Clay Target Nation

The official magazine of the National Skeet Shooting Association and the National Sporting Clays Association

Buckeye Classic

By

HOA Champion – Jack Grehan

Skeet shooting is back in full swing at Wright-Patterson Rod & Gun Club. The club, located in Dayton, Ohio, overlooks the Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the Wright Brothers perfected their controlled, powered flight ability. Just beyond the open field is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. While shooting, you may get a flyover from a C-17 Globemaster and other aircraft. With nothing but blue skies, this gun club has one of the best backgrounds you can find. The fields are lined with trees just beyond station 4 on all five fields, providing ample shade on stations 3,4, and 5 during the hot summer days. This contributes to an enjoyable experience while shooting great targets thrown by Promatic machines.

The Buckeye Challenge, dating back to the 90s, is one of the club’s annual shooting events scheduled in the summer, adding to its appeal. While participation has dwindled in the past few years, the Wright Flyers Skeet Association is enthusiastic to bring back its shine! At this year’s event on July 29-31, the shoot boasted 27 12-gauge shooters and a total of 19 4-gun shooters. Shooters joined the club from multiple states including Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and New York.

Friday began with a comfortable breeze, clear skies, and an impressive group of shooters competing in the doubles event. Andrew Winders was crowned Doubles Champion, posting a 98. Class Champions were Bruce Christian (AA), Peter Bogdon (A), Connard Bailey (B), Andrew Smith (C), and Connor Picard (D).

For the next 2 days, shooters enjoyed impeccable weather, allowing for some impressive shooting. The 12-gauge event was won by Jack Grehan with a 100. Class winners were Bruce Christian (AA), Ryan Melcher (A), Peter Bodgdon (B), Andrew Smith (C), Mickey Moore (D), and Bill Bush (E). The 20-gauge was also won by Jack Grehan with a solid 100, posting his first 200×200. Pat McCartney also shot his first 100 in 20-gauge but, more importantly, his first 100 registered ever! He was able to walk away with the A-class title. Additional winners were Kevin McDonald (AA), Robert Palmer (B), Mickey Moore (C), and Bella Earley (D).

On Sunday, Jack Grehan continued his streak of 100s, posting yet another milestone with his first 300×300 and taking the 28-gauge title. Class winners were Bruce Christian (AA), Peter Bogdon (A), Pat McCartney (B), Mike Picard (C), and Bella Earley (D). Finally, the .410 bore event came along and Jack Grehan posted a 99. He was so close, and you could hear the squad lose their breath as a low 6 continued to fly unbroken. But he finished strong and posted an impressive weekend. However, his title reign was put to an end by Tom Davis from Kentucky who also posted a 99 in the .410 event and won the shoot-off against Jack Grehan who took A-class. Class winners included Bruce Christian (AA), Greg Volz (B), Pat McCartney (C), and Connor Picard (D). HOA Champion Jack Grehan had a successful weekend and earned his impressive score of 399×400. HOA Class champs were Kevin McDonald (AA), Tom Davis (A), Peter Bogdon (B), Mike Picard (C), Conor Picard (D), and Bella Earley (E).

We would like to thank Outdoors Environments, Inc, Briley Mfg., and SGS Performance Eyewear for their sponsorship of the shoot. We look forward to upcoming years and are eager to welcome registered shooters from all over the world! Be sure to visit the NSSA website for updates on next year’s Buckeye Challenge.

– Contributed by Andrew Winders

Skyline Open at Skyline Skeet and Trap

By

The Skyline Skeet and Trap Club in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, hosted its 14th annual Skyline Open on July 8-10. Skyline is a privately-owned shooting facility. The weather was beautiful all weekend. 

The Skyline Open is a typical 5-gun shoot that begins with doubles on Friday and ends with the ,410 on Sunday. The Mankanzana Challenge is a four-gun handicap event with a grand prize of a seven-day hunt in South Africa or $1,000 cash. For the fifth consecutive year, the Mankanzana Challenge was held in conjunction with the Skyline Open.

