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Bob Lepor Is First to Shoot 250,000 Registered Targets

June 14, 2018 By Sherry Kerr

In 2011, NSCA Hall of Famer and former Executive Council chairman Bob Lepor made sporting clays history when he shot his 200,000th registered target. That record has now been broken. On Sunday, September 24 at high noon, Bob shot his 250,000th registered NSCA target during the main sporting event at the Delaware River Classic in his home state of New Jersey.

“Bob’s accomplishment and dedication to the sport is remarkable,” said Anthony Matarese, whose club, M&M Hunting and Sporting Clays, hosted the event.

Bob’s journey into the history books of sporting clays began in 1994 when he shot his first registered NSCA target at the U.S. Open held at Hopkins Game Farm in Maryland. He posted 1,000 registered clays that first year alone, but really ramped things up the following year after recovering from an illness. Bob used shooting as a means to rehabilitate himself in an effort to increase his strength and stamina. By the year 2000, he’d shot 100,000 registered targets.

“Bob’s most prolific year was in 1999, when he shot 31,650 registered targets,” reported Diane Sorantino, a close friend and frequent squadmate of Bob’s. “Between 1994 and 2017, Bob averaged over 10,000 registered targets per year, and during one three-year period, he averaged 20,000 per year.”

After reaching 200,000 in 2011, Bob was noncommittal about hitting the quarter-million mark. “I don’t know about 250,000,” he said at the time. “I’ll let that run its own course. We’ll see.”

Six years later, Bob had this to say about his most recent milestone, “I was the first to reach 100,000 and first to reach 200,000. Now, being the first to reach 250,000, I must admit it feels like I have accomplished a real personal goal.”

He didn’t make this journey alone, though. “Bob has tremendous family support in pursuing his shooting goals,” said Sorantino. “Bob’s wife, Marilyn, has traveled to many shooting events and frequently accompanies him at Nationals in San Antonio. Over the years, Bob’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Carbone, has also shot many tournaments with him.” Both Marilyn and Elizabeth were on hand to see Bob shoot his 250,000th target.

Spending time with his granddaughter has been particularly gratifying to Bob. “She was there for 100,000 and 200,000 as well,” he noted. “Having Elizabeth along with me on this journey, either shooting or just supporting me, has meant everything to me!”

Spending time with grandpa has meant a lot to Elizabeth, too. “Looking back on my adolescence, shooting with my grandfather for nearly seven years provided me with some of my most cherished moments of our relationship,” she reflected. “Not only was I able to compete side by side with him, but we also got to travel the country together, doing something we both loved.

“Through his patience, guidance, and knowledge, I was able to become a successful shooter for my age group,” Elizabeth said. “I am so proud of his incredible accomplishment and even prouder that I got to experience firsthand a very large amount of his 250,000 targets.”

It isn’t all about the numbers, though. Bob has also taken time to give back to this sport he so dearly loves. Sorantino points out that Bob was awarded the Hal du Pont Service Award, which is given to an NSCA member who has given back to the NSCA and had a positive influence on the game and its members.

“This award describes Bob completely,” she continued. “He has served as a State Delegate, Advisory Council Member, and Executive Council Member. As chairman of the Executive Council, he spearheaded and managed many positive changes that benefited the NSCA and its members. Bob worked tirelessly at all these positions, and we often joked that it was a full-time job without the paycheck.”

Although he’s approached sporting clays in a workmanlike fashion — one has to in order to rack up such an astounding number of targets — it’s mainly been about family, friends and fun. “The sport does give you the opportunity to meet many people and make some great lifelong friends,” Bob acknowledged.

Sorantino counts herself among those friends. “I’ve personally shot many targets alongside Bob,” she said. “We actually live in the same hometown, approximately one mile away from each other. It was shooting that brought about our friendship. To this day, we continue to shoot tournaments together. We know each other and our shooting styles, and it works well for us both. Most of all, we always enjoy a good laugh — and a good meal — together!

“It is my honor to know Bob, and I treasure our special friendship,” Sorantino added. “I look forward to seeing him shoot many more NSCA registered targets. I’m proud to be a part of his recording-setting goal, and very proud to say Bob Lepor is my friend.”

“I’ve known Bob for over 20 years and am honored to call him a friend,” echoed Matarese.

