Clay Target Nation

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

The Grizzly at New Pioneer Gun Club

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With near-perfect weather conditions over the Labor Day weekend, skeet shooters from seven states came to track down the coveted trophy at The Grizzly shoot at New Pioneer Gun Club in Waukee, Iowa. It was also a renewal of the old traditions that have made this mid-size shoot one of the finest in the nation. The club brought back the High Handicap All-Around (HHAA) event, a prize-rich event that can be won by shooters of any class. The trophy was a Browning Buck Mark .22 pistol, valued at over $500.

Along with the trophy and other riches, there was fun, music, food and friendship. This shoot has brought good friends and new participants together for years. The New York strips were catered in from Rubes steak house and the live music was performed by Rob Lumbard. It doesn’t get any better than that.

The winner of the HHAA, with a 499, as well as the 12-gauge, was Mark VanderBloomer from Minnesota. Bob Rick, also from Minnesota, won the 20-gauge and 28-gauge with awesome shoot-offs, after running 100 straights in both. Iowa’s Dave McMillen won the .410 with a lone 98. Best of all, he brought a delicious cake for all the shooters to enjoy. Doubles was captured by Mike Jones from Iowa, with a 99. HAA and HOA honors went to Iowa’s Keith Brace with a 490 and 393, respectively. Keith did an outstanding job of coordinating the shoot committee and reaching out to Scheels to partner with us to be our main sponsor of the shoot. Chuck Follett also raised advertising funds for event sponsors. It’s a team effort, and we know next year will be even bigger. Thank you to Keith, NPGC board members and volunteers, sponsors, and most importantly, the shooters that came to Iowa to share this weekend.

– Contributed by Frank DeMarco

Couples Shoot at Generations Skeet Club

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The fifth annual Couples Shoot was held at Generations Skeet Club near Patton, Pennsylvania, on September 15. The weather was great, mid-70s and mostly sunny with just enough wind to keep it interesting. Some visitors think the wind never stops blowing at Generations; just for the record, it does stop occasionally.

The Couples Shoot was initiated in 2015 by Generations to introduce new shooters, especially ladies and younger shooters, to skeet, to have fun shooting while stressing gun safety, to enjoy an early autumn afternoon with a fine group of people and, of course, to eat! Fourteen couples participated in 2015, and this year 33 couples were involved – down a few couples from last year, but still a fabulous turnout. There are not many registered skeet shoots in the country that have 33 female participants. The Couples Shoot birds were not registered, but just having that many ladies participating in one skeet shoot is quite an accomplishment.

Shooting began at noon, and all four of the skeet fields were soon buzzing. At least 14 of the participants were first-time shooters, some as young as 11 years old. There were several father-daughter pairs, several boyfriend-girlfriend pairs and many husband-wife pairs. Coaches, including Joe and Michael Vescovi, Tim, Ryan and Roy Holtz, Chris Kline, Jack Makdad, Mark Saussure and George Gleich, were present on each field to help new shooters, and any not-so-new shooters that wanted help. Generations provided shotguns, shells and eye and ear protection to those who needed them. Pullers and scorers included Paige McMullen and Abby Lansbury, both of whom are regulars for helping run the Wednesday night skeet league here and do a great job. Paige and Abby also joined in on the shooting fun and did quite well.

Squads of four, six and eight people participated. All NSSA safety rules were strictly enforced, but some of the non-safety-related rules were slightly bent at times to help new shooters. For example, some new shooters shot four singles instead of two singles and a double at times, and congratulating a new shooter each time they smoked a bird was encouraged.

At approximately 4 p.m., after everyone had shot at 50 birds (two rounds), shoot-offs began. Top-secret handicaps were applied, which allowed all 33 couples to participate in doubles at 3, 4 and 5. The shoot-offs were also handicapped, with experienced shooters receiving no targets and rookies getting 4. Following the first round of shoot-offs, the remaining shooters proceeded to field 2 for the finals. A large crowd of spectators watched and cheered as the winners were decided.

