The 100 yard line at Appleton, where the Brits shoot the Dewar.
Recent shooter spotlight Dennis Lindenbaum stumbled across what appears to be the 2010 British Dewar Team Results on an internet forum. If the results are official, it looks like the British beat us by nearly 50 points this year. Congratulations to the Brits for some great shooting! You can see larger versions of both the Great Britain and the U.S. results by clicking on the images below.
The South Texas Marksmanship Training Center will sponsor the 2010 South Texas Smallbore Prone Regional on October 2-3, 2010. The match program can be downloaded here: 2010-tx-south-prone-regional-program (PDF, 61KB)
The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the 51st interview in the series.
Dennis Lindenbaum
Where do you call home?
Marietta, Ga for those that live here. If not, just call it Metro Atlanta.
How long have you been shooting?
This is my third season with smallbore rifle; I shot pistol for a few years prior to this. I have also taken one shot at a clay target on our club’s trap range (I actually nicked it and then decided not to ruin my record with any further shots) and one shot with a muzzleloader at a picture of a pig (loaded it myself). Hit the pig in the butt. Might have been a boar.
How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
Talking to one of the docs at the hospital cafeteria one day, I mentioned that I had never used a firearm and I wanted to try it at least once in my lifetime. I had heard that he knew something about guns. He was shocked that I had never fired a gun and invited me that weekend with some of his friends to try shooting a number of different firearms that they owned. On that day I shot a full automatic UZI, an M16, and a .44 Magnum revolver. That was all it took. The following weekend I visited a Conventional Bullseye pistol match and said let’s do that. Entered the next match and every match thereafter for a couple years until a disagreement with a match director resulted in my being banned for the rest of the year. Heartbroken, I discovered International Air and 50 Meter pistol and enjoyed that until my back problems prevented me from standing still for more than 15-20 minutes. Heartbroken again, Tommy Steadman and Tom Suswal encouraged me to try smallbore prone. My back liked the prone part. Tried a practice session with their help; went home and ordered a 1913 (and just a few other things needed for this sport); and shot my first match three weeks later. That was 2½ years ago and I haven’t missed a match since.
What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
I was pretty immersed in cycling for 20+ years and rode fairly competitively until symptoms of back deterioration got me off the bike. I took up the violin after that and joined a community symphony (a good excuse to purchase and wear my first tuxedo). It turns out that back problems also impact the violin and then there was shooting. Before all of that, I was a hippie. Peace and love. The rest is secret.
What do you consider your finest shooting achievement?
Before last month, it was nothing. Camp Perry changed all of that. Making the Dewar Team and winning the Team Metallic Sight Championship are the biggest thrills I’ve ever experienced. Staying calm enough to get through the match was a primary challenge and I was able to shoot clean for both the iron and scope matches in the two team events.
What is your favorite pre-match meal?
It’s always the same. Coffee (3 parts dark roast and 1 part espresso) and an English muffin with cream cheese and blueberry preserves. You just can’t get too many anti-oxidants.
What is your favorite post match drink?
Mountain Dew or Root Beer (during and after the match). You just can’t get too many anti-oxidants.
Do you have a favorite shooting range?
My home range is River Bend Gun Club and is one of the finest facilities anywhere. Come check it out. I really enjoy the Asheville range for the BlackHawk Open and I didn’t want to leave Camp Perry when it was over.
Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
This may sound petty, but the AMU sends shooters to most of our bigger matches. I would like to beat one of those guys. In general, I want that same feeling I had at this year’s national matches to occur again.
What shooting skill are you currently focusing your energy on?
I work on the SCATT daily. I just want to get a repeatable and constant position. I hope that’s not asking too much. In competition, I want to develop the ability to maintain confidence when I am shooting well and to have it last through the completion of the match. Did I mention that I want to beat one of those AMU guys?
Thanks Dennis for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!
2010 PENNSYLVANIA STATE CONVENTIONAL 3200 PRONE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Host Club: Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club, 21-22 August 2010
Submitted by: PRPA Smallbore Rifle Director, David Cramer
Pennsylvania’s State Prone Championship returned to the western side of the State, after being held at the eastern clubs for the past three years. Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club hosted the event. A fine turnout of 33 competitors enjoyed the great weather, excellent range facility, good competition, and a well run match. This club plans on running at least one prone match annually, and it would seem that there are enough competitors in western Pennsylvania to support it. Of the total competitors, 22 were junior shooters, many of them shooting their first outdoor prone match ever!
