Clay Target Nation

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

New Jersey Skeet Championship

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The 2022 New Jersey Skeet Championship was held over the weekend of Friday, September 9 through Sunday, September 11. Joint Base-Range 14 once again hosted the event. The competition started with the Friday doubles event, and Jim Seiler broke a very strong 97 to take the championship. Class winners were Ben Galioto (A, 94), Mason Palidar (B, 95), Jay Taylor (C, 91), and South Carolina’s Bob Liptak (D).

On Saturday morning, the weather was perfect for our first gun, the .410 bore. Peconic River shooter Larry Bonavita shot a terrific 97 to win the Open .410 championship. Mike Cerce took AA1 with a 92, and Jim Seiler won A1 with his 96, which also earned Jim the .410 state title. Donna Fusco claimed B1 with a nice 94, and another New York shooter, Ralph Novotny, nailed down C1 with a 92. D1 honors went to Howie Mann.

On Saturday afternoon we shot the 20-gauge event, and a determined Ben Galioto was able to bear down and post a 100 straight to win the title. Mike Cerce posted a 97 to take AA1, and Mike Costello broke a 98 to win A1. Cliff Schafer iced B1 by putting together four solid rounds to break a 98, and Jay Taylor’s 92 won C1.

On Saturday evening, NJSSA provided shooters with an amazing BBQ dinner, beverages and dessert. This year’s dinner was a special event, as Ed Amaty and Ben Galioto were both inducted into the New Jersey Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Presentation plaques for both gentlemen will be on display on the New Jersey Hall of Fame board at Joint Base.

On a cloudy Sunday morning we shot the 28-gauge event. This year we will have to open up the records book and enter a new state champion’s name. Joe Madlinger broke his first 100 straight in the 28-gauge and won his first state title. Larry Bonavita won AA1 with a 97, Ben Galioto took A1 with a 98, and Cliff Schafer won B1 with a 95. Neil Alexander shot a solid 96 to take C1 and Howie Mann broke an 88 to reel in D1.

The last gun was the 12-gauge event, and Jim Seiler put an exclamation point on a solid weekend of shooting by breaking a very hard 100 to claim his third state title of the weekend! Larry Bonavita won AA1 with a 97, and Ben Galioto, who missed early, went into damage control mode and preserved a 99 to win A1. Paul Billings secured B1 with a very strong 98, and Ed Amaty locked up C1 with a 95. Tony Viel broke a 95 to secure D1, and Jay Taylor broke a 94 to claim E1.

The coveted and lucrative HOA title represents a body of work over a strenuous weekend of shooting. Ben Galioto’s focus and tenacity resulted in a 391×400. This was Ben’s sixth career HOA title! Mike Cerce took AA1, and Larry Bonavita’s 387 took A1. Only three targets back, Jim Seiler posted a solid 388 to claim B1, and Jay Taylor’s 370 took C1.

A special “thank you” goes out to the following people for making this year’s New Jersey State Shoot possible. Thank you to Ben Galioto for his help in running all of the administrative functions for the shoot. Also, we thank our referees, Ed Amaty, Mark Bricker and Sophia Galioto, who all did an outstanding job refereeing. A special thank you goes to Howie Mann for making our State Shoot t-shirts and patches possible, and we extend our sincere thanks to the entire Joint Base staff for all of their assistance. It is very much appreciated! And last, but not least, a big thank you goes to our loyal New Jersey contingency for stepping up and supporting our shoot, and to everyone who made the trip from New York to support our shoot. Thank you all for attending, and for making this year’s state shoot a huge success!

2022 New York State Skeet Championships

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For the 90th time, shooters honored the end of the shooting season in New York by coming to Rochester-Brooks Gun Club in Rush, New York, over the weekend of August 26-28.

Thanks to the state association’s response to a shooter survey conducted after the 2021 state shoot, the traditional schedule starting with doubles Friday afternoon was amended to shoot doubles Friday morning and start the 12-gauge on Friday afternoon. The achieved objective – a shorter day for all.

Friday morning’s doubles kicked off with beautiful summer weather, but humid with a hint of thunderstorms. After a lunch break spent watching the weather radar, two flights of 12-gauge were shot on Friday afternoon, with a time-out called, thanks to an awesome display of lightning, thunder and pounding rain. Soaking wet would be the description for some of the competitors, but lots of good scores were posted!

