by Digby Hand
The conditions on the first day of the 2011 Great Pumpkin Metric Prone Regional at Bell City Rifle Club in Southington, Connecticut was, as New Englanders are prone to say, rough as a cob. Swirling winds and constantly changing light were made all that more difficult to deal with because the clear dry air eliminated any mirage.
In keeping with tradition the tournament began with the 100 yard match here Len Remaly took the early lead with a 379-11X. Jeff Doerschler took the Dewar Match with 381-11X and followed up by winning the 50 meter match with a 384-12X. Doerschler’s two wins gave him a three point margin of victory over Remaly and the iron sight aggregate title. Junior Tony Cuozzo compiled an 1123-30 for third.
Conditions were marginally better on any sight day as Chet Ruscio recovered from a difficult day with irons by opening up the any sight matches with a strong 383-11X at 100 yards. Left hander Patti Clark posted a 387-10X to win the Dewar. Quaker Hill Rod and Gun Club rifleman Joe Smith, who had been shooting well all day, won the 50 yard match with a score of 391-19X. His consistent performance for three matches added up to an 1157-42X to earn him the any sight title.
Jeff Doerschler won the gold medal and Perry waiver with a two day score of 2278-61X. Remaly’s efforts brought him the silver medal on the back of his 2262-69Xs. Ruscio, who climbed a steep hill after placing behind eight shooters the day before, ended up in third place with a 2265-65X.
Dawn Jensen, recently returned to shooting after a 15 year break, was the high woman with a 2234-63X. Hap Rocketto’s 2241-48X topped all of the graybeards for the senior crown while Tony Cuozzo bested all of the juniors with a 2246-55X. And, to prove that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, Steve Rocketto won the 50-50 Raffle which helps raise funds to support the Stratford PAL Junior Rifle Club.
Tony Panko and Anthony Cuozzo did an excellent job scoring which was reflected in the fact that they received only two challenges. Match Director Nicole Panko was ably assisted by Al Wilcoxson who handled target collection.
Complete results can be downloaded here: 2011-ct-pumpkin (PDF, 106KB)
