Skeet Photos

6th Gil Rodler Memorial

December 16, 2020 By kimcrisp

Tarentum District Sportsmen’s Club (TDSC) held its sixth Gil Rodler Memorial four-gun shoot on Labor Day, September 7. Gil Rodler Sr. passed in 2014 at the age of 88. Gil was one of PAs best skeet shooters ever and many still remember him. Gil Rodler, Jr. and his sister Stacey Sabo attended the shoot, with Gil shooting and Stacey observing.

The weather was not bad, overcast and relatively cool most of the day, but with some rain during the mid-afternoon and then again at shoot-off time. A total of 21 different shooters participated in this 4X50 affair. HOA winners were Bryson Fox, champion (195) and Mike Wollard, runner-up (194).

Twenty-one shooters took part in the 20-gauge event that kicked off the day. Brian Fox shot a 49 and was champion, while his son Bryson took runner-up with a 48. Class first-places were Wollard (AA), Ernie Anderson (A), Paul Augustin (B), Bob Waite (C, after winning a shoot-off of 47s with Murry Gerber) and Brad King (D).

Twenty-one shooters also shot the 12-gauge. No one was perfect, but there were four 49s. Bryson Fox prevailed in the shoot-off and was champion. The other three 49s ended up as Wollard (runner-up), Tom Shields (B1) and Gary Trilli (C1). Rounding out the 12-gauge winners were Ernie Avolio (AA1), Augustin (B1), Paul Hunt (D1) and Paul McConville (E1, after he won a shoot-off of 37s with Dave Ostrosky).

McConville, a Senior Veteran who shot his first registered targets at Tarentum in 1963, remarked afterwards that it had been a while since he won a shoot-off. Paul and Gil Rodler Sr. are both in the PSSA Hall of Fame.

The 28-gauge was next up with 19 shooters, and there were two 50s. After the shoot-off, Augustin was champion and Shields runner-up. Wollard, Bryson Fox – after winning a shoot-off of 49s with Ernie Avolio – Brian Fox, Waite, and Hunt, respectively, were AA1, A1, B1, C1 and D1.

The .410 was last on the agenda, and 20 competitors shot the little gun. Wollard took the championship outright with the only 50 straight. Bryson Fox was runner-up with a 49. Class firsts went to Augustin (AA), Ernie Avolio (A), Brian Fox (B, after winning a shoot-off with Waite), John Avolio (C) and King (D).

Kudos to Jerry McCullough and Mike Rykaczewski Sr. for shoot management. Many thanks also to Josh Crofutt, Fran Kosmacki, and Mike Rykaczewski Jr. for pulling and scoring.

– Contributed by George Gleich

L to R: Mike Wollard-410 Ch And Hoa Ru, Bryson Fox Hoa And 12 Ga Ch, Brian Fox-20 Ga Ch, Paul Augustin-28 Ga Ch

North Carolina State Closed Championships

December 16, 2020 By kimcrisp

The North Carolina State Closed Skeet Championship was held September 13-15 at the Fort Bragg Clay Target Center with 87 shooters participating, including 17 youth. The youngest shooter, Josie Cloninger, is 12 years old – and won HOA C Class. Although rain was forecast for most of the weekend, we had very comfortable temperatures, and only one Friday squad got wet while shooting.

Friday started with 72 shooters entering the doubles event. Mason Watkins was Doubles Champion and Junior Champion with the lone 99. Three scores of 98 shot off, with Stuart Brown runner-up and Jay Bunting third. Class champions were Mike Faust AAA, Mark Smith AA, Victoria Stellato A, Matthew Eller B, Westley Kiter C, and Addison Wallace D. Addison Wallace won her shoot-off of 88s to win Sub-Junior Champion. Anna Wood shot off with Victoria Stellato to win Collegiate and Lady Champion.