Clay Tietjen’s HOA score of 384 was high for the Open, John Nichols took Open HAA honors and Debra Meade’s 367 made her Lady HOA Champion. 22 shooters participated. Tony Johnson won the Challenge (20 participants) and chose the cash prize.

Eleven shooters shot doubles. Ethan Call finished with a 98 and was Champion. Class winners were Dan Nichols (AA), Ed Call (A), Jackson Nichols (B), Doug Goodman (C) and Weston Nichols (D).

The 12-gauge was shot on Friday and Saturday. Ed Call shot a 99 and emerged as 12-gauge champion. Class winners were Doug Paddock (A), Tietjen (B), Johnson (C, after winning a shoot-off of 98s with Bob Griffith Sr.), John Quealy (D) and Jackson Nichols (E).

The 20-gauge event was shot on Saturday. Ed Call ran them and was outright champion. Class first places included Tietjen (AA), Doug Paddock (A), Ethan Call (B), Johnson (C) and Dave Pickles (D).

The 28 was shot on Sunday morning. Bob Griffith Jr.’s 97 was good for champion. Dave Cook was A1, Steve Lucas B1, Bob Nichols C1, and George Gleich D1.

The .410-bore shooting took place on Sunday afternoon. Johnson’s 94 made him gun champ. Class winners were Paddock (A), Bob Griffith Jr. (B), Lucas (C) and Quealy (D, after winning a shoot-off of 88s with John Nichols).

The Mankanzana hunt includes four trophy animals (impala, blesbuck, springbuck and warthog). Fran Bussiahn, professional hunter and owner of Mankanzana Safaris, and Theresa Call put this grand prize together for Skyline’s shoot. There were 20 entrants in this event. Final scores were based on their four-gun (HOA) totals plus a class-based handicap in each gun. The results were close with Tony Johnson winning with a total HOA, including handicap, of 399; in hot pursuit and tied at 396 were Dave Cook, Stephen Lucas and Clay Tietjen. Johnson chose the $1,000 option for his prize.

A special 28-gauge Lewis Class event was sponsored by Debra Meade in memory of her loving companion Bill Straub who passed away in 2021. The $150 prize money went to Bob Griffith Jr., Lincoln Nichols and John Nichols ($50 each).

The two-man blind event winners (based on 12-gauge results) were Ethan Call and Bob Griffith Jr. (first) and Bob Nichols and Tony Johnson (second).

Three generations of the Nichols family, from Addison, NY, shot this shoot. Bob, the grandfather and Dan and John, his sons, shot, as did Weston and Lincoln (Dan’s sons) and Jackson (John’s son).

Theresa Call handled office duties (registration, score posting, etc.). Ed and Ethan Call helped keep things humming outside (filling houses, mechanic’s duties, etc). Special thanks to Kalan Knickerbocker for pulling and scoring with help from shooters, Ed and Ethan Call, Hunter Dickerman, Clay Tietjen and Deb Meade. Special kudos go to Hunter Dickerman, who now lives in Florida but drove back to Skyline to help at his former home field and see everyone. His dad Steve served as grill chef all weekend – thank you, sir!

The club was looking great, reflecting a lot of hard work by the entire Call family. As usual, the food was abundant and delicious all weekend and included steaks and lasagna on Saturday night and Skyline’s famous pies. Much thanks to Theresa and Mattea Call for the food.

– Contributed by George Gleich

 

Stockton Classic at Stockton Trap and Skeet Club

By

Beautiful Northern California weather did not disappoint for the first Stockton Classic held July 15-17 at the gorgeous Stockton Trap and Skeet Club. Stockton’s 10 perfectly designed fields, clear, blue background and shady park provided an environment like no other. Staff and volunteers did a tremendous job hosting this event, and our wonderful sponsorship provided ample added money to entice shooters to fly in from around the country.

The sold-out event started Friday afternoon with doubles. Three perfect scores were posted in this event. After a lengthy shoot-off, winners were Paul Giambrone (champion),  Dave Anderson (runner-up) and Craig Parsons (third).

