Clay Target Nation Nov 2023
Clay Target Nation Nov 2023
Clay Target Nation Nov 2023
FEATURES
28 NSSA EVENT COVERAGE: MINI
WORLD SKEET CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Nathan Boyd
36
By Nathan Boyd
64 70
58 COLD-WEATHER SHOOTING GEAR
By Tim Le Cras
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER w KRIS HAMPTON
KHAMPTON@NSSA-NSCA.COM w (210) 771-2051
NSSA-NSCA ADMINISTRATION
NSSA-NSCA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR w MICHAEL HAMPTON, JR.
NSSA DIRECTOR w NATHAN BOYD
MEMBER/SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
PHONE: 210-688-3371 w FAX: 210-688-3014
TOLL-FREE: 800-877-5338
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MICHAEL HAMPTON, JR.
EXT. 299 w MHAMPTON@NSSA-NSCA.COM
NSSA-NSCA
NATHAN BOYD w NSSA DIRECTOR
EXT. 260 w NBOYD@NSSA-NSCA.COM
NICKI BOWERS w NSCA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
EXT. 255 w NBOWERS@NSSA-NSCA.COM
AMBER SCHWARZ w NSSA-NSCA OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
EXT. 241 w ASCHWARZ@NSSA-NSCA.COM
MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS
SHERRY KERR w DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
EXT. 230 w SKERR@NSSA-NSCA.COM
CARA WOODARD w EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
CWOODARD@NSSA-NSCA.COM
KALEIGH LAWSON w SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
KLAWSON@NSSA-NSCA.COM
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
NORMA MILLER w RECEPTIONIST
EXT. 200 w NMILLER@NSSA-NSCA.COM
FINANCE/HUMAN RESOURCES
MISTY THOMASTON w FINANCE DIRECTOR w EXT. 213
MTHOMASTON@NSSA-NSCA.COM
SHERI GILES w ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST w EXT. 212
SGILES@NSSA-NSCA.COM
DANIELLE RODRIGUEZ w GENERAL ACCOUNTANT w EXT. 210
DRODRIGUEZ@NSSA-NSCA.COM
IT/NETWORK ADMINISTRATION
BRAD JONES w IT MANAGER
EXT. 220 w BJONES@NSSA-NSCA.COM
JAMES JOSEPH w PROGRAMMER
EXT. 261 w JJOSEPH@NSSA-NSCA.COM
JERRY GLASGOW w IT SPECIALIST
EXT. 221 w JGLASGOW@NSSA-NSCA.COM
MAINTENANCE
STAN MASCH w TROY SCHONHORST
Officer’s Letter
G
reetings from Michigan! In previous articles, I have have hired a new Assistant Skeet Director — Jessica Wolfe.
asked you to step out and experience new venues Jessica will be officially on the job on January 1, 2024. Jes-
and new events, travel to new clubs and meet new sica is eager to begin a new chapter in her life and will be a
shooters. I mention this again because the National Shoot- great addition to our organization.
ing Complex (NSC) just hosted the 2023 World Skeet Cham- We did something different this year and hosted a Ladies
pionships, and if you were not there, you missed out on a Shooting Clinic. Hannah Goddard, JoEllen Collin, Jackie
fantastic event. The Mini World was a whisker away from Ego and Bethanne Miles, assisted by Susie Galloway, spear-
being sold out, and the World had nearly 700 shooters. headed this event. It was a total success; the clinic was at ca-
This year was especially unique from past years. For those pacity with at least 11 ladies on the waitlist. We intend to do
who did not attend, you may be wondering, “What did I this again next year and will make efforts to expand avail-
miss?” First, the complex went through phase 1 of a major ability.
grounds upgrade — and yes, there is a phase 2 in the works, I always enjoy talking to first-time shooters. I was espe-
but those details will be revealed at a later date. These im- cially pleased to see a couple of shooters with their wives
provements were teased in a previous CTN article. The from Indiana — Douglas and Robin Wolfe and Mike and
registration room had a total overhaul and looked amazing, Candi VanZile. Doug and Mike are volunteers at the St. Joe
paved roads were resurfaced and widened, all fields had new Conservation Club. They diligently volunteer to work the
gun racks, and buildings were painted and power-washed, events that help make St. Joe one of the best clubs in the
to name a few changes. Lots of physical improvements were country. It was great to see them attend a shoot as shooters,
very noticeable and directed by Michael Hampton. and the expression on their collective faces was very gratify-
Perhaps the most notable was the target quality this year. ing. They were excited to be there, and their experience on
There were very few broken targets, and target flight paths the grounds was extremely positive. Another group that was
were in line as well. As a result, proof shells handed out by stoked was introduced to me by our president, Steve Mal-
the refs was down substantially. This outcome was achieved colm. Dave, Basem, Johnny, Kristina and Zjelko were from
because of a huge effort put forward by Barney Brown and Canada, and wow, they were very animated about being
his crew with an assist from past president Don Kelly. Pete there and pledged to come back next year. Great stuff, just
Masch and his gang had the grounds looking great, and love it.
the attention to detail was outstanding. Royce Graff’s team I hope these stories inspire
was up to the task as well in the Pro Shop, ammo building YOU to engage more and at-
and beyond. Customer service by NSC staff and volunteers tend next year. Now, go out into
was stellar. It was truly a team effort this year, and everyone the world and shoot some clay
should be proud of their hard work. targets!
