by Hap Rocketto
Men’s 10 Meter 2015 Junior Olympic Rifle Championship
New England sent 11 rifleman to Colorado Springs for the Men’s 10 Meter 2015 Junior Olympic Rifle Championship with only Vermont being absent.
Massachusetts fielded the largest contingent featuring Brenden Whitaker, Jared Desesrosiers, Tyler Lefebvre, and Ricky Miller.
The quiet rural town of Montville, Connecticut saw Eric Sloan and Tyler Glynn head west while James Henderson rounded out the Nutmeg State trio.
Newport Rhode Island Rifle Club’s Alex Muzzioli was the sole Ocean State shooter at the JORC. Brandon Bryer came from Down East to out west as Maine’s only representative while Andy Solomonides and Tobin Sanctuary represented the Granite State.
Miller, from the Hanson Massachusetts Rod & Gun Club, was the only New Englander to hit pay dirt. His luggage was heavier on the way home by the weight of a silver medal. He shot a 584.9 and a 595.5 for a two day aggregate of 1180.4 placing him second overall in the J3 category. His score also placed him 97th, the dead center of the 195 entries.
After Day One Sloan, 611.5, who is ticketed for Murray State in the fall, was far ahead of his New England neighbors. Day two showed remarkable constancy with a 611.1 giving him a total of 1222.6 and 13th over all. He was tantalizing close to a shoot-off position, just five points and four shooters stood between him and the finals.
Lefebvre fell a point short of 600 with a 599 for his first string but popped a 603.4 on Day Two for a 1202.4 to be the high Bay State entry. Whitaker combined a 591.1 and a 597.2 to give him an 1188.3 to place him in front of Desrosiers who carded a 1183.3 based on a 592.4 and a 590.9 to create a bit of a Taunton traffic jam in the middle of the pack.
Ferry Brook New Hampshire Junior Shooter Solomonides was right on Desrosiers’ heels shooting a 590.8 and a 591.5 for a total of 1182.3, placing him 90th over all.
Niantic Connecticut Sportsman’s Club’s James Henderson bettered his first day’s 582.5 by almost ten points to a 591.2 which added up to a 1173.7.
Newport Rifle Club’s Muzzioli, the only J2 from the region, posted a 588.4 followed by a 582.2 giving him a score of 1170.6 and a finish as the 125th ranked rifleman.
Connecticut riflemen Glynn, who shoots for the Quaker Hill Rod and Gun Club, made the most of his maiden trip to the Olympic Training Center posting a grand total of 1165.6 based on a 583.8 and 581.8.
Bryer, from the Scarborough Gun Club, and who will head to Morehead State University in the fall, combined a 577.6 and a 572.8 for a 1150.4
Sanctuary, a Ferry Brook Junior Shooter team mate of Solomonides, rounded out the field with a 571.2 and a 574.5 for an aggregate of 1145.7.
The New England entries were notable for their consistency in score as, almost to a man, the second day score was within a few points of the first day. And, as all competitors know, there is nothing that pays bigger dividends in shooting than consistency.
Most of the New England shooters headed east on Sunday but four, Sloan, Whitaker, Muzzioli, and Solomonides were joined by Maine’s Patrick Schaupp for the final phase of the JORC, two days of three position smallbore.