In Doubles, shot off Friday evening, Craig Parsons shot the lone 99 to capture the championship outright, and in a shoot-off of four 98s that ended two stations shy of the first box, Bill Kalwas and Don Lewandoski finished runner-up and third, respectively. Scott Van Etten settled for A1. Other class champions included David Ballerini (AA), Shane Farr (B), Junior Champion Owen Cooley (C) and John Quealy heading up D class. Mary Alice DeFrancesco captured her first Lady championship of the tournament.

The third flight of 12-gauge took place Saturday morning and added two more 100s to the scores shot Friday. David Cooley captured the champion’s step on the podium in four stations, while Bill Kalwas and Craig Parsons lasted nearly a box as they battled for runner-up and third, respectively. Mat Kelley and Scott Janowski shot off 100s to finish first and second in AA, and Larry Bonavita won A class with his 100. Other class winners included Bobby DeFrancesco over Bob Kase in a shoot-off for B class, while Doug Goodman shot a terrific 99 to take C class. Owen Cooley repeated as Junior champion and won D class with a 97, and Tim Herbstsommer won E class. Victoria Ferchaw won a shoot-off with Kristin Harshman for the Lady title.

The 20-gauge was also shot on Saturday and produced only two perfect scores and one hat-shooting ceremony. Victoria Ferchaw ran her first 100 with the 20-gauge and two stations of doubles later put Long Island’s Michael Cerce on the runner-up step of the podium. Congratulations to Victoria, who became the third lady to win an Open New York state title! In a shoot off of 99s, Clay Tietjen made his first podium appearance at third, while Steve Wood, Dan Morris and Bernie Lenehan claimed the AA places, and Junior champion Cameron Baker won B class. Other class winners included Dave Sobiegray in a shoot-off of 98s for A, Junior shooter Lincoln Nichols in C class and Nicholas Gillett in D class. Victoria also won the Lady championship.

Following the conclusion of the 12- and 20-gauge shoot-offs Saturday evening, two more popular New York events were held: the shoot-off for all kids, everyone eligible, for flats of ammo sponsored by the Mitchell-Heitman Fund to benefit youth shooting, and the 5-man team shoot-off for NY State belt buckles. Owen Cooley gave targets to all the other young competitors but persevered to take home the ammo, while the 5-man team event, which rarely goes more than a station or two, was a family affair, won by David and Owen Cooley, Dan and Steve Holdsworth, and Chad Seelbinder. This is a handicap event to qualify, but no handicap in the team shoot-off, so nice to see a new winner.

Following the shooting events, Rochester-Brooks hosted a cocktail hour and BBQ dinner for all shooters and guests, concluding with the presentation of awards for the championships determined so far, and the installation of two long-time NYSSA members into the Sportsmen’s Division of the New York State Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Joe Endres, still telling amazing stories in his ninth decade, and to Ed Cornelius, former secretary-treasurer of the state association, who showed us how to bring the heat.

Sunday morning kicked off with two more flights of 28-gauge followed by the conclusion of the .410 event. Four perfect scores were shot in the 28, with Steve Wood emerging victorious after two stations. Matthew Lenehan broke the next pair to take runner-up, while John Boone and Craig Parsons continued to settle third and AA1, respectively. A and B classes were both won with scores of 99, shot by Don Lewandoski and Ken Brown, C class was taken by Al Grundman and Sub-Junior shooter Weston Nichols won D class. Cameron Baker took the Junior championship, and Mary Alice DeFrancesco won a shoot-off against Donna Fusco to capture her second Lady title of the shoot.

In the .410, Craig Parsons needed a good score to wrap up the HOA championship and came through in the clutch with a nice 99×100. A shoot-off of 97s filled the runner-up and third spots as the battle of the Mats took one station for Lenehan to win over Kelley. A shoot-off of 96s in AA also established Jon Zywiczynski  as the winner in one station. B.J. Jensen won A with 95, and Victor Stirpe beat Bobby DeFrancesco in a shoot-off for B-class honors. Dan Nichols won C class, and Steve Holdsworth took home the medal for D class. Cameron Baker won the Junior championship, and Mary Alice DeFrancesco took the Lady title.