Saturday evening continued with 12-gauge and 20-gauge shoot-offs. There were three perfect 100 scores in the 12-gauge event, which had 85 shooters. Steve Timmons won Champion, Jay Bunting runner-up, and Ben Brandon (with his first 100 straight) was third. Class Champions were Victoria Stellato AAA, Corrie Cloninger AA, Jeffrey DeSantis A, Mitch Simpson B, Ron Hostinsky C, Kurt Culbert D, and Doug Brown E. Youth champions were William Davis, Sub-Junior; Corrie Cloninger, Junior; and Ben Brandon, Collegiate. Victoria Stellato shot off with Corrie Cloninger to win Lady Champion. As Military Champion, Timothy Riordon, received the R. L. ”Jack” Parks belt buckle. A special 5-man handicap event was held based on the 12-gauge squads. Two squads had the same total score. Squad members Jay Bunting, Mark Smith, Chip Simmons, Victoria Stellato and Mike Pittard each won a belt buckle.

Donnie Parks won the 20-gauge shoot-off to win Champion, and Jay Bunting was runner-up. Tom Myaard won a six-person shoot-off to win third. Class champions were Stuart Brown AAA, Mark Smith AA, Chip Simmons A, Jeff McNany B, Aryssa Bowland C and Kurt Culbert D. Aryssa shot her first 75 straight, and her score of 98 was her personal best in 20 gauge. Addison Wallace won a shoot-off for Sub-Junior Champion, Corrie Cloninger was Junior Champion, and Victoria Stellato won her shoot-off to win Collegiate and Lady Champion.

The 28-Gauge Champion shoot-off had four perfect scores – Bruce Colclough won Gun Champion, Jeffrey DeSantis runner-up, and Victoria Stellato third. Class champions were Stuart Brown AAA, Blake Argo AA, Timothy Riordan A, James Delosh B, David Nelson C, and Westley Kiter D. William Davis won a shoot-off for Sub-Junior Champion, Corrie Cloninger shot off to win Junior Champion, and Victoria Stellato’s perfect 100 won her Collegiate and Lady Champion.

The shoot-off for .410 Champion was between two Junior shooters with scores of 99. Mason Watkins was Gun Champion and Junior Champion, and Corrie Cloninger was runner-up and Lady Champion. Jay Bunting was gun third with a 98. Class champions were Victoria Stellato AAA, Kevin Hostinsky AA, Jeffrey DeSantis A, Ron Hostinsky B, Josie Cloninger C, and Westley Kiter D. Josie Cloninger was Sub-Junior Champion, and Victoria Stellato was Collegiate Champion.

Jay Bunting posted a 397 to win the HOA title outright. Runner-up was Victoria Stellato (395), and Corrie Cloninger won a shoot-off for third (393). Other HOA winners were Kevin Hostinsky AAA, Mason Watkins AA, Jeffrey DeSantis A, James Delosh B, Josie Cloninger C, Westley Kiter D, Wendelle Gray E, William Davis – Sub-Junior, Corrie Cloninger – Junior, Victoria Stellato – Collegiate and Lady Champion.

High All Around Champion was Jay Bunting with a 495, and Champion of Champions was Corrie Cloninger.

We want to thank everyone who helped make the shoot a success — the referees who worked tirelessly all weekend, all the volunteers, and the staff of the Fort Bragg Clay Target Center.

– Contributed by Belinda Tiner

2020 North Carolina State Teams/Champions

First Team		Second Team
Riley Dellinger	.9790	Brandon Lawley	.9625
Stuart Brown	.9789	Mark Smith	.9614
Kevin Hostinsky	.9757	Chris Bates	.9612
Jay Bunting	.9741	Noah Dove	.9604
Otto “Chip’ Simmons Mason Watkins	.9651 .9651	Tom Myaard	.9589
Ladies Champion		Military Champion
Corrie Cloninger	.9587	Shane Self	.9213

Junior State Team
Henry Hardin	.9840
Trace Davis	.9770
Grayson Williams	.9717
Anna Wood	.9557
Ben Brandon	.9538

Maryland State Shoot

December 16, 2020 By kimcrisp

The Maryland State Skeet Association would like to express their thanks to the Salisbury club whose skeet director, Dan Livingston, stepped up immediately when the location of the shoot had to be changed due to COVID concerns. He not only made the facility available but paid for the dinner Saturday night, too! Many thanks to him, the other MSSA donors, and all volunteers who made another excellent Maryland State Shoot possible!