Father and daughter Jack and Emily Harshbarger emerged as the Couples Shoot Champions. Emily received the custom tiara bedecked with spent shotgun shells. Shoot runners-up were Chris and Ashley Kline, while third place went to Andy and Paige McMullen, another father-daughter duo. The champs received engraved drinking glasses, two pizzas and four dozen wings from Patton Sportsman’s and free targets from Generations. Runner-up and third place finishers received $25 gift cards from Pirate’s Cove and free targets from Generations.

After the shooting was done, people moved to The Barn, about 200 yards from the skeet clubhouse, for a fine picnic-style dinner. Ryan Holtz cooked the chicken on-site, and many people brought covered dishes and desserts. There was plenty of food and drink on hand and lots of lively discussion among old and new friends. All in all, a fitting ending to a very pleasant day.

Many thanks to the Generations skeet family for hosting a great event. Many of the participants are already planning to do it again next year.

– Contributed by George Gleich

Nick Sisley .410 Memorial

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Tarentum District Sportsmen’s Club (TDSC) held its inaugural Nick Sisley Four Hundred Ten Memorial Shoot on August 17. Nick, who passed away earlier this year, was especially fond of the little gun. Thirty-one participants shot to honor Nick’s memory, including 18 who shot 100 registered .410 skeet targets, three who shot 50 non-registered .410 skeet targets, and 10, mostly TDSC trap shooters, who shot 50 non-registered 12-gauge skeet targets.

Mike Ryckaczewski Jr. had a very nice 97 and was .410 Champion, while Josh Crofutt’s 94 was good for runner-up. Class firsts went to Tom Shields (A), Ernie Anderson (B), Bob Waite (C) and Mike Ryckacewski Sr. (D).

Sean, John and Tyler Smith shot 45, 41 and 22 out of 50 with the .410; this was 12-year-old Tyler’s first attempt at skeet with the .410.

Chris Smith (43/50) and John Obringer (39/50) posted the high scores among the 12-gauge shooters. Obringer traveled from Colorado to participate in this shoot and honor Nick. Beth Carney shot the 28-gauge for the first time.

Brad King, Bryson Fox and Brian Fox shot their first registered birds and received Complimentary Limited Memberships to NSSA.

A great lunch was provided, including homemade bread made by Marie Palmer from Nick Sisley’s recipe – Nick always baked bread for the shoots.

A tribute to Nick was held after lunch. Everyone gathered in front of TDSC’s beautiful new clubhouse, and numerous people shared their memories of shooting with and being around Nick, including Paul McConville who was skeet chairman at Tarentum when Nick began shooting there many years ago. It was announced that the clubhouse was to be named the “Nick Sisley Clubhouse,” and a lovely plaque was dedicated. Nick’s wife Maryann and daughter Maria were there, along with Maria’s husband David McTarnaghan, and they presented a beautiful plaque celebrating his life with the words “He wrote…He Shot…He Flew.”

Nick was a celebrated outdoor writer, perhaps best known for his ruffed grouse books and articles. He was a life member of NSSA and shot his 100,000th registered skeet target in 2018; he also wrote many articles for Skeet Shooting Review, Sporting Clays Magazine and many other publications. Pigeon hunting trips to South America were a favorite. He had his private pilot’s license and his own airplane and loved to fly.

Despite all these vocations/avocations, the underlying sentiment from comments about Nick were that he was a consummate gentleman, and he loved to help people learn how to shoot skeet, especially youngsters and ladies just learning the game. Nick Sisley was a long-time member of TDSC, and the club will be a better place now that it has the Nick Sisley Clubhouse!

– Contributed by George Gleich

81st Virginia State Skeet Championships

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The 81st Virginia State Skeet Championships were held on August 14-18 at the Fredericksburg Rod & Gun Club. It had been five years since Fredericksburg hosted the State Shoot, but the club was ready. Everything went smoothly.

A total of 138 shooters shot the events offered: 27 shot the 20-gauge preliminary, 89 shot doubles, 129 shot the 12-gauge, 123 shot the 20-gauge, 119 shot the 28-gauge and 107 shot the .410-bore.

