Clay Target Nation

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

2021 New Jersey Skeet Championship

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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

7th Annual Couples Shoot at Generations Skeet Club

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The 7th annual Couples Shoot was held at Generations Skeet Club in Pennsylvania on September 19. The weather was lovely, in the low 70s, not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky and almost no wind.

The Couples Shoot was initiated by Generations in 2015, with 14 couples participating that first year. The goals of the shoot are to introduce new shooters (especially ladies and younger shooters) to skeet; to have fun shooting while stressing gun safety; to enjoy an early autumn afternoon with a fine group of people and, of course, to eat!

Twenty-two couples shot this year, the same number as last year. Not too many skeet shoots in the country can boast having 22 lady shooters. For example, this year’s Pennsylvania State Skeet Shoot, one of the largest in the country, had 22 lady shooters in the 12-gauge event.

Shooting began late in the morning, and all four of Generations’ skeet fields were soon involved. Many of the participants were first-time shooters, and several had never handled a gun before. NSSA Certified Instructors were present on all four fields to help new shooters. Shotguns and shells were provided to any who needed them. Scorekeepers included Andrea McMullen and Rachel Nelen, along with a bevy of experienced shooters who offered to help.

Squads of four or six shooters were assigned. All NSSA safety rules were strictly enforced, but some of the other rules were slightly bent at times to help new shooters. For example, some new shooters shot four singles instead of two singles and a double at times, and congratulating a new shooter each time they smoked a bird was strongly encouraged.

At approximately 4 p.m., after everyone had shot at 50 birds (two rounds), shoot-offs began. Liberal handicaps were applied, which allowed all 22 couples to shoot doubles at 3-4-5. The shoot-offs were also handicapped, with experienced shooters receiving no targets and rookies getting 4. Most shoot-offs are somewhat subdued with no injected noise, but not with this group. Up and down the line of fields, you could hear hootin’ and hollerin’ as the ladies were busting targets at doubles. Following the first round of shoot-offs, the remaining eight pairs of shooters proceeded to field 2 for the final shoot-off while everyone else gathered around to cheer on the competitors. New shooter Denise Serbin was comical because as she hit targets, the crowd could hear her play-by-play commentary. During the shoot-off, she kept the pressure on her husband Tim to keep hitting targets and not use up her handicap. It worked, because Tim really came through by crushing 7 pairs at 3-4-5 in his first shoot-off and first attempt at doubles. The pair captured third place for their first-ever win in skeet.

Renee and Tom Hillard emerged as Couples Shoot Champions. Renee proudly wore the custom tiara decorated with spent shotgun shells! Shoot runners-up were Ashley and Chris Kline, Denise and Tim Serbin took third, and Denise and Al Agostinelli finished fourth. Custom-made mugs commemorating the event were awarded to the winners (thanks to Jeff Meidinger for making the lovely mugs).

After the shooting was done, people flocked to “The Barn,” about 200 yards from the skeet clubhouse, for a fine picnic-style dinner. Ryan Holtz cooked the chicken on-site, and many people brought covered dishes and desserts. There was plenty of food and drink on hand, but more importantly, many new friendships were formed.

Kudos to the Generations skeet family for hosting a great event; we are already looking forward to next year. If you would like to be added to the list of competitors, please email royholtz@gmail.com. No prior experience is necessary, and the Generations family will definitely show you a good time.

– Contributed by George Gleich

 

Ladies Charity Skeet Classic

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Champion – Mackinzee Swetman (center), Runner-up – Sue Huszai (left), Third – Dani Zeigler (right). Left to right: AA CH Corrie Cloniger, B CH Josie Cloniger, D CH Brayden Stokes, C CH Susan Galloway (not pictured).

As 2021 has unfolded, ladies were eager to return to the skeet field, making for an increase in numbers for the 26th Ladies Charity Skeet Classic, hosted by South River Gun Club, in Covington, Georgia, March 19-21.  With all the challenges of the past year, distractions were welcomed, and busting clay targets on the field fit the bill perfectly!

Thirty-four ladies from 12 states attended. Eight of the ladies had never experienced the Ladies Charity previously, but each is now committed to future Ladies tournaments. The largest concurrent, Lady notwithstanding, was Junior, so the younger ladies were often found standing front and center on the podium at the end of each event.

