Clay Target Nation

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

Texas State Skeet Championships

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The 2018 Texas State Skeet Championships were held at the National Shooting Complex June 21-24. Hot temperatures and windy conditions were the norm at this year’s tournament, but the conditions did not prevent a tremendous event from happening, thanks to the shoot staff’s hard work and tremendous support from the numerous shoot sponsors.

Shooting began Thursday with the TSSA Referee Championship where Timothy Provorse took top honors. The Doubles event, sponsored by Todd Bender, kicked off Thursday at noon. Jason Ward, Armour Strunk and Rachel Barringer (Lady Champ) claimed the top spots after a superb shoot-off of 99s. All competitors shooting the Doubles event were also automatically entered into the Briley special Lewis class event. All competitors were able to shoot off in their Lewis class, and when all the shots had been fired, five participants were proud owners of a beautiful Briley knife.

Format changes were made to the 2018 Texas State Championships to accommodate as many one-gun shooters as possible and to bring back the traditional 200-target 12-gauge event, which was last shot in 1996. To accommodate as many shooters as possible, the 20- and 28-gauge events were shot on Friday, with shoot-offs on Saturday and Sunday due to the TSSA banquet. The 200-target 12-gauge event was shot on Saturday, and the .410 championship remained for Sunday. Friday morning’s Pacific Sporting Arms 20-gauge event produced 11 perfect scores, while the Lonesome Charlie’s-sponsored 28-gauge event yielded only four. Although we competitors are eager to determine our overall, class, and concurrent places, Friday night was reserved for camaraderie and celebration at the TSSA Hall of Fame Banquet.

While the banquet is a great time to visit with old friends and make a few new ones, the highlight of the evening is honoring the new TSSA Hall of Fame inductees. This year’s inductees included Babette Burley for her great shooting accomplishments and Rocky Goodman as the Buck Stark inductee for his service to the game. Rocky is the only individual in TSSA history to be inducted into the TSSA Hall of Fame both for shooting (2006) and service. Before the conclusion of the evening, the Blaser raffle gun was awarded to Russell Stevens. With the support and assistance received from Blaser and the other great sponsors, the gun raffle, and the hard work of the shoot committee, the 2018 Texas State Skeet Championships offered an outrageous number of awards and prizes. After a nice meal, a few laughs, and some celebration, attention turned back to the 2018 championships.

Saturday morning was the start of the 200-bird 12-gauge event. A huge thank you to Greater Houston Gun Club for sponsoring this year’s 12-gauge championship. With the winds blowing and the temperatures scorching, targets were slipping by. Although conditions were tough, two competitors – John Barnes and Carter Wehrheim – survived the 12 gauge with perfect 200s. Taking a two-year break did not deter Carter from breaking them all in the big gun, or the 20 and 28 gauges, for that matter. Barnes and Wehrheim battled in the stadium field until Barnes let one slip in a ghastly full piece to take runner-up, leaving Wehrheim the champ.

Troy Behrens outlasted all tied at 199 to claim third place, while Rachel Barringer took home the Ladies title. A 12-gauge special Lewis class event, in which all competitors had a shot at winning a Beretta A400 Xcel, ran concurrently with the 12-gauge event. Just as in Doubles, five Lewis classes were spread among the fields, and five lucky winners earned a brand-new shotgun. Thank you to all the individuals and sponsors that helped make this event possible.

The 20-gauge championship would also be determined on Saturday. Wehrheim again took top honors as he outlasted George Murray and Jason Ward. Rachel Barringer continued her outstanding start to the event, finishing as Lady Champion ahead of Margaret Clement, both with perfect scores.

Once Saturday was completed, the .410 bore was left to shoot, and the 28-gauge shoot-offs remained. Colton Back, member of the Schreiner University Division 2 National Championship shooting team, captured his first state title by defeating former champions Lindsay Plesko and Bailey Glenewinkel.

Going into the .410, Carter Wehrheim held a three-target lead over the nearest competitor, but as always, the .410 would have to be completed before anyone could be crowned HOA Champion. Cameron Schuster defended his .410-bore championship from 2017 with the lone 100 in the S&B Plumbing, Inc. .410-Bore Championship. With his perfect score, Cameron took home the last championship tomahawk, which was awarded to all gun champions. Greg Van Belois and Doug Coulter rounded out the .410 podium, while Plesko earned her second Ladies championship of the weekend in front of Glenewinkel and Lauren Burge.

