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Kasle Family Charity Shoot

December 23, 2024 By Cara Woodard

HOA Winners – Connor Thigpen – CH, Steve Wood – RU, Andy Peter – 3RD

Ahh, September! When the nights are cool and the days are warm and sunny! The Kasle Family Charity Shoot, held September 13-15 at the Detroit Gun Club, was blessed with perfect weather. At capacity, with a few first-timers and a number of our friends from abroad, everyone in attendance was anticipating the Saturday night show that is the hallmark of the Kasle Open. The shoot kicks off with a .410 bore, 75-target Event 6 in which the top 10 scores plus the high lady participate in a themed shoot-off Saturday night, complete with costumes. Three 75s and six 74s automatically qualified for the finals, while six 73s that included the high lady had a shoot-in for the remaining spot, setting the stage for the 11 shooters to compete for bragging rights and the coveted crystal bowl.

Doubles – Friday afternoon saw three perfect scores, making the podium easy to sort out. Mark Vaillancourt missed early in the first box, settling for third, leaving Sheaffer Stanfill and Ed Smith to slug it out for the next four boxes, with Stanfill emerging as the victor. The 99s shot off for places in AAA and AA, with Gordon Novak and David Miles the respective winners, while Brendan Appel (A1), Jeff Desano (B1), Dan Lauderback (C1) and Cheryl Henderson (D1) won their classes outright. Diana Riddle was Lady Champ and Connor Thigpen, Junior Champion.

12- and 20-Gauge – Saturday morning’s conditions were severe clear, quickly warming up into the 70’s with no wind. Not surprisingly, there were 19 100s posted in the 12-gauge and 15 perfect scores in the 20-gauge. Add to that the plethora of 99s, and over 30% of the participants missed none or one target. It’s a wonder there weren’t more 100 straights. Now, to the shoot-offs: Five shooters made it through the first box of the 12-Gauge Championship. Alessandro Vitale missed late in box two to take third place, leaving two shooters who completed the round. Halfway through box three, youth and exuberance won out over age and treachery, with Stanfill the victor over Mike Schmidt. Steve Wood’s (AAA) and Sean Rosencrantz’s (AA) 100s put them at the top of their classes. David Schiebel (A) and Hal Wendling (C) won their shoot-offs, while Scott Daniels (B) and Lauderback (D) were at the top of their classes. Diana Riddle was Lady Champ and Tyler Wildman, Junior Champ.

In the 20-gauge event, the 100 straights took the field and, just like last year, there were only two still standing after the first box – Jack Krispin and Steve Wood. Four pairs into box two, Krispin was the victor over Wood. Bruce Christian took third place, with Miles (AAA) and Mason Reed (AA) taking top class honors with their 100s. Daniels was A1 after his shoot-off, and Bill Nielsen (B), Adam Taylor (C) and Cheryl Henderson (D) were high in their classes. Diana Riddle repeated as Lady Champ, as did Tyler Wildman for Junior Champ. With two events in the books, there were eight shooters perfect and another 10 down only one target.

Kasle Cup – This was the 26th Kasle Charity Shoot, and over the years the Cup has had different sponsors and, hence, different names. But the idea behind the event has always remained the same – to put some fun back into skeet shooting. Each year has had a different theme, with the shooters making it to the finals dressing the part; at times the contestants are on different teams, with the crowd always getting into the action. The themes over the years have been WWF; Rock Stars; West-Side Story (Sharks vs Jets); Heroes and Villains; NFL (AFC vs NFC); NASCAR; Professional Rodeo; Pirates; the Olympics; Woodstock; Caddy Shack; Top Shot; Slap Shot; Dr. Seuss; Stripes; Top Gun; Snow White; Dorf on Skeet; Detroit Skeet City, based upon the classic movie Detroit Rock City, featuring KISS; the Greatest Shoot (Show) on Earth; Looney Tunes; Old McDonald’s Farm; “Wayne-o’s World,” based on the Saturday Night Live skit and subsequent movie, in honor of the late, great Wayne Mayes; Gomer Pyle, USMC; American Ninja Skeet Warrior; and last year’s theme, Guardians of the Skeet Galaxy, saving the galaxy one clay at a time. This year’s theme, the World Series of Skeetball, was based loosely on the movie Major League but with the addition of a new twist: Each of the “batters” was recruited a “runner” and introduced by the emcees, Wild Thing (Billy Ray Suggs) and Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker’s character, played by Mike Kremski), with shot-by-shot commentary. The “World Series” entailed shooting doubles on stations 3, 4 and 5. But instead of miss-and-out as in previous years, the “runners” advanced a base for each target hit in the shoot-off or, if the pair was “dutched,” going back a base. The winner was determined by the first shooter to run 24 bases. The “World Series” was conducted using flash targets, with music playing and crowd participation (heckling), making for quite a spectacle. When the smoke finally cleared, Steve Wood (AKA Woody) was the winner of the coveted crystal bowl, along with his runner, Michael Fitzner, who also received a crystal bowl for his running prowess! Based upon the comments from everyone present, the new format was a huge success!

