February 21, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Falling Plate Match Report

17 Guns Entered       Match Winner:  George Flaherty

                                    

                                       2nd Place:  Mathew Reid

 

                                       3rd Place:  Hal Hansen

 

     Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome back to Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club, and our Bi-Monthly Falling Plate Match.  17 guns came out in the balmy 40degree February weather, lit the heaters, locked and loaded their own heaters, and enjoyed the fresh air and camaraderie to the fullest.  Thanks to our Match Staff for putting on another great match.  Our Match Director, Michael Blondin runs a good match; smooth and on time.  He is ably assisted by our ScoreKeeper, George Flaherty,

our Line Marshalls, Mathew Seagraves and our Setup Crew; again Mathew Seagraves, Mike again, and most all the shooters that were there.  Great Match Guys, and we thank you.

     17 Guns entered the fray, and by the end of the Sudden Death Finale of the match, 3 Shooters were left to decide the winner:

George Flaherty, Mathew Reid and this reporter, Hal Hansen.  George put "paid" to this reporter's efforts for the night, and that left George with 6 numbers on the board to Mathew's 1. 

     Well!  George and Mathew squared off, the challenge was for All 5 plus the popper, and the challenge was met first by Mathew

Reid, leaving Reid with his 1 number, and George with 5.  Again they duel, and again Mathew Reid gets there first.  Mathew 1,

George 4.  Reid seems to be getting faster, with George show signs of pressure.  They duel again, and once again Reid knocks'em all down first.  Reid 1, George 3.  

     At this point the ex-fighter pilot in George comes out to play.  George flew F-106s during the Vietnam War era, and he didn't survive unscathed by succumbing to pressure.  Once again they square off for a duel and our line Marshall, Mathew Seagraves, calls the action:  Shooters, Load and Make Ready!  Shooters Ready?  Stand By!!  at the *Tone* George & Reid go for all 5

& the popper.  The plates rattle as they fall, and with a clatter the poppers drop, with George's popper tight to the dirt.  George Flaherty is tonight's match winner, with Mathew Reid finishing 2nd and this reporter, Hal Hansen finishing 3rd.

     Congratulations to all of our shooters tonight, for a clean, fast, sportsmanlike, and SAFE match.  We'll meet here for another falling plate match next month, Monday March 7, 2011 at 6:00pm.  Until then, practice a lot, practice properly, and remember the mantra:

 

                                 "SPEED IS FINE, BUT ACCURACY IS FINAL."

Hal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 20, 2011 Gig Harbor Sporsmans Club Clays Match Report

14 Guns Entered

 

      3 Ladies in Class - Class won by Giti Anable with a Score of 37

             2nd Lady - Carrie Morton with a score of 27

             3rd Lady - Betty Blondin with a score of 22

 

      6 Open Guns in Class - Class won by Hal Hansen with a score of 46

             2nd Open tied between Tim Kopp and David Lee with scores of 42

             3rd Open - Giti Anable with a score of 37

 

      8 Limited Guns in Class - Class won by Mark Wuesthoff with a score of 39

             2nd Limited - Darren Foreman with a score of 36

             3rd Limited - Tim Anable with a score of 35

 

     Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club and another Sunday afternoon clays match.  It was a pretty day for a match today, pretty cold, that is.  At the start of the match the temperature was hovering in the lower 40s, and by the end of the match had dropped to the upper 30s.  All 3 heaters were on and roaring, to the delight of the waiting shooters, and they sure felt good.  It was only lightly overcast though, and dry, so for a February afternoon, we won't complain.

     Thanks go as always to our Match Staff for another great match.   Doug McLean did double duty today, taking over as Match Director in Chuck Nicodemus' absence, and acting in his usual role as ScoreKeeper, Shuffler and dealer of the duels, and DJ.

In his spare time, Doug frequently mentioned his newly discovered interest in bird watching, with an emphasis on the Albatross.