In the end, the shooting sports are all about the friendships we make, not the number of clays we break. That said, don’t be surprised if the tally approaches 300,000 in a few years. If there’s one thing you can always count on Bob Lepor to do, it’s shoot a lot of targets. The last 23 years have proven that time and time again — a quarter of a million times, in fact.

Photos by Photos by Derek Moore & Devin Kearney
Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, Sporting Clays, Sporting Clays Events, Sporting Clays Photos Tagged With: 250000 targets, Bob Lepor, NSCA, sporting clays

Photo Gallery: NSCA Western Regional Championship

May 23, 2018 By Sherry Kerr

Quail Point Hunt Club played host to the Western Regional April 25 – 29. Quail Point is located in Zamora, California. 300 competitors made their way out to sunny Northern California to take in the breath-taking landscape and break targets in competition. This beautiful facility hosted NSCA’s Western Regional Sporting Clays Championship in 2015 as well. View some of the action captured in the photos below.

Photos by Thaddius Bedford, Liquid Image
Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, Sporting Clays, Sporting Clays Events, Sporting Clays Photos Tagged With: National Sporting Clays Association, NSCA, sporting clays, Western Regional

Photo Gallery: NSCA Southeast Regional Championship

November 13, 2017 By Sherry Kerr

The Southeast Regional Sporting Clays Championship, held at The Fork Farm and Stables in Norwood, North Carolina on September 27 – October 1, provided the approximately 600 participants a pristine location to shoot some challenging targets. Enjoy these photos of the beautiful grounds and the competition:

Photos by Thaddius Bedford, Liquid Images
Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, Sporting Clays, Sporting Clays Events, Sporting Clays Photos Tagged With: National Sporting Clays Association, NSCA, Southeast Regional, sporting clays

Photo Gallery: NSCA South Central Regional Championship

November 13, 2017 By Sherry Kerr

Just a short drive from Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the most pristine shotgun shooting facilities in the country — Providence Hill Farm. This incredible facility hosted NSCA’s South Central Regional Sporting Clays Championship on September 5-9. Here is some of what our members saw there.

Photos by Thaddius Bedford, Liquid Images
Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES, Sporting Clays, Sporting Clays Events, Sporting Clays Photos Tagged With: National Sporting Clays Association, NSCA, South Central Regional, sporting clays

Digital Extra: Gear The Pros Rely On

June 28, 2017 By Sherry Kerr

In the July issue of Clay Target Nation, you can read an article about some of skeet shooting’s most well-known championship-level shooters and the gear they rely on. You can read the full article here, but here’s a bonus question we didn’t have room to run in print!

 

CTN: Adjustment times seem to vary from shooter to shooter. How long (hours or days of range time) do you give yourself to become comfortable and successful in adapting to a new or different shotgun, ammunition or piece of gear and how did you go about determining that time frame?

Bender: Changes to equipment are only made in the off-season. I would allow one to two months to become comfortable and confident with specific changes.

Brown: Adjustment times vary among shooters due to their level of knowledge/experience.  I have developed my own practice program that I shoot two to three times a week.  On average I spend around two to three hours at the range practicing alone. I can focus on quality, not quantity, with little to no distractions. However if more shooting/practice is required, I will make all efforts to accomplish this.  If I’m making changes, this is done in off/pre-season training to determine the proven performance I’m looking for.  However, at any time during the season, or during each shoot I can and will make changes if necessary to handle a problem/obstacle or improve on something learned from mistakes.

Giambrone: When making any significant changes in equipment (mainly gun), it takes a solid 3-6 months of steady practice at the range and mount the gun at home to get comfortable with it. Steady range time is 3-4 times per week and shooting a minimum of 20-30 boxes per week. This is assuming the equipment fits you properly as well. If it doesn’t fit, I don’t care how much you practice with it, you won’t ever get used to it. If you change glasses, this doesn’t take nearly as long, but it still takes time to adjust.

Huszai: Adjustment times vary, depending on what you are in the process of changing.  Our sport requires constant adjustment – to weather conditions, different backgrounds, and our own changing bodies as we age.  The willingness to adapt and change is necessary in order to maintain your skills.