Saturdays metallic sight matches began with the 50 Yard Match. Justin Tracy, Farmington, NY won the match with a score of 400-34X. Aliquippa, PA resident, David Cramer won the 50 Meter Match with 400-30X. Mark Trew, Pittsburgh, PA. was the winner of the Dewar Match. His score was 398-28X. Erin Gestl, Palmyra, PA won the final match of the day, the 100 Yard Match, with a score of 399-32X. Erin also was the daily Metallic Sight Aggregate winner with 1596-112X. Throughout the day, the wind gave just about everyone a bit of difficulty. It wasn’t particularly strong, just gusty with some subtle direction shifts.
Sundays any sight matches started off with Justin Tracy looking like he was unstopable. He posted 400-36X in the 50 Yard Match, and 400-34X in the 50 Meter Match, both winning scores. Erin Gestl shot the only clean score in the Dewar Match, turning in a fine 400-32X. David Cramer won the 100 Yard Match with the only clean score in that competition, 400-34X. The Any Sight Aggregate went to Justin Tracy who just edged out Erin Gestl by 3x’s. Justin posted 1598-128X, and Erin had 125X’s.
The Pennsylvania Rifle & Pistol Association, maintains a number of memorial trophies to honor each years State Prone Champions. The following awards were presented for this years competition.
The George Handle Trophy, Winner was Erin Gestl, with a aggregate score of 3194-237X. 2010 Open Pa. State Prone Champion.
The Mac & Polly Trophy, Winner was Alyssa Gestl, with an aggregate score of 3188-221X. 2010 Woman, Pa. State Prone Champion.
The Kenny Johnson Trophy, Winner was Alyssa Gestl, 3188-221X.
2010 Junior, Pa. State Prone Champion.
The Roy Oster Trophy, Winner was Erin Gestl, with a metallic sight score of 1596-112X. 2010 Metallic Sight State Champion.
The Charlie Morris Trophy, Winner was Erin Gestl, with an any sight score of 1598-125X. 2010 Any Sight State Champion.
The Obrecht and Oster Trophy, Winner was David Cramer, with an any sight score of 1596-134X. 2010 Senior State Champion.
Thanks to the NRA Foundation for providing a Friends of NRA Grant, utilized to help attract additional junior shooters to conventional prone shooting. The encouragement provided for this match was an ice cream social, while awaiting Saturdays scores, and root beer floats while waiting for Sunday’s award ceremony. Additional trophy awards were presented in the category awards, and junior competitors enjoyed additional winnings in category awards for each match and aggregate. The following were the junior trophy awards presented for the grand aggregate:
High Sub Junior, Alex Gestl, with a score of 3179-200X.
High Int. Junior, Leo Funk, with a score of 3182-205X.
High Junior, Alyssa Gestl, with a score of 3188-223X.
High Jr. Marksman, Caleb Lloyd, with a score of 3086-93X.
High Jr. Sharpshooter, Deanna Binnie, with a score of 3176-183X.
High Jr. Expert, Douglas Mentlik, with a score of 3169-196X.
High Jr. Master, Joe Fischer, with a scoe of 3123-146X.
The State Prone Team, the top ten shooters and a coach and team captain, was selected from the scores of the metallic sight aggregate. The team fires a Dewar course match with metallic sights. Scores for this team match are sent to the NRA and then a nation wide program is reported as the State Team Championship. This years team fired the team match during some pretty ragged wind conditions, so our result will probably not be very favorable when compared to other State teams.
Team members were: Deanna Binnie, Alyssa Gestl, Terry Lightner, Erin Gestl and Stephen Angeli, Alex Gestl, Leo Funk, Bill Burkert, Dave Cramer, and Team Captain Nate Brandeburg, Dan Chapman and Team Coach Bob Gibilisco.
Team score for the ten person team was 3968-235X’s.
The 2010 Camp Perry Results have been archived on the pronematch.com server here. Also, you can find Camp Perry results back to 2007 in this location.
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If you’ve RSVP’d for tonight’s match, make sure to bring a good knife and fork along with your favorite beverage. We’ll shoot the usual 40 shots at 100 yards, followed by grill your own steak dinner…thick NY strip steak, green salad, potato salad, and homemade pie!