The winners were:
Doubles: Sam Armstrong, runner-up Mark Gay
12 gauge: Alessandro Vitale, runner-up Sam Armstrong
20 gauge: Alessandro Vitale, runner-up Skip Spessard
28 gauge: Alessandro Vitale, runner-up Alan Whiting
.410: Sam Armstrong, runner-up David Outen

HOA: Sam Armstrong, runner-up Alessandro Vitale, third Mark Gay
AA1: John Wells Jr.
A1: Alan Whiting
B1: Robert Tinder
C1: Coryn Dietz
D1: Patti Day
Sub-Junior: Coryn Dietz
Junior: Dylan Lee
Triple-Sub: John Wells Jr.
Sub-Sub Senior: Alessandro Vitale
Sub-Senior: Sam Armstrong
Senior: Skip Spessard
Veteran: William Walmsley
Lady: Coryn Dietz
Retired Military: Robert Tinder
Military Veteran: Sam Armstrong
FR: Mike Moats

NSSA New Level I Instructors

December 16, 2020 By kimcrisp

Aristotle is widely recognized as a master philosopher, but when he asserted, “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach,” he was working with some of his very best material. Taking Aristotle’s concept one step further, teaching others how to be teachers themselves is taking it to the next level.

NSSA Gains Nine New Level I Instructors in Zone 2

There has long been a desire to hold additional NSSA instructor certification courses in Zone 2. However, since Zone 2 does not currently have a Level III or Master-level Instructor located within its geographical area, the ability to conduct these courses has been extremely limited. After months of discussion about the need for additional NSSA instruction opportunities, it was clear that many shooters were interested and highly motivated to undergo the transformation from shooter to shooting instructor. Perhaps most interesting was that those who indicated their interest in this opportunity also expressed a desire to give back to the shooting community in a “pay it forward” kind of way. After identifying several eager students, it was time to find a proper teacher.

After consulting with NSSA headquarters, it became obvious to planners that the only way to make this happen would be to request an instructor from another area. Scouting neighboring zones led the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, located in Manassas, Virginia, to recruit World Champion and NSSA Master Instructor Fred Tschantz Jr. to provide instruction to the class.

On October 17-18, 2020, Fred conducted the NSSA-sanctioned course for nine students, including Thomas G. Allen, Thomas W. Allen, Christopher Baisey, C.J. Brendle, Collin Christopherson, Muhamed El-Zoghbi, Meredith Tunick Kling, Steven Kling and John Murphy. Due to Virginia’s COVID-19 restrictions and distancing measures, the class size was limited. In addition, all instruction was conducted in accordance with Governor Northam’s public health guidelines for the state of Virginia.

The two-day course helped the students learn teaching techniques, the system for bringing on beginners, and shotgun shooting fundamentals – all skills that can benefit both new and seasoned shooters alike. The course also included approximately 10 hours of classroom instruction, augmented with remaining hours on the skeet field.

Becoming a certified instructor is a great way to enhance your own skills and give back to our shooting community. It’s also a great way to help young shooters in our youth and collegiate programs get started with the correct fundamentals. The NSSA offers qualification courses for both Associate Instructors and Levels I, II, and III. For this specific Level I course, students had to be current NSSA members, 18 years or older and C class or higher in one gun, currently or previously, with a minimum of 300 NSSA tournament targets. For more information on the Instructor Certification Program, please visit bit.ly/NSSAInstructor.

Congratulations to this class of newly certified Level I instructors! Additionally, a very special thanks to Fred Tschantz Jr., Jeff Bond of Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, and Ralph Aaron, NSSA Chief Instructor, for making such a great investment in East Coast skeet shooting. If you or your club are interested in hosting an NSSA-sanctioned instructor certification course, please contact Ralph Aaron at 334-308-8363 or rpaskeet@yahoo.com.

– Contributed by Collin Christopherson

Knotty Pine Open

December 16, 2020 By kimcrisp

Champions at the Knotty Pine 4×50, held July 10-12 at the Knotty Pine Skeet Club in Ontario, were: Steve Loveday, HOA, with 195×200; Keith Keindel, 12-gauge, 50×50; Jim Malcolm, 20-gauge, 50×50; Bryant Goodwin, 28-gauge, 50×50; and Steve Malcolm, .410-bore, 48×50. Congratulations to all the Knotty Pine champions in the final shoot of the 2020 season.