June 12, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Clays Match Report

18 Guns Entered

 

     2 Ladies - Class won by Mary Stevens with a score of 34

           2nd Lady - Carrie Morton with a score of 22

 

     4 Juniors - Class won by Brian Tinner with a score of 26

            2nd Junior - Kirk Foreman with a score of 14

            3rd Junior - Thomas Craft with a score of 12

            4th Junior - Stephan Craft with a score of 7

 

     5 Open Guns - Class won by Ken Bagley Sr. with a score of 42 + 4

            2nd Open - Chuck Treat with a score of 42 + 3

            3rd Open - Thor Palm with a score of 34

 

    13 Limited Guns - Class won by Jay Schoonmaker with a score of 48

            2nd Limited - Steve Tinner with a score of 44

            3rd Limited - Hal Hansen with a score of 38

 

     Good afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen, and welcome to Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club, and another of our weekly Clays Matches.

It was a beautiful spring day in the Pacific Northwest, with a bit of a variety of weather for our match today.  It was alternately sunny,

a light hazy overcast, almost 70degrees warm, then a light misty rain came out of the overcast, but not hard enough to even settle the dust.  All in all, a great day for a clays match.  But then, aren't they all??!!

 

     Our match management once again presented a great match, and for that we thank them.  Thanks to our Match Director Chuck Nicodemus, thanks to our ScoreKeeper and DJ Doug McLean, and thanks to our Arrays Impressarios Chuck Treat and Darren Foreman, who brought us Page 4 of The Great Equalizer Series today.  Let's take a look at what the shooters were engaging in this match.  The arrays took on a 3 line dimension, with the clays forming vague shapes over 3 lines instead of just 2. 

 

Round 1

     On the top row, from the outside in, we see an orange micro, then after an open area a Green Standard.

In the middle row, we see 2 Green Standards followed by 2 orange micros.  On the third and bottom row, we see repeated an

orange micro, an open area and then another Green Standard.  If entered in the Open Class your targets are the orange micros.

If entered in the Limited Class, your targets are the Green Standards.  If successful in breaking all of your primarys, go to the center of the screen and engage the black micro in the middle. 

 

Round 2

     The top row remains the same, but now the middle row begins with an orange micro, then a Green Standard, followed by 2

more orange micros.  On the bottom row your targets, if entered in the Limited Class, are two Green standards, about a foot apart.

If successful in breaking all of your primarys, engage the black micro in the middle.

 

Round 3

     The top and bottom row now are identical, with 2 Green Standards spread about a foot apart.  The center row is comprised of 4 orange micros, all in a row.  Waiting in the middle of the screen for the thus-far successful shooter is the black micro in the middle. 

 

Round 4

     The top row again begins with a Green Standard, about 18" of open area, and then an orange micro.  The middle row begins with 2 orange micros followed by a Green Standard followed by an orange micro.  The bottom row now consists of 2 Green Standards about 18" apart.  The one constant of the match, well, almost constant, well, usually constant, but not today, is the Black micro in the middle.

 

Round 5

     The top row again consists of a Green Standard, an open area about 18" wide, then an orange micro.  The middle row starts with 2 orange micros followed by 2 Green Standards.  The bottom row begins with a Green Standard, an open area, followed by an orange micro.  At this point a curve ball is thrown at the shooters.  Instead of the ubiquitous black micro in the middle, what to our wondering eyes does appear but a pale orange bottle cap, about half the size of the black micro in the middle!!!!

 

     An Editorial: It was quite a surprise looking out at the screens and seeing such a tiny target, and not even black, but sort of pale orange.  "Is this a legitimate target???!!!"  In modern handgun competition, a legitimate target is: "Whatever the Match Director says it is."  So, yes, it was/is a legitimate target.  Can we successfully engage it?  Well, today, usually not.  I guess the challenge is to learn to be able to successfully engage it.  This reporter is reminded of some years back when the micro clays were introduced.  they were very challenging, and more than a little frustrating.  Still, the bar was raised to the point where the shooters were required to improve their skills sufficiently to successfully engage those micros.  Today, the micros aren't that difficult.  Our skill level has risen to meet the challenge.  Now, the bar is, at least for today, raised again.  The challenge once again is to accelerate our training sufficiently to meet the challenge.  

Generally in life, the standard of easy isn't usually worth the trouble.  Marksmanship sufficient to efficiently and successfully engage bottle caps under the stress

of competition should stand the shooter in good stead if, God Please Forbid, the trumpets ever sound and the health and safety of ourselves or our loved ones is at risk on the street.  If we can hit a bottle cap at 10yds under the stress of competition etc. etc. etc.  Thus endeth the sermon. 

     On such a pleasant thought, let's review today's results.

 

     We had two competitors in the ladies Class.  Mary Stevens chose this class over the Junior Class in which to compete today, and she won it with a score of

34.  Carrie Morton finished 2nd with a score of 22.  

 

     In the Junior Class, we had 4 shooters.  Brian Tinner took the win with a score of 26.  Kirk Foreman finished 2nd with a score of 14.  The brothers Thomas & Steven Kraft finished 3rd & 4th with scores of 12 & 7 respectively.  

 

     In the Limited Class, Jay Schoonmaker took the win with a score of 48.  It should be noted that Jay went into the final round with a perfect score of 40.  Close Jay, probably done in by a couple of bottle caps.  Steve Tinner was close behind in 2nd spot with a score of 44.  In Third Limited was this reporter, Hal Hansen with a score of 38, and very lucky indeed to notice the loose front sight flopping around on my Glock, before it fell off onto the floor.  Once home, with an application of Loc Tite, I'll bet it doesn't come loose again.  

 

     In the Open Class, we had a tie score between Ken Bagley Sr. & Chuck Treat, both with scores of 42.  Thor Palm followed with a score of 34.  It's tme for a shootoff between Ken and Chuck.   For this shootoff the screen stayed at 10yds, and a line of 4 orange micros and a black micro in the middle constituted the array.  Doug Mclean calls the shooters to the line with the instructions to load 5 rounds.  The shooters were alerted to be ready, and the command was given to

Fire!!  Chuck & Ken go for it, .22 caliber thunder rolls quietly, orange micros explode, the black micro in the middle ducks, laughing, and silence returns to the range.  The gallery peers downrange, and a cheer goes up from the crowd.  We have a winner.  Ken Bagley Sr. has broken 4 micros, while Chuck Treat has broken 3,  Ken Bagley Sr. takes today's Open Class at Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club with a score of 42 + 4.  Chuck Treat takes 2nd Open with a score of

42 + 3 and Thor palm takes 3rd Open with a score of 34. 

 

     So that's the Clays Match for today folks.  The bar has been raised, and the gauntlet thrown.  Now it's up to the field to meet the challenge.  One can only wonder what will come next, but for now, Bring on the bottle caps!!   While striving to meet the latest challenge, always remember:

 

"SHOOT FAST!  SHOOT ACCURATELY!! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY,  SHOOT SAFELY!!!!"

 

Hal