George Cree Memorial

August 10, 2020 By Cara Woodard

Generations Skeet Club near Patton, Pennsylvania, held the five-gun George Cree Memorial on July 10-12.

George Cree died in October, 2018. He was a long-time and beloved member of Generations
Skeet Club and its predecessor, the 7-H Skeet Club, and a member of the PSSA Hall of Fame. He was a great skeet shooter, but more importantly, he is remembered as always being the consummate gentleman. George’s wife Judy and several family members attended the shoot, and the “Cree Squad” included four family members and close friend Kyle Senko.

The weather was changeable all weekend, hot and humid Friday, cooler with variable skies and brisk winds Saturday and clear skies to thunderstorms Sunday.

There were 49 doubles shooters, 66 four-gun shooters and 69 shooters that shot at least one gun. Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey were represented (Virginia should have been also, but Bob and Becky Myers had motor home issues and couldn’t make it-they were missed).

Joe Vescovi broke 395 birds and was HOA Champion by a whopping six birds over Chris Kline and Adam Vollmer. Joe’s wife Missy (377) bested Alyssa Gormish by one bird and was the HOA Lady Champion.

Doubles were shot on Friday afternoon. Kline’s 99 made him the outright champion. Class firsts went to Frank Smithmyer (AA, after winning a shoot-off of 94s with Tim Vescovi), Alyssa Gormish (A), Skip Spessard (B), John Davies (C) and John Makdad (D).

The 28-gauge shooting began on Saturday morning. Austin Applegarth and Vollmer were perfect, with Austin winning the shoot-off and the championship. Class firsts were Denny Lehman (AA, after winning a shoot-off of 99s with Joe Vescovi), Vollmer (A), Tim Holtz (B, after winning a shoot-off of 97s with Angelina D’Aquanno), Joe McGarvey (C, after winning a shoot-off of 92s with Jeff Meidinger and Mark Eckert) and George Gleich (D).

Shooting continued on Saturday afternoon with the 12-gauge event. Jeff Wright and Smithmyer posted the only 100 straights; Jeff won the shoot-off and was 12-gauge Champion. Joe Vescovi, Smithmyer, Mark Eckert, Mark Strickland, Mark Decker and Aaron Henry, respectively, were AA, A, B, C, D and E class champs. This was after Vescovi won a shoot-off of 99s with Clay Gormish, and Strickland won a shoot-off of 94s with Meidinger and Tom Shields.

Sunday morning and time for the .410 bore. Spessard’s 98 took the championship, but not until he won a shoot-off with Joe Vescovi, who settled for AA1; other class firsts went to Mike Wollard (A), Ryan Holtz (B, after winning a shoot-off of 96s with Gary Nace), Mark Eckert (C) and Colby Eckert (D).

The 20-gauge event was last and took place on Sunday afternoon. Weather was okay until about 5:30 when a lively thunderstorm resulted in a delay of about 30 minutes. Jeff Holtz, Spessard and Wollard posted 100s; Jeff won the shoot-off to take champion, and Spessard earned A1. Kline (after winning a shoot-off of 99s with Alyssa Gormish), Jeremy Dvorak (after winning a shoot-off of 99s with Strickland), Jack Harshbarger, and Dennis Andres, respectively, took firsts in AA, B, C and D classes.

Generations has four fields. Three rotations were filled. You might then wonder, how 69 shooters participated (4 fields X 3 rotations = 60 shooters max). As the waiting list grew, it became apparent that nearly a dozen people would have to be turned away, or the “Dawn Patrol” would have to be activated. Four 3-man squads with referees were mobilized. They began shooting at 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning and shot 200 birds each by about 9 a.m. when rotation one began, thereby allowing all shooters who signed up the opportunity to participate.

The Saturday night feast in and around the Youth Barn was delicious! It began with drinks, melt-in-your-mouth venison bites with homemade dip and smoked cheese squares. Joe Vescovi and Brian Simanski prepared prime rib, and Ryan Holtz and Frank Smithmyer made grilled chicken. Numerous volunteers prepared side dishes including corn-on-the-cob, mashed and hash brown potatoes, several veggies and salads along with a large selection of delicious desserts. Beverages included beer, soft drinks and home-made wine.