Harvard Sportsmen’s Club in Harvard MA will host another USA Shooting Sanctioned Smallbore Prone Match on September 19th. You can download the match program here: 2010-MA-USA-Prone-0919-program (PDF, 60KB)
The Wilkes-Barre Rifle and Pistol Club in Muhlenburg, PA will host the Wilkes Barre 2010 Memorial Prone Match on September 25-26. You can download the match program here: 2010-PA-Wilkes-Barre-Prone-Program (PDF, 90KB)
The Illinois State Rifle Association will host the 72nd Annual Smallbore Rifle Conventional Prone Championship on September 18-19. You can download the match program here: 2010-IL-Conv-Prone-Program (PDF, 61KB)
by Hap Rocketto
In general I would say that shooters are a very ethical group of people. The social contract that binds us together is a belief that the rules exist so that we all may be afforded an equal opportunity to excel. I strongly believe it to be true but I must bear my soul and confess to a time when I bent the rules.
Those of you who are familiar with airborne operations will recognize the term “wind dummy” A wind dummy is an object, and sometimes an individual, who is dropped from an aircraft so that the jumpmaster may ascertain the effects of the wind. The information so garnered is then used to drop the troops in a safe manner.
In high power long range shooting a wind dummy is a shooter, of known quality, who shoots a string with his rifle set at the no wind zero. Others shooters can then observe the strike of the shots and gain very accurate wind information. The wind dummy is a sacrificial goat and the practice, while not prohibited by the rules, certainly may be viewed as a lapse in ethical behavior.
Some years ago I was part of the best service rifle team the Connecticut National Guard has ever had. A bunch of were in the hunt for Distinguished and we encouraged and supported each other to such a degree that one of us earning a leg was like all of us earning one. In the end 11 of the 12 of us all became Distinguished. It would have been 12 for 12 but one shooter had to leave shooting when his employer relocated him.
One year during the Excellence-In-Competition Match at Camp Robinson I had a disaster befall me at 300 and was out of the running for a leg. At that point I casually informed my teammates, sotto voce, that I would shoot the 600-yard stage with zero windage so that I could “better learn how to dope the wind.” They could do what they wished. It was their business. I had thought that I had given myself ethical cover and believed my hands clean. I now know that not only was I guilty of an ethical lapse but I was also the Judas Goat that lead my friends into moral darkness. And that may be the greater sin.
The range officer’s command of, “You may fire when your targets appear!” had barely stopped reverberating when I took up my tightest hold and crispest sight picture. My finger took up the slack and then added the 5 pounds needed to break the shot. The rifle recoiled and the brass hopped down the embankment. I then recorded a ten at three in the call column of my scorebook. Looking up I saw my target was, I thought, up and peeked through my scope to confirm my call. There was no spotter or value panel. After waiting what seemed like a week the target still had not gone down! I was getting ready to call for a mark when I heard voices to either side of me yell, “Mark 10!”
The target went down and the shot was duly marked. My anxious and equally morally degenerate fellow teammates had run out of patience and the match continued. Later Ed Biatowas told me that after he had called for a mark on my target his scorer, an old southern boy, told him to relax because, “That ole boy on ten he can take care of hisself.” Little did he know how wrong he was.
Editor’s Note: We’ve included a formatted, downloadable PDF of this article below. If you find this format to be convenient, please leave us a comment below because we might do this for more articles if people are using the PDFs.
Want a printable version of this article? Download the PDF here.
DATE CHANGE IN ORANGE BELOW
Newport Rifle Club will be hosting the Rhode Island Conventional Prone Regional & State Championship on September 12th September 11th. You can download the match program here: 2010-ri-conv-prone-program-2 (PDF, 57KB)
The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the 50th interview in the series.
Where do you call home?
Hudson, NH
How long have you been shooting?
I have been shooting for 7 years now.
How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
I was originally a trap shooter and the word around the club was that I really enjoyed shooting anything. Our clubs coach, George Smith, heard I was interested in shooting smallbore and asked my dad if he could bring me down to the range sometime to see a practice. After I had gone to see the practice I knew that I wanted to start learning the sport.