Although no perfect 500 was completed for the HOA Championship, Carter Wehrheim prevailed as the 2018 Texas State Skeet HOA Champion, which was sponsored by Robert Paxton of Paxton Arms. It was very fitting that the nine-time HOA winner of the Texas State Skeet Championship sponsored this year’s High Over All event. Jason Ward settled for HOA runner-up just ahead of last year’s champion, Cameron Schuster, who took third place. Kaleigh Lawson was the steadiest shooter all weekend in the Ladies concurrent, and she was named Lady HOA Champion for her efforts. Kaleigh finished one target ahead of Glenewinkel (runner-up) and Plesko (third) in the HOA event. Other notable winners and honors included Vicki Cline (Referee of the Year), Andrew Benson (Herb Gundlefeld Award winner as Junior HOA), Robert Davis (Gene Jackson Award winner for Senior Veteran HOA), and Greg Van Belois (Earl Barosso Award winner for Senior HOA).

Another coveted honor that is annually awarded at the Texas State Championships is for 5-man team awards. This year, the Fort Worth Trap and Skeet Team (Mike Schmitt, Tom Deaton, Wes Roddie, Charli Abendroth, Matthew Roberson) took home top honors in Doubles and 20 gauge. Greater Houston Gun Club took home the remainder of the awards via three different teams. Brandon Cade (2018 Texas State Shoot chairman), John Castillo, Mike Fox, Cliff Moller, and Tommy Mays captured the 28-gauge awards; Armour Strunk, Dwight Vincent, Lindsay Plesko, Pat Byrne, and John Barnes were the top team in the 12-gauge; while William Edmunds, Hunter Edmunds, George Murray, Bradley Pang and Matthew Ward finished the weekend strong with the .410 and HOA titles. Congratulations to all the 5-man team Eagle Award winners.

The 2018 Texas State Skeet Championships were such a tremendous event thanks to the hard work of the TSSA Board of Directors and shoot staff as well as the gracious support of all the sponsors. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2019 Texas State Skeet Championships at the Dallas Gun Club.

– Contributed by Nathan Boyd

Clinton-Irwin’s Klody Memorial Open

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The Clinton-Irwin Rod and Gun Club near Barkeyville, Pennsylvania, hosted the 11th annual Klody Memorial Open on June 8-10. John Klody was a tireless volunteer at this club during the time that the second field was being built, and field 2 is named in his honor.

Fourteen shooters shot at least one gun in this 5-gun shoot. Rich Vensel’s 388 took HOA champion honors, and Kenny Riddile was HOA runner-up with 387; Vensel was HAA champ with a 481.

The weather was variable, sunny, clear and calm on Friday and Saturday and very wet on Sunday. Unfortunately, the earlier prediction of rain for the entire weekend probably convinced some shooters to stay home.

Ten shooters went after Doubles on Friday afternoon. When the smoke had cleared, Ernie Avolio’s 94 was good for champion and A1. Other class firsts went to Chris Greenlee (B) and Mark Johnson (C).

Saturday morning’s 12-gauge event included 14 shooters. Rich Vensel smoked 100 targets, taking the 12-gauge championship and AA1. This was Rich’s first registered 100 straight, and his hat was appropriately vented. Avolio broke 99 and was A1; B, C and D firsts went to Scott Holman, Dale Snow and Gary Schuette, respectively.

Fourteen shooters also participated in the 20-gauge event on Saturday afternoon. Avolio and Riddile were high with 99s; after a short shoot-off, John emerged as champion and AA1, and Kenny was A1. Paul Augustin, Cecil Smith and Schuette, respectively, took B1, C1 and D1.

Sunday morning dawned wet; lots of Frogg Toggs and similar attire were in evidence. The 28-gauge event was first, and 11 shooters participated. Riddile was champion and A1 with a 98. Other class firsts included Avolio (AA), Vensel (B) and Jeff Riddle (C) after a shoot-off with Greenlee.

On Sunday afternoon, with the skies still leaking, it was time for the .410. Vensel continued his good shooting, despite the rain, and took the little-gun championship and AA1 with a nice 97. Class first places went to Augustin (A), Riddle (B), George Gleich (C) and Schuette (D).

Nice club, nice people, good birds, good lunches. Clinton-Irwin would love to see you at their next shoot.

– Contributed by George Gleich

Ralph Holtz Memorial at Generations Skeet Club

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Generations Skeet Club (formerly the 7-H Skeet Club) hosted the 15th annual Ralph Holtz Memorial Shoot at their beautiful fields near Patton, Pennsylvania on June 1-3.

Even though the weather people had been calling for rain for this weekend, Friday and Saturday were nice, partly cloudy with light breezes and a bit muggy. Sunday, on the other hand, fulfilled the prognosticator’s predictions by raining all day!

Forty-eight shooters shot at least one gun. Chris Kline’s 392 was good for HOA champion; Mike Wollard was HOA runner-up with a 391. Missy Vescovi was Ladies HOA champ.