Keythe Hancock won the 20-Gauge Preliminary Championship for the second year. Top honors in doubles went to Junior shooter John McKeel, champion; Jacob Davis, runner-up; and Meredith Tunick Kling, third. Top honors in the 12-gauge event went to Doug Frazier, champion; John Snyder, runner-up; and Jeff Bond, third. Winners in the 20-gauge event were Junior shooter Mattison Russell, champion; Meredith Kling, runner-up; and Muhamed El-Zoghbi, third. In the 28-gauge event, Jeff Bond was champion; Meredith Kling, runner-up; and Charlie Souter, third. Honors in the .410-bore event went to Garrett Jordan, champion; Mark Scott, runner-up; and Mattison Russell, third. Garrett Jordan won both the HOA and HAA Championships with scores of 396 and 492.

There were only five perfect scores all week, with Mattison Russell shooting the only 100 in the 20-gauge event, and Jeff Bond, Meredith Kling, Charlie Souter and Garrett Jordan shooting 100s in the 28-gauge. Top score in the 12-gauge event was a 99, in the .410 a 98, and in Doubles a 99.

This is the first time the State Shoot offered the First Responder concurrent. Meredith and Steve Kling donated a plaque for the First Responder HOA Champion. Frederick Wood won the championship in the 12- and 28-gauge, and Steve Kling won the 20-gauge, .410-bore, doubles and HOA.

The Milton Mills Memorial, established in 2018, provided awards and benefits to Sub-Junior and Junior shooters participating in the VSSA Championships. The Memorial paid the entry fees in 12- and 20-gauge for these young shooters, and awards were presented to the champion and runner-up Sub-Junior and Junior shooters in both gauges. Champions in 12-gauge were Garrett Baisey (Sub-Junior) and Mattison Russell (Junior). Champions for 20-gauge were sisters Hadley Russell (Sub-Junior) and Mattison Russell (Junior). In addition, the Bond NSSA Life Membership Award for Sub-Junior or Junior HOA Champion was awarded to Garrett Baisey.

At Friday night’s General Membership meeting, VSSA recognized the 2019 State Team members and presented awards. Sportsman of the Year was awarded to Mark Scott for his contributions to Virginia skeet. Referee of the Year was awarded to Mark Parker. Winner of the free World Shoot entry was Nick Gravina.

At the Directors meeting following the General Membership meeting, there was a discussion and vote of intent to change the State Shoot date from the third weekend in August to the second weekend in September, beginning in 2020. Final vote will be made at the November meeting.

On Saturday night was the Hall of Fame Banquet. Dinner was prepared and served by the Halifax County Gun Club members. Inducted into the Hall of Fame was Bill Chiswell for his many years of contributing to Virginia skeet. Also inducted posthumously was Aubrey Webb for his contributions while serving as Virginia’s Chief Referee, 1963-1982. Aubrey’s nephews, Earl and Wayne Johnson, accepted his plaque and entertained attendees with stories of Aubrey.

Many people are deserving of thanks for a well-run shoot, delicious food, and support in and around the club before and during the shoot. Bill Chiswell and his crew from Halifax prepared party food for the General Membership meeting. This is Bill’s last year as Party Chairman – many thanks to Bill for his years of service. The Halifax Club members who prepared the Hall of Fame dinner did an outstanding job of serving delicious food and plenty of it. Bud Hitchcock, Skeet Chairman, with the help of Nick Gravina and Mark Scott, had all the houses loaded and ready for the shooters. Lane Hartle had referees from all over the country to pull targets. Mark and Darlene Parker distributed all the awards and are experts at keeping track of all the winners. Registration Chief Tonda Finney and her crew of Kristi Garstang, Jackie Connors, and Hannah Goddard kept the whole thing together. Excellent job, ladies and gentlemen.

The next State Shoot will be at Arrowhead Gun Club. Make plans now to attend.

