Match Report for Sherwood Forest AAFTA Grand Prix, June 21-23, 2024
Sherwood Airgunners had their first ever grand prix June 21-23. The forecast called for unseasonably hot temperatures which set the stage for a real blazing event that had 51 participants pre registered.
Day 1. The practice range was open at 8:00 am as airgunners from near and far made there way to the club. We were excited showing shooters that have never been to Sherwood our facility, courses and what our club has to offer. People made their way to the practice range where paper and metal targets were waiting as they checked their equipment. At 1:00 a 48 shot pistol match was scheduled consisting of 8 lanes with 3 targets per lane each shot twice. As the match began temps were already in the 90s and still rising. Shooters had umbrellas, portable fans and towels trying to deal with the scorching heat and humidity. Plenty of cold water was in a cooler on the course trying to keep the shooters hydrated. With the bright sun and heavily shaded woods we have, there was plenty of dark lanes and shadows to make ranging a real challenge. Add in the sweltering heat this was going to be a real endurance test. The course was set at a 32 Troyer rating and was the first ever pistol match at Sherwood Airgunners. As I was walking around talking to shooters I heard a lot of comments on how they liked the course and it was tough.
With 20 shooters it took about 3 hours for the match and most were glad it was over. Coming all the way from Oklahoma Mark Welker took 3rd place shooting 41/48. In second from New Jersey was National Pistol champ Brian VanLiew with a score of 43/48. New pistol and FT shooter Kelsie Michaud got first place shooting in her first ever Grand Prix match. Kelsie is from Fairfield Ohio which is near Cincinnati and she got a awesome score of 44/48.
Day 2. The forecast called for another sweltering day with temps again hitting the mid 90s with more high humidity. The practice range was opened at 7:30 as shooters took their turn on the range. A safety meeting was at 9:00 and shooters eagerly made their ways to the Highlands and Hollow courses immediately after. All PCP Hunter shooters shot the Hollow course and everyone else was on the Highlands course. Both matches started about 9:30 and temps were already in the mid 80s and rising. I for one could tell you it was undoubtedly the hottest day I could ever remember shooting a match in. Add in a leather creedmoor shooting jacket and you got a constant sweat making it very miserable to shoot in. As the day progressed we had some winds kick up and made for a real challenge in the field on the Highlands course. Both courses are heavily wooded with thick undergrowth making lots of dark areas to put targets in. We use a lot of elevated targets which I feel gets some more wind than if set on the ground on a block. Both courses were set at a 32 Troyer rating which I felt was a very fair and challenging for new and veteran shooters alike. On the Highlands course WFTF veteran Paul Cray finished with a 56/60 for the top score of the day. Just 2 shots behind Paul was Tyler Patner shooting a 54/60 and Jeff Paddock with a 53/60. Shooting WFTF Piston Leo Gonzales shot a 46/50 with Matt Uhler only one shot behind with a 45/60. Greg Shirhall lead the Hunter Piston group which also shot the Highlands with a great score of 45/60. Open PCP was lead by Artie Claudino from Lexington North Carolina shooting a 56/60 and Larry Gromacki within striking range at 52/60.
Down in the Hollow the Hunter PCP shooters were finding plenty of challenging lanes with shots up and down hills with the same dark canopy and shadows to deal with. Doug Cunningham came out with a 49/60 for the day 1 lead in Hunter PCP with 3 shooters, Doug Rogers, Rick Vaeth and Dale Pruheire close behind each with a 47/60. After the match everyone enjoyed a catered BBQ meal from Bad Axe BBQ from Stratton Ohio. Once everyone had their fill of food and deserts we had a raffle from items generously donated by our sponsors Baker Airguns, JD Custom Designs, Lexington Airguns and Pyramyd Air. After the raffle targets were repainted and we were ready for day 3.
Day 3. Today the forecast called for some possible thunderstorms in the afternoon with a slight break in the heat wave with temps in the mid 80s. With those storms some strong winds were also expected. After a short shooters meeting at 9:00 the competitors made their way out to the Highlands and Hollow courses. Today the bumbag and Hunter Piston shooters would hit the Hollow and the Hunter PCP shooters would be on the Highlands. Changes were made in the squadding according to the previous days scores with the top shooters in each division shooting with each other if possible. The weather definately was not as hot as the first 2 days but it was still very warm and humid. We had wind all throughout the day with stronger gusts present as the day went on. On the Highlands course Eric Jones shot a personal best 55/60. Jeff Swartz shot a 54/60 just one shot behind. Doug Cunningham was also in the 50s with a 52/60. Down in the Hollar Paul Cray and Tyler Patner were making it very interesting with Tyler shooting a 55/60, Bill Rabbit shooting in his first match this year at WFTF shot a 53/60 and Paul Cray was right behind with a 52/60. In WFTF Piston Matt Uhler shot a 46/60 and Paul Manktelow shot a 36/60. In Open PCP Artie Claudino lead the group once again shooting a 51/60. Everyone made there way back to the clubhouse as scores were verified and pizza was served.
In order to receive an award you needed 3 competitors for a 1st place award. 5 competitors for a 2nd place award and 7 competitors for a 3rd place award.
In Hunter Piston Greg Shirhall had a 78/120 for a overwhelming win.
In Hunter PCP where we had the most competitors of 25, Eric Jones with his great second day moved up the leader board for a 3rd place finish, 97/120. Jeff Swartz also made a sizeable run up the board with a great day 2 and came in 2nd place with a 99/120. Doug Cunningham was able to maintain his lead and took first place with a 101/120.
In Open PCP Larry Gromacki from Conneaut Ohio shot a 101/120 for 2nd place. Artie Claudino maintained his lead and got first place with a very solid score of 107/120.
In WFTF Piston Matt Uhler another buckeye shot a 91/120 for the 1st place win.
Finally in WFTF PCP Bill Rabbit with a very good day 2 shot up the leader board with a 103/120 for a 3rd place finish. Paul Cray former World Champion shot a 108/120 for a strong 2nd place finish. Tyler Patner from Cleveland Ohio shot a very impressive 109/120 for First place and Match High Score in some very tough sweaty conditions.
I just want to thank everyone that was involved with making our first GP a very special one. Too many people to thank but they know who they are. I hope everyone likes our courses and hope this was a good GP experience for you. So THANKYOU for shooting with us at Sherwood Airgunners!
Sincerely,
Match Director
KeithWalters
Picture links: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TWQPxChhH4pS3ya19
Sherwood Airgunners had their first ever grand prix June 21-23. The forecast called for unseasonably hot temperatures which set the stage for a real blazing event that had 51 participants pre registered.
Day 1. The practice range was open at 8:00 am as airgunners from near and far made there way to the club. We were excited showing shooters that have never been to Sherwood our facility, courses and what our club has to offer. People made their way to the practice range where paper and metal targets were waiting as they checked their equipment. At 1:00 a 48 shot pistol match was scheduled consisting of 8 lanes with 3 targets per lane each shot twice. As the match began temps were already in the 90s and still rising. Shooters had umbrellas, portable fans and towels trying to deal with the scorching heat and humidity. Plenty of cold water was in a cooler on the course trying to keep the shooters hydrated. With the bright sun and heavily shaded woods we have, there was plenty of dark lanes and shadows to make ranging a real challenge. Add in the sweltering heat this was going to be a real endurance test. The course was set at a 32 Troyer rating and was the first ever pistol match at Sherwood Airgunners. As I was walking around talking