Clay Target Nation

The official magazine of the National Skeet Shooting Association and the National Sporting Clays Association

Harry Michelson Memorial Shoot

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The 2nd Annual Harry Michelson Memorial Shoot was held July 17-19 at St. Joe Valley Conservation Club just north of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The name of the shoot was changed from the Pickle Open (which happened to fall on the same weekend as the celebrated pickle festival in St. Joe, the home to Sechler’s Pickles) in 2015 to the Harry Michelson Open in honor of long-time referee and club member Harry Michelson. Following his death in 2018, it was renamed the Harry Michelson Memorial Shoot. Harry’s daughter, Sandy, has committed to honor his request to continue to provide added money to the shoot each year.

The weather for the weekend was forecast to be hot and humid, with possible late-afternoon thunderstorms, and it was very hot and humid. Friday saw two perfect scores in the doubles event, one by club president and workhorse Bruce Christian and the other by Dess Ivanov. Taking no pity on Bruce, who is always running around adjusting targets for the shooters and anything else that needs to be done, Dess made quick work of the shoot-off to claim victory. A pair of 99s shot-off for third place, with Brent Edwards the winner in that contest.

Saturday was even hotter and more humid, and the shooters were hot, too, posting six 100s in the 12-gauge and seven in the 20-gauge events. Dess was once again the champion in the 12-gauge, followed by Fred Tschantz at runner-up and Owen Knight, third. In the 20-gauge, Paul Giambrone took top honors, with Aaron Benton in the runner-up spot and Jeff Roussey third.

Sunday cooled down a bit, but only because the wind picked up. It never fails, no matter when the .410 is held, the wind makes an appearance. And, not only the wind, but a huge thunderstorm rolled through between the .410 flights, bringing a halt to all shooting. We were in our motorhome and thought that it was going to get blown over! In the 28-gauge event, Dess racked up his third win with the lone 100. Five 99s took to the field to decide the remaining places on the podium, with Brent Edwards runner-up over Cole Gintert, third. The best score posted in the baby bore was 98 by three shooters – Brent Edwards (champion), Aaron Benton (runner-up) and Dylan Dick (third). Aaron’s 98 locked up the HOA Championship with a 397, followed by squadmate Ed Smith with a 394. A pair of 393s shot off for third, with Dylan besting Dess.

The shoot was over capacity at 82 shooters (80 is full) and has a leisurely format with two flights in the morning, a break for lunch, followed by the afternoon flights. Untold thanks go to Harry’s daughter, as well as all of the referees and volunteers. St. Joe is an entirely volunteer club and is one of the best-run facilities in the country. So, if you haven’t been to a shoot at St. Joe Valley, I strongly recommend you find your way there next year. You can choose the Mid-America over Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. Open iShoot at the end of June or the Michelson in July. We hope you can participate in one, two or all three events – you won’t be disappointed!

– Contributed by Trish Magyar

Harry Michelson Memorial Shoot Scores

Harry Michelson Memorial Shoot Event Winners

Harry Wright Memorial

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HOA CH Mike Stassio 398, RU Steve Woods 398, Alessandro Vitale 397

Loch Raven Skeet and Trap Center welcomed 70 shooters from across Zone 2 to the annual Harry Wright Memorial. Held every 4th of July weekend, the shoot benefits from beautiful weather in the idyllic surrounds of the Loch Raven Reservoir. This year, shooters also enjoyed brand new target machines. Credit to Shyda’s Services for the exceptional hardware and targets!

Friday afternoon started things off with the doubles event. Three 99s were shot off to establish the podium: Alessandro Vitale as champion; Steven Wood, runner-up; and Mark Gay, third.

Saturdays at Loch Raven start with the 20-gauge, which saw two 100s broken. Twelve-gauge produced four 100s that afternoon. Shoot-offs established Steven Wood as the 20-Gauge Champion, followed by Michael Stasio and Dessislav Ivanov, with a 99. The 12-Gauge Champion was Dessislav Ivanov; Gilbert Traore, runner-up; and John Wells Jr., third.

Throughout the afternoon, many shooters enjoyed food fresh off the grill, as well as other snacks, expertly prepared by Emily Card. Special thanks are also in order to all those who graciously donated money for their food to benefit the Maryland State Skeet Association.

Sunday morning brought on even more hundreds. Of six perfect scores, Michael Stasio emerged Champion, followed by Dennis Lehman and Michael Rykaczewski Jr. The shoot concluded with three 100s in .410. Alessandro Vitale was Champion; Steven Wood, runner-up; and Bryson Fox, third. This was Bryson’s first 100 in .410 and his first 100 ever! High Over All scores resulted in Michael Stasio as champion; Steven Wood, runner-up; and Alessandro Vitale, third.

Loch Raven has two remaining five-gun shoots scheduled this year: the James Bealmear Memorial, September 11-13 ($1000 HOA prize purse) and the Mason Dixon 500, October 23-25. We look forward to seeing everyone again later this year and next!

– Contributed by Jonathan Myrick

George Cree Memorial

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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

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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

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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

 

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