Parsons won the HOA championship outright with 398×400, HAA with 497×500. Mat Kelley was runner-up with 393, and Dess Ivanov found the third step on the podium with 391. David Ballerini captured AA1, and a shoot-off of 390s resulted in Clay Tietjen winning A class over Matthew Lenehan. Robert DeFrancesco won B, Alan Grundman took C, Gregory McChesney took home the D-class medal, and young Weston Nichols won the Sub-Junior championship, along with E class. Owen Cooley won both the Junior HOA and HAA, and Mary Alice DeFrancesco won Lady HOA.

 Nice weather, lots of good shooting, a first 100, and a wonderful party on Saturday night made a pretty good weekend. Thanks to Dan Caryl, NY Chief Referee, and his excellent button-pushers, to Roger Brooks and Mike Krol for their work on throwing targets, and to the staff and workers at Rochester-Brooks who made every effort to show shooters a good time. Finally, thanks to the shooters; we couldn’t do it without you.

 – Contributed by Andrea Graham Lehr

 

2022 Pennsylvania SCTP Skeet Competition

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On May 14, at Generations Skeet Club, athletes from across the state competed for SCTP skeet honors. Eighty-three athletes representing nine teams attended. The weather, as usual for mid-May, was cool with occasional showers and thunderstorms around. 

This year Allison Shaffer, Fox Township High School, holds the honor of High Over All with a score of 99, and Katelyn Henry of Central Penn Crushers, Lady champ. Competition was tough, and every target counted. Fox Township High School Trap League Senior Varsity Squad of Allison Shaffer, Zac Mosier, and Andrew Gerber took first place with a 270. HAHS Cougars Marcus Rosenstiel Jr., Joseph Katchur, and Dylana Eroh finished second with 269. Third were Katelyn Henry, Bill Gillmen, and Jared Harshbarger of the Central Penn Crushers.

Junior Varsity Champions were Fox Township’s Tyler Geitner, Eli McKay, and Aiden McKay. Gavin Glossner, Samuel Klinepeter, and Nathan Pollard from Central Penn Crushers were the runner-up team. Hunter Bowlen, Emmitt Whipkey, and Jordan Miller representing the Hawkeyes  finished third.

Intermediate Advanced Champions were the Hawkeyes’ Brendon Cole, Kory Taylor, and William Boden, achieving the highest squad score of the event with a 285. Teammates Deacon Whipkey, Benjamin Horne, and Parker Jones were runners-up, and Central Penn Crushers Collin Hillyer, Piercen Hoffman, and Tyler Jones finished third.

Intermediate Entry champions are Central Penn Crushers Grant Glossner, Ryan Harshbarger, and Jackson Shearer.

After the competition was completed, while the scores were tabulated, a shoot-off was held for an engraved Shamrock Leather bag for all divisions. Winners were Grant Glossner, Flint Bolt, Henry Zutter, Noah Haines, and William Boden. Receiving individual awards of Jim White belt buckles were Senior Varsity champion Zak Sutton, runner-up Marcus Rosenstiel, third-place Katelyn Henry; Junior Varsity champ Gavin Glossner, runner-up Eli McKay, third-place Emmitt Whipkey; Intermediate Advanced champ Brendan Cole, runner-up Kory Taylor, third-place Benjamin Horne; Intermediate Entrance champ Grant Glossner, runner-up Andrew Wojtaszek, third-place Brayden Kmetz; Rookie champ Brady Moffatt, runner-up Oliver Zutter, third-place Flint Bolt; Collegiate champion Kenneth Jones, runner-up Nicolas Molchan, third-place Mason Mentzer.

This year we had three first 25 straights from Ethan Barr, James Dughi, and Jayden Bonham, as well as a first 50 straight for Tyler Jones. Eighty-one competitors lined up to do the honors at the hat shoot, possibly a record for Generations. This was the first registered NSSA competition for 26 athletes in attendance. It was a long day for referees Roy and Tim Holtz, Joe Vescovi, and Renee and Bill Calvert. They were great and kept the event on track. Catering by Pirates Cove for lunch and the ice cream social held at the Party Barn during the awards presentation were first class. Thanks to the parents, coaches, and family members that attended and made  the event special for the athletes. Thanks also to the Holtz family for allowing us to hold the SCTP championship at their beautiful facility.

– Contributed by Joe Gans III

Clinton-Irwin’s Klody Memorial

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The Clinton-Irwin Rod and Gun Club near Barkeyville, PA, hosted the 15th annual Klody Memorial Open on June 12. John Klody was a tireless volunteer at this club during the time that the second field was being built, and field 2 is named in his honor. 

