Triple B Clays

Last year the California Skeet Shooting Association elected to move the annual state championship from May to July 5-7, a period when it was previously held. The 2019 championship was slated to be contested in Los Angeles, a gorgeous part of the country during the summer. Triple B Clays in South El Monte was the venue. It was a busy month for the club, having held the California State Sporting Clays Championship just two weeks prior, but we were welcomed by owner Billie Barsotti, her son Billy England, and range manager Jun Vergara.

A Southern California vibe was present the entire weekend. For those who have experienced the area during this season, you know what to expect. A marine layer will be present in the early hours, burning off late morning to midday. Little or no wind until about noon when the ocean breeze appears from the southwest. Mild conditions indeed. The weather left little doubt as to why SoCal is a legendary destination for vacationers.

The range was open on Independence Day for abbreviated hours. A fair number of shooters took advantage of the time to practice, tune up or register. Here’s a So Cal vibe: Lola Fitzgerald sponsored the PA system, putting her father to work early each morning. The result was background music being piped in until shooting began each morning. Most responded positively, especially the younger shooters. Melissa Taylor and Dylan Imperatrice asked if we could turn it up and leave it playing for the entire shoot! We’ll take that under advisement.

Registration continued early Friday morning while Rick Anderson, Rob McCormick and Jun Vergara set the targets in preparation for doubles. They must have done a good job because on the first flight out, a perfect hundie was broken by Daniel Bocks. Daniel is a fine shooter who has won a number of titles recently. However, this was his first perfect in doubles, so a hat would be shot later. Two 99s came in right behind, resulting in Layman Reid taking runner-up and Jack Bernardi third. Melissa Taylor broke a beautiful 98 for Lady Champion.

Friday also included the first two flights of 12-gauge, the final being shot Saturday morning. J.R. Fernandez broke his first 100 in the 12-gauge, and Joe Fry ran ‘em as well. A slew of woulda-shouldas came in right behind them. High scores abounded, and something else was becoming apparent. The young shooters were going to have to be contended with; they weren’t going away. After shoot-offs, young Joe Fry was champion, Fernandez runner-up and the skilled Caroline Church third and Lady Champion. 99s won class champion and runner-up all the way to B, with one exception.

Saturday also included the 20-gauge in its entirety, with five 100s, plenty of 99s and other great shooting. Junior shooter Jace Sulzmann broke his first perfecto in just the 13th tournament of his young career. We’re guessing more will follow. After the tie-breakers, Dan Lewis was the gun champ, Bocks runner-up, and Sulzmann third. This time, 100s and 99s took the class champion and runner-up positions through B. High HOA scores were setting up.

Each year the CSSA hosts a Hall of Fame banquet. State teams are announced and new inductees to the Hall of Fame are honored. Pacific Sporting Arms and the Fry and Fitzgerald families added sponsorships, resulting in a number of niceties for the already top-shelf event. Taking place at a local hotel, pressed shirts and dresses abounded. The banquet was very well attended by shooters and families, including a nice group of children from one inductee’s family. So who are the new Hall of Fame members? Glad you asked.

Joe Falabrino, inducted by Rick Anderson. In addition to many titles and years of great shooting, Joe has been a silent supporter of our sport, physically and financially.

Bill Williams, inducted posthumously by Bob Mills. Bill was a legendary SoCal shooter and instructor whose accomplishments go back decades.

Jim Wong, inducted by Billie Barsotti. In many ways, Jim is the backbone of SoCal shooting. He volunteers countless unpaid hours ensuring local tournaments go smoothly.

Congratulations to the latest inductees. A night a little later than preferred, everyone retired to their abodes. The tournament would conclude the next day.

Once again Vergara, McCormick and Anderson arrived early to set targets. A flight of 28-gauge needed to be shot, along with the entire .410 event. The weather hadn’t changed. One group of Central Californians remarked that they almost needed a sweater! Back home, temperatures were over 100. Speaking of 100, two more were registered in the 28, one each by Dan Lewis and Nick Ballentine. Several 99s followed. When the dust had settled, Lewis had the gun title, Ballentine runner-up and Bill Borrelli third. Joe Fry’s 98 took Junior Champion and Melissa Taylor Lady Champion.

After 300 main event targets, there was a logjam at the top. Ballentine was leading, down only two targets. Bocks and Lewis were right on his tail, having missed only three. Out-of-stater Larry Blount was sitting at 296, and four others were down five at 295. It seems like it always comes down to the .410, and this time was no exception. Lewis’s 96 in the noon flight opened a door a bit. Bocks broke a gorgeous 99, resulting in an HOA of 396. Blount’s 94 effectively took him out. At 1:30, a terrific squad of young shooters, including Ballentine and Fry, went out. Both were clean through three boxes when Nick dropped one. Joe Fry ran it for the .410 bore championship. After shoot-offs, Ballentine was the .410 runner-up and Bocks third.

After three days of shooting at 400 targets, Nick Ballentine won his third California State HOA title with a score of 397. Nick is a fantastic champion and has represented the Golden State well. The talented Daniel Bocks captured runner-up with a score of 396, followed by Joe Fry with 395. Melissa Taylor was the Lady Champion with 391. The youth abounded. It would appear the game is in good hands in the West. Congratulations to all the champions.

First 100 straights were shot by Daniel Bocks, J.R. Fernandez, John Heim and Jace Sulzmann. Although attendance was a bit lower than in past years, HOA scores were the highest in the past four years, owing to a combination of awesome talent, conditions and targets. The tournament stayed on schedule essentially the whole weekend – no doubt the result of the behind-the-scenes workers led by the CSSA Board of Directors. The tournament was also conducted safely.