– Contributed by Judy Harding

Maryland State Skeet Championship

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The annual Maryland State Skeet Championship was held at Loch Raven Skeet and Trap in Phoenix, Maryland, on September 6-8. In the days prior to the shoot, everyone was keeping a watchful eye on hurricane Dorian. As the hurricane worked its way up the coast, many were concerned that its path would be to the west and drew a sigh of relief when it moved eastward. But other than a slight wind during the doubles, it was a beautiful weather weekend for the Maryland State competitors.

Since the Maryland State Championship is an open state shoot, there are both open winners and state winners. Quite often they are the same person, but many times they are not. In this write-up, we will only include the Maryland State Champions, but you can see all the winners in the shoot results.

In Friday afternoon doubles, the little wind remaining from Dorian resulted in a lone 100 shot by Alessandro Vitale. Mark Gay’s 97 won state runner-up, followed by David Outen in third. Maryland State class winners in doubles were Maj Tavakoli (A), Debbi Perry (B), Robert Tinder (C) and Carol Ebling (D).

The weather on Saturday for the 12-gauge event was another beautiful day, resulting in another lone 100 straight, this time by Alan Whiting, followed by two 99s shot by Alessandro Vitale and Aaron Amick. Vitale won their shoot-out and claimed runner-up, with Aaron taking third. Class winners were Jon Senzer (AAA), Chad Everett (AA), Kevin Spessard (A), Jonathan Myrick (B), David Outen (C), C.J. Brendle (D) and Tom Fowler (E). The 20-gauge resulted in two perfect scores. When the shoot-off concluded, Chad Everett was champion, with Mark Gay as runner-up. Alessandro Vitale beat Gil Traore and Bob Tinder in a 99 shoot-off for third. Class winners were Jon Senzer (AAA), Alan Whiting (AA), Gil Traore (A), Bob Tinder (B), Paul D’Amato (C) and Tom Fowler (D).

After shoot-offs, the competitors were treated to all-you-can-eat BBQ from Adam’s Rib. A raffle was conducted, and everyone got at least one prize, which included Frogg Togg towels, umbrellas, shoot towels, hats and much more. After a spirited and successful raffle, the 2018 Maryland first, second, and honorable mention team awards were presented. Maryland State elections were then conducted resulting in Dan Pardoe as president, Jonathan Myrick as vice president, and Mark Gay returning as secretary/Treasurer. Joe Weinbrecht, as past president, was presented with a beautiful, locally carved duck decoy as a sincere thank you for his six years of service.

Sunday was another picture-perfect weather day. When the 28-gauge concluded, there were two perfect scores, and both were first 100 straights! After the shooting of hats, Gil Traore and John Wells Jr. took to the shoot-off field, with John claiming the champion title and Gil runner-up. Three 99s shot off for third, with Alessandro Vitale taking the last spot on the podium. Class winners were Mark Gay (AAA), Alan Whiting (AA), Maj Tavakoli (A), Aaron Amick (B), Dana Hood (C) and William Fields (D).

Sunday afternoon concluded with the Maryland State .410 event, and a pair of 99s topped the leaderboard, resulting in Alessandro Vitale as champion and Mark Polek as runner-up. Gilbert Troare and John Wells Jr. met again in the shoot-off for third, with Troare as the winner. Class winners include Mark Gay (AAA), Senzer (AA), John Wells Jr. (A), Robert Tinder (B), John Wells (C) and Kirk Evans (D).

HOA champ, runner-up and third were settled without shoot-offs, with Alessandro Vitale winning, followed by Gil Traore as runner-up and Mark Gay completing the podium. Class winners were Jon Senzer (AA), Alan Whiting (A), Bill Walmsley (B), Richard Garre (C), Brian Vess (D) and Dana Hood (E). Coryn Dietz won all the Sub-Junior events, and Debbi Perry won all the Lady events for the weekend.

Many thanks to our sponsors and volunteers. We could not have a successful shoot without all of them. Special thanks to Joe Weinbrecht, our past president and skeet chairman, and to Paul D’Amato for working tirelessly on the machines to give us good targets. All of the Maryland State officers deserve a big thank you for all their hard work.

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