Sherwood Airgunners Match Report for Sunday July 9, 2023
Sherwood Airgunners had our 3rd Field Target match of the 2023 Season this Sunday July 9. With a forecast that called for rain before the match but a window of opportunity during the hours we shoot we decided to roll the dice and not cancel the match. With that said we had 13 die hards shoot our new course Sherwood Hollow. Doug Cunningham and I set the course the day before and tried to be easy with the difficulty because of the challenges this course presents. The Troyer rating fell at 30.7 before any other considerations such as wind, darkness, or incline/decline angles. I must say the uphill shots in The Hollow present very challenging seating positions which in my opinion adds to the difficulty of the course. I know I was very frustrated a few lanes with how unsteady my position was on the bumbag and I'm sure the guys with buckets and sticks have their own challenges with these uphill shots as well.
We had a new shooter Steve Hockenberry join us for his first ever FT match. Steve is a local guy and looked like he was a season vet with how he shot. Not only did he shoot well, he also stuck around and helped tear down the course when the match was over! I'm hoping Steve becomes a regular at the club for he certainly fits right in with the dudes!
So in Hunter PCP we had 4 shooters with Justin Roberts leading the pack with a 53/60. Nice shooting again Justin. A few shots behind was Doug Cunningham with a 51/60. Surprisingly only a few shots behind was the new guy Steve Hockenberry with a 48/60…great shooting for your first ever FT match…welcome to the club!
In Hunter Piston we had 2 shooters with Dan Putz shooting a 34/60.
In Open PCP Larry Gramacki shot a 49/60 while shooting the Hollow for the first time.
Tyler Patner had little trouble at all with the challenges the hollow presents and shot a stellar 58/60 in WFTF PCP. Tyler makes every shot look easy somehow. I was totally frustrated a few times in the awkward position I was shooting and he does it like it's simple.
Tyler also had the Match High score.
In unlimited PCP Rick Smelko shot a 57/60. Tim Baylor and Dave Hitchcock also shot this class and both shot a 52/60.
I must say the rain we had the evening before the match really ended up making the main trail in the hollow a muddy mess after the shooters started walking on it. At one lane Tyler put his bumbag down and when he sat on it he started sliding down off the shooting lane. This added to the very high humidity made for a sweaty muddy mess at times. Luckily we had very little wind to deal with and the bugs weren't that bad.
As a match director setting up a new course and learning what you have to work with is a work in progress. Tyler gave me some really good pointers and suggestions that I overlooked while setting up this particular course. As we move forward I'm sure there will be changes to this course to make it the best it can be and one that people remember.
As always I appreciate everyone that came out and my guys at the club that helped during the match!
KeithWalters
Sherwood Airgunners had our 3rd Field Target match of the 2023 Season this Sunday July 9. With a forecast that called for rain before the match but a window of opportunity during the hours we shoot we decided to roll the dice and not cancel the match. With that said we had 13 die hards shoot our new course Sherwood Hollow. Doug Cunningham and I set the course the day before and tried to be easy with the difficulty because of the challenges this course presents. The Troyer rating fell at 30.7 before any other considerations such as wind, darkness, or incline/decline angles. I must say the uphill shots in The Hollow present very challenging seating positions which in my opinion adds to the difficulty of the course. I know I was very frustrated a few lanes with how unsteady my position was on the bumbag and I'm sure the guys with buckets and sticks have their own challenges with these uphill shots as well.
We had a new shooter Steve Hockenberry join us for his first ever FT match. Steve is a local guy and looked like he was a season vet with how he shot. Not only did he shoot well, he also stuck around and helped tear down the course when the match was over! I'm hoping Steve becomes a regular at the club for he certainly fits right in with the dudes!
So in Hunter PCP we had 4 shooters with Justin Roberts leading the pack with a 53/60. Nice shooting again Justin. A few shots behind was Doug Cunningham with a 51/60. Surprisingly only a few shots behind was the new guy Steve Hockenberry with a 48/60…great shooting for your first ever FT match…welcome to the club!
In Hunter Piston we had 2 shooters with Dan Putz shooting a 34/60.
In Open PCP Larry Gramacki shot a 49/60 while shooting the Hollow for the first time.
Tyler Patner had little trouble at all with the challenges the hollow presents and shot a stellar 58/60 in WFTF PCP. Tyler makes every shot look easy somehow. I was totally frustrated a few times in the awkward position I was shooting and he does it like it's simple.
Tyler also had the Match High score.In unlimited PCP Rick Smelko shot a 57/60. Tim Baylor and Dave Hitchcock also shot this class and both shot a 52/60.
I must say the rain we had the evening before the match really ended up making the main trail in the hollow a muddy mess after the shooters started walking on it. At one lane Tyler put his bumbag down and when he sat on it he started sliding down off the shooting lane. This added to the very high humidity made for a sweaty muddy mess at times. Luckily we had very little wind to deal with and the bugs weren't that bad.
As a match director setting up a new course and learning what you have to work with is a work in progress. Tyler gave me some really good pointers and suggestions that I overlooked while setting up this particular course. As we move forward I'm sure there will be changes to this course to make it the best it can be and one that people remember.
As always I appreciate everyone that came out and my guys at the club that helped during the match!
KeithWalters
