It was spring in Texas, and anything can happen, especially related to weather. How many times has bad weather been predicted prior to a shoot and then the weather was not a factor at all? Not so for the Penny Penwell Memorial Shoot on April 12-14, hosted by Grand Prairie Gun Club. The Doubles Event started and ended on Friday as normal for any three-day shoot in Texas – but that would not be the case for the rest of the shoot.

On Friday, Doubles were dominated by Grand Prairie members. Forty-two shooters participated in the event, with Grand Prairie shooters ending up at the top of the leader board. Jason Foshea was Champion, Will Chisum, runner-up, and Adam Roberts, third, shooting 99, 98 and 97 with no shoot-offs.

The 12-gauge event began bright (well, not so bright) and early on Saturday morning. Several days prior to the shoot, rain and thunderstorms were predicted for Saturday. Many were hopeful the weather prediction was wrong, but those hopes quickly dissipated as 40 shooters showed up to do their best in spite of the rain and thunderstorms. The 9:00 a.m. squad was delayed in starting, and shooting stopped twice during that rotation for lightning in the area. As the morning continued, it was evident it would take all day with the delays that continued to plague the 12-gauge event. Richard Funk, Adam Roberts and Cody Sergeant captured Champion, runner-up and third, respectively.

You are probably wondering what happened for the 20-gauge event, since the 12-gauge took so long to complete. Shoot chairman Randy Walhood wisely made the call to cancel the 20-gauge after the 12-gauge event was completed about 3:00 pm. No complaining from shooters on this decision!

What a difference a day makes! On Sunday, the weather had cleared up and sunny skies were once again the norm. Volunteers from the Grand Prairie Gun Club worked to clear the stations of water and mud. They swept the water away to dry off those shooting pads – that is just a small picture of how dedicated the Grand Prairie members are to hosting a great shoot. Fifty-one shooters showed up for the 28-gauge event. Donny Penwell was crowned Champ after winning the shoot-off of the 99s with three other shooters. Donny is the son of longtime Grand Prairie member Penny Penwell, for whom the shoot is named. Richard Funk and Troy Behrens ended with runner-up and third, respectively, for the 28-gauge.

Fifty shooters stuck around to complete the .410-bore event. Jason Foshea once again dominated the field with the lone 100. Bradley Pang captured the runner-up position with a 98 and was also the Junior Champ. Cody Sergeant captured third with a shoot-off of 97s.

Thirty-eight shooters competed in the HOA championship. It is no surprise that Jason Foshea once again reigned supreme as the Champ with a 295. Cody Sergeant and Richard Funk were in a shoot-off once again with 293s, with Cody ending up as runner-up and Richard at third.

The Grand Prairie Gun Club is known for holding great shoots with great food and targets. What may not be known, though, is that it is a volunteer club. Meals are organized, cooked and served by members. The skeet fields are maintained by members, and they are dedicated to ensuring fields are in tip-top condition for shooters. They were there in the rain, walking the fields, loading the houses, removing trash, and all of the things that are required for a shoot. A big thanks to all of the Grand Prairie members who volunteered to make this such a successful shoot and one that will not be forgotten. And a big thanks to the Texas referees for their professionalism in giving their best to every shooter. Sponsors are a necessity now for our great skeet shoots – Mike Gerschick with 3on8, Mica Crane, Jeff Nekuza, and Classic Chevrolet – thank you! And last, but certainly not least, Grand Prairie Gun Club would not be what it is without its leadership – Richard Kummer as president, Jeff Zwiebel as secretary, and Randy Walhood as treasurer and shoot chairman.

– Contributed by Jo Ellen Collin

April 12 dawned with an intermittent shower, but the forecast was for thunderstorms in the afternoon. Not the auspicious­­ start that match director Wendy Smith had hoped for on the first NSSA registered match being held by Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club. The match format allowed the shooters to enter one, two, three or even four guns, and shoot them in any order. Consequently, each squad had a mix of 12-gauge, 20-gauge, 28-gauge, and .410 shooters. The hope was weather on the next day might be better, and some considered that when selecting what gun to shoot.

At the Friday 10:00 a.m. start, the rain had stopped only to start a constant drizzle during the third box. That seemed the pattern for the day. You might shoot one or two rounds relatively dry, but rain always entered before you were through. And it was in one of these drizzles that Charlie Souter shot a perfect 100 using his 20-gauge Model 12. Some noted the 99 hard hits and the one “golden BB,” but they all looked like Xs across the scoresheet.

