The 64th Canadian Skeet Championships were held in Courtenay, British Columbia, during the weekend of June 28-30. The grounds of the Courtenay and District Fish and Game Protective Association were in excellent shape. Over 40 shooters participated, and the organizers were pleased to welcome guests from five different Canadian provinces. While it is mandated that the championship tournament be moved around the country, this was the first time the event had been held in British Columbia. The volunteers at the club went above and beyond to ensure that the participants and organizers were made to feel welcome.

The program commenced on Friday afternoon with the Doubles event. The podium consisted of Dean Herzberg, champion; Brad McRae, runner-up; and Bob La Rue, third. Class winners from AA to D were Steve Loveday, Hilton Robinson, Greg Meister, Elizabeth Hoeppner and Chris Watters. Matthew Bauer was Junior Champ, and Ladies Champion was Lisa Cunningham.

Dean Herzberg captured the 12-Gauge Championship after a shoot-off of 100s with Bob La Rue. Third place was taken by John Sanderson with the lone 99. Class champions were Brad McRae (AA), James Whyte (A), Rob Broadfoot (B), Joe Craig (C), Greg Metz (D) and Rudy Luiken (E). Junior Champion was Matthew Bauer, and Lady Champ was Marcia Postle, after a shoot-off with Elizabeth Hoeppner.

Saturday also found us completing the 20–gauge event. Steve Loveday edged out Bob La Rue for the championship. Steve Malcolm placed third, with class championships going to Herzberg, Whyte, Larry Way, John Dong and Joe Craig. Marcia Postle garnered another Ladies Championship with her 98, and Matthew Bauer continued on his sweep of the Junior Championship race. The highlight of the shoot-offs was the absolute drubbing that Dean Herzberg and Steve Malcolm placed on the Ottawa Boys (McRae and Loveday) and the BC Team (LaRue and McMichael). No one knows who came in second!

After shoot-offs were over, the volunteers of the club hosted a fabulous steak dinner for the attendees. Of course, since the Pacific Ocean was about 15 minutes away, we were treated to salmon and oysters. Many comments were made about how much better Pacific salmon is than Atlantic salmon. Since none of our East Coast shooters made the trip, the vote was unanimous that Pacific salmon is much better.

Sunday was the day for the 28-gauge and. 410 events. Dean Herzberg posted the lone 100 to take the 28-Gauge Championship outright. The runner-up and third-place buckles were won by John Sanderson and Greg Meister after they posted 99s. Yes, Matthew Bauer won the Junior title, but there was a change in the Ladies race with Lisa Cunningham’s 97 taking the medal, along with the B class medal. Yes, she had on her lucky orange 28-gauge socks! Other class winners were McRae (AA), Kevin Jarocki (A), Craig (C) and Earl Kreutzer (D) with a fine 93.

Two 98s shot off for the top spots in the .410 event. Brad McRae hung on to beat James Whyte. Close behind them with 97s were Steve Loveday, third, and Kevin Jarocki (B Class Champion). Other class winners were Bob LaRue (AA), Herzberg (A), Marcia Postle (C) and Kreutzer (D). Bauer did make it five in a row for the Junior medal, and Lisa Cunningham won her third Ladies championship of the weekend.

The HOA race was truly a weekend long race. Both Bob La Rue and Dean Herzberg ran two 100s over the two days, but Dean managed to pull off the HOA Championship with his 393. La Rue’s solid shooting won the runner-up position, and Steve Loveday placed third. Brad McRae took AA class, Veteran James Whyte had a stellar 388 for A1, John Sanderson took B, and new shooter Greg Metz from Saskatchewan captured C class with a 374. Evidently, it is helpful to build your own skeet field on your farm! Elizabeth Hoeppner took the D class medal, while, of course, Matthew Bauer had a clean sweep in the Junior category. Marcia Postle held on for the Ladies HOA belt buckle. 94-year-old Jim Webster from Saskatchewan scored a 325 over the four events. In his words, ”I could have shot better.” In our words, folks like Jim Webster put the word “Super” in the Super Veteran class!