Shoot-offs were a little different this year. Based on the
2022 World Shoot surveys, the process was modified from — Tom Pavlack
last year. (Yes! We do pay attention to survey comments.) Vice President
Nathan Boyd and Billy Ray Suggs kept things moving along
at a nice pace. Oh, by the way, if you have not heard, we
Clubs: Renew
Membership and
Register Shoots
It’s time for all clubs to renew your Application and submit it to your
NSSA and/or NSCA club member- state/provincial association for ap-
ship and register your shoots for proval. The association will submit
2024. Deadlines are near for two approved shoots to NSSA or NSCA.
important opportunities that clubs To renew your membership, go to
should be mindful of: MyNSSA.com or MyNSCA.com, find
• Shoots registered by December the Clubs tab, and Sign Up/Renew
8 will be listed in the February will be in the dropdown menu. Or,
issue of Clay Target Nation. contact us for help: Stephanie Haga
• Clubs renewing by December (NSSA), shaga@nssa-nsca.com, 210-
15 will be entered into our Club 688-3371 ext. 962; or Lori Bauch-
Membership Renewal Draw- man (NSCA), lbauchman@nssa-nsca.
ing to win one of five valuable com, ext. 961.
prizes. You can also find the Registered
To have your shoots registered, you Shoot Application on the website in
must first renew your club’s member- the Clubs section. Look for the Club
ship for 2024. After renewing, clubs Forms page.
should complete a Registered Shoot
NSCA MILESTONES
Nadim Nasir Jr. TX 150,000 Steven Noonan SD 50,000 Larry Jones IL 25,000
Desirae Edmunds GA 125,000 Kyle Norman IN 50,000 Arvid Kobosky PA 25,000
Gary Gahlinger KY 125,000 James Olson WI 50,000 John Lappley WI 25,000
Matt Barnes TX 100,000 Carey Rodgers FL 50,000 Melanie McCleary MT 25,000
David DeFernelmont PA 100,000 Damon Schlosser VA 50,000 Darrell McKigney VA 25,000
Brian DeMott NC 100,000 Leonard Sisk AK 50,000 Carrie Metheny VA 25,000
Steven Miller MO 100,000 Steve Toman KS 50,000 Chad Meyer WY 25,000
Clayton Nance TX 100,000 Timothy Warren GA 50,000 Eng-
Nigel Mitchell 25,000
Ed Peacock TX 100,000 land
Hugh Zwick IL 50,000
Chad Monie NE 25,000
Ole Vandborg CA 100,000 Kason Anderson TX 25,000
Patrick O'Boyle MN 25,000
Mark Anthony Conway IA 75,000 Michael Bales KY 25,000
Stephen Otten CO 25,000
Christopher Cox DE 75,000 Connor Barker TX 25,000
Bryan Otto TX 25,000
Tom Harrison PA 75,000 Nougzar Boukiia NJ 25,000
Doug Parsons NC 25,000
Melvin Kukich PA 75,000 Lamar Brooks GA 25,000
Lane Picklo TX 25,000
Baha Nasif WI 75,000 Jared Burgett KY 25,000
Colton Saugestad MN 25,000
Dick Stewart WI 75,000 Josh Caron VT 25,000
Robert Schwartzkopf WY 25,000
John Stuertz NE 75,000 J.C. Carter NM 25,000
Robert Shaw GA 25,000
Richard Vance OH 75,000 Connor Daniel GA 25,000
Randy Shifflett IA 25,000
Bud Williams FL 75,000 Chuck Dearth WI 25,000
Stuart Smith CO 25,000
Rusty Andre LA 50,000 Ryan Easterlie IA 25,000
Tyler Smith LA 25,000
David Bernier ME 50,000 Josh Feeley VT 25,000
Lana Stefanac CA 25,000
William Elliott OH 50,000 Dawn Fields TX 25,000
David Stipp NV 25,000
Harvey Frenzel TX 50,000 Ryan Fussell TX 25,000
William Swango TX 25,000
Morgan Goette GA 50,000 Tanner Hackel NE 25,000
Kelly Wadsworth ME 25,000
Patrick Grothues TX 50,000 Buford Hall KY 25,000
Tracy Webb GA 25,000
Dudley Hall FL 50,000 David Hangard CO 25,000
Timothy Youngkin OR 25,000
Mark Hildebrand TX 50,000 Christopher Hardin NC 25,000
Daniel Lengyel TX 50,000 Jeff Harding PA 25,000
Dwayne McFarland NM 50,000 Charles Heins IA 25,000
NSSA MILESTONES
Larry Blount AZ 275,000 Brian Carter TN 50,000 John Pogliano IL 25,000
Trish Magyar MI 275,000 James Carter ON 50,000 Richard Rothrock PA 25,000
John Haugh CA 200,000 Tom Davis KY 50,000 Michael Rykacze-
PA 25,000
Mike Quigley MN 200,000 Andrew Dutko MA 50,000 wski Jr.
