June 20, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Plate Match Report

36 Guns Entered     Match Won By Loren DeShon

      2nd Place - Scott Scheitzach

      3rd Place - John Iverson

 

     36 Guns Entered, Ladies & Gentlemen, Welcome to Summer.  By the time you faithful readers get this report, it will be

June 21, 2011, and the first day of summer.  Summer is shaping up quite well so far, with a new high number of entries for our Match Director, Mike Blondin's, Plate Matches.  We expect the number of entries to rise during the summer, and to become The Place to be the First & Third Monday of each month!!

     With the great turnout for the matches this summer though, Our Match Director, Mike Blondin as well as our Scorekeeper and DJ, George Flaherty have asked me to advise all the shooters this summer that punctuality to the match, as well as at the firing line when it's your turn to shoot, IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE.  We still have a cutoff requirement of 8:30PM, so it's critical that each shooter is signed up for the match on time, and at the firing line immediately when called to shoot.  End of Sermon.

     Thanks for a great match to our Match Director Mike Blondin, our Scorekeeper & DJ George Flaherty, our Line Marshall's

Dan Moore and Matt Seagraves, and everyone who helped set up and take down the stage at each end of the match. 

It was a great match, and it will get better and better with good help like we had tonight.  Thanks, Match Staff.

     It sure was a beautiful night for a plate match.  It was approaching 70 degrees at gametime, it was dry with a very high and very light overcast.  What a segue to Summer.  Tonight we want to welcome back some faces we haven't seen for way too long. Welcome back Carrie Giacolone and Ted Austin.  We hope you folks had a great time and will make this event a regular fixture on your calendar.  Carrie was the only Lady in the field of shooters tonight, but she shot well and we hope there will be many more ladies either coming to the match for the first time or returning to shoot.  We also had several young men who came to the match for the first time, as well as some returning after a hiatus from plate shooting.  Now that school is out, we hope to see you all return here regularly this summer.

     36 Guns entered the match tonight, and with this large a field we were still able to get in 3 Rounds of preliminaries, as well as the

Sudden Death Final.  By the latter part of the Sudden Death Final, we were down to 6 finalists.  After Loren DeShon put this reporter, Hal Hansen on the trailer, the spotlight turned to Scott Scheitzach & George Flaherty.  George took this duel, and set the stage for Kiel Marvik & John Iverson who had a fast accurate duel which was won by Kiel.  Loren & Scott had a rematch then, and this time Loren took a close one.  Loren had that H&K P7 smoking tonight.  But then, he usually does.  Loren & George then dueled, with Loren crossing the line first, and Scott put PAID!! to Kiel's bid tonight.  Loren & John Iverson dueled again with Loren winning, giving John Iverson a hardwon 3rd Place Finish tonight.  Now it's down to a duel, one duel, for all the marbles between Scott Scheitzach & Loren DeShon.

     Loren & Scott are at the line, they are loaded and ready, and the challenge is for All Five Plates and the Popper.  Our Line Marshall Matt Seagraves asks if the shooters are ready, and we have *TONE*.  The targets are engaged, Thunder Rolls, all the plates drop consecutively, the poppers fall, And We Have A Winner!!  Loren DeShon's popper lies tight to the ground, and Loren DeShon wins it all tonight!!  Scott Scheitzach takes 2nd Place, and John Iverson takes 3rd.  Congratulations to our winners, and congratulations to all the shooters in our field for a competitive, fun and most especially SAFE match.  It's summertime now, and a great season of the year to shoot plates. 

     NOW, A REMINDER!!  IN TWO WEEKS, MONDAY JULY 4, 2011 we will all be celebrating America's

Independence.  There will be no match that night.  America's Freedom may have been won by using large quantities of powder & shot, but in 2011 we do it a bit quieter, in the peaceful settings of our homes with our families.  Stay tuned for announcements of makeup matches to substitute for the match missed on July 4, 2011.  For sure however, on July 18, 2011 at 6:00PM, right here at Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club, we'll have our regularly scheduled plate match.  Take the extra time to practice and get your tools of combat tuned up and ready to rock.  Always remember the mantra:

 

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

 

Hal