Thanks also to our Arrays Impressarios, Chuck Treat and Darren Foreman, who brought us Page 6 of The Great Equalizer Series today.  This completes another series, and next week will be another Helter Skelter Match.  let's take a look at Page 6 from the shooters point of view.

 

Round 1

     The top rows start out with 2 Green Standards, followed by 2 orange micros. The bottom rows start with 2 orange micros followed by 2 Green Standards.  If entered in the Open Class, the orange micros are your targets.  If entered in the Limited Class, the Green Standards are your targets.  Either way, if successful in breaking all of your primaries, the black micro in the middle awaits your attentions. 

 

Round 2

     The top row remains the same, but the bottom row now alternates between an orange micro and a Green Standard, then repeats.  If successful in breaking all of your primaries, the black micro in the middle awaits.

 

Round 3

     Both the top and bottom row now alternate between orange micros and Green Standards, one on one, in both rows.  The constant in the contest is the black micro in the middle, just waiting.

 

Round 4

     The transition is almost complete at this point, with the top row starting with a Green Standard followed by an orange micro, then repeating, while the bottom row starts with 2 orange micros followed by 2 Green Standards.   If successful so far, the black micro in the middle waits, and watches.

 

Round 5

     The transition is complete.  On the outside of the screens, a box is formed by 2 orange micros on the top row, followed by 2 Green Standards, with the sequence repeated on the bottom row.  The black micro in the middle, nervous now, awaits.  Let's see who did what, today.

 

      In the Ladies Class, Giti Anable took the honors with a score of 37.  2nd Place Lady today was Carrie Morton, shooting a score of 27.  In 3rd Place in the Ladies Class was Betty Blondin, who turned in a score of 22.  Good shooting Ladies.

 

     In the Open Class, this reporter, Hal Hansen, won it with a score of 46.  2nd Open resulted in a tie between Tim Kopp and David Lee, both with scores of 42.  Tim Kopp's firearm deserves special notice.  It was a Ruger 10/22 rifle, fitted with a pistol grip,

and outfitted with a red-dot optic.  In this configuration it was indeed a pistol, held only by the grip, and completely eligible for the Open Class.  It was carried in a holster about the same length as Tim's leg, and would be "challenging" to draw in a High Noon

Main Street duel in Dodge City or TombStone.  Tim shot it well enough to collect a score of 42 however, so it may become the wave of the future. 3rd Open was claimed by Giti Anable with a score of 37.   Giti seems to have developed an affection for the score of 37, having gotten that score the last several weeks in a row.  It was good enough for a victory in the Ladies Class, Giti.

 

     In the Limited Class, Mark Wuesthoff returned after a long absence, and claimed victory with a score of 39.  Usually shooting strictly revolvers, Mark showed up with a 1911, chambered to shoot .38 Special Wadcutters.  Now, it must be a serious challenge to get a 1911 Government Model Pistol to cycle dependably with wadcutter ammunition.  Mark managed to pull it off well enough to take the class victory, so I guess it worked, usually.  Taking 2nd Limited today was one of our Arrays Impressarios, Darren Foreman.  Darren took 2nd Limited with a score of 36.  And to round out the list of class winners was our 3rd Place Limited Class finisher, Tim Anable with a score of 35. 

    

     OK Folks, that's it for today's Clays Match report.  Don't forget the Falling Plate Match Monday Night at 6:00PM, right here at

Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Rifle/Pistol Range Building.  The heaters will be on, the plate racks will be up and running, and the intensity of the competition will be enough to challenge anyone's abilities.  Come on out and shoot plates with us.

     We hope Carolyne Nicodemus, wife of our Match Director Chuck Nicodemus, is feeling better next week.  Carolyne has a recurring case of the February Northwest Washington imploding sinus' this time of year, and we hope she is feeling better soon.  If she does, we're confident she will let her husband, our Clays Match Director, Chuck, come back out and play soon too.  Get well quickly Carolyne.

 

     We'll see you all right here next Sunday afternoon for another Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Clays Match, so practice hard and show the usual suspects how to play the game.  In the meantime, always remember:

 

            "Shoot Fast!  Shoot Accurately!! But Most Importantly, Shoot SAFELY!!!"