Ben Gallup MI 175,000 Earl Oxford TX 50,000 Jim Souba NV 25,000
Reynolds McCain MS 150,000 Douglas Paddock NY 50,000 Donald Steinert PA 25,000
David McMillen IA 150,000 Jeffrey Renk WI 50,000 Pat Sullivan NE 25,000
Mark Vander- Phillip Strelau WA 50,000 Shakib Akbari CA 10,000
MN 125,000
Bloomer Marla Tupper SC 50,000 Jack Huckabee TN 10,000
Jack Bernardi NV 100,000 Andrew Winders OH 50,000 Benjamin Mitchell AL 10,000
Larry Israel KY 100,000 Guy Barr PA 25,000 Ray Purtzer TX 10,000
Daniel Pardoe MD 100,000 Atticus Clark WI 25,000 Steven Reuter PA 10,000
E. Wayne Tanner LA 100,000 Luis Crespo-Ramos PR 25,000 Jeffrey Simpson TX 10,000
Ed Bowker MI 75,000 Mark Davies Wales 25,000 Warren Tracz ON 10,000
George Guerrero OK 75,000 Jason Foshea TX 25,000 Michael Vainosky NE 10,000
Richard Trawinski MI 75,000 Scott Janowski NY 25,000 Joshua Wayne NC 10,000
Jacob Young TX 75,000 Matthew Lenehan NY 25,000 Lawrence Weaver ON 10,000
Thomas Bailey MT 50,000 Donald McPherson MO 25,000
Edward Call PA 50,000 Roger Plooster SD 25,000
Y
oung people tend to shoot ers’ visual game. In other and visual discipline. The
quickly: Their eyes see words, the mental game shooters’ goal should
movement and focus on controls the visual game. be to improve their
the target, and they fire. They I modified the basic ability to concentrate
don’t analyze their shots or rely as incomer and outgoer on utilizing a specific
much on precise lead pictures. drills to create two pre-shot routine that
As shooters get older, they tend watching drills. Since enables them to manage
to shoot more visually, so they managing the watching the manner in which
fire the gun when the lead pic- reflex involves the they use their eyes to
p John D. Shima
ture looks right. Since it requires conscious mind, they focus appropriately
more time to allow the correct are also thinking drills. on each target. This
lead picture to evolve, the eye has a tendency to focus These drills are intended means the last thought
too hard too soon, which causes a number of visu- to divert the shooter’s before calling for each
al faults. I use two watching drills to emphasize the intention away from target must be related
need to approach each station with a watching mind- trying to break targets to watching the target.
set rather than a shooting mindset. and toward paying Therefore, it is suggested
attention to just looking the shooter “keep score”
MANAGE MINDSET for each target and by counting how many
A watching mindset uses working memory to manage watching it continuously times they execute the
visual perception, which involves the transition from until it breaks. Since it is process correctly rather
expanded soft focus in the acquisition zone to hard impossible to keep the than count the number
focus in the break zone. By starting with absolute fo- muzzle out of the picture of targets broken.
cus to acquire and track the target, the transition to on the baseline, the Most subtle distrac-
blended focus occurs closer to the break zone. By de- watching drills involve tions are caused by emo-
laying blended focus until later in the shot sequence, stations 2 through 6. tional attachments to
it allows the shooters’ procedural memory to uncon- Ideally, these drills random thoughts that
sciously manage muzzle speed in response to their are most effective with creep into the shooter’s
perception of target speed. a squad of three to five conscious mind. When-
A shooting mindset uses working memory to man- shooters of relatively ever a distraction en-
age movement of the muzzle in response to the flight equal skill level. The ters the quiet mind, the
of the target. The intention to break the target causes first drill involves all shooter must stop and
blended focus to occur just beyond the eye hold, incomers: four L2, four repeat the pre-shot rou-
which causes depth of focus to shift between the tar- L3, four L4, four H4, tine. A clear mind begets
get and the end of muzzle between the acquisition four H5, and four H6. clear vision. Strengthen-
zone and the break zone. When blended focus occurs The second drill involves ing the watching reflex
closer to the acquisition zone, it causes most targets all outgoers: four H2, will enhance the shoot-
to appear faster and smaller. When blended focus is four H3, four H4, four er’s trust in his or her
introduced too early, the shooter tends to use his or L4, four L5, and four L6. shooting reflex.
her working memory to consciously move the muzzle The option is shot after
to adjust the perceived lead picture. the first missed target or
as a fifth target at station u John Shima is a five-time
WATCHING DRILLS 6. It is important to load World Skeet Champion. To
In essence, the manner in which shooters look for one shell at a time. view previous articles or order
the emerging target is governed by their ability to The purpose of the John’s books, go to www.
concentrate and focus. Concentration relates to the drills is to help shooters johnshima.com.
shooters’ mental game and focus relates to the shoot- improve their mental
I
n the past year,
we have done
quite a few semi-
nars for the state De-
partment of Natural
Resources to help
their Hunter Educa-
tion leaders become
p Gil, Brian and Vicki Ash better coaches when
it comes to profi-
ciency in the field. In preparation, the candidates are
asked to get into our Knowledge Vault website and LEFTY RAY CHAPA
Defective Ammunition
W
e’ve had a few questions about the rules munition based on the sole judgment of the referee.
pertaining to ammunition malfunctions, In this case, the referee decides that the shot “does
and in particular, the “odd-sounding shell” not travel the distance to the bird and does not give
interpretation. Despite efforts to make rules clear the shooter a fair opportunity to break the target.”
and easy to follow, there are often gray areas, room This is easy to determine in some cases since the shot
for interpretation and judgment on the part of the is moving so slowly that it’s visible (or it’s rolling out
referee. On the surface, the rules for Defective Am- of the barrel!), or the wad is often still in the barrel.
munition are pretty clear: In other situations, despite the shell sounding odd,
the referee can judge that “the shot does travel the
PARAPHRASING FROM SECTION B-12: distance and does provide the shooter a fair chance
“a (missed) target shall be repeated for each allow- to break the target.” In the case of a miss in this situ-
able instance of defective ammunition from the first ation, the target is lost. This is a judgment call solely
box of shells used in that round. A shooter will be on the part of the referee and probably the one part
allowed two instances of defective ammunition from of the rule that causes the most heartburn. In most
the first box of shells used in that round. After two cases, the shooter will get the benefit of the doubt.
instances of defective ammunition in a round (or But if they’ve had numerous odd-sounding shells al-
shoot-off round), a shooter may obtain a FACTORY ready that successfully hit targets, the target is more
box of ammunition and is then allowed two addition- likely to be recorded as lost. Once again, it pays to
al instances (of defective ammunition) in that round. have good reloads and a box of factory shells on
If shells are not changed in a round after two ammo hand!