The Ladies Novice Skeet Class was hosted by the National Sports Shooting Foundation’s “First Shots” program, which provided ammunition and goodies for the 14 ladies who turned out to be our most energetic and enthusiastic participants. They were wonderful cheerleaders for each other and had a blast! The coaching staff was top-notch, led by Doug Thompson and joined by Austin Shepherd, Dan Degood and Cannon Petitjean, who shared their skills to ensure all our ladies were successful. A&H Catering provided a delightful lunch break for the ladies before they headed to the pistol range to punch some holes in paper with Mike Wasielewsi as their coach.

Steve Shackleford Memorial Doubles were held Friday afternoon. Corrie Cloninger (NC) took Champion unchallenged with 98 on her first visit to the LCSC. Two 97s hit the field to settle runner-up and third between Andrea Beyer (MS) and Mackinzee Swetman (TX). Beyer let a low-house slide on the first visit to station 4 and Swetman hit the pair to secure runner-up. Class champions were Alison Boyette (GA) A class, Josie Cloninger (NC) B, Lynn Cogdill (MT) C, and Becky Myers (VA) D.

The Jane and Doug Frazier 12-Gauge Event was held Saturday morning. One 98 by a local Junior Lady, Dani Zeigler (GA), won the champion title. Another two 98s, Swetman and Sue Huszai (OH), took to the field to determine the next titles. Huszai took advantage of a miss by Swetman to take runner-up, and Swetman took third. Class champions were Corrie Cloninger AA, Sydney Pittman (GA) A, Deanna Culpepper (GA) B, Sue Bogardus (FL) C, Melissa Petitjean (GA) D.

The Barbara Bozard Memorial 28-Gauge Event was held Saturday afternoon. Two perfect scores were posted by Alison Boyette (GA) and Corrie Cloninger, so they took to the field to settle the top position on the podium. Boyette cleaned two stations, and Cloninger missed her second target on station 4 to give Boyette the championship and runner-up for herself. Third place went to Jessica Simmerman (MS), unchallenged with 99. Class champions were Sue Huszai AA; Mackinzee Swetman A; Deanna Culpepper B; Susan Thompson (NC) C; Brayden Stokes (GA) D.

This year there were well over 200 items of all kinds on the tables for the raffle drawings — handcrafted goodies, shooting gear, household items, jewelry, clothing, manly and girly things, as well as entry fees to upcoming tournaments. Our most highly coveted raffle table item was a gorgeous Italian leather single gun case with shearling lining. The ladies were almost territorial about guarding the cup for tickets! As it turned out, a local club member who had purchased one card of tickets to support the shoot was the winner of the case.

Saturday night’s guest speaker was Spenser Frye, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity Director, who also serves in the Georgia General Assembly as the state representative for Georgia House District 118. Frye shared with the ladies how COVID has impacted projects in Athens and shifted the focus to testing and reducing positive cases so volunteers can return to helping with Habitat projects. He noted that virtually all the things discussed passionately in House sessions are the same things that are impacted and improved upon when there is home ownership in the family. He said that Athens Area Habitat is partnering with the National Ready Mix Concrete Association and the Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association to build a concrete home as a cost-effective alternative since lumber prices have exploded.

Following our dinner by A&H Catering, almost 20 baskets, along with other items, were up for live auction. The auction was both entertaining and hugely successful in raising money. Our most original basket this year was “Responsible Adult Pampering Basket,” filled with all things necessary to pamper oneself after a hard weekend of shooting and beating the fellas! Andrea Beyer, Katie Hunt and Jessica Simmerman were the creators of this basket. Our highest bid basket, created by Deanna Culpepper and Lisa Stroupe, was a wagon filled with all things that could be used or found while spending the day at the beach. One creative basket that was certainly the most original was a butterfly basket, complete with five chrysalis (butterflies in the making) that made the trip from Florida to the shoot and then returned to Florida to emerge as butterflies. For many of the ladies, it was a refresher biology class. The butterfly basket was brought and tended by Winnie Tucker, and even though she did not purchase her own basket, she continued to tend to the butterflies until they were released.

The Melissa Petitjean 20-Gauge Event was held Sunday morning. Corrie Cloninger posted the lone perfect score, securing the championship cleanly. Huszai posted the only 99 to snag runner-up honors sans challenge. Scores of 98 sent Mackinzee Swetman and Lynn Cogdill to the field for third honors.  Swetman let one slide on the first stop at station 4, and Cogdill smoked her pair, grabbing third. Class winners were Swetman AA, Zeigler A, Josie Cloninger B, Stokes C, and Marie Palmer (PA) D.