Hal

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 13, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Calays Match Report

17 Guns Entered

 

     4 Ladies in Class:  Class won by Giti Anable with a score of 37

           2nd Lady - Carrie Morton with a score of 30

           3rd Lady - Betty Blondin with a score of 22

 

     6 Open Guns in Class:  Class won by Chuck Treat with a score of 45

            2nd Open - Hal Hansen with a score of 41

            3rd Open - Chuck Nicodemus with a score of 36

 

     12 Limited Guns in Class:  Class won by David Lee with a score of 45

             2nd Limited - Score tied between Jay Schoonmaker and Tim Kopp with scores of 40

             3rd Limited - Tim Anable with a score of 39

 

     Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome back to another clays match on an overcast,chilly and rain-threatened afternoon at Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club.  17 Guns entered the match tonight, and between the intensity of the competition and the heaters, everyone stayed warm, dry and intensely challenged. 

     Thanks go as always to our Match Staff.  Thanks to our Match Director, Chuck Nicodemus, for bringing us the match, and overseeing it.  Chuck, it's a great match and we all thank you.  Thanks to our Scorekeeper and DJ, Doug McLean, for keeping the scores straight, for cooking the books, and for running the line during the match itself.  Doug, the field is steadily getting larger, and we appreciate your efforts to keep the match moving and books straight.  And thanks to our Arrays Impressarios, Chuck Treat and Darren Foreman.  Chuck and Darren brought us Page 5 of the Great Equalizer Series today, and gents, we competitors appreciate your efforts.  Let's take a look at Page 5, from the shooter's perspective.

 

Round 1

     Not too complicated; a row of White Standards all across the top and a row of orange micros all across the bottom.  If you are entered in the Limited Class, well, today you shot at the White Standards.  I guess there must have been a surplus of white standards today, as usually the standards are Green.  Whatever the colors of the micro or Standard sized clays, if you are successful in breaking all 4 of your primaries, go to the center of the screen and engage the Black Micro in the Middle.

 

Round 2

     The change is on the outside rows on the screens, with the outside orange micro going from the bottom to the top row, and the

White Standard from the top row dropping to the bottom.  The black micro in the middle remains as always, in the middle.

 

Round 3

     Now the two outside clays have changed places in each row.  Now the top two outside clays are orange micros, followed by two White Standards.  On the bottom, on the outside, 2 White Standards lead the way to the two orange micros.  Ensconced securely in the center of the screen is The black micro in the middle.

 

Round 4

     Round 4 starts the screens with the top rows being 3 orange micros, followed by a White Standard.  The bottom rows start with

3 White STandards folllowed by an orange micro.  The constant of this contest is The Black Micro in the Middle.

 

Round 5

     The transition is complete.  Now the top row is comprised of 4 orange micros and the bottom row features 4 White Standards.

The Black Micro in the Middle lies centermost, just awaiting the attentions of the shooter who is thusfar successful in breaking all of the primaries.  So, let's see who was, indeed, successful.

 

     In the Ladies Class, Gitti Anable took the win with a score of 37.  2nd Lady was Carrie Morton with a score of 30.  Betty Blondin rejoined our contest today, and took 3rd Ladies with a score of 22.  Well Done, Ladies.

 

     In the Open Class, we had 6 Entries.  Our Arrays Impressario, Chuck Treat won the class with a score of 45.  This reporter, 

Hal Hansen, took 2nd Open with a score of 41.  In 3rd Place in the Open Class was our Match Director, Chuck Nicodemus with a score of 36.  Well done, Gents.

 

     In the Limited Class, David Lee returned to the winner's circle with a score of 45.  We had a tie for 2nd Limited between 

Jay Schoonmaker and Tim Kopp, each with scores of 40.  Tim Anable took 3rd Limited with a score of 36.  Tim, in case you forgot, your wife, Giti, won her class.  Giti, make Tim take you out for a Valentine's Victory Dinner.  