malfunctions have been ruled, the third and all sub- Most of us who reload have had more than a few
sequent occurrences in that round will be (ruled as) funny-sounding shells, and hopefully when this
excessive (and lost).” happens, we take some action to correct the problem,
saving suspect shells for practice or the recycle bin. A
An exception to this rule applies to proof shells few may sneak through our quality control process,
provided by the referee (not your shooting buddy!). however, so when you’re competing, have a factory
box or two handy, just in case. If you do have instances
EXCEPTION: “If a shooter is provided a proof shell of defective ammunition, manage these situations
by the referee and defective ammunition is ruled on with the referee calmly and professionally to avoid
that proof shot, that instance will not count against affecting your game or that of your squad members.
the shooter as defective ammunition.” Showing up to a shoot in a competition with a
So, it pays to have good reloads and have a box working gun and good shells is the responsibility of
of factory shells on hand, just in case! The question each participant. The rules are in place to allow for
at hand is what defines defective ammunition? In some leeway and fairness, but ultimately, a bucket full
some cases, this is clear; for instance, in the case of of bad shells will result in lost targets and interfere
failure to fire, where a “clearly noticeable firing pin with the harmony of the squad.
indentation” is seen on a shell that doesn’t fire. We’ve
seen this on reloads and occasionally on new shells.
“Separation of the brass from the hull” would also
qualify. This is usually accompanied by a whistling
u Just remember, rules can be updated more than once a year. Go
sound, but if not, the shooter should bring it to the
attention of the referee for a ruling. online to MyNSSA.com and make sure you have the latest update.
It’s the “odd sounding shell” that requires the most If you have a rules question, a question about a call, or an inter-
scrutiny. This mostly occurs with reloaded shells, and esting situation at your shoot, you can email the Rules Commit-
often we still hit our targets. When that happens, the tee directly at NSSA-RULES@NSSA-NSCA.com. Your query might
target is ruled dead. When that same odd-sounding make the next magazine.
shell results in a miss, it can be ruled as Defective Am-
A well-kept secret,
in my opinion,
are the Baikal over-and-
under shotguns imported
years ago from Russia.
When I started
shooting skeet two
decades ago, my mentor
suggested I start with a
20-gauge Baikal based
on low recoil and very
affordable prices. I now
own a complete battery,
including two 12-gauges
(one set up for trap) and
one each in 20-gauge,
28-gauge, and .410 bore.
They don’t have the same
refinements in fit and
finish as the guns typically
found on skeet fields,
but in my experience,
they are rugged and
dependable.
When you can find
one, they typically sell
in the $500 to $600
price range. Remington
rebranded them and sold
them under the Spartan
name for several years.
As relations with Russia
soured, the importing of
guns and parts has long
since stopped.
These photos show my u Do you have a special piece that
BY NATHAN BOYD
N
SSA’s home
shooting
grounds, the
National Shooting Com-
plex, welcomed 654
competitors to the 2023
Mini World Skeet Cham-
pionships. The event was
close to capacity, due in
large part to the great
number of youth par-
ticipants in attendance
this year, and it required
the use of all skeet fields
over the weekend. This
year’s Mini World was
one of the best attended
in some time and was
an action-packed event
from start to finish. As
the name indicates, the
Mini World is a compact
version of the World
Skeet Championships, which requires long days to Lady Championship, and p HOA winners, left to right:
pull off. A huge thank-you goes out to all the staff, Alison Boyette emerged Connor Ball, runner-up; Houston
Deshotels, champion; and Dess
referees and administrators that made the shoot a as champion. Melissa
Ivanov, third.
great success. Barringer and Lindsay
The first event of the Mini World is technically the Plesko rounded out the
Referee Event, which had 20 participants this year. podium.
Congratulations to Stormy Weatherford, champion; a perfect score in the
Gerry Curley, runner-up; Kirk Barringer, third; and 12-GAUGE 12- and 20-gauges com-
all participants and winners of the Federal Referee On Saturday, the B&P pletes their first shoot-off
Event. 12-Gauge was the first box shortly after com-
event to be settled before pleting the regulation.
DOUBLES competitors moved on When shoot-offs were
With the referees ready to go, the B&P Doubles to the Briley 28-Gauge. called in the afternoon,
Championship was ready to be settled. Four per- Thirty-five shooters post- five shooters who had
fect scores were posted, but in just over half a box, ed 100 in the 12-gauge survived their first box
Houston Deshotels claimed the first championship to vie for the gun title. of 12-gauge proceeded
of the weekend. Riley Chaddock took runner-up In order to save some to the stadium field.
with Sheaffer Stanfill taking third ahead of AA win- time in the afternoon, Toward the end of the
ner Dave Scott. A shoot-off was required to settle the everyone that shoots “second” box, Sheaffer
28-GAUGE 20-GAUGE
As with most days of the Shooters were halfway
World and Mini World, to the finish line of the
spectators and partici- Mini when Saturday was
pants filled the stadium, finished, but there was
porch, and tent areas, still much work to be
socializing with friends done on Sunday. A rare
and family while enjoy- 5x100 was shot by the
ing some tasty treats. squad of Stanfill, De- Vaillancourt secured top Kaleigh Lawson was the
Later in the evening, shotels, Lala, Royston honors in front of one leading lady, joined by
the 28-gauge was final- and Burke, contributing of the hottest shooters Crystal Stoddard, run-
ized. Fifteen perfect to the total 34 perfect coming into the week- ner-up, and Melissa Bar-
scores were shot Satur- scores turned in for the end, Sheaffer Stanfill. ringer, third.
day afternoon, and all Negrini 20-Gauge Cham- Stuart Brown had the
lined up in the stadium pionship, but only two longest run of the oth- .410 BORE
field to determine a win- shooters completed the ers to claim third overall. Sunday afternoon was re-
ner. Shooting under the first preliminary shoot- There were three la- served for the little gun,
lights seems like a rarity off box. By station 5 of dies with perfect scores, which always seems to
these days, and experi- box two, 2023 NSSA Hall and when the shoot-off make or break the week-
ence may have paid off, of Fame Inductee Mark results were tabulated, end. Four competitors
BY NATHAN BOYD
F
or the second year
in a row, the Jun-
ior World Skeet
Championships were
held in conjunction with
the Mini World Skeet
Championships. Hosting
the Junior World in this
manner allowed the 119
Sub-Junior, Junior and
Collegiate competitors
to compete in the Mini
World as well as compete
for Junior World honors.