What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
For two years I had sworn I wasn’t going to college, it was the last thing I wanted to do. It wasn’t until the first week of August I decided to apply and study my Liberal Arts classes for a year. After these courses are completed I would really like to transfer and compete on an NCAA rifle team.
What do you consider your finest shooting achievement?
My finest individual achievement is winning the 2010 NRA Indoor Metric Position National Championship. But winning a couple team National Championships is pretty close too.
What is your favorite pre-match meal?
McDonalds Hash Browns
What is your favorite post match drink?
An “Arnold Palmer”— Half Ice Tea Half Lemonade
Do you have a favorite shooting range?
My favorite indoor range is The Hudson, NH Fish and Game Club because it’s one minute away from my house. My Favorite outdoor range is by far Camp Perry. Mostly because of the success I’ve had there and knowing the history it holds.
Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
A short term goal I have is to consistently shoot above 580 in 3-position. My long term goal is to finish up my position and prone distinguished rifleman awards.
What shooting skill are you currently focusing your energy on?
The current skill I’m working on has got to be not getting angry at shots I shouldn’t have taken. I tend to lose my focus for the rest of that target and effects my attitude negatively.
Thanks Brian for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!
from USA Shooting
The 50th ISSF World Shooting Championship in Munich, Germany, held July 29th-August 10, 2010, was the biggest and most competitive match of the 2012 quad. USA finished third overall in the medal standings with 24 medals: eleven gold, six silver and seven bronze.
The USA Team had 12 shooters qualifying for finals in Olympic events resulting in three individual medals and securing five Olympic quotas. The success of junior shooters was particularly impressive with over half of the 24 medals being won in the junior events with 14 medals. The U.S. Team accounted for four of the 27 world records established or equaled at the championship with new marks in Jr. Women’s Team 3 x 20 Rifle, Women’s 3 x 20 Rifle, Double Trap Team and equaling the world record (with final) in Double Trap.
For complete results and coverage of the championship, visit the ISSF website at www.issf-sports.org.
USA Rifle Medalists and Finalists
10 meter Air Rifle Men: Matt Emmons, 7th place, 597/101.5.
Prone Men Junior: Team Bronze medal (Seery, Cooper, Dunhan-Bender).
Prone Men: Matt Emmons, Bronze medal, 598/104.2, Olympic Quota Place; Eric Uptagrafft, 7th place, 598/102.3.
Prone Men Team: Gold medal (Emmons, Uptagrafft, McPhail).
3 X 20 Women: Jamie Beyerle, 5th place, 582/97.9, Olympic Quota Place.
3 X 20 Women: Gold medal (Beyerle, Fong, Sowash).
3 X 20 Women Junior: Gold medal (Beard, Furrer, Scherer).
10m Air Rifle Women Team: Bronze medal (Beyerle, Caruso, Morrill).
Prone Women Junior: Sharon Barazani, Gold medal, 596; Sarah Beard, Silver medal, 595.
Lightning strikes behind the Davis Besse Nuclear Power Station just west of Camp Perry, Ohio. The cooling tower was at one time visible from the firing line at the National Matches but is now obscured by trees. The steam from the cooling tower is still visible from the line and is a good indicator of the prevailing winds. Photo by Jonathon Bird, Port Clinton News Herald
Each Friday we publish a shooting related photograph we find interesting, amusing, compelling, or maybe a combination of all three. Some photos are old, some are new, but all of them tell story.
Blue Trail Range in Wallingford Connecticut will host the 2010 CT Three Position State Championship on September 11th. You can download the match program here: 2010-ct-3p-state-champ-program (PDF, 41KB)
Blue Trail Range in Wallingford Connecticut will host the 2010 CT Prone State Championship on September 12th. You can download the match program here: 2010-ct-prone-state-champ-program (PDF, 41KB)
by Hap Rocketto
For some years the NRA has been including a rulebook in the competitor’s packet for high power. This year smallbore shooters began receiving one. This was as a result of the actions of the Smallbore Rifle Committee’s acting upon the request of the competitors. While this is a great idea the day before the Nationals begin is a bit late to begin getting familiar with the rulebook. Knowledge of the rules is a must for any serious competitor. It serves as a guide to the sport that is unmatched by any other publication. A firm understanding and a close following of the rules will save a great deal of aggravation and may gain you some points.