28-Gauge and .410 Bore – Sunday’s conditions were a little cooler than Saturday, but still clear blue skies and no wind, making for great conditions for the smaller bore events. Ten shooters posted 100s, along with 15 99s, in the 28-gauge event. The championship was decided on the last pair of the first box in the shoot-off with the Junior phenom Connor Thigpen, the winner (and, obviously, Junior Champ) over Woody. Stanfill claimed the final spot on the podium, with 100s by Schmidt (AAA1) and Jason Johnson (AA1) for those classes. Shoot-offs were needed to decide Classes A and B, with John Boone and Bruce Wilson the respective winners. Daniels (C1) and Andrea Lehr (D1) rounded out the classes. Diana Riddle was, again, Lady Champ.

The .410 bore saw only one perfect score in the afternoon by Connor. Four 99s took all of three pairs to decide the remaining spots on the podium with Jeff Ventry runner-up, Schmidt third, Connor Ball AAA1 and Wood AAA2. Christian (AA) and Wildman (A) won their shoot-offs for top class honors, with Jeff Pope (B), Scott Crosby (C) and one of our regular attendees from Down Under, Leonie Johnston (D) rounding out the classes. Diana Riddle was again Lady Champ.

High Over All – In the High Over All race going into the .410 bore, there were two shooters still perfect, with 16 shooters down only one or two targets. So, once again, it would all come down to the baby bore. When the final shot was fired in the .410, there were two 399s and three 397s. Both shooters missed on station 5 for the championship, but young Connor prevailed on the next pair, besting Woody for the win. The 397s also took all of four pairs to sort out the remaining places. Another one of our regulars from abroad, Kiwi Andy Peter claimed the final spot on the podium over Stanfill (AAA1) and Krispin (AAA2). Class winners, without having to fire another shot, were Mark Gay (AA), Tom Longolucco (A), Daniels (B), Lauderback (C), Cheryl Henderson (D) and Leonie Johnston (E). Diana Riddle completed her sweep of all the events as Lady Champion.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Once again, everyone – shooters and spectators alike – had “too much fun!” Untold thanks go to our sponsors Roger, Lisa, Matt and Jill Kasle, without whose generous support this shoot, the fireworks show and charity donation would not be possible. Without fail, once again, Scott Behnke and his assistant soon-to-be-manager, Danny, did a fantastic job ensuring the targets flew true. The referees were first-rate, keeping their thumbs on the buttons and giving us the targets when we called for them. The kitchen staff of Chef Kristina, with waitresses Tricia and Jenny, made sure that no one went hungry (or thirsty), and our dynamic duo shoot staff of Debbi Perry and Debbie Behnke promptly entered and posted the scores and ensured the shoot-off sheets were ready to go after the last shot was fired. Debbie Behnke also did double-duty as a referee. Again, this event would not enjoy the success it has without the support of all concerned.

Mark your calendars now for the 2025 Kasle Family Charity Open, which will be held September 12-14, 2025. So, look for our ad in Target Talk or visit MichiganSkeet.com to get your registration in early so you, too, can have “too much fun” at Detroit Gun Club!

– Trish Magyar

12 GA Winners
20 GA Winners
.410 bore Winners
28 GA Winners
Doubles Winners
Kasle Cup Batters and Runners

Kasle Cup Winner
Kasle Cup Runner

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA News, NSSA Shoot Reports, Skeet, Skeet Events, Skeet News, Skeet Photos Tagged With: clay target shooting, Kasle Family Charity Shoot, skeet, skeet shooting

Lopata Classic at Clinton-Irwin Rod and Gun Club

December 23, 2024 By Cara Woodard

Clinton-Irwin Rod and Gun Club near Grove City, Penn., held their Lopata Classic on August 2-4. Jerry Lopata was a longtime past president, and he and his family have been major benefactors of this club for years.