Fourteen shooters shot at least one gun in this one-day, three-gun shoot. Evan Martin’s 195 took HOA champion honors; Brian Steinert was runner-up with 194.

The weather was cloudy and threatening with a bit of rain early and then began clearing in the afternoon with increasing humidity. Unfortunately, the prediction of rain for the entire day probably convinced some potential shooters to stay home.

Eight shooters went after doubles first thing in the morning. Don Steinert’s 94 was good for champion and B1. Other class firsts went to Brian Steinert (AA), Mark Eckert (A), Bill Sellitto (C) and Jason Callahan (D).

The 20-gauge came next, and 14 shooters participated. Brian Steinert was champion and AA1 after winning a shoot-off of 98s with Martin (runner-up and A1) and Tom Shields. B and D firsts went to Scott Hazlett and Andrew Hazlett, respectively.

Fourteen shooters also participated in the 28-gauge event in the afternoon. Paul Augustin shot a nice 98 and was champion and A1. Don Steinert, George Gleich and Mark Jones, respectively, took B1, C1 and D1.

Many thanks to everyone who helped. Shoot sign-up and scorekeeping was handled by Casey Vensel and Wayne Haines. Pullers and scorers included Wayne Haines, Terry Leake, Greg Lopata and Rich Vensel. Lenny Vensel loaded houses. Darlene Burns prepared and served food including sloppy joes, hot dogs, macaroni salad and deviled eggs.

Nice club, nice people, good birds, good lunch. Clinton-Irwin would love to see you at their upcoming August 5-7 four-gun shoot, The Lopata Classic.

– Contributed by George Gleich

JTH Agency Classic

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Left to right: HOA Champ Dan Morris, Shoot Sponsor John Hessney, HOA A1st Champ Clay Tietjen, and HOA RU Dess Ivanov.

Victor Rod and Gun Club in New York hosted the 2022 JTH Agency Classic from June 10 to June 12. This year’s event was the 33rd anniversary of this registered skeet tournament and the 18th consecutive year that John and Elizabeth Hessney, owners of the JTH Agency, sponsored the doubles and four-gun events. The Hessneys were very generous, as they always are, providing over $6,000 in added money and prizes for this year’s shoot. Shooters traveled from the Western New York region, Pennsylvania and Illinois to attend this well-respected tournament. We were delighted to have our Canadian friends be able to attend this year as the COVID border restrictions have eased.

The club members and shoot committee greeted the shooters. The VRGC website online registration helped speed the shooters through the registration process. After volatile spring weather in the Rochester area, Mother Nature provided a very pleasant weekend for shooting. The clubhouse and grounds were in tournament condition due to the hours of preparation work by our club’s volunteers. The members take great pride in hosting this event. We always strive to live up to the shoot’s tagline as the “Biggest Little Shoot in New York State.”

Friday afternoon started the competition with 44 shooters in the doubles event. No shooter was able to run all the targets. Squadmates Dess Ivanov and Steve Wood each posted excellent scores of 98. In a short shoot-off, Dess prevailed as champ with Steve taking the runner-up spot. Class winners were Craig Parsons (AA), Scott Janowski (A), Mike Haff (B), Al Grundman (C) and Mike Kinsella (D). After the conclusion of the shooting, the shooters were treated to a happy hour and meal compliments of Jim and Hilda Thompson. Thanks, Jim and Hilda!

Saturday’s weather cooperated with the shooters. The morning skies were partly cloudy with a little wind, but not bad for early summer in the Northeast. Fifty shooters took to the fields for Saturday’s competition with the .410 bore event first. No shooter was able to break 100 .410 targets. Brian (BJ) Jensen lost only one bird to finish with a field best of 99, claiming the champ’s title. Canadian Dan Morris and Pennsylvanian Mike Wojtecki posted 98s. Dan was runner-up after besting Mike in a shoot-off. Mike took the B class champ title. Other class winners were Dennis Lehman (AA), Don Lewandoski (A), Ron Casella (C) and John Yackiw (D).

The 20-gauge competition commenced on Saturday afternoon. Another full field of 50 shooters took to the fields. Mat Kelley and Clay Tietjen brought the first 100’s to the clubhouse. Mat triumphed as 20-gauge champ, with Clay becoming the runner-up. After the shoot-off clay dust settled, the class winners were Dan Morris (AA), Rick Laurito (A), Terry Prem (B), Guy Barr (C) and Joan Paddock (D).

