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New Jersey Skeet Championship

November 1, 2022 By Cara Woodard

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!

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA News, Skeet Tagged With: clay target shooting, New Jersey State Championship, NSSA, skeet

2021 New Jersey Skeet Championship

November 12, 2021 By Cara Woodard

For 2021, the New Jersey Skeet Championship moved back to Joint Base on September 10-12. The tournament started with Doubles on Friday afternoon, and NJSSA Treasurer Ben Galioto was able to bear down and break a respectable 96 to win the championship. Mason Palidar’s 92 took A1, Robert Vrablik shot a nice 93 to take B1, and Neil Alexander and Howie Mann both shot 86s to take C1 and D1, respectively.

In the 12-gauge event, both Ben Galioto and Jim Seiler broke 98s. A large crowd looked on as Jim and Ben engaged in a fierce shoot-off. After five stations, Galioto claimed the 12-gauge title. Dick Lukasik’s 97 earned him AA1. Rick Bagni won B1 also with a 97. Justin Cimino won C1 with a 97, a personal best. Howie Mann iced D1 with a 92, and Ray Stas won E Class.

Saturday afternoon brought the 28-gauge event. Ben Galioto and Robert Nowak, both with 97s, shot off for the Open championship, and after three stations, Galioto took the title. Mike Costello’s 94 earned B1 and Joe Madlinger’s 93 reeled in C1. Pennsylvania’s Gavin Glossner was on fire, breaking a 93 to take D class.

During the evening’s well-attended state shoot dinner, it was announced that two deserving sportsmen, Ben Galioto and Ed Amaty, will be inducted into the New Jersey Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Both men will be presented with plaques at the 2022 New Jersey State Shoot.

Sunday morning was perfectly still, and Ben Galioto took advantage by breaking a solid 99 to win the 20-gauge Championship. Mason Palidar took A1 with a 97. Bruce Gordon also shot a 97 to win B1, and Joe Madlinger iced C class with a 95. Another up-and-coming Junior sensation, C.J. Wojtaszek, broke a 93 to take D class.

The final event was the .410 bore, and two familiar gladiators, Jim Seiler and Ben Galioto, both shot 95s. The atmosphere was electric as both shooters made their way to the shoot-off field. After six stations, Ben crushed both targets, winning the .410 title and putting an exclamation point on a successful weekend of shooting. Robert Nowak won AA1 with a 93. Colonel Carl Wojtaszek also broke a 93 to win A1 and C.J. Wojtaszek was able to bear down and break a 93 to take C class. Ralph Novotny’s 85 took D class.

With a 389, Ben Galioto was the HOA Champion, becoming the first New Jersey shooter to win every event at a New Jersey State Championship.

Ben was also on the computer all weekend and responsible for running a flawless glitch-free tournament. Thank you to our referees, Ed Amaty, Sophia Galioto and Mark Bricker, who were perfect on the button. Thank you to Howie Mann for providing us with beautiful State Shoot patches and David Collins who provided us with proof shells. Finally, a big thank you to Ernie Yeager, Al Raguseo, James Garrett and the entire Joint Base staff for making this shoot possible.

– Contributed by Ben Galioto

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, NSSA Shoot Reports Tagged With: clay target shooting, New Jersey State Championship, skeet, skeet shoot

New Jersey State Championship

January 21, 2021 By Cara Woodard

Pine Belt Sportsman’s Club hosted the 2020 New Jersey State Championship. Much to the surprise of NJSSA officers and for the first time in New Jersey skeet shooting history, battery-powered remote controls were used in lieu of the traditional hardwired cords for our tournament.

The tournament started with the Doubles event, and Ben Galioto’s 97 earned him his third career Doubles Championship. Class winners were Joe Hall (A1), Tony Viel (B1), Robert Vrablik (C1) and James Luts (D1).

The weather on Saturday morning was literally perfect for the 12-gauge event, and Leo Nebbia shot a terrific 99 to win the gun championship. After a 20-year lay-off, Brian Ziegler came back and won A1 with a 97. Winning the classes were Dick Lukasik (B1), Robert Madosky (C1) and Greg Khalaf (D1).

On Saturday afternoon, the weather remained perfect for the 28-gauge, and Dick Lukasik hammered 99 targets to win his first state championship. The entire New Jersey skeet fraternity couldn’t be happier. Class winners were Ben Galioto (AA1), Leo Nebbia (A1), Robert Vrablik (B1), Tony Veil (C1) and Joe Madlinger (D1).

The weather was very hot for Sunday morning’s 20-gauge event, but this had no effect on Robert Vrablik and Dick Lucasik, who both broke 98s and made their way to the shoot-off field. After two stations, Robert Vrablik was crowned 20-gauge champion. Class winners were Brian Ziegler (AA1), Leo Nebbia (A1), Greg Khalaf (C1) and Joe Madlinger (D1).

The final gun was the .410, and we literally had a windstorm come through Pine Belt for the little gun. Leo Nebbia, Ben Galioto and Jim Seiler (who also returned after a 20-year lay-off) all shot 92s and made their way to the shoot-off field. After three stations, Leo Nebbia won the .410 championship. Class winners were Ben Galioto (A1), Michael Costello (B1), Greg Khalaf (C1) and Joe Madlinger (D1).

The HOA title went to Leo Nebbia with a 386. Leo won three state titles for the weekend, taking home a beautiful silver belt buckle. Dick Lukasik was one target off the pace, earning him HOA runner-up. Class winners were Ben Galioto (A1), Robert Vrablik (B1), Clifford Schaffer (C1) and Joe Madlinger (D1).

Our referees, Mark Bricker, Sophia Galioto and Eric Bachmann, did a terrific job. Thank to our skeet administrator Kevin Dawkins for running our shoot. Finally, a special thank you to our biggest sponsor Robert Madosky, who has provided us with some very nice shooting shirts for two decades.

– Contributed by Ben Galioto

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES Tagged With: clay target shooting, New Jersey State Championship, skeet

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