Twenty-two shooters shot Doubles on Friday afternoon. Kline’s 98 made him champion. Class firsts went to Wollard (A), Scott Grossett (B), Brad Botteicher (C) and George Gleich (D).

The 28-gauge shooting began on Saturday morning with 34 shooters participating. Dan Felton was champion with a nice 99 after a shoot-off with Joe Vescovi. Class firsts were Joe Vescovi (AA), Roy Holtz (A), Ed Call (B) after shooting off 96s with Kevin Spessard, John Davies (C) and Tracey Snyder (D).

Shooting continued on Saturday afternoon with 38 shooters in the 12-gauge event. Frank Smithmeyer had the lone 100 straight and was champion. Clay Gormish won a shoot-off of 99s with Joe Vescovi and took AA1. Wollard, Josh Crofutt, Grossett, Davies and Brian Long, respectively, were A, B, C, D and E class winners. Allison Shaffer from St. Marys, PA had her first registered 25 straight.

The food was abundant and delicious on Saturday evening. The meal was a combination affair serving as the banquet for the winter skeet league held at Generations and the Holtz Memorial Shoot repast.

The .410 bore was shot on Sunday morning. After all the little bullets were fired, Wollard’s 98 was good for champion, after a shoot-off with Kline. Class firsts went to Kline (AA), Gormish (A), Adam Vollmer (B), Gary Trilli (C) and Doug Long (D). The Three-Man Blind event, based on .410 bore scores, is always fun with secret ballot bidding for the eight computer-picked teams after the meal on Saturday night. The winners were Joe Vescovi, Kline and Doug Long after they won a shoot-off with Leyo, Gormish and Trilli. Wollard bought the winning team.

The 20-gauge event was last and took place on Sunday afternoon with 34 shooters. Ryan Holtz, Leyo and Joe Vescovi shot 99s; Ryan won the shoot-off to take the championship. Leyo, Vescovi, Tim Holtz, Davies and Shaffer, respectively, took firsts in AA, A, B, C and D classes. Terry Smith, from New Germany, PA, shot his first registered 25 straight.

A hat shoot was conducted at the end of the day. Allison Shaffer’s and Terry Smith’s hats were well perforated to commemorate their 25 straights this weekend.

The shoot management team included Tori Holtz, registration and scorekeeping, and Michael Vescovi, chief referee. Young, non-shooting referees included Kelsey Krug, Mikayla Lansbury, Paige McMullen and Jake Beebe, who did a great job.

– Contributed by George Gleich

 

Minnesota Inducts Jerry Ryan, Honors All-State Teams

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Minnesota Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame Inductee, Jerry Ryan

Jerry Ryan was inducted to the Minnesota Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame at its annual awards banquet on April 21, 2018, in Minneapolis. Jerry has been a member of the NSSA since 1984. As a young man he worked at the Minneapolis Gun Club (MGC) and developed a lifelong love of skeet. Jerry has always been willing to volunteer his time and efforts for many different projects at MGC, as well as being a strong proponent of youth shooting.  Jerry makes a point to meet and welcome new skeet shooters.  During tournaments, he interacts with shooters, offering support and encouragement. He is a great mentor for both new and experienced skeet shooters.

Jerry has posted over 40 100 straights during his shooting career at various gun clubs all over the country. This puts him close to the top of all the great skeet shooters from Minnesota. Jerry has won a number of Minnesota state gun championships and 37 Minnesota concurrent titles.  He posted 100 straights to claim state 12 gauge titles in 2009, 2012 and 2013.  He also won the state Doubles championship in 2009 and the state High Overall championship in 2016.

The 2018 Minnesota All-State teams were also recognized at the annual awards dinner:

First Team
Bob Rick (Captain)
Jeff Korhonen
Jerry Ryan
Jarret Hayes
Tony Lowe
Second Team
Justin Baker (Captain)
David Baker
Scott Melchisedech
Hayden Wege
Mark Vanderbloomer

 

 

 

 

Port City Open at Buccaneer Gun Club

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On May 18-20, championship skeet returned to southeastern North Carolina for the first time since 2014, and man, was it exciting.

The most exciting part was the number of Junior shooters making the trek to the John Scott Skeet and Trap Fields at Buccaneer Gun Club, no doubt at a financial sacrifice to many of the Junior shooters’ families traveling to and from skeet tournaments.

With a grant from Friends of the NRA and a generous donation from Sportsman’s Warehouse manager Bill Colvard, the Port City Open provided Junior shooters free ammo for all four events, 12 gauge through .410, helping to promote the sport to these young people who are the future of our sport.