On behalf of the Canadian Championships Committee, which consists of Steve Loveday, Brad McRae and Steve Malcolm, many thanks go to our referee crew, the volunteers at the Courtenay Club, our sponsors and all of the shooters.

– Contributed by Steve Malcolm
– Photo Credit to Shirl Leggett and Tom Walker

The Fort Bragg Clay Target Center in Spring Lake, North Carolina, was the site for the Paratrooper Open on July 12-14, drawing a total of 98 competitors, including five Sub-Junior, 18 Junior and three Collegiate shooters. We were pleased to welcome shooters from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. Despite very high temperatures and a heat index around 100, shooters persevered and posted great scores.

Stuart Brown won HOA with a 399. HOA runner-up was Henry Hardin (397), and Katherine Adams won a shoot-off of 395s to take gun third. HOA plaques were also awarded to Trace Davis, Sub-Junior Champion with a 385; Henry Hardin, Junior Champion; and Katherine Adams, Lady Champion. HOA class winners were Michael Schmidt (AAA), Riley Dellinger (AA), Tom Myaard (A), Chris Brown (B), Ron Hostinsky (C), and Josh Parks (D).

There were three 99s in Doubles. Michael Schmidt won the shoot-off for champion, Riley Dellinger was runner-up, and Larson Harkins came in third. Class winners were Thomas Miles (AAA), Alison Boyette (AA), Mason Watkins (A), Matthew Eller (B), William Davis (C) and Aryssa Bowland (D). Sub-Junior Champion was Trace Davis, Junior was Larson Harkins, Collegiate was Riley Dellinger, and Lady Champion was Alison Boyette.

Twelve competitors shot perfect scores in the 12-gauge event, making for an exciting shoot-off. Bruce Colclough was champion, Henry Hardin runner-up and Stuart Brown third. Class winners were Kevin Suitt (AAA), Jay Bunting (AA), Bill Wilson (A), Anna Wood (B), Bobby Jeffers (C), John Jones (D) and Hadley Russell (E). The youth winners each shot perfect 100s: Trace Davis, Sub-Junior; Henry Hardin, Junior; and Noah Dove, Collegiate. Anna Wood, a Junior shooter, won Lady Champion with a score of 99.

Michael Schmidt won the 20-gauge shoot-off, with Thomas Myaard runner-up and Katherine Adams third. C

lass winners were Larson Harkins (AAA), Scott Graham (AA), Grayson Williams (A), William Grubb (B), Ron Hostinsky (C) and John Parker (D).

After shoot-offs Saturday evening, shooters and guests socialized over a meal of fried chicken, sides, and a smorgasbord of desserts. Surprisingly, many shooters still had energy and participated in a challenging shooting game where random teams of two shooters shot trap targets from the skeet stations – very entertaining and a lot of laughs for the shooters and observers.

The 28-gauge shoot-off, with six perfect scores of 100, resulted in Katherine Adams winning the championship, Kevin Hostinsky runner-up, Grayson Williams third, Henry Hardin AA1, Corrie Cloninger A1, and Ron Hostinsky B1. Other class winners were Jay Bunting (AAA), Josh Parks (C) and Josie Cloninger (D). Sub-Junior Champion was Trace Davis, Junior Champion was Grayson Williams, Collegiate Champion was Riley Dellinger, and Lady Champ was Katherine Adams.

Stuart Brown won the final event, the .410 Bore, with the only score of 100. Runner-up was Riley Dellinger (99). Scores of 98 shot off, with Michael Schmidt winning third, Katherine Adams AAA1, Mark Smith AA1 and Henry Hardin A1. Wally Merritt was B1, John Parker C1, and Peter Ruffin D1. Sub-Junior Champion was Trace Davis, Junior Champion Henry Hardin, Collegiate Champion was Riley Dellinger and Katherine Adams was Lady Champion.