Many have inquired about new ammunition restrictions in California. Gun ownership in the state is a moving target, but everyone got to the tournament with all the ammunition they needed. Make California a stop on your next shooting trip. There are great ranges located throughout the state. Bring sunglasses and shorts, you’ll fit right in. Come shoot with us!

– Contributed by Chris Baker

The Redlands Club Championship has evolved into a premier Southern California event in just six short years. Last year, Pacific Sporting Arms, led by John Herkowitz and Jordon Hirschi, stepped in to become the title sponsor, adding an element of prestige to the tournament. Past champions include a couple of World Champions and Hall of Fame members.

Eric Kirk, the 2017 champion, returned, along with 2016 champ, Roman Warren. And the 2015 champion, Todd Bender, also competed. Although Todd has visited us since his win, this was his first return to shoot with us. We were pleased to welcome him home. Todd was fully booked during the week with clinics. Perhaps Warren Liu’s statement sums it up best: “This was my best day ever!” All would agree.

The championship is a 200-target tournament consisting of 100 each 20- and 12-gauge birds. One flight begins on Friday afternoon, and the balance completes on Saturday. Forty-five shooters can be accommodated, and the event was full with a waiting list. In fact, one squad ran 6-man for the 12 gauge on Saturday so Joe Fry could join us from Bakersfield. Mike O’Keefe also made the trip from Phoenix. I guess you would have to do the mileage to figure out who traveled farther. We were happy both made it.

As an added bonus for those who shot the Friday rotation, a mixer was included with sausages, links, grilled onions and peppers, chips and dips, and perhaps a beverage or two. It was a very nice social event that contributed to the always-present camaraderie.

In conjunction with Triple B Clays and Kern County Gun Club, great efforts have gone into developing a group of referees in Southern California. For those of you who have taken on this task, you know that it takes constant effort to keep people trained as well as to develop new talent. Our group of refs were terrific. Tori, Ashley, Sarah, Elijah, and William were on time, courteous, and accurate in their calls. They take ownership of their fields and were spot on.

The shoot starts with the yellow shell. The disks were flying, succumbing to 7/8 oz. of #9 shot. And every one of Mr. Bender’s targets succumbed completely, giving him the lone 100 straight. A pair of 98s and slews of 97s and 96s were right behind. Shoot-offs for the end of the day were tallied by Tina Stephens, administrator extraordinaire.

Lunch is always included at the Redlands events. In all, about 75 people were fed island chicken wings, exotic Asian skewers, a salad provided by Mary Fitzgerald, and a platter of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Lola Fitzgerald.

After lunch, the 12 gauge commenced. This time, two shooters managed the hundie, two shoulda-wouldas, and groups of others right behind. Shoot-offs commenced promptly following the completion of the 12 gauge on field 3, our “stadium field.” Competitors and spectators assembled beneath the now-famous elm trees to settle things up. Concurrent events are shot off as well, so a full plate was in store.

Bender had already won the 20 gauge. But John Lyman and Richard Wurster had to sort out the rest of the podium, and that they did. In the end, the 20 wound up like this: Bender, champion; Lyman, runner-up; and Wurster, third. Tracy Edwards took AA1 without contest, Larry Schur A1, J.R. Fernandez B1, Neil Vann (Mr. 400K) C1, and Martin Eramo D1.

The 12 gauge had some tidying up to do as well. Lyman took the title over Sifers, runner-up, Andre Frey, third. AA1 went to Bender, Wurster A1, Charlie Miledi B1, Vann C1, and newly returned Keith Cantillon, D1, with a very nice 96.

Handcrafted leather pouches provided by Pacific Sporting Arms were created for the HOA winners, including class champs. Envelopes with some mad money were also tucked into each pouch. At completion of the 12 gauge, Bender couldn’t be caught. He won his second Redlands Club Championship by breaking 199×200. John Lyman was right on his heels with 198 and runner-up, and Sifers’ 195 was good enough for third. Tracy Edwards captured AA1, Wurster A1, Miledi B1, Vann C1 and Tim Schilling D1.

Two new NSSA members were recruited during the event. Welcome Eric Linz and Earl Jones. We’re glad you joined us.

Our generous sponsors also contributed to making the event a success. Take a moment to say thank you to these folks when you see them: John Herkowitz of Pacific Sporting Arms, Rob McCormick of Campus Uniforms, Dennis James of So Cal Pianos, John Lyman of ECCO Sports, Tina Stephens, Keith Phelps, Ron Schaefer, the Buoni Family, Lola Fitzgerald, Kern County Gun Club, Lou Riddle Construction, Dr. Bill Bell, Clay Delay Autopuller, Redlands Shooting Park, and Todd Bender Performance Systems.

There are two other important developments to note. Tina Stephens created the So Cal Youth Skeet Shooters nonprofit last year. She was able to donate shells to youth and new NSSA members who participated. If you would like to know more about her organization, have youth who would benefit from clinics or being involved, she would love to hear from you. Email her at SoCalJrShooters@aol.com.

Lastly, if you have shot in Southern California in the last year, you may have met a fantastic ambassador to skeet. Dressed in pink, with bows in her hair and always a bright smile, Lola Fitzgerald has won over the hearts of everyone she meets. She was recently on the local news telling her story. Imagine a positive story on television in California about the shooting sports. Her attitude is contagious. You can find her video on YouTube by searching “Skeet n Bows.” Be sure to check her out. Look for her interview with Todd Bender (Vlog #10).

And a special thank you to all the silent workers who make events like this fun. Plan a trip to So Cal next summer. We’d love to see you.

– Contributed by Chris Baker