After eating, the 3-man blind teams were auctioned. This event, based on .410 scores with teams picked by the computer, was won by the team of Skip Spessard, Ethan Cree and Mike Norris, each receiving $70. Mike Woolard bought the winning team in the exciting live auction on Saturday night and pocketed $784!

After the auction, the discussion turned to George Cree. Numerous anecdotes and other recollections of George’s life were remembered and shared with those assembled. It was good for those who did not know George personally to learn more about him – he was a good man!

Ryan Holtz and Mark Polek handled registration and scorekeeping/posting. Michael Vescovi was chief referee, and a fine group of young referees included Paige McMullen, Abbey and Mikayla Lansberry, Courtney Burgoon and Zach Stoltz. Numerous members of the “Generations family” pitched in as needed to keep things running smoothly. Pat Leyo provided delicious doughnuts on Saturday and Sunday morning, much to everyone’s delight, especially the youngsters!

– Contributed by George Gleich

Holtz Memorial Shoot

July 15, 2020 By Cara Woodard

Generations Skeet Club near Patton, Pennsylvania, hosted the 17th annual Holtz Memorial Shoot on June 5-7, 2020. The shoot name was changed from the Ralph Holtz Memorial to the Holtz Memorial this year in memory of Ralph, his wife Mary Louise and their grandson Kyle Holtz. Ralph died in 2003 and Mary Louise died in 2018; both are members of the PSSA Hall of Fame. Kyle, who was a former Pennsylvania Junior HOA Champion, died in 2004 at 16 years old.

Sixty-two shooters shot at least one gun; 11 out-of-staters were in attendance, coming from Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Chris Kline was HOA Champion after he won a shoot-off of 389s with Denny Lehman, HOA runner-up. Missy Vescovi, Ralph and Mary Louise’s daughter, was HOA Lady Champ.

Forty-five shooters shot doubles on Friday afternoon in partly sunny, warm, and breezy conditions. Kline’s 98 made him the outright champion. Class firsts went to Tim Vescovi (AA), Adam Vollmer (A), Jeff Wright (B), Paul Hunt (C, after a shoot-off of 87s with Joe Gans V) and George Gleich (D).

The 28-gauge shooting began on a sunny, warm, and windy Saturday morning with 57 shooters participating. Kline was outright champion with a 99. Class firsts were Lehman (AA), Clay Gormish (A), Tim Vescovi (B), John Davies (C) and Gans V (D).

Shooting continued on Saturday afternoon as 60 shooters took on the 12-gauge. It was warm, humid and even more windy. Kline and Lehman recorded 99s, with Kline winning the shoot-off to take champion. Joe Vescovi took AA1. Lehman, Mark Eckert, Bryson Fox, Colby Eckert and Katelynn Decker, respectively, were A, B, C, D and E class winners.

Boxed grilled chicken dinners (grilled by Ryan Holtz) were provided on Saturday evening. Cookies in plastic baggies were also provided. Beer, homemade wine and some harder liquids from Chris and Ashley Kline’s Chicken Hill Distillery were available, along with soft drinks. The Three-Man Blind event (to be based on Sunday’s .410 scores) was set up with lively auction bidding for the 18 computer-picked teams after dinner. A total of nearly $1,800 was collected. After eating, several shooters and friends went over the hill from the skeet fields to Lake Eddie to fish, relax, discuss the weekend’s events, have a drink and recreate.

The .410 bore was shot on Sunday morning under clear skies with little wind. Fifty-seven shooters participated, and Jeff Holtz emerged as champion with a nice 96. Class firsts went to Jeremy Dvorak (AA), Frank Smithmyer (A), Rich Vensel (B), Mark Eckert (C) and Fox (D).

The 20-gauge event (59 shooters) was last and took place on Sunday afternoon under warmer conditions with white puffies and some wind. Kline and Gormish shot 100 straights; Kline won the shoot-off and was champion. Gormish, Missy Vescovi (after winning a shoot-off of 98s with Michael Moats), Mark Eckert, Allison Shaffer, and Jack Harshbarger (after winning a shoot-off of 96s with Colby Eckert), respectively, took firsts in AA, A, B, C and D classes.