Several shooters met personal goals at this shoot and had their hats shot. Anna Wood, a Junior, shot her first 75 straight in 12 gauge. Josie Cloninger, a Sub-Junior in her first year of shooting, shot her first 25 straight in both 20 gauge and .410 bore. Ron Hostinsky shot his first-ever 100 straight in the 28-gauge event. Addison Samson, a Junior, shot her first 25 straight in .410 Bore. Also, Hadley Russell shot her personal best of 93 in the 12-gauge event and a 94 in the 20-gauge event.

The weekend was a great success and was possible through the help of many folks. Thanks to the Fort Bragg Clay Target Center manager and staff—the targets were great, and first-time attendees were complimentary of the facility. Thanks to the referees for all their hard work in the Carolina heat and humidity! Also, to all the shooters, parents and spouses who volunteered to help with everything from keeping water on the fields, to setting up meals and clean-up, our sincere appreciation.

– Contributed by Belinda and Jim Tiner

For those who haven’t heard of the Poco Loco, it’s a 4X100 .410 shoot first held in 2010 at St. Valley Conservation Club, home of the Mid-America and the Harry Michelson Open, as well as the 2014 U.S. Open. St. Joe Valley is one of the finest facilities in the Midwest, with 12 perfectly engineered fields and grass so lush a small dog could disappear in it! The all-volunteer staff out-shine themselves every year, and we are fortunate that they wanted to host the Poco, which has steadily grown over its 10 years, hitting the goal of 100 entries this year. The competition was fierce, with shooters from 13 states (including representation from both coasts), Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand. Alas, this one would be the last, which might have helped generate the increased participation.

A lone 100 by Charlie Parks won the first event, and four 99s shot off for runner-up and third, with Richard Funk victorious over Bruce Christian, St. Joe’s “workhorse.” Not only is he the head mechanic, but also the club president. Gordon Novak was AAA1 and Dave Scott AA1. A shoot-off of 97s decided A class, with David Chancellor coming out on top. Denny Meinert (B), Mark Parker (C) and Nicholas Schoeplein (D) won their classes outright. Pam Larrowe was Lady Champ.

Event 2 was also won with a lone 100 by Dennis Jameson, and Sue Huszai’s lone 99 earned her the runner-up position as well as Lady Champ. Five 98s shot off for the last spot on the podium, which went to Brent Edwards, with Ben Gallup AAA1, Andrew Bielman AA1 and Owen Knight A1. Mark Van Ryzin won his shoot-off of 96s for B1; Ron Galloway won C class outright with a 96; and Jason King won his shoot-off of 89s for D1.

In between events, we took a break to dine on the fabulous fare offered by Jim Casaburro, the owner, and his head chef, Al, from everyone’s favorite local restaurant, Casa Ristoranti Italiano, along with a variety of pies and cookies from the Amish Dutch Heritage Bakery. Then, it was (albeit a little sluggishly) back to the fields for the afternoon event. After the completion of shoot-offs, everyone was treated to more fine fare from Casa.

Event 3 saw two perfect scores, with Gallup besting Bruce Poyer for the top step on the podium. Three 99s shot off for third, with Parks victorious over Scott (AA1) and Steve Loveday (AA2). Shoot-offs of 98s earned Novak AAA1 and Jim Sykes A1. Trish Magyar won B class outright with her 97 and won her shoot-off for Lady Champ. Wilfred (C1) and Nicholas (D1) Schoeplein won their classes outright.

The fourth and, alas, final event was won again with a lone 100 from Gallup. Knight won the shoot-off of 99s for runner-up, with Edwards third and Chancellor A1. Four 97s shot off for AA, with Bryan Rogers triumphant. Steve Burrows (B), Kirby Hedrick (C) and Nicholas Schoeplein (D) were at the top of their classes, with Susan Huszai the Lady Champ.

Gallup took the HOA Championship with a 393 over Novak, runner-up (391). Scott won the shoot-off of 390s for third over Edwards (AAA1). The remaining class winners were Jameson (AA), Knight (A), Van Ryzin (B), Galloway (C) and Nicholas Schoeplein (D). Huszai was Lady Champ.