Before the events be-
gan, each Junior World
competitor received a
special goody bag and
had a chance to receive
a complimentary shirt,
thanks to Federal. While
there were some special
activities for the youth
competitors over the
weekend, their focus was
all on the competition.
BY NATHAN BOYD
J
ohn Candy’s char-
acter in “Rookie of
the Year” accurate-
ly describes the
excitement and stakes of
the World Skeet Champi-
onships: “This is for the
whole magilla, for the
whole ball of wax, for the
whole kit and kaboodle,
for the whole enchila-
da, the whole shootin’
match. THIS IS FOR
ALL THE MARBLES!”
The 2023 rendition of
the World Skeet Champi-
onships would live up to
this kind of excitement
and would deliver special
memories for so many
from start to finish.
The Main World began
in earnest on Monday
after a successful Mini World/Junior World, which third after falling out late p HOA winners, left to right:
boasted its best numbers in some time. The World in box one. Houston Deshotels, runner-up;
Brent Edwards, champion; and
also saw a little boost in total participation numbers Three ladies posted
Sheaffer Stanfill, third.
compared to last year, with 688 total competitors. 99 and shot off for Lady
Doubles Champion.
DOUBLES Meredith Tunick best-
Much of that group took to the field on Monday, ed Alison Boyette, Lady 12-Gauge Event. The re-
when the first champion of 2023 would be crowned runner-up, and Lauren mainder of the event was
in the Federal Doubles Event. A familiar name, Paul Burge, Lady third, to shot on Tuesday morn-
Giambrone III, earned this championship via a multi- claim the championship ing, and the West or sec-
box shoot-off against one of the hottest shooting par- honors and the first crys- ond 75 was completed
ticipants of 2023, Sheaffer Stanfill, to add to his list of tal bowl of the tourna- Tuesday afternoon. After
accolades. Toward the end of the third box, Sheaffer ment. the last 12-gauge shot
caught a tricky wind-blown pair that was too much was fired, the Krieghoff
to handle. Giambrone claimed the championship 12-GAUGE 12-Gauge Champion-
and add another title to his name. Sheaffer’s perfor- Monday afternoon was ship, 12-Gauge East and
mance would foreshadow what was to come, but he the start of the 12-Gauge 12-Gauge West would all
would settle for runner-up in the first event. Alessan- East, the first 75 of the have to be settled Tues-
dro Vitale, the only other perfect contender, took 150-target Krieghoff day evening.
Twenty-eight perfect box two, Stuart Brown HOA D1 Ariel Rodriguez 432
150s were turned in, fell out to take third, HOA D2 Sarah Caldwell 425
and the first round of leaving Stanfill and his HOA E1 Owen Ballentine 396
shoot-offs was run over two-man-team partner HOA E2 John-Mark Matkin 384
two fields as the crowd and squadmate, Houston HOA Triple-Sub Champion Houston Deshotels 449
at the National Shooting Deshotels. Early in the HOA Sub-Sub-Senior Champion Brent Edwards 450
Complex watched in- third box, Houston one-
HOA Sub-Senior Champion Stuart Brown 447
tently. Only three would upped his friend to add
make their way to the another championship HOA Senior Champion Mike Wollard 444
stadium. At the end of to his resume. Sheaffer HOA Veteran Champion Doug Coulter 438
HOA Senior Veteran Champion Kenneth Keth 414
HOA Military Champion Andrew Winders 443
HOA Retired Military Champion Stuart Brown 447
HOA Military Veteran Champion Howard Chin 443
HOA Rookie Champion Charliese Erskine 419
HOA First Responder Champion Fred Tschantz 443
12-Gauge East Champion Steven Wood 100
12-Gauge West Champion Lauren Burge 75
12-Gauge Champion Houston Deshotels 150
20-Gauge Champion Connor Thigpen 100
28-Gauge Champion Lauren Burge 100
.410-Bore Champion Clay Baldwin 100
Doubles Champion Paul Giambrone III 100
Wayne Mayes Champion Sheaffer Stanfill 100
HAA Champion Sheaffer Stanfill 548
patio and tent seating nor Thigpen would be uncontested with a 450x450.
areas were full as friends champion, runner-up
and family chatted, and third in the East,
watched the shoot-offs with Lauren Burge, be finalized for the re- onship ahead of Victoria
and enjoyed the evening. Houston Deshotels and mainder of the tourna- Stellato. After an im-
Once the overall 150 Sheaffer Stanfill claim- ment. Thirty-four 100s pressive shoot-off of 99s,
championship shoot- ing those positions in the were shot in the Fiocchi NSSA’s newest hire, Jes-
offs were completed, West. 20-Gauge Event, includ- sica Wolfe, claimed Lady
the East and West had ing firsts by Cameron third over NSSA Hall of
to be decided. The first 20-GAUGE Boyd and Alex Catalano. Famer Lindsay Plesko. I
box of East and West Starting on Wednesday, Before the shoot-offs also must mention, my
had already been com- the shoot became slightly began, a traditional hat brother, Cameron Boyd,
pleted during the day to easier to manage for eve- shoot ceremony took was able to turn his first
help shorten the evening ryone, as only one event place in the stadium 20-gauge 100 into the B
shoot-offs. Steve Wood, per day would have to field. Surprisingly, only Class Championship. It
two shooters managed was a proud moment for
to find their way into the me to be able to award
stadium field after the him his championship
first box. Shortly into buckle and medallion
the second box, Connor during the awards cer-
Thigpen, at age 14, be- emony. For those who
came one of the young- were up for it, a little mu-
est to ever win an Open sical entertainment was
World Championship. Ja- provided to close out the
cob Young of Briley took evening.