 

     OK folks, that's it for today.  next week we'll meet right back here to address Page 6 of The Great Equalizer Series.  In the meantime, you all know what you must do to give the leaderboard shooters a challenge.  Practice a lot, practice properly, and practice Safely.  We'll see you back here next Sunday, February 20, 2011, so until then, always remember:

 

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

 

Hal

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 7, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Falling Plate Match Report

18 Guns Entered    -----    Match Winner:  Loren DeShon

 

        2nd Place - George Flaherty

        3rd Place - Rolf Lunde

         4th place - Hal Hansen (cause I write the reports)

 

          Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome back to Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club, and a dark and stormy night for a plate match.  With the temperature in the low to mid 40s,  a light drizzle developed, which turned into some pretty steady determined rain for most of the match.  The canopy was deployed to keep the scoretable, scoreboard, and.. oh yes, our Scorekeeper, George Flaherty, dry.  The rain didn't deter 18 Guns from entering the match though,  and between the canvas canopy and all three heaters, no one suffered in the least.  On the contrary, everyone had a great time and enjoyed some good challenges.

     Many thanks to our Match Staff for the great match tonight.  Mike Blondin, in his capacity as Match Director, brought us a smooth, efficient and most importantly, a SAFE Match.  Our aforementioned Scorekeeper & DJ. George Flaherty, shuffled and dealt the duels, kept track of the winners and losers, and did it in a manner that kept the action flowing.  Our Match Director & Chief Line Marshall, Mike Blondin kept the line organized and SAFE, and the entire show was made possible by the Stage Mgrs and set-up crew manned by the same folks that have done all the other functions, and aided immensely by  Mathew Seagraves.

Thanks folks, it was a great match and we enjoyed it a LOT! 

 

     By Match's end, the field of 18 was winnowed down to only 4.  After George Flaherty and his Smith & Wesson 1911 put this reporter, Hal Hansen and his Glock 35 on the trailer, it was but 3;  George Flaherty and his SW 1911, Loren DeShon and his Flight Deck Terrorist Deflector H&K USP, and Rolf Lunde and his HK P7.  George Flaherty showed Rolf Lunde the door

at this point, and that left just George with 6 numbers and Loren DeShon with 5.  This may take awhile.  The first duel of the finals went to George, as did the 2nd.  This put the standings at George- 6 numbers to Loren's 3. 

     That's when the fighter pilot eyes of the Alaska Airlines Capt. Loren DeShon took over.  George was a Korean War Era fighter pilot, with a lot of flight time in F-86s and F-105s, but the younger eyes of the modern Navy's FA-18 pilots are hard to beat, especially when those same eyes make a career of shepherding the airliners of Alaska Airlines through the (usually) friendly skies on a daily basis now.  And just to keep the skies friendly enroute to and from the world's last frontier, Loren keeps current with his flight deck weapon, a .40SW HK USP, by using it to shoot falling plates against the best the local gun clubs have to offer.  Between the younger eyes, and the HK USP, Loren DeShon took the next three duels in a row, leaving the score tied at 3 numbers each. 

     At this point, George and Loren were apparently getting hungry, and they heard dinner calling them loudly and clearly.  By mutual agreement this next duel would be for all the marbles, and the match victory.  Our Chief Line Marshall, Mike Blondin, makes the call.   "Shooters, load and make ready!"  "Shooters ready?"  "Stand by!!"  At the *TONE* George and Loren

go for all 5 + the popper.  When the thunder ebbed, and the rattle of falling plates ceased, Loren DeShon and his HK USP saw his popper tight to the cold ground, and Loren DeShon is tonight's match winner.  George Flaherty was 2nd and Rolf Lunde finished 3rd.  Congratulatons to our Match Staff and our competitive field for a SAFE & CHALLENGING MATCH. 

 

     OK Folks, that's it for tonight.  We'll see you right back here in two weeks, Monday February 21, 2011 and we'll play this game again.  Practice a lot.  Bring your pet pistol "FLUFFY", and we'll see who's hot!! then.  In the meantime, when you are shooting and practicing, always remember:

 

                         "SPEED IS FINE, BUT ACCURACY IS FINAL."

