken (E). Junior Champion was Matthew Bauer, and Lady Champ was Marcia Postle, after a shoot-off with Elizabeth Hoeppner.
Saturday also found us completing the 20–gauge event. Steve Loveday edged out Bob La Rue for the championship. Steve Malcolm placed third, with class championships going to Herzberg, Whyte, Larry Way, John Dong and Joe Craig. Marcia Postle garnered another Ladies Championship with her 98, and Matthew Bauer continued on his sweep of the Junior Championship race. The highlight of the shoot-offs was the absolute drubbing that Dean Herzberg and Steve Malcolm placed on the Ottawa Boys (McRae and Loveday) and the BC Team (LaRue and McMichael). No one knows who came in second!
After shoot-offs were over, the volunteers of the club hosted a fabulous steak dinner for the attendees. Of course, since the Pacific Ocean was about 15 minutes away, we were treated to salmon and oysters. Many comments were made about how much better Pacific salmon is than Atlantic salmon. Since none of our East Coast shooters made the trip, the vote was unanimous that Pacific salmon is much better.
Sunday was the day for the 28-gauge and. 410 events. Dean Herzberg posted the lone 100 to take the 28-Gauge Championship outright. The runner-up and third-place buckles were won by John Sanderson and Greg Meister after they posted 99s. Yes, Matthew Bauer won the Junior title, but there was a change in the Ladies race with Lisa Cunningham’s 97 taking the medal, along with the B class medal. Yes, she had on her lucky orange 28-gauge socks! Other class winners were McRae (AA), Kevin Jarocki (A), Craig (C) and Earl Kreutzer (D) with a fine 93.
Two 98s shot off for the top spots in the .410 event. Brad McRae hung on to beat James Whyte. Close behind them with 97s were Steve Loveday, third, and Kevin Jarocki (B Class Champion). Other class winners were Bob LaRue (AA), Herzberg (A), Marcia Postle (C) and Kreutzer (D). Bauer did make it five in a row for the Junior medal, and Lisa Cunningham won her third Ladies championship of the weekend.
The HOA race was truly a weekend long race. Both Bob La Rue and Dean Herzberg ran two 100s over the two days, but Dean managed to pull off the HOA Championship with his 393. La Rue’s solid shooting won the runner-up position, and Steve Loveday placed third. Brad McRae took AA class, Veteran James Whyte had a stellar 388 for A1, John Sanderson took B, and new shooter Greg Metz from Saskatchewan captured C class with a 374. Evidently, it is helpful to build your own skeet field on your farm! Elizabeth Hoeppner took the D class medal, while, of course, Matthew Bauer had a clean sweep in the Junior category. Marcia Postle held on for the Ladies HOA belt buckle. 94-year-old Jim Webster from Saskatchewan scored a 325 over the four events. In his words, ”I could have shot better.” In our words, folks like Jim Webster put the word “Super” in the Super Veteran class!
On behalf of the Canadian Championships Committee, which consists of Steve Loveday, Brad McRae and Steve Malcolm, many thanks go to our referee crew, the volunteers at the Courtenay Club, our sponsors and all of the shooters.
– Contributed by Steve Malcolm
– Photo Credit to Shirl Leggett and Tom Walker
