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 42nd interview in the series.
Len Remaly
Where do you call home?
I am from Massachusetts originally, but lived in Delaware, South Carolina, Missouri and New Hampshire before moving to Monson, Mass, where I call home now.
How long have you been shooting?
My first time shooting was at YMCA camp in 1954. It was by far the most exciting activity I had ever done, up to that point in my life. I was 12 years old, and sat on a log in the hot sun for an hour with 25 other kids, to get my turn to shoot 5 shots toward the NRA qualification course with DCM .22 rifles. That works out to 56 years of shooting, with a few gaps here and there. I still get a rush when I think about shooting well at an important match.
How did you get involved in shooting competitively?
My YMCA rifle instructor became my High School Rifle Club Instructor and math teacher as well, but we did not shoot competitively, only NRA qualification program. When I arrived at Northeastern University as a Freshman in 1960, I tried out for the JV Rifle team with my legs moving like a car piston at highway speed, because I was so geared up to make the team. I some how made the team with 17 other Freshman, most from the Boston Area and most with High School Competitive experience. By the end of my Freshman year, only 2 of us made it to the Varsity Team. The other person to make the team was Greg Condon who became New England Collegiate Rifle Champion a few years later. I eventually made it to the top 20 list for New England. After College, I moved to Delaware to work for Dupont and met an “old shooter” at the very nice Dupont Fish and Game range. His name was Bob McDonald. He introduced me to serious competitive shooting and we shot together at a match most every weekend for a year, until I got married. Then I shot in an indoor rifle league and about 10 matches a year. I really liked shooting outdoors, and still do.
What is a little known fact about yourself that your fellow competitors might not know?
In high school, I was on the wrestling team, weight lifted competitively and did exhibition gymnastics. I decided that getting an Engineering Degree would lead to a better job, and life style, than if I focused on sports. Consequently, I did not look for a college in which I could continue my high school sports.
What do you consider your finest shooting achievement?
I was in ROTC in College and was offered a tryout with the Army Marksmanship Unit for my first assignment after basic training. Unfortunately, I failed the summer camp physical and was given an “unfit for military duty” rating…apparently due to a bad test given to me for diabetes. That was the end of my Military career, and any chance to be on what many called the best shooting team in the world, at that time. As I competed around the country, many times against world class marksman like Wigger, Kimes, Foster, Anderson and Writer, I wanted to compete at a high level, but with a family and full time job, did not ever see a way to do this. Then in 1987, I was asked to try out for the US Match Crossbow team with the Merediths, Kimes, Dubis and other national and world rifle shooters. I somehow made the team and traveled to Rohrbach, Austria for the World Armbrust Championships. All the European Olympic shooters were there as were some from China and Eastern Europe. It was the biggest deal for the community since the Mongol invasion hundreds of years earlier, and it was real special for me. Our son also shot on the team as a junior, which was an added benefit. I shot relatively well for someone with no international experience, and even ended with a near perfect 10 on my last 30 meter match shot (kneeling) after recovering from a broken bow and a wait that made me the only competitor left for the hundred or so spectators to watch. I got cheered strongly for recovering so well after my equipment problem, the only time I was ever cheered while shooting before or since. I even had people ask for my autograph, during the big banquet at the awards ceremony. It was a dream come true for me, to be on a National Team and competing good enough to be in the middle of the pack of world class competitors.
What is your favorite pre-match meal?
I tend to eat cereal, juice and maybe fruit before a match.
What is your favorite post match drink?
I tend to drink water after a match. If there is a celebration of some kind and I am not driving far, I will have a beer.
Do you have a favorite shooting range?
I like the range in New Trapoli, PA that Erine Gestle runs matches on. It is very deep, so you keep dry in hard rain and there is plenty of room for both relays to either shoot or prepare for the next match. Ernie also puts flags all over the range, so it is easy to read the wind. There are real good shooters at his matches to talk to about shooting. Overall, the match is run very well, but at the same time relaxed enough to be fun.
Do you have any short term and/or long term goals?
I have been working on my Perry leg for Prone Distinguished for a while. My goal is to be competitive with the top 10-20% of Perry Prone competitors in the next 2 years.
What shooting skill are currently focusing your energy on?
I working on consistency, especially in prone matches. This means, I need to avoid the melt downs that come from a bad wind condition, a bad position, etc, by stopping when a problem develops and solving the problem, before I lose a lot of points. This is more mental than physical for me. I need to stay calm and focus on performance, and not think about score.
Thanks Len for sharing a little bit about yourself with the pronematch.com community!