This year, Pete Hamann generously donated $300 in added money for a special 20-gauge handicapped event for B-C-D class shooters only. Pete is the owner of Pete’s Stockworks & Shooting Supplies, LLC in Bloomfield, NY. Guy Barr won this year’s special 20-gauge handicapped event, with Doug Goodman and Kerry Henderson splitting the 2nd and 3rd place money. Thank you, Pete, for your generous support of this event and for all that you do for the recreational shooting community.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s shoot-offs, the shooters, family members, and gun club volunteers all enjoyed a great happy hour and a succulent steak dinner donated by a group of Victor Rod and Gun Club members. The steaks were grilled to perfection, and all savored them to the last bite. Jim Hunter emceed the night’s events and got the festivities started. As a special note, Jim Hunter is one of the founders of this shoot. Thanks, JimBob, for all of your contributions to this registered shoot over the past 33 years.

Sunday’s weather was ominous with a forecast that included possible thunderstorms. Undaunted, 50 shooters went to the fields to compete in the 28-gauge and 54 in the 12-gauge event. Much to the delight of the shooters, the weather held off until near the end of day. First up was the 28-gauge event. The winds were calm, and Ivanov and Wood took advantage by running all 100 targets. After a friendly shoot-off, Steve Wood came out the 28-gauge champ, with Dess Ivanov being the runner-up. Scott Janowski’s score of 99 earned him the AA title. Other class winners were Colin Smingler (A), Clay Tietjen (B), Mike Kinsella (C) and Joan Paddock (D).

Sunday afternoon featured the 12-gauge event. Three shooters – Ivanov, Morris and Justin Aldrich – crushed all 100 targets. After a very competitive and hard-fought shoot-off, Ivanov took home the 12-gauge title, with Morris being the runner-up, and Aldrich claiming the A1 title. Other class winners were Steve Wood (AA), Jim Reilly (B), John Yackiw (C), Todd Abbey (D), and Emily Streber (E).

As a special note, during the 12-gauge competition, Don Lewandoski shot his 50,000th registered target. Congratulations, Don!

For the third consecutive year, a 395×400 was the top HOA score. This year, though, both Dan Morris and Dess Ivanov posted the 395s. Morris won the shoot-off to claim the 2022 JTH Agency Classic HOA title. Ivanov finished as the runner-up. The class winners were Mathew Kelley (AA), Clay Tietjen (A), Brian Jensen (B), Kerry Henderson (C) and Joan Paddock (D).

For the tenth consecutive shoot, the HOA competition featured the added handicapped HOA Challenge. All four-gun shooters were eligible to enter this event, named “Joe’s Challenge” in memory of Joe Strazzeri. Joe was a great skeet shooter and a stalwart of the Victor Rod and Gun Club. Sadly, we lost Joe to pancreatic cancer in November, 2018. Joe was a great friend to all that knew him. He is greatly missed, but always remembered. Our shoot sponsors, John and Elizabeth, added a bounty of prizes for this event including two Beretta shotguns and a Briley gift certificate. Needless to say, the event drew great interest from the shooters. The score board was watched closely at the conclusion of each event. When the results were all in, Clay Tietjen took home a 20-gauge Beretta A400 Action shotgun, Dan Morris won the 12-gauge Beretta A400 XCEL shotgun, and Dess Ivanov won the Briley gift certificate. Congrats to all winners of this year’s “Joe’s Challenge” handicapped HOA event.

Special thanks go out to our shoot chairman Andy Nolan who manages the shoot project. He has strong support from Keith, Max, Hilda and Jim T., John Y, Terry P, Ron B and many others. Also, thanks to Dan Caryl and the great crew of fine referees. We cannot thank shoot sponsors John and Elizabeth Hessney enough for their support and generosity. Each year they give back to the sport by sponsoring this fine shoot. John and Elizabeth are the owners and proprietors of the JTH Agency. They sell quality firearms, apparel, and accessories for the recreational shooting sports. Check out the store online at www.jthagency.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2023 JTH Agency Classic!

– Contributed by Wes Bailey

Pictured left to right are HOA Champ Dan Morris, Shoot Sponsor John Hessney, HOA A1st Champ Clay Tietjen, and HOA runner-up Dess Ivanov.

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