The lunch provided to all contestants was authentic New Orleans jambalaya, prepared by Bob and Priscilla King, who hail from the Big Easy. The bill of fare was very well received, with small chance of leftovers.

Saturday’s competition was somewhat less rainy, but not completely dry. Again, the competition had shooters shooting all different gauges, so the match final tallies would have to wait until the end of the day. All told, we had 23 shooters shooting 41 guns. Competitors came from as far as Richmond and Fairfax and Gordonsville to shoot.

When the smoke had cleared, gun winners were listed for all except the 28 gauge. Justin Johnson from Richmond and a Liberty University shooter took the 12 gauge with a 97. Charlie Thompson, a UVA skeet shooter, was runner-up with a 96. Charlie Souter won the 20 gauge with the only 100, with Bob King runner-up at 98. Charlie’s 98 in .410 outdistanced everyone, with Bob King runner-up at 90. But Charlie was tied at 94 with Bob in 28 gauge.

In failing light, the shoot-off began with Doubles on station 3. After Bob noted that he had never lost a shoot-off in 28 gauge (this was his first), he stepped up and nailed both birds. Charlie broke the first bird, but his Model 12 pump failed to feed the second shell. It was his first gun malfunction, so he got a second chance, nailing both birds. Bob moved on to station 4 but dropped the high house bird. Charlie broke the first bird, but his pump again failed to feed the second shell. It was his second gun malfunction, so he got a second chance, dropping the low house bird. On Station 5 Bob lets a High House bird slip away. Charlie stepped up, somewhat concerned that he had no more allowable gun malfunctions. The gun worked and he nailed the two birds to claim the 28-gauge championship. With three guns in his win column, Charlie also took the HOA championship.

NSSA note: Congratulations to Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club on their first registered shoot!

– Contributed by Bob King

After just completing 500 12-gauge targets the day before, five brave souls joined another 20 shooters for a format of 200 Doubles at Fairfax Rod and Gun Club (Manassas, VA) on April 14. Federal taxes were due the next day, so this was a good way to release some frustration before writing our checks to the U.S. Treasury.

There were three rotations, and shooters shot their first 100 Doubles, then took a two-hour break before completing the second 100 Doubles. The weekend weather was perfect for the shooters, with the results reflecting the conditions. Champion was Brian D’Souza (190), runner-up Jim Hickerson (189), and third Peter Bogdon (188). Class champions were Muhamed El-Zoghbi AA1, Nick Gravina A1, Alan Gale B1, John Liberty C1 and Craig Childress D1. Although no one ran a perfect score, we did have one shooter post a 99 during one set of the Doubles.

One of the interesting outcomes of this event was that the Handicap event had only a single winner. The Handicap event was set up so that the following additional targets applied to each class: AA – 4, A – 8, B – 16, C – 28 and D – 38 additional targets. There were 18 shooters participating, and John Liberty had the only 200 (with handicap). A new option that is being tried is called “last man standing,” in which the shooter with the best long run from the front wins. This option is a miss-and-out by target with ties dividing. Peter Bogdon (NY) outlasted the other option participants and was the last man standing.

The same referees who participated in the 500-target shoot the day before – Bub Hitchcock, Bill Lancaster, and Bobby Wilkin – stayed and pulled the Doubles event. We thank them for their dedication in pulling so many targets over the weekend. Lastly, kudos to our club manager, Jamie Martin, for making sure that all the machines and facilities were in the usual perfect condition.

– Contributed by Jeff Bond

For their first shoot, the club hosted a 100-target 12-gauge event on Saturday April 20, which unfortunately, was not a good weather day for shooting. Forty-four hardy souls were faced with a combination of high winds, cold and rain, but in spite of that, Charlie Peacock posted a fabulous “no chip”100 straight for the outright win. Two 99’s were posted by Steve Malcolm, runner-up, and Steve Loveday, third.

Those in attendance enjoyed the great clubhouse and newly renovated kitchen. Many comments were made about how great it was to see Hamilton throwing registered events after such a long period of time. Hats off to the Skeet Committee and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. Welcome back to registered shooting from NSSA!

All shooters are looking forward to returning again, hopefully on a nice, warm, sunny day!

– Contributed by Joseph A. Patko