 

Hal

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 6, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Clays Match Report

3714 guns Entered

 

     3 Ladies - Class won by Giti Anable with a score of 37

           2nd Lady - Carrie Morton with a score of 18

           3rd Lady - Shirley Treat with a score of 16

 

      7 Guns Entered in Open - Class won by Jay Schoonmaker with a acore of 45

           2nd Open - Hal Hansen with a score of 43

           Tie for 3rd Open between Chuck Nicodemus and Giti Anable with scores of 37

 

      7 Guns in Limited - Class won by Steve Tinner with a score of 44

           2nd Limited - Chuck Treat with a score of 40

           3rd Limited - Allen Caron with a score of 37 

     Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome back to another Clays Match at GHSC.  It was a typical February afternoon, and a good bit better than some.  The temperature hovered at about 50degrees, the skies were alternately drizzling a cold rain, or threatening to, and as is usually the case in February, all 3 heaters were on and roaring.  14 guns came out to play today, and a great time was had by all.  

     Many thanks to our Match Staff for another great match.  Thanks specifically to our Match Director, Chuck Nicodemus, for organizing and presenting the match.  Thanks to our Scorekeeper and DJ, Doug McLean, for shuffling and dealing the duels, running the line and keeping score.  And thanks to our Arrays Impressarios, Chuck Treat and Darren Foreman for bringing us Page 4 of The Great Equalizer Series today.  Let's take a quick look at the match from the shooters perspective for a brief recap of the action.

 

Round 1

     On each side of the screen, a straight line of 4 orange micros running right through a square formation of 4 Green Standards.  If you are entered in the Open Class, shoot at the Orange micros.  If entered in the Limited Class, the Green Standards hold your attentions.  Either way, If you are successful in breaking all of your primarys, go to the center of the screen and attack The Black Micro in the Middle.  

 

ROUND 2, 3, 4 & 5

     During these next four rounds, there is a gradual transition from a line of 4 orange micros running through a square formation of

4 Green Standards, to a formation of a line of Four Green Standards running through a square formation of 4 orange micros.

Each step in the transition required a different, and not usually eary transition of routes through the clays.  This was a match of tactics, as well as accuracy and speed!!

   

     At the conclusion of the shooting, we had some winners.  In the Ladies Class, Giti Anable showed the way with a winning score of 37.  Giti had that 8 shot .22 Revolver running!! today.  Carrie Morton finished 2nd with a score of 18, followed by Shirley Treat, shooting a score of 16.

 

     In the Open Class, Jay Schoonmaker returned to the winner's circle with a score of 45.  This reporter, Hal Hansen, took 2nd Open, shooting a score of 43.  Our Ladies Class winner, Giti Anable was competing with an Open Gun and tied our Match Director, Chuck Nicodemus with identical scores of 37.

 

     In the Limited Class, Steve Tinner shot a personal best score of 44.  Steve has a list of victories to his credit, but his score of

44 today is the score he will be trying to break in the future.  Good shooting, Steve.  In 2nd Place in the Limited Class, our Arrays Imptessario, Chuck Treat did the honors with a score of 40.  Alan Caron took 3rd limited with a score of 37. 

 

     Well, that's it for Super Bowl Sunday's Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Clays Match.  Super Bowl Sunday it may well have been,

but those of us at Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club have our own idea of a spectacular Sports program, and we enjoyed it to the fullest today.  From the reports of today's game, our Match Staff put on a much better and smoother run show than the Super Bowl Halftime presentation.  For sure we had a virtually error free program, and it was probably Safer:)

 

     We'll see all you folks next week for another great Clays Match, and I expect it will be as smooth, efficient and error free as it was today.  Practice hard and try and dethrone the winners from today.  Remember the axiom:

 

"SHOOT FAST! SHOOT ACCURATELY!! BUT MOST OF ALL, SHOOT SAFELY!!!!"

 

Hal