by Hap Rocketto
The lengthening shadows of a New England autumn mean that the dog days of summer are over and the gallery season is about to start. But, before rifle shooters begin indoor competition there is one last gasp of outdoor rivalry, The Great Pumpkin 2400 Metric Prone Match.
Senior Len Remaly, winner of the 2012 Meister Trophy at Camp Perry, was the first into the winner’s circle on Saturday when he posted a 382-9X in the metallic sight 100 yard match while Bill Neff, a New Jersey rifleman with strong Connecticut roots, was high Expert shooting a 381-11X with Chet Ruscio close on his heels. Dawn Jensen edged out Ellias Davenport for Master honors. Sharpshooters Mark Jurras and Jeff Henry began a back and forth battle which would last all day as Henry beat Jurras in the first match by a single X. Montville High School rifleman Eric Sloan began a strong run on the Marksman title with a nine point lead on his nearest competitor.
With the target frames already at 100 yard the next match was a reverse Dewar won by Niantic Sportsmen’s’ Club’s Lisette Grunwell-Lacey whose 382-9X left Neff as first Expert with a 381-8X followed by Shawn Carpenter, coach of the Grasso Tech Rifle Team. Jensen continued to roll in the Master Class while Henry and Jurras finished in that order in the Sharpshooter class. Sloan again topped the Marksmen.
The last match of the day at 50 yards would decide match winners and Remaly’s strong effort gave him a 384-15X for the match win and the edge to push him to the metallic sight title with an 1137-37X. Grunwell-Lacey was the first expert and second overall with an 1135-30X. Ruscio’s 1129-30X was good for third just ahead of Neff who, in spite of only shooting 119 record shots, compiled an 1128-33X.
Davenport topped the Master class in the last match which insured him of a two point edge over Jensen who had been in control until the very end. Mike Mazur, a Bell City junior was top Sharpshooter in match three as, as Jurras outshot Henry to best his class and hold a two point lead over Henry. Caitlin McAdoo broke Sloan’s stranglehold in the last match but her efforts could not overcome the nine point edge he had built up.
Day two, any sights, started with a light drizzle which stopped before the first record shot was fired. Jeff Doerschler, who had struggled a bit in iron sights, came out of the gate with a 100 yard match winning score of 386-17X, just a point ahead of Master class winner Greg Tomsen. Carpenter and Ruscio were first and second Experts. Tony Cuozzo slid by Dale Petty by a point for Sharpshooter honors as Sloan built up a quick 20 point lead over the Marksman.
Tomsen, who has been plagued by aging eyes which hamper him in metallic sight competition, showed that shooting may well be a game of skill and not just eyesight taking the reverse Dewar with a 396-18X. Doerschler was high expert with Neff following. Henry evened things up with Cuozzo by taking this match as Sloan continued plowing through the Marksmen.
Doerschler’s 392-21X was the 50 Yard Match winning score while Experts Doerschler and Ruscio and finished first and second respectively. Doerschler’s 1165-52 aggregate was good for the Expert lead. Tomsen topped the Masters and finished with an 1167-50X to win the anysight aggregate.
Henry continued his winning ways to win the metallic sight and aggregate Sharpshooter class with a 2275-72X. Sloan nailed down the last match to earn the anysight and aggregate Marksman title.
Grunwell-Lacey won not one place during any sight competition but quietly built on her strong showing in the metallic sight aggregate to take the grand aggregate with a 2281-75X. Neff placed second, compiling a 2279-76X, Tomsen was third overall, by virtue of his scope skills, carding a 2278-74X..
To raise funds for the Stratford Police Athletic League Rifle Club Match Director Nicole Panko held a silent auction which had its own unusual sidelights. A donated personalized copy of Hap Rocketto’s A History of the United States National Outdoor Smallbore Rifle Championships 1919-2012 was the object of some spirited and innovative bidding. Jeffrey Lord Doerschler bid £45 while Grunwell-Lacey thought she had upped him by bidding €45. When faced with this economic quandary Panko appointed Tony Cuozzo as Chancellor of the Exchequer and commissioned him check the spot exchange value and calculate the winner. Forty five British Pounds are equal to $72 while the equivalent amount of Euros weighs in at only $58 so the 511 page tome, in which Lord Jeff features prominently, went to him.
The close of the auction and the challenge period also marked the end of the outdoor season in New England.
2012-ct-pumpkin (PDF, 119KB)