the runner-up position. Throughout the event,
Mike Wollard was able there were opportuni-
to make it the longest of ties for competitors to
the other competitors to win prizes via the Elite
take home third. Golden Ticket program,
Alison Boyette had the MEC Golden Target
p Having won the 20-gauge, 14-year-old Connor Thigpen became best performance of the game, and random door
one of the youngest shooters on record to win an Open title. ladies and was able to prize drawings. Congrat-
secure the Lady Champi- ulations to Marissa Sand-
oval, who won the special NSSA Hall of Fame Ban- two, Brent Edwards, the plishments and became
pouch donated by Doug quet. Twenty-five per- former champion, would one of the few women
Toulouse, and to all the fect scores of 100 were settle for third, leaving shooters to win an Open
winners of these games. posted in the event, and Lauren Burge and Luis world title. For Luis, it
Special thank you to the shooters were split Lozada of Puerto Rico. was a proud moment,
those who donated prod- among two fields for Into the third box they as he was congratulated
ucts, including our local the first box. Six partici- went, and both seemed and celebrated with the
food vendors and spon- pants were able to clear to be cruising. On the many shooters attending
sors. the first box, but only last pair of the third box, from Puerto Rico. Along
one former champion Burge would become with the open title, Lau-
28-GAUGE was among them, creat- Open World Champion ren also took the Lady
Thursday was reserved ing a good opportunity over Lozada. It was a Championship. She was
for the White Flyer for a first-time World great moment, as Lau- joined by Melissa Barrin-
28-Gauge Event and the Champion. After box ren added to her accom- ger, also with a perfect
score, and Meridith Tu-
nick, who earned Lady
third via shoot-off.
Once the 28-gauge
awards were handed out,
200-plus attendees head-
ed to the Hall of Fame
Banquet to celebrate the
induction of Jim Tiner,
Ray Boller Award recipi-
ent, Mark Vaillancourt
and Marina Pakis. NS-
SA’s best clubs, associa-
tions and high average
award winners were also
recognized throughout
the evening.
day as the Remington and see how many oth- wards. Gary Antunano, p Lauren Burge won the
.410 Championship, ers would be shot, but with his first 100 in .410, 12-Gauge West and was
Kolar HOA, Winchester he was also in a good settled for third. Lindsay 28-Gauge Champion.
HAA and Wayne Mayes position with a perfect Plesko made her way to
Championship would all 450x450. In the end, the top step of the po-
have to be completed. only two other perfect dium, joined by Tunick pionship, there were
The .410 was the only scores would be shot and Rachel Barringer. multiple shooters go-
shot event of the day, with the little gun. Clay ing into the .410 per-
and the first 100 was Baldwin would claim HIGH OVER ALL fect, and at least one on
posted by Brent Edwards. the .410 championship In the race for the Kolar each rotation, it seemed.
He would have to wait in short order over Ed- High Over All Cham- This created some ex-
citement and possible
anxiety for those wait-
ing, as everyone watched
for the key scores to be
updated to see who the
HOA Champion would
be or if a shoot-off would
be required. Ultimately,
Brent Edwards would
be the only competitor
with 450, adding another
World Championship to
his accolades. Years ago,
Brent won two World
titles in one night and
had been knocking on
SHAKIB AKBARI
T
he 2023 NSSA also recognized. Riley
Hall of Fame Chaddock was again the
Banquet, held HOA, with an average of
October 5 at the Hilton .9904. Houston Deshotels
San Antonio Hill Coun- was the 12-gauge leader
try, was a time to cel- with an average of .9972.
ebrate and award clubs Paul Giambrone III
and individual shooters shot an average of .9960
for excellence and for to earn the top spot in
their contributions to 20-gauge. In addition
skeet. to his HOA title, Riley
The awards portion of Chaddock also picked
the evening began with up the 28-gauge leader
recognition of clubs. spot with an average of
Greater Houston Sports .9950. Josh Poole was the
Club was awarded NSSA/ .410 leader with a.9848
NSCA All-Around Club average, and in doubles,
of the Year (which in- Dan Jones took the top
cludes skeet as well as spot with a .9940 average.
sporting clays targets) Lindsay Plesko was the
and Club of the Year for Ladies leader with an av-
its skeet targets. Recog- erage of .9800.
nized Clubs of the Year Three names were add-
were: ed to the Referee Honor
Large (8+ fields): Car- Roll, which recognizes
dinal Shooting Center, outstanding referees who p Mark Vaillancourt, 2023 Hall of Fame inductee.
Ohio; Jacksonville Clay have dedicated many
Target Sports, Florida; hours to skeet shoots in
and Shenecoy Sports- rain or shine, heat or Award for outstanding family and work, floating
men, Pennsylvania cold, to be sure shooters service to the NSSA and between B and C classes.