The main championship began Saturday morning with the 12-gauge event. There were eight straight 100s. It was an exciting moment when local favorite Rocky Romo (champion) outlasted Luke Morgan (runner-up), in a multi-box shoot-off to claim the championship. Another local favorite, Joe Fry, claimed third overall in this impressive field.

The 20-gauge event kept the excitement going with 10 perfect 100s. After another multi-box shoot-off, Paul Giambrone (champion) took the top of the podium. Central California native Daniel Bock’s strong performance earned him the runner-up spot, and Clay Baldwin made his first podium in third place. Lauren Burge claimed her second Lady Champion of the weekend with her perfect 100.

Four shooters still had perfect scores by end of day Saturday, foreshadowing a close race for the HOA Championship. They Included Clay Baldwin, Daniel Bocks, Luke Morgan and Craig Parsons.

Saturday night dinner in the park was sponsored by the club. A local taco truck was brought in with all-you-can-eat tacos and beverages. Shooters socialized into the warm evening and relaxed before the final events on Sunday.

The next morning opened in reverse order, starting out with .410. Five 99s topped the score sheets in the little gun event. A strong shoot-off brought Joe Fry back to his second podium and first championship of the weekend. Runner-up was Andy Peter, with Kevin Monteleone taking third.

It was anyone’s game going into Sunday afternoon’s showdown in 28-gauge. Five straight 100s set up an epic battle for the podium. Two local men made it to the end, with Central California’s Daniel Bocks taking champion, Craig Parsons taking runner-up and Bay Area’s Jack Campbell locking in third. A highlight of this event was Caroline George and her impressive 100 straight, making her Lady Champion.

The perfect 400 eluded us for the weekend, but Craig Parsons’ 398 was strong enough to capture the HOA title outright. Joe Fry locked in the runner-up spot with a 397, and Clay Baldwin brought in third with a score of 396.

Concurrent HOA winners included Lauren Burge (Lady), Joe Fry (Triple-Sub), Clay Baldwin (Sub-Sub-Senior), Andy Peter (Sub-Senior), Craig Parsons (Senior), Bill Marble (Veteran), Josh Deburger (Military), Robert Ennes (Retired Military), Water Cheng (Military Veteran) and Sean Gibson (First Responder).

Thanks again to all of our sponsors and volunteers who made this such a great event. Special thanks to all of the shooters who traveled from around the country to support this shoot. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves and will return for an even greater event next year.

– Contributed by Brad Erickson

Paratrooper Open at Fort Bragg Clay Target Center

By

Fort Bragg Clay Target Center in Spring Lake, North Carolina, was the site for the Paratrooper Open, July 8-10. A total of 74 shooters competed, with 58 shooting 4 guns. Turn-out was great, and the center was once again in excellent condition, considering it just hosted 81 shooters two weeks earlier for the U.S. Open.   

The weather caused a bit of excitement – in fact, Friday morning it was questionable if we could even hold the shoot as planned. A severe thunderstorm Thursday night and a nearby lightning strike knocked out all the skeet machines. Thanks to the hard work by the staff, trap mechanic and several shooters assisting, parts were replaced and cords rewired in record time. Enough fields were working to start doubles at 1 p.m. and execute the shoot as planned. Another storm Friday afternoon resulted in the doubles finishing Saturday morning. Saturday was a scorcher with the heat and humidity, but Sunday brought clouds and a bit of rain, along with temperatures 20 degrees cooler.

There was a 3-way tie in Doubles with scores of 98. Alison Boyette was champion, Paul Stemac runner-up and Jason Cloninger third. There was also a 3-way tie of 100s in 12-gauge with Alison winning champion, Scott Graham runner-up and Charles Lawley third. With scores of 100, Alison won a shoot-off against Tim Koller to win the 20-gauge championship; Stuart Brown was third. There were seven scores of 100 in 28-gauge, with Richard Nixon winning champion, Chip Simmons runner-up and Noah Dove third. There were shoot-offs of 99s and 98s in .410 bore for the top 3 awards — with Stuart Brown taking champion, Robert Shelley runner-up, and Chip Simmons third.