The festivities began with Doubles on Friday afternoon. Doubles shooters gave chase to White Flyers most of the afternoon, with Scott Graham winning with a fine score of 96. Intermittent showers tried to interfere with the Doubles event, but these folks are used to it.

Foul and ugly weather greeted shooters Saturday morning. Heavy rains plagued 12- and 20- gauge shooters all day. Even with a brief stoppage for lightning, the shooters persevered, and Scott Graham again showed his mettle with a smooth 100 in the rain to take the 12-gauge event after a shoot-off with Chip Simmons and Jay Bunting, neither a stranger to Doubles at 3, 4 and 5 after 100 straights.

Justin Haddle, with his first 100 ever, was not alone in 20-gauge straights. Larson Harkins had his first 20-gauge straight, and Mark Smith’s perfect score landed him in the shoot-off with Justin and Larson. Mark outlasted these sharp shooters to become 20-gauge gun champ. Any 100 straight is impressive, but Justin Haddle accomplished something special; he was on station 8 of his last box when the lightning horn blew. After an hour wait, he stepped back on station 8 and calmly finished his 100 straight.

The 20-gauge Special Handicap event Saturday afternoon sparked a lot of interest. Junior shooter Larson Harkins walked away with a little extra shotshell money. Young eyes and young reflexes told the tale here.

Saturday night’s dinner was steak, baked potato, and green beans prepared cowboy-style by True Grits Chuck Wagon. Everything was cooked on open grills and in Dutch ovens. The peach cobbler slow-cooked in a Dutch oven did not last very long. Chuck Wagon Bill’s profits and donations support the “Easy Does It Ranch,” a free summer camp for recovering teens. 

After this palate-pleasing dinner, the shooters were still not ready to kennel the Kolars and Krieghoffs. A friendly game of Scrap under the lights broke out. For the uninitiated, Scrap uses the trap machine overlay to throw targets to be shot at from the skeet stations. Needless to say, the choke wrenches were busy. When the smoke and the “pull, bang, dammits” cleared, Justin Haddle and Kevin Hostinsky eased away with a little more jingle in their pockets.

We all went to bed with visions of broken targets dancing in our heads.

Sunday’s weather found the 28-gauge and .410 shooters apprehensive about the weather forecast: more showers. Nevertheless, 28-gauge scores were mighty impressive, with Marquis Williams besting Noah Dove in a shoot-off for 28-gauge gun champ honors. Marquis’ 100 was his first in 28 gauge.

All in all, there were eight 100 straights in our skeet-o-rama.

Someone opened a box of .410’s Sunday afternoon. As soon as it was opened, the typical breeze kicked in. Jay Bunting out-maneuvered the wind and pulled past the field with a smooth 99 to take .410 gun champ honors.

Jay Bunting was also the tournament HOA with a cool 396. Riley Dellinger was Junior HOA with a 392. Corrie Cloninger was Ladies champ, carding a 379. Trace Davis finished the tournament as Sub-Junior winner with a nice score of 377.

The Port City Open HOA shooter, Jay Bunting, was presented a tailgate quilt constructed of Sportsman’s Warehouse canvas shot bags. Riley Dellinger, Junior HOA with a smooth 392, was also presented a tailgate quilt. Bill Colvard, manager of Sportsman’s Warehouse, furnished the shot bags, and Jane Hassell did the quilting. This is a fine way to protect a quality shotgun while it rests on the tailgate of a pickup or SUV.

Thanks to all the referees who controlled the event and turned in a weekend of masterful scorekeeping and refereeing. Special thanks go to Patty Walton and Jane Hassell for keeping everything running smoothly. Thanks to all the shooters and their families who enthusiastically complimented our targets, staff, food and shoot presentation.

Thanks to this year’s Tournament Committee: Tom Smith, Hart Stuehmer, Jeff DeSantis, Peter Ruffin, Cosby Thomas, David Ruehle and Frank Hassell. Thanks to our officers, Dave Ernst – president; Jim Caison – treasurer; and Ray Campbell – past president, for your input and dedication to the Port City Open.

David Ruehle and his ground crew did a masterful job of keeping the machines full, water coolers full, trash removed, empty hulls picked up and targets flying smoothly all three days. Special thanks go to the Buccaneer Gun Club members who came early and stayed late days and weeks before the tournament, working together to make the Port City Open a rousing success.

A very special thank-you goes to our sponsors: Bill Colvard and John Clark of Sportsman’s Warehouse, Cox Industries, Michael Davis and Party Suppliers of Wilmington, and Jim Davis.

Join us for our next event, the Fall “No Frills” Open, on November 16-18.

– Contributed by Frank Hassell

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