Ryan Holtz handled registration and scorekeeping, and Michael Vescovi was chief referee. Non-shooting referees included 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, especially the youngsters.

The Three-Man Blind winners were Kenny Riddile, Tim Holtz, and Joe Gans V, who won $63 each. Tim Botwright and Ron Johnson jointly bought the winning team and took home $550. Payouts went to the four highest-scoring teams and buyers.

Notable events included: Tim Vescovi shooting a 97 in his first-ever round of registered doubles; Colby Eckert breaking his first 50 straight in the 20-gauge event (his hat was properly destroyed); Chris Kline NOT winning the .410 event; and everyone enjoying a piece of Missy Vescovi’s birthday cake.

The most remarkable thing about this shoot was the overall sense of relief and thanks expressed by all at being able to be compete on a skeet field again, see old friends and make some new friends. This feeling was truly palpable and lasted the entire weekend.

– Contributed by George Gleich

Rebel Open

July 15, 2020 By Cara Woodard

A total of 31 shooters showed up for the Fredericksburg Rod & Gun Club’s Rebel Open in Virginia over the June 12-14 weekend. Most of them shot four guns on the two-rotation, four-field program. Several shooters remarked on the fun, relaxed atmosphere that Bud Hitchcock and Nick Gravina worked hard all weekend to create. We used the “old-fashioned, big scoreboard” which a few younger shooters had never seen before. They thought it was a fun new innovation that made it easier to see what everyone shot in every event by finding their name just once. Although there was no dinner, there was still a lot of socializing at respectful distances under the big, shady porch. Five campers enjoyed the extra space.

We started Friday afternoon with doubles and a late afternoon flight of 12-gauge. There were no shoot-offs on Friday, as doubles were also offered in one flight on Saturday for anyone who wanted to take advantage of it. Shoot-offs were minimal all weekend but taken seriously when they did occur. We also welcomed back lady shooter Lindsay (Toler) Coffman, who had not shot registered targets in five years but continued her tradition, started when she was a teenager, of scoring better than her shooting partner (and dad) Keith in three of the five guns. Keith got to claim victory in the 12-gauge with his 92 and a tie in doubles.

Jim Hickerson shot top scores until Sunday and looked like a shoo-in for HOA Champion when a medical problem popped up during the .410. Jim won the 12-gauge and 20-gauge events outright with 100s. John Snyder won the 28-gauge outright with his 99. So, going into the .410, John (293) and Jim (295) were only two birds apart. Roger Johnson’s 94 took .410 outright. There were shoot-offs for every event but .410 and doubles for runner-up and/or third and some class and concurrent shoot-offs – just enough to keep people entertained.

John Snyder prevailed as .410 runner-up and HOA Open Champion. Hannah Goddard was Lady HOA Champion. Thanks also to Hannah for stepping up and refereeing several times over the weekend. Not an easy thing to do – shoot AND referee – as the temperature heats up. Thanks to the other referees as well: Dick Weinley, Steve Janoschka and Mark Parker. They gave welcome breaks to Bud and Nick. You can find all winners and scores on the Fredericksburg Club website, www.fredericksburgrodandgunclub.org.

– Contributed by Rebecca Myers

Ladies Skeet Classic

June 22, 2020 By Cara Woodard

2020 Ladies Charity Skeet Classic

The 2020 Ladies Charity Skeet Classic was not without challenges, starting with finding a date that didn’t present too many conflicts. Little did we know, with the COVID-19 pandemic, our landing date of March 13-15 would ultimately be the best date scenario. At the front of the pandemic, travel restrictions, isolation and social distancing were just starting, so those factors did ultimately impact our numbers. Still, we were very fortunate to get to host our 25th Ladies Charity Skeet Classic, with activities being put on hold soon thereafter.

Ladies attended from nine states. Georgia had the most, seven attendees, with the event being held at South River Gun Club in Covington, Georgia. Ladies also attended from Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, Ohio and Tennessee.

This year our Ladies Learn to Shoot class hosted novice shooters who spent some time with two of our favorite coaches – Doug Thompson and John Hancock. The ladies returned to the clubhouse smiling after a morning on the skeet field. After a delicious lunch break, they ventured to the pistol range where Mike Wasielewsi coached them through great hits on their paper targets.