Stuart Brown won HOA by one target with a 396.  Two 395s shot off, with Alison Boyette winning HOA runner-up and Scott Graham taking gun third.

The weekend concluded with shoot-offs in a Youth Handicap HOA event. Jim Tiner presented awards to the winners:

Sub-Junior / Junior group – Mary Beth Parris 1st, Ridge Pearson 2nd, Addison Wallace 3rd

Collegiate group – Alison Boyette 1st, Henry Hardin 2nd, Noah Dove 3rd.

Belinda and Jim Tiner thank everyone who helped with set-up, serving food, and clean-up to make sure the event was successful and fun for all.  Also, thank-you to the MWR staff who had the facility prepped, resolved major issues that could have affected the shoot, and to Stuart Brown for perfect targets.

– Contributed by Belinda Tiner

Newark Open at Newark Rod and Gun Club

By

The 2022 Newark Open at Newark (NY) Rod and Gun Club started out on Friday, July 29, with pretty decent conditions. Six squads of shooters took to the fields, and at the end of the day, Dess Ivanov and Craig Parsons posted the high scores. After a lengthy shoot-off (something less than 10 boxes) Parsons emerged with the title. Canada’s Dan Morris was third. Class winners were John Boone (A), Craig Halstead (B), Al Grundman (C) and Joanna Nichols, (D).

Saturday brought ideal temperatures but plenty of the “Great Lakes puffies” and more breeze than skeet shooters hope for. Even so, and with the aid of finely tuned machines by trap mechanic Pat Breen and Lawry New York orange (black rim targets),  great scores were recorded, including three 100s by Dan Morris, Steve Wood and Scott Janowski.

After the shoot-off dust settled, Dan Morris emerged as champion, Scott Janowski was runner-up and Steve Wood claimed third. Class winners Craig Halstead (A), Dave Sobiegray (B), Doug Goodman (C), Larry Clarke (D) and Joan Paddock (E).

The afternoon brought more of the same conditions until late afternoon, and again three perfect scores were posted. This time, Craig Parsons came out on top, Steve Wood was RU and Dess Ivanov made the podium in third place. Class winners were Dan Morris (AA), Dave Sobiegray (A), Cameron Baker (B), Joan Paddock (C) and Cheryl Henderson (D).

Due to the generous donation of members Cliff Patridge and Pat Breen, we had a 20- gauge B, C, D class handicap challenge, free of charge to all competitors. Newark’s own junior shooter Cam Baker won the event with a fine 98X100, and splitting second and third-place monies were Joan Paddock and Jim Reilly.

Capping off the evening was a dinner provided by the club and catered by Newark’s Nana’s Village Restaurant & Catering.

Sunday brought near-perfect conditions except for a few “puffies” in the middle of the day. 28-gauge was held in the morning and Steve Wood and Dess Ivanov had the two perfect scores, with Dess finishing as champ, Steve as runner-up, and Craig Parsons in third place. Winning the classes were Scott Janowski (A), Craig Halstead, (B) Cameron Baker (C) and Cheryl Henderson (D).

The .410 event brought 99s by Dess Ivanov and Craig Parsons, with Dess winning the championship, Craig runner-up and Dan Morris, third. Walt Aldrich (A), Jim Reilly, (B) Victor Stirpe (C) and John Greco (D)

HOA Champion was Dess Ivanov with an impressive 398X400. Runner-up was Steve Wood with 397X400, and third-place was Craig Parsons with 396X400. Class winners were Clay Tietjen (A),  Jim Reilly (B), Cam Baker (C), Joan Paddock (D). Ivanov was also HAA Champion, Wood was runner-up and Parsons, third.

The club would like to thank everyone that pitched in to make this happen, with a special thanks to the refs that did a great job pushing the buttons for us. We hope to see everyone again next year!

– Contributed by Craig Parsons

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