Over the course of the Poco’s 10 years, over 280,000 targets were thrown. It would have been more than 300,000 had it not been for the weather-ravaged shoot in 2015 when a huge storm rolled through in the wee hours before the first event, knocking out all of the power in the area. Fortunately, Casa’s catering van was able to make it to the club with everything they needed to keep the food warm and feed everyone. We all sat around the clubhouse reading, playing cards and telling tall tales for a day and a half waiting for the lights to come on, which fortunately happened in time to throw one event Sunday afternoon. Over the 10 years of the Poco Loco, there were 37 events, with an average number of entries of 75, which saw 60 perfect scores and 116 just missing perfect with 99; two perfect 400s, both shot by Paul Giambrone, III; a 399 by Craig Parsons, who didn’t win the HOA because of the 400; over 2,800 entries; and total payouts of over $270,000 – that’s an average of $7,300/event. And, there were 14 shooters and referees who attended all 10 shoots. So, in addition to those who were multiple-time attendees, there were also a lot of newbies coming out to shoot 400 .410 targets.

Of course, the shoot, with all of its goodies – this year’s entry gift was a hand-made leather shell carrier made by Al Ange, along with special “10th” hats and towels – and huge payouts would not have been possible without the sponsorship of the Three Juans: John Haugh, John Ramagli and John Waters. The shoot was the brainchild of John Haugh. The referees are the best of the best. The members and volunteers from St. Joe Valley Conservation Club also deserve a most hearty “thank you” for all their tireless efforts – this shoot wouldn’t have been the success it was without them. Bruce Christian, too, deserves recognition; not only was he one of the individuals who attended all the shoots, but he was also responsible for making sure that everyone had great targets. If you want to experience St. Joe, I encourage you to make plans to attend one of their shoots; it is also one of the sites for the 2020 Kolar U.S. Open iShoot. It’s a top-notch facility, and the hospitality of the members is unsurpassed.

– Contributed by Trish Magyar

Tarentum District Sportsmen’s Club (TDSC) near Sarver, Pennsylvania again held their Patriot 200 on July 4. Thirty-one shooters participated. Chris Kline was HOA Champion with a nifty 196, and Debra Meade was HOA runner-up and Ladies Champion with her 189.

The weather was hot and humid – a typical July day!

Tim Holtz ran them in the 12-gauge event in the morning and won the big-gun championship outright; Adam Vollmer’s 99 was good for runner-up honors. Class firsts in the 12 went to Josh Crofutt (AA), Mike Rykaczewski Jr. (A), Sam Marks Sr. (B), Don Watt (C) and Colby Eckert (D), after winning a shoot-off with Donnie Watts. Colby is a Sub-Junior shooter from St. Marys, Pennsylvania, and this was his first shoot-off victory.

Lunch was excellent, with food provided by club members. Regina Nemurgut was in charge of the food, which included tasty fried chicken, cowboy beans, macaroni salad, pasta salad and homemade bread (Nick Sisley’s recipe baked by Marie Palmer). Several yummy desserts were also provided, and the cold keg of root beer was very popular, especially over vanilla ice cream in a glass.

In the afternoon, Chris Kline was Doubles gun champ with his 98; Ernie Avolio’s 92 took runner-up. Mike Wollard, Meade, John Avolio, Morgan Evans and Harry Simonovich, respectively, topped AA, A, B, C and D classes.

Kudos to Mike Rykaczewski Sr. and Gary Trilli for shoot management. Many thanks also to John, Chris and Sean Smith, Mike Rykaczewski Jr., Tim Holtz and Jerry McCullough for pulling and scoring in the heat and humidity.

– Contributed by George Gleich

The 2019 Harry Wright Open was held at Loch Raven Skeet & Trap Club in Maryland over the July 4 weekend. Despite high temperatures, the shoot was a huge success!

Winners were: Mark Gay, 12-Gauge Champion with a perfect 100; Alessandro Vitale, 20-Gauge Champion with 100; Katherine Adams, 28-Gauge Champion with 100; Sam Armstrong, .410 Champion with 100; and John Myrick, Doubles Champion with 99. Katherine Adams was the HOA Champion.

– Contributed by Alessandro Vitale