Stellato: When adapting to a new shotgun I leave six months to become consistent in singles and a year before I am comfortable with doubles. When changing gear, it only takes me a few boxes to become accustomed to the change, as long as I am comfortable with what I am using. If I’m not comfortable with something, I cannot use it. Also, it only takes me a few shots to become accustomed to a change in ammo.

Glenewinkel: I don’t change equipment much after I find something that works for me.  The last time I changed competition guns was in 2008 and the only other significant equipment I have changed was my shooting glasses when I started using the Pilla glasses in 2015.  The change in shotguns took a few months to work through and the change in glasses took a few days.


 

CTN: How much have you relied upon the advice, instruction and recommendations from top competitors and instructors in making the selection of your winning combination of shooting tools and techniques?

Bender: I have been very fortunate in that I worked under the best technical coach in the sport during my time at Trinity University, my coach, Col. Tom Hanzel. During the height of my career, for 20-plus years, I shot with and partnered with the best skeet shooter ever, and one of the best shotgun shooters ever, Wayne Mayes. In the last 10 years, I’ve studied under and taught with arguably the best mental coach, Olympic Gold Medalist, Lanny Bassham. I’ve been exposed to the best information from the best individuals.

Brown: Over my lifetime of shooting skeet I have had the privilege of receiving advice from only a few top competitors and at those times it occurred when I was not asking for the advice.  They were generous enough to pass on a hint or suggestion at various times and I respectfully listened.  I received some of the best instruction many years ago from several well experienced shooters who were not World Champions; however, their knowledge and experience was extremely priceless. Their instructions on proper shooting techniques, hold points, and equipment, to include skeet field etiquette, sportsmanship, and professionalism, have been very important to me as to my style and overall performance. Overall, I consider myself more self-taught when it comes to the final performance. This has been from tremendous hours practicing, wearing out guns and equipment, and learning what works best for me, which might not be the same for other shooters.

Huszai: I have been very fortunate to have had very good instruction over the years. From my Dad, who introduced me to the clay target sports many years ago, to my current coach, I have had good, patient instructors. I feel that it is necessary to work with a coach who knows your shooting style and can observe subtle changes in your game, in order to maintain a competitive edge.

Giambrone: I have been very blessed. I had so many people over the years help me in small and big ways, it would be impossible to name them all. I worked very hard to get where I am and it wasn’t an overnight process. I shot for 7 years with 5 of those being very steady before reaching AA/AAA status. Steady being defined as:

  • Shooting 30-40 boxes of practice a week.
  • Shooting a minimum of 5,000 registered targets each season.
  • Having steady instruction during that time period.
  • Watching the top shooters closely and seeing what they do and how they do it.

My coaches who had the most impact on me would be my father, Paul Giambrone, Jr,, and Eddie Francez of Louisiana. Eddie helped me understand the mental game, and my father always was there on the practice field with me. He was there through the good and bad and always had just the right thing to say to me to keep me going.

Stellato: I have relied heavily on advice from people throughout my career, especially when developing my techniques. Craig and Tommy Kirkman are my primary coaches. They helped me develop a technique which works for me and have taught me how to adjust to different conditions. Larry Seward has been very helpful with my mental game or when I am stuck on something. Being a quick study allows me to apply advice or make changes in a pinch. For example, at last year’s mid-America, I was struggling. John Shima helped me to understand how to best use my new larger barrels. Using that advice, I ran my first 100 straight in the .410 and won the gun championship. When deciding on equipment, I relied more on comfort than on outside advice. I am also grateful I can tell what I am doing wrong most of the time and stop before it becomes a bad habit.

Glenewinkel: Terry Howard was my coach for several years when I began shooting skeet and has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on my shooting technique.  I have also used coaches from time to time for other shooting sports like trap and sporting clays. In addition to this, I have attended a few clinics focusing on particular aspects of skeet, like how to improve my doubles. Over the years I have learned where I usually encounter problems with my shooting. These days, I listen to tips from other shooters and learn from observing techniques of other shooters in the game to minimize bad habits and improve my technique.

Filed Under: Clay Target Nation - ARTICLES Tagged With: Bailey Glenewinkel, Clay Target Nation, CTN, NSCA, Paul Giambrone, pro gear, sporting clays, Stuart Brown, Susan Huszai, Todd Bender, Victoria Stellato

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