Left to right – Joe Gans V, Joe Gans III, Jack Petrosky, John Welch, Sr.

Twenty-nine shooters participated in one or more events in this five-gun shoot. Chris Kline’s 393 made him HOA Champion. Bryson Fox (387) was HOA runner-up, and Jack Harshbarger was HOA third  after he winning a shoot-off of 383’s with Matt Bartosch.

Nineteen competitors shot doubles on Friday afternoon under overcast skies in humid conditions. Kline’s 96 made him outright gun champ; Bryson Fox and Don Steinert, respectively, were runner-up and third after shooting off their 94’s. Class firsts went to Rich Vensel (A), Evan Martin (B), Joe Gans 5 (C) and Joe Gans III (D).

Saturday was foggy in the morning and raining, heavy at times, most of the day. The rain did pause in time for shoot-offs, but then restarted and continued through much of the night. The 12-gauge event was first, and 26 shooters participated. Kline ran them and was Champion. There were three 99’s. After shoot-offs Jack Harshbarger was runner-up, Bryson Fox was third, and Matt Bartosch was AA1. Other class firsts included Tom Shields (A), Scott Hazlett (B), Paul Augustin (C), John Welch (D) (after a shoot-off of 93’s with Joe Gans 5), and Jack Petrosky €.

The 20-gauge was shot by 26 competitors on Saturday afternoon. Kline was gun champion, but not until he won a shoot-off of 99’s with Scott Hazlett, runner-up. Matt Bartosch was third after winning a shoot-off of 98’s with Evan Martin (A1). Other class firsts included Bryson Fox (AA), Paul Augustin (B), Brian Fox (C) and Robert Dezort (D).

Sunday morning dawned foggy, but soon turned mostly sunny and warm, for 28 shooters in the 28-gauge. Bryson Fox took the champion title with a 99; Adam Vollmer was runner-up and Brian Steinert third. Class firsts went to Bartosch (A), Mark Eckert (B), Joe Gans 5 (C) and Joe Gans III (D).

Twenty-eight participants shot the .410 on Sunday afternoon. Kline took the championship with a nice 97, while Vollmer’s 95 was good for runner-up; Bryson Fox was third. Class first places, respectively, went to Brian Steinert (A), Brian Fox (B), Scott Hazlett (C), and Jason Callahan (D).

Registration, score compilation and posting, and payouts were handled by Dee Leake, Casey Vensel and Wayne Haines. Referee duties were handled by Matt Ohler, Terry Leake, Greg Lopata, Dave Smerkar and Rich Vensel. Lenny Vensel, Rich Gaw, Dick Bunch and Bob Sharkey handled field duties including keeping watercoolers and traps filled.

A nice lunch was provided by the club on Saturday and Sunday (meatball sandwiches, ham BBQ, hotdogs, potato and macaroni salad and yummy zucchini bread). Thanks to Darlene Burns and Dee Leake for all their efforts preparing and serving the food.

Sub-Junior shooter Jack Petrosky from Ford City, PA, shot his first ever 25-straight in the 12-gauge event, shooting on the same squad as his grandfather, John Welch.

There was $3,200 in added prize money, including $200 donated by the club. Shoot sponsors included the Lopata family (Jerry, Greg and JJ); Herman Holdings, LLC; Dick Bunch; Jim McCormick; and Dave Smerkar.

– George Gleich

Jack Petrosky
20 GA – Chris Kline – CH, Scott Hazlett – RU
Bryson Fox – 28 GA CH and HOA RU
Casey Vensel and Wayne Haines
Chris Kline – HOA CH, DBLS CH, 12 GA CH, 20 GA CH, .410 CH

The ‘Gans Moblie’

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA News, NSSA Shoot Reports, Shoot Reports, Skeet, Skeet Events, Skeet News, Skeet Photos Tagged With: clay target shooting, Clinton-Irwin Rod and Gun Club, Lopata Classic, skeet, skeet shooting

Minnesota State Skeet Championships

December 23, 2024 By Cara Woodard

The 2024 Minnesota State Skeet Championships (August 23-25) were hosted by the Metro Gun Club in Blaine, Minn. Great shooting conditions prevailed throughout the tournament. Tate Peterson of Ham Lake, Minn., is well known at Metro, having been an employee there for many seasons. He led a field of 40 shooters with HOA honors.

Tate Peterson – HOA CH

Tate Paterson also worked with Dan Kampa to register shooters and record scores using new NSSA online software. This automation provides access to the national NSSA database, eliminating many tasks in the registration process and avoiding the misspelling of competitor names and their associated information (classifications, concurrents, etc.). Mike Quigley did a great job handling the shoot-offs.