Intermediate (4-7 get consistent pulls and the sport of skeet. In 1999, while partici-
fields): Imperial Polk fair rulings. This year, Mark Vaillancourt pating in a Minute Man
Gun Club, Florida; Lin- James Hughes, Buck Bu- shot his first clay tar- Sportsman’s Club winter
coln Trap & Skeet, Ne- channan and Dan Caryl get at the 20th Skeet & league, Mark met Wayne
braska; and Palatka Skeet were added to the “Wall Clays in Hookset, New Mayes, and the two in-
Club, Florida of Fame.” Hampshire at the age stantly formed a friend-
Small (1-3 fields): Cos- And then it was on to of 7. A few years later, ship. Wayne began giving
ford Shooting Ground, the highlight of the even- in 1979, he shot his first Mark lessons, and thanks
England; Associacion ing: the Hall of Fame registered skeet targets, to the instruction, Mark
Tiro Y Caza de Puerto inductions. Mark Vaillan- and the very next year, went on to win the Zone
Rico Guyama, Puerto court and Marina Pakis he was New Hampshire 1 12-gauge event the
Rico; and MARS Skeet were inducted in recog- State Junior Champion. following year. The two
Range, Alabama nition of their shooting For nearly 20 years after friends shot together for
The Jay Schatz High careers, and Jim Tiner that, Mark shot sporadi- the next 13 years in AAA
Average Leaders were received the Ray Boller cally while he juggled in all guns.
BY JACOB CAMERON
F
or the final leg of
the 2023 Nation-
al Sporting Clays
Association Regionals
circuit, shooters from all
over the country gath-
ered to compete in a lit-
tle town called Husser,
Louisiana. Many were
surprised to find that the
club, Covey Rise Lodge,
was located nearly in the
center of the little town.
With how widespread
and beautiful the proper-
ty was, it was an excellent
place to call home for
this year’s South Central
Regional Championship.
Nearly 600 shooters were
in attendance through-
KALEIGH LAWSON
out the week, and the
tournament offered a
plethora of targets pres-
entations, backgrounds,
vendors and amenities for all.
Each course was set far beyond the club’s main area, the shooters to dip their Over All shooter with a
where the impressive lodge/clubhouse was situated, toes in the water, so to very impressive score of
and the tall trees surrounding it all echoed the thou- speak, with the RC Car- 99x100 — and he won
sands of gunshots; the echoes rang with excitement tridges USA Preliminary Junior HOA, too. Brax-
as the shooters set out to shoot the different events. 100-bird event. Vari- ton Oliver and Brandon
Events like FITASC and Super Sporting were laid out ous targets were thrown Powell tied for HOA
with difficult and tricky target combinations, while the with deceiving speeds runner-up after shooting
Preliminary and European events were a great warm- and hard-to-read target 96x100, but after a shoot-
up to the Main Event hosted later in the week. Ameri- lines, and on top of it off between the two, it
can Field Sporting and Sub-Gauge FITASC events were all, they did this across was Oliver winning run-
also offered, with a good foundation of what the target 15 different stations. A ner-up and Powell taking
setters intended to challenge the shooters with — and total of 346 competitors home third overall.
targets most certainly did just that. shot the event through- Desirae Edmunds won
out the week, and after the Lady’s division out-
PRELIM it was all said and done, right after putting up a
The Regional offered an excellent opportunity for Todd Hitch was the High great score of 89x100 —
p Karen Miles won the Winchester Ladies Cup and Lady runner-up
p Connor Daniel shot a 177 to earn the Sub-Junior Championship. in the main.
which saw familiar names while Derrick Mein won all with her 89x100 score to the near-500 competi-
and faces at the top of M1 with his 95x100. to win Lady third. tors, as it was the home
the leaderboards. Todd Grace Callahan and The Sub-Junior cate- of the Preliminary event
Hitch continued his Desirae Edmunds tied gory had Connor Daniel hosted earlier in the
consistent shooting, as for the Lady Champion win the division spot af- week. The Blue/Beretta
he was the High Over spot after shooting scores ter shooting an 89, with course, however, was not
All shooter of this event of 90x100. This led to Griffin Howe and Caden so familiar, as it was set
outright, after shooting a tie-breaker sequence, Carter tying for the next further back beyond the
a total score of 96x100 in which it was Callahan spot with 86 — Howe Red course and ran par-
(which also led him to who came out on top won the bout to take allel to it — a combina-
win Champion in the and won the Lady Cham- Sub-Junior runner-up, tion set strategically for
Junior concurrent). pion title. Edmunds was and Carter won third. the shooters to enjoy or
Brandon Powell complet- then the Lady’s runner- Joseph Fanizzi won endure, depending on
ed the event with a 95 up, while Madison Shar- runner-up in the Jun- the mindset. Both cours-
to win HOA runner-up, pe was not far behind at ior concurrent after an es were set with what
impressive showing of seemed to be a fair bal-
93x100, with David Texas ance of difficulty, speed
Ardis just two birds be- and distance of targets.
hind him to win Junior The simple terrain and
third. backgrounds made for
target pairs thrown to
MAIN be naturally deceiving
Far beyond the main and led to a struggle for
area of the property, many to keep their foot-
most events were spread ing throughout the week-
out in an open fashion end.
that naturally allowed It was not much of a
shooters to progressively challenge for others,
get closer and closer to however, as after the
the biggest event of them dust had settled, it was
KALEIGH LAWSON
BY TIM LE CRAS
L
ikely everyone has seen that individual (or maybe it was you) who turned
up at a winter shoot not prepared for the cold, wet or snowy conditions. In
short order, they can heard complaining that they cannot feel their hands
or feet and are having a hard time pulling the trigger, let alone focusing on the
targets. In very cold, windy, wet conditions, hypothermia can happen after only
a few minutes of exposure if you are not appropriately dressed. It is important
that you protect your body core but also your extremities, hands and feet, so they
don’t get frostbite. In addition, it is paramount to protect your head, as a tremen-
dous amount of heat can get lost by not wearing a good hat. Your gear needs to
protect you from rain and wind as well as the cold. Wind chill will make any cold
temperatures even worse, and you could get hypothermia a lot quicker if it’s blus-
tery. So, what do you need to do to prepare for cold shooting weather?