The John Haugh .410 Bore Event was held Sunday afternoon. The .410 is never predictable, and it’s no exception at the Ladies Shoot. Once the scores were all entered, a lone 99 was posted by Boyette, making her Champion. A single 97 gave runner-up honors to Mackinzee Swetman. Mary DeFrancesco (CT) and Zeigler tied at 95 for third, so to the field they took. DeFrancesco was ready for the long haul, but it didn’t take long; Zeigler dropped one on station 4’s first pass, handing third to DeFrancesco and taking Class A Champion for herself. Other class winners were Corrie Cloninger AA, Josie Cloninger B, Susan Galloway (MS) C, and Peyton Strickland (GA) D.

Matthews Trenching Co. HOA finished with 388 for Mackinzee Swetman, followed by 386 and runner-up for Huszai. A three-way tie at 385 set up a shoot-off for third. Corrie Cloninger led off, dropping one on her first stop on station 4 and putting pressure on Boyette, who did exactly the same, further adding pressure for Zeigler, who powered through. In two stations, she earned the third step on the podium.  Class winners were Corrie Cloninger AA, Boyette A, Josie Cloninger B, Galloway C, and Stokes D.

One of the fun games held over the weekend was 25 skeet, 25 trap and 25 adventurous 5-stand targets and 10 pistol shots. Our Annie Oakley Champion was Melissa Petitjean, and the Frank Butler Champion was Cannon Petitjean. Thanks to Howell Traps for the loan of the traps to hold this fun event for our shooters. One of the local youth teams, Georgia Storm, even took advantage of the setup and used the course for their practice session.

The funds were still being tallied at press time. You can get the final results from our Ladies Charity Skeet Classic Facebook page or our webpage at www.ladiescharityshootclassic.org.

We want to offer our thanks to South River Gun Club and staff for allowing us to take over the club for the weekend, our sponsors who made it possible to hold our shoot and pay it forward with our donation to Habitat, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity for partnering with us, our referees who made sure our participants got the best targets possible, and our volunteers who helped with the many things that had to be done. Watch for the forthcoming dates for the 2022 event.

– Contributed by Tami Daniel-Means

 

Brad Rivenburgh Open

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Salisbury Gun Club (Salisbury, Maryland) hosted the 2021 Brad Rivenburgh Open on April 9-11. HOA Champion Alessandro Vitale dominated the podium, also winning 20-Gauge, 28-Gauge and .410 Bore championships. Mark Gay was 12-Gauge Champion, and Denny Lehman won doubles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jersey Devil

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Joint Base Rod and Gun Club at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, hosted the Jersey Devil, its first two-gun event of the year, on April 10. In spite of concerns about the possibility of rain, we were blessed with near-perfect weather.

The first event was the 12-gauge, and New York shooter Robert Nowak shot his first 100 straight. Michael Estepp (MA) also broke a perfect score, setting up a short but spirited shoot-off in which Robert Nowak won the 12-gauge championship. Ben Galioto won A class with a 95. Kenny Brown and Dick Lukasik, both with 97s, settled B class on the shoot-off field. After three stations, Dick Lukasik won his class. Joe Madlinger put together four remarkable rounds to shoot a personal best score of 98. Ralph Novotny iced D class with a 91, and Andrew Harmon, who had a stellar day, broke 93 to take E class.

In the 20-gauge event, Ben Galioto was able to bear down and shoot a solid 99 to win the championship outright. Michael Estepp won AA with a 97. Kenny Brown’s 96 secured A class. Spencer Ball shot a very strong 98 to win B class, and Zeke Walker’s 91 kept nine competitors at bay to win C class. Rounding out the field was Andrew Harmon, who won D class with a 96.

The HOA Champion was Michael Estepp with a 197×200.

Twenty-seven shooters came from Massachusetts, New York, Delaware and New Jersey. Thanks to all who came to participate, along with those who set and tuned the targets or supported the shoot in any way. A big thank you to our referees Sophia Galioto, Hank Bauer and David Collins for doing an outstanding job on the button.

– Contributed by Ben Galioto

 

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