The Friday Doubles event drew 27 competitors. Jared Miller’s 99 won the Doubles championship for the second consecutive year, with Jarret Hayes taking the runner-up spot.

Good weather helped pave the way for Jarret Hayes on Saturday, who posted two lone 100-straights, claiming gun championships in both 12-Gauge and 20-Gauge events.  Bruce Pearson’s 99 earned the 12-gauge runner-up title, while third place went to Tate Peterson. Class winners in 12-gauge were Jake Boerboon, Jared Miller, Brodie Schaefer, Bart Ott, Zack Kurtti, and Chase Beckius in classes AA through E.

Brian Hendrickson took the 20-gauge runner-up title, with Justin Staebell coming in third. Matt Robinson won class AA, followed by Roger Plooster, Bob Rick, Bart Ott, and Chase Beckius in classes A through D.

Randy Vaske won Sunday’s 28-gauge event by posting an uncontested 100, his first-ever perfect score in the 28-gauge! Jared Miller’s 99 earned the runner-up spot following a shoot-off with Tate Peterson, who claimed third place. AA first went to Bob Rick. Mark VanderBloomer, Brian Hendrickson, Sam Radford, and Art Peterson won classes A through D.

Bob Rick posted the lone 99 in the .410-Bore event to win the gun championship outright. Tate Peterson posted a 97 to win the runner-up spot following a five-way shoot-off, Third place was won by Bruce Pearson. Class winners were Jarret Hayes (AA), Matt Robinson (A), Chad Herrmann (B), Mark Cameron (C), and Chase Beckius (D).

Tate Peterson’s 390 won the High Over All Championship over runner-up Jarret Hayes, who posted a 389. Bruce Pearson’s 388 won third place after a shoot-off with Chad Herrmann. High Over All class winners were Chad Hermann (A), Brodie Schaefer (B), Bart Ott (C), Dave Seidel (D), and Chase Beckius (E).

Jared Miller won the High All Around Championship with a 487. High All Around runner-up was Jared Miller (486), followed by Tate Peterson’s third place 484.

The MSSA thanks Mark Cameron and his staff at the Minneapolis Gun Club for hosting another excellent state championship.

– Ronald Chandler

Jarret Hayes – HOA RU
Randy Vaske – 28 GA CH
Bob Rick – .410 bore CH
Jared Miller – HAA CH

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA News, NSSA Shoot Reports, Shoot Reports, Skeet, Skeet Events, Skeet News, Skeet Photos Tagged With: clay target shooting, Minnesota State Skeet Championships, skeet, skeet shooting

Illinois State Skeet Championship

December 23, 2024 By Cara Woodard

The 98th Illinois State Skeet Championship was held at Peoria Skeet and Trap Club, August 23-25. Friday afternoon had 45 Doubles shooters enjoying a beautiful sunny day that actually felt more like early fall than August in central Illinois. There was not a lot of drama determining who would stand at the top of the podium, as Mike Glasby’s 99 took care of that. Several 97’s needed to shoot off to figure out the rest, with Jeff Moecher runner-up and Chris Phelps third. Class winners were Joe Vancura (AA), Robert Zeek (A), Artie Tessman (B), Daniel Davidenko (C), and Ken Hilleman (D).

Cody Topping CH, Alex Spiros RU, Greg Hufnagel 3RD

Saturday had more shooters arriving to do their best in the 12- and 20-gauge events. Nearly 70 shooters were able to enjoy the more typical Illinois August heat, with Alex Spiros showing everyone how to do it with his 12-gauge 100. Greg Hufnagel’s lone 99 had him standing one step down. The rest had to be fought for on the shoot-off field, with 11 shooters’ 98’s creating a logjam. Mike Glasby emerged as third, with the following class winners: John Wilson (AA), Jack Dean (A), James Dial (B), Hawken Clampet (C), Ken Hilleman (D), and Kyle Marten (E).

The 20-gauge ended in similar fashion. This time it was Cody Topping with the lone 100. Several 99’s were called to the shoot-off field to figure out the rest, with Jeff Moecher runner-up and Joe Vancura third. Class winners were Alex Spiros (AA), Greg Hufnagel (A), Todd Malcom (B), Ken Hilleman (C), and David Dill (D).

Saturday evening, shooters enjoyed a great meal catered by Bernardi’s Italian restaurants, while All-State Teams were recognized and awards were handed out.