A case in point comes to mind. Some years ago I was shooting a high power match at Camp Smith in New York. After the first string at 300 yards the range officer announced all of the excessive hits. It turned out that my teammate, and good friend, Roger McQuiggan fired a 99 with excessive hits. He was shooting on the point next to me and I had the usual sinking feeling that comes with that kind of announcement on an adjacent point. However, when the insufficient hits were announced I was spared! I guessed a paster had fallen off of Roger’s target. When the targets came up my blackboard had a 10 chalked in next to the 0. It turned out that I had dumped my entire string on his target. The inexperienced pit crew saw exactly what happened and, no doubt laughing at the idiot 300 yards away, gleefully chalked up the 10 misses. They were so entertained by my stunt that they either forgot to, or didn’t know to, inform the pit officer of my gaffe.
As a result I did not get to challenge. A challenge I most certainly would have lost had I made it. What I got was a refire because I was not given an opportunity to challenge. If I had not known the rules I would have gotten my just desserts instead of a 97 with 5 on the refire. Since that day three things have stuck in my mind. The first is how lucky I was to have the pit crew I did. The second was how glad I was that I knew the rules. The third is why did Roger shoot a 9 and wreck our chance at two cleans?
The purpose of the “Shooter Spotlight” is to help shooters get to know their fellow competitors a little bit better. We cover a wide range of shooters from “Marksman to Master.” This is the 49th interview in the series.
Kevin Winters. Photo by Todd May.
Where do you call home?
Well I grew up in Stoughton, Ma but my home is definitely in Easton, MA.
How long have you been shooting?
I first shot in a junior program at Ames Rifle and pistol club back in 1981 so 29 years of target shooting.
How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
My former coach and friend Dave Williams taught me how to shoot in 1981 and back in 1984 Larry Bean and Chuck Cannon made my first jaunt to Camp Perry a reality.
What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
Back in 1984 I shot on the Mass state junior team at Camp Perry and we won 2nd place.
What do you consider your finest shooting achievement?
This is the toughest one to answer. I have set and achieved many of my goals…
Let’s see, over the years I have shot in a lot of matches and won some and others maybe I did not fare as well but I have to say my finest shooting achievements have been by the juniors I worked with in the past and some I still coach.
But I would have to say my personal best was shot in January of 2010 I shot a 290 in a pistol match which placed my name on a plaque with a fairly short list of shooters dating back many years at the Taunton RPC. And I achieved this plateau after only 10 months of shooting competitions with pistol.
What is your favorite pre-match meal?
I try to not eat a lot of before a match although before a big all day match I will eat high carb. foods the night before. I also avoid caffeine and sugar on match day.
What is your favorite post match drink?
Depending on climate conditions either spring water or a nice tall Samuel Adams Summer ale.
Do you have a favorite shooting range?
My favorite indoor range is Taunton RPC because they really designed it right… It has in floor heat, safe proper ventilation, very good lighting and a water cooled backstop to eliminate lead dust.
Outdoors range I would have to say Camp Perry… it’s kind of like a classic car it may not have all the technology of today but the history and the challenge of fighting the wind there makes it #1
Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
Where do I start… I need to train more in Prone and some of my short term goals are to do well in the bay state games. For long term goals I would say coaching will be my biggest focus but work towards being a Master at pistol and prone will be my focus for a while.
What shooting skill are you currently focusing your energy on?
Currently I am preparing for Air pistol in the Bay State games. This is and area I am new at so I need to get the focus at 100% along with building up my stamina to shoot a 60 shot course without wearing down.
Thanks Kevin for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!
Square Circle Sportsmen’s Cub in New Jersey will be hosting a USAS Registered Outdoor 3P & English Prone PTO on September 19th. You can download the match program here: NJ-USA-9-19-10 (PDF, 78KB)
Forget just ONE photo of the week! Here’s over 3,000 photos we took at last night’s HPM match, placed in a time lapse movie and played at 15 photos per second. The beginning of the time lapse shows the shooters firing the match, the second part shows an actual target being fired, and the last part is the pizza/campfire we have after each match. If you have the bandwidth, watch the video in HD at the larger size…you can really see a lot more detail.
Each Friday we publish a shooting related photograph we find interesting, amusing, compelling, or maybe a combination of all three. Some photos are old, some are new, but all of them tell story.