TIM LE CRAS
N
obody begins wing or clay shooting without While this is confusing to almost all shooters, in
some level of visual confusion, thanks to a the beginning it seems that this phenomenon is
phenomenon called physiological diplopia, more prevalent in female shooters when compared
which simply means that when you are focused to male shooters. After years of taking tape off
on a distant object, things closer to you that you shooters’ glasses and helping shooters who have
are aware of in your periphery become a double been misdiagnosed as cross-dominant and explaining
image. The same thing occurs when you are focused what the sight picture is really supposed to look like,
on something close to you — what you perceive we think we have stumbled onto the reason more
at distance in your periphery is a double image. females are misdiagnosed as cross-dominant.
shooters go through
as they gain more and
more experience in
deliberate practice and
shooting tournaments.
As mentioned, everyone
has a sequence in their
brain that has been
fired many times to
point at something they
are looking at. When
the new shooter tries
focus is on the target, brain says “send it.” Add conscious brain, which to look at the target
and because of the delay another three-tenths of is three-tenths of a sec- but point the gun in
of the peripheral data a second delay when you ond behind real time. front of the target,
stream to the brain, it is switched from your sub- This is what really hap- the normal pointing
a perception — meaning conscious brain, which pens when you get too sequence crashes. Add
it is not real (or at least lives only 5 milliseconds involved with checking in physiological diplopia,
it’s not in real-time). behind real time, to your or measuring the lead at that phenomenon of
You have experienced the end of the shot and seeing two barrels or two
this when shooting a why it will never work. targets depending on
relatively easy pair of q Your conscious brain runs There’s just too much what they’re focusing
targets like a true pair of behind real-time, which is why brain delay. on, and it’s no wonder
floating incomers and, you must learn to shoot without Let’s get back to the they get confused. This
when executing the shots thinking (subconsciously). evolution of perceptions is extra confusing if the
on the third pair, you see
that little Polaroid pic-
ture of the lead on each
target. Then on the next
pair, you put that lead
on each target and they
do not break — but the
lead was exactly like what
you just saw on the previ-
ous pair! What you per-
ceived on the previous
pair that you smashed
happened three-tenths
of a second before you
pulled the trigger, and
if that were not confus-
ing enough, add an-
other three-tenths of a
second delay in the time
it takes for the trigger
to get pulled after the
M
aybe the tournament began,
and you started strong. Or,
maybe you’re two stations in
and down five targets already. Either
way, the question is, why?
Some of you know the situation all
too well. Weather conditions are not
in your favor. You heard the morn-
ing scores and it got in your head. You
didn’t get the warmup in when you got
to the club. Yet you pulled off a great
score anyway — but why? What makes
you strong under pressure?
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SHOOTER’S GALLERY
ANSWER: Shoot- require them to distance to be more downtime ers tend to be consid-
ers who choose themselves from second- as squads wait in groups erate enough that they
to smoke during hand smoke. Whatever for the shooters in front rarely have to be asked to
a competition are free to their reason, people who of them to finish. Skeet put their cigarette out or
do so, provided they are don’t want to be in the does not provide much smoke elsewhere.
not in an area designat- presence of smoke, by opportunity for shooters BOTTOM LINE: Even
ed as a no-smoking zone. and large, don’t want to to smoke, as it becomes where smoking is not
However, shooters do challenge anybody’s per- somewhat of a hindrance prohibited, smokers
need to be considerate sonal freedoms, but they for a shooter who is be- should exercise consid-
before they light up to do want to breathe clean tween stations or rounds. eration. They can’t allow
ensure that their smoke air when they compete. Finally, shooters need their smoke to bother
does not bother others. If shooters are going to extend their consid- their fellow shooters,
Some people can’t stand to be exposed to second- eration of non-smokers event staff or viewers in
the smell of cigar or ciga- hand smoke, it is most beyond their fellow par- the stands. Either they
rette smoke and don’t likely to be in sporting ticipants and think of must go without or wait
want it near where they clays, where the walks the event’s staff as well until they can be safely
will be shooting. Others between stations are as non-shooting guests. distanced and down-
have health issues that longer and there tends Fortunately, most shoot- wind.
ANSWER: Instead start getting distracted. and shoot not to miss,” consistent and improving
of calling it a bad “You should not judge he says. “If you go and scores,” he assures. “Al-
habit when shoot- your self worth by the realize you are only two ways be defined by your
ers focus on how many score you shoot, and nei- birds behind, you will get next shot, not your last.”
targets they’ve broken ther should others,” urg- careful and shoot not to BOTTOM LINE: Focus on
during the course of a es Gil Ash, an NSCA Lev- miss. In order for you to the targets, not the score-
competition, we prefer el III instructor and OSP win, everyone else must board. If you find your-
to label it as a symptom. Shooting School owner. shoot worse than you, self counting how many
When shooters start “Going to the score- and you have no control targets you’ve broken rel-
monitoring their pro- board during an event is over how others shoot.” ative to other shooters,
gress, we can take it as a the least productive time Ash suggests viewing you are likely to develop
sign that they are apply- you could spend.” tournaments as opportu- bad habits to compensate
ing their focus where it Ash uses typical sce- nities for shooters to see for the misses, and then
is not needed instead of narios to point out how how well their practice problems compound.
putting it where it needs the scoreboards do the and preparation holds Trust your preparation
to be, which is on the shooters wrong. “If you up under competitive and keep your focus
next shot. The bad habits go and see that you are pressure. “This with the on the targets no mat-
come later, when score- ahead with one more day mantra ‘win or learn’ will ter where you are in the
board-watching shooters to go, you will get careful lead you to better, more standings.