All of the seasoned Illinois shooters have come to expect that Sunday means the wind must blow. The 28-gauge event continued the pattern from the previous day with only one shooter able to break them all. Mike Glasby’s lone 100 made him champion, with three 99’s shooting off for the rest of the podium; Cody Topping was runner-up and Jeff Moecher third. Class winners were Robert Zeek (AA), Kevin Price (A), Daniel Davidenko (B), Josh Nielson (C), and Hawken Clampet (D).

The .410 event stayed interesting with the gusty breeze making even harder work for most shooters. Jack Dean was unfazed by the conditions and calmly brought in the top score of 98 to win the championship. Alex Spiros had the only 97 for runner-up, and four shooters with 96’s had to shoot off for the rest. Mike Glasby was able to emerge as third. Class winners were Zak Knasko (AA), Chris Phelps (A), Tim Conrin (B), Ken Hilleman (C), and Christine Dill (D).

The HOA Championship was not automatically decided like all of the other championships were. Four shooters were tied with 390’s that needed to get things figured out. Cody Topping fought his way to the top of the podium, with Alex Spiros runner-up and Greg Hufnagel third. Class winners were Mike Glasby AA1, Jeff Moecher A1, Alan Wise B1, and Ken Hilleman C1.

– Greg Hufnagel

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA News, NSSA Shoot Reports, Skeet, Skeet Events, Skeet News, Skeet Photos Tagged With: clay target shooting, Illinois State Skeet Championship, skeet, skeet shooting

10th Annual Couples Shoot at Generations Skeet Club

December 23, 2024 By Cara Woodard

Generations Skeet Club near Patton in beautiful central Pennsylvania hosted their 10th annual Couples Skeet Shoot on September 1. Over the years, 14 to 38 couples have participated in this shoot; 17 couples participated on Labor Day weekend this year. The weather was beautiful, just a lovely late-summer day. There was a bit of wind, but without that it wouldn’t be Generations.

Left to right: Kevin and Cheryl Smith – RU, Paige McMullen and Brian Waldo – CH, Camden Sikmanski and Lynn Holtz – 3RD

Young and old shooters, some who had never tried to break a clay pigeon, enjoyed the day; some had never fired a shotgun before. Shotguns, shells, ear plugs, etc. were provided as needed. All four of Generations’ skeet fields were used. Squads of four or six shooters were formed, and each couple shot 50 birds, shoulder-to-shoulder. The atmosphere was informal, but safety was stressed. Pulling and scoring was handled by experienced referees, and qualified coaches were present to help as needed.

After the 50 birds were shot at, a rather liberal handicapping system was applied, and all 17 teams (four or five teams per each of the skeet fields) participated in a 3-4-5 doubles shoot-off. The eight winners (two from each field) then shot off again to decide the shoot winners. Plenty of “encouragement” was provided by the onlookers, especially when a few of the newer shooters hit both targets at station 4. The whooping and hollering could be heard throughout the valley. The girls found it very encouraging to hear everyone cheering for them every time they hit a target. The winners were: Paige McMullen and Brian Walwro, champs; Cheryl and Kevin Smith, runners-up; and Lynn Holtz and her 11-year old grandson Camden Simanski, third.

After the shooting was finished, all retired to the Youth Center (one of the nicest barns you will ever see) onsite for a great picnic dinner. The main entrée, grilled chicken, was provided by Ryan Holtz; it was exceptionally tender and delicious this year. There were also tasty hors d’oeuvres and ribs. Many of the shooters brought delicious salads and desserts. One of the desserts that was a big hit was “puppy chow.” Some folks had not heard of this delicacy before, but all who sampled it gave it a big thumbs-up. There was also some of Roy Holtz’s homemade wine.

Kudos to all of the Generations folks and visitors who helped make this year’s Couples Shoot a wonderful time! There are not many skeet shoots where half the participants are female. And speaking of female shooters, the newest Generations’ family member Vivielle Vescovi, infant daughter of Michael and Kierstyn Vescovi, also attended the shoot. She is a member of the fourth generation of the Holtz/Vescovi shooting family. Camden Simanski is also a fourth generation member at age 11. He and his grandmother, Lynn (Lollie), placed third in the Couples Shoot.

– George Gleich

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA News, NSSA Shoot Reports, Shoot Reports, Skeet, Skeet Events, Skeet News, Skeet Photos Tagged With: 10th Annual Couples Shoot, clay target shooting, skeet, skeet shooting

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