Doubles were held Friday afternoon. Marina Pakis (Tenn.) took Champion unchallenged with 94. Three scores of 93 meant a shoot-off for Andrea Beyer (Miss.), Katie Anderson (Ga.) and Mary DeFrancesco (Conn.). Beyer pounded four stations to take runner-up, Anderson smashed three stations to take third and DeFrancesco took class first.

Saturday morning was the 12-gauge event. Two 98s were the high score posted, so Susan Huszai (Ohio) and Anderson took to the field where Huszai missed on her second station and Anderson cleared station 4 to take Champion. Huszai was runner-up, and Jessica Simmerman (Miss.), with a 96, took third without a shoot-off.

Saturday afternoon was the 28-gauge event. Anderson posted her first 28-gauge 100 to secure Champion without a shoot-off. Four 98s headed out to settle the remaining steps on the podium – DeFrancesco, Pakis, Susan Galloway (Miss.) and Huszai. Huszai was the only lady to clean station 3, so she earned runner-up, while the other ladies continued on. Galloway outshot the others for third, while Pakis and DeFrancesco secured first in their respective classes.

Saturday there was an Annie Oakley event for the ladies with 25 skeet, 25 trap, 25 adventurous 5-stand and 10 pistol shots. The same event was offered for the men as a Frank Butler (Annie’s husband) event. The Annie Oakley Champion was Melissa Petitjean (Ga.), and the Frank Butler Champion was Doug Thompson (N.C.).

When not shooting, the ladies found over 100 raffle items on the tables to drop a ticket in for drawing. The items were homemade as well as purchased, new and weathered, manly and girlie – truly something to be had for anyone! Some individuals came to the club exclusively to shop for goodies. The ticket raffles raised just under $3000 from the array of donated merchandise.

As 2020 was our 25th year, we wanted to recognize our Founding Mothers who attended this year’s shoot and supported everyone with their shooting, love, recommendations, participation in the live auction and contagious fun attitude. Mary Beverly-Gamble, Carolyn Lause and Winnie Tucker attended from Florida, with Linda Tucker joining them. Barbara Bozard, another of our founding mothers, passed following last year’s LCSC. We included Barbara’s photo with this year’s centerpiece decoration. We honored each mother with a wrist corsage and a round of applause for all they have done and enabled us to do.

Prior to dinner, we had a presentation from Mr. Charles Smith with Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, our charity for year 25. Charles shared about what our funds provide for Habitat. This chapter of Habitat has many activities going on in the community. We are proud to partner with them and are confident our dollars are being well spent, with benefits extending to future generations.

Following dinner, MaryAnn Worsham assisted with our Basket and Item Auction. Our attending ladies created amazing baskets, with a theme of their choice. This year’s most popular basket was a firepit stocked with s’mores and snacks, as well as adult treats to enjoy during those cool nights with new warm accessories of gloves and hats, created by Hannah Goddard, Jessica Simmerman and Susan Galloway. The basket that raised the most money was a relaxation basket filled with assorted coffees and teas to enjoy, created by Andrea Beyer and Katie Hunt. The most highly coveted auction items this year were beautiful leather pouches, donated by Donny Weaver of Tarheel Leathercraft and the gorgeous handmade quilt with an appropriate “house” theme, donated by Susan Huszai. We were able to raise over $3000. Eric and Evan Heit were invaluable during the auction, assisting with displaying the items. The young men assisted with various tasks throughout the weekend as part of the BETA Club Volunteer Hours. We were delighted to have them.

Sunday morning was the 20-gauge event. Huszai let one target get away, to post a 99 for Champion, unchallenged. Beyer and Karen Ruddle (W.Va.) posted 98s and headed to the field to settle titles. Ruddle let one target slide on the station 4, securing third and giving Beyer runner-up.

The .410-bore event was held Sunday afternoon. The high score was 97, so Huszai and Anderson again found themselves on the field to shoot off. Huszai missed on her second pair, taking runner-up as Anderson closed the door with a clean station 4, awarding her Champion. The next high score was 95, which led Beyer and DeFrancesco back to the shoot-off field. Beyer’s doubles game is strong; she led off clean through two stations, grabbing third, while DeFrancesco missed on station 4, taking class first.

Sunday sporting allowed anyone interested to shoot a round of 5-stand. Lady Champion was Jessica Simmerman and Man Champion was Eric Heit.

High Overall was clean for all places (a shoot manager’s dream, as the business of the wind-down is usually high). Huszai was crowned Champion with 392, Anderson awarded runner-up with 387 and DeFrancesco placed third with 384.

The funds were still being tallied at this writing, and the final donation to Habitat will be shared on Facebook. Follow us at Ladies Charity Skeet Classic or our website at ladiescharityshootclassic.org.

We want to offer a huge thank you to South River Gun Club and staff for allowing us to take over the club for the weekend, our many generous sponsors (see claytargetnation.com for the complete list) who made it possible to hold our shoot and pay it forward with our donation to Habitat, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity for agreeing to partner with us along the journey, our volunteers who helped with all the things that needed to be done, and our referees who made sure our ladies got the best targets possible. One final thank you to my family (Al and Hannah) for really digging into the trenches to help the Ladies Charity be all that it can be. The 2021 date will be forthcoming.

Our faithful and generous sponsors:

Ladies Learn to Shoot – “First Shots” by National Sports Shooting Foundation
Friends of LCSC – Doubles and 20 Gauge
Jane & Doug Frazier – 12 Gauge
Barbara Bozard Memorial – 28 Gauge
Jim McFadden – .410 Bore
Matthews Trenching Co., Inc. – HOA
Cross Creek Skeet Association – Friday lunch
Hannah Goddard – Saturday lunch
John Haugh – Sunday lunch
Zone 4 Skeet Association – Friday social hour
Jim Meucci – Friday cocktail party
Georgia State Skeet Association – Saturday dinner
Jim Stumpf – Annie Oakley event
David Morgan Memorial – Frank Butler event
Howell Traps – 5-stand
Cakes – Queen B’s Cakes ‘n Bakes
MaryAnn Worsham – Red Barn Doors Auctions
Greg Huszai – Photographer to the Stars
Krieghoff International, Inc.
Giambrone Shooting Clinics
Tarheel Leathercrafts
NSSA-NSCA-NSC
Remington Arms Co.
Pro-Shot Products
Precision Medals
Phillips
Briley Manufacturing
Kolar Arms
Todd Bender/Performance Systems International
MidwayUSA
White Flyer
Arnold’s (Snap-on) Tools

Lavish Lips by Debbie Qualls
Bright Sparks UBAM VIP Group
Crystal’s Chic Boutique (Thirty-One)

Numerous anonymous donations of merchandise and dollars by individuals
– Contributed by Tami Daniel-Means

Valentine Open

April 23, 2020 By Cara Woodard

Although the shoot was not held on Valentine’s Day, the shooting conditions at Fairfax Rod and Gun Club (Manassas, Virginia) were certainly something to love on the day after Valentine’s Day. When shoot management arrived at the club, the thermometer read 15 degrees, but the forecast indicated that the temperature would double during the day. The “no wind” conditions proved inviting for the 34 shooters that came out to demonstrate their love of our sport.

Gun Champion and a dozen red roses went to Christopher Baisey. Runner-up and third resulted in the first shoot-off at our club for the year between three shooters – Col. T.W. Williams, Derek Vacco and Joe Scott. After the smoke cleared, Joe Scott captured runner-up and Derek Vacco was declared third. Lady Champion, Stephanie Treme, received an antique glass and sterling silver bud vase with a red rose. Class champs were Jason Armstrong (A), Col. T.W. Williams (B), Ted Bradford (C), Sean Scott (D), and Stephanie Treme (E). Garrett Baisey, for the third consecutive shoot, took the Junior Champion position. Once again, only a single shooter won the Handicap Option out of 13 shooters that entered. These side options are always fun and sometimes generate some unexpected results.

Many thanks to our referees – Stephen Halt, Bud Hitchcock, Derek Vacco and Dick Weinley – and our club manager, Jamie Martin, who had everything perfect for our Valentine shooters.

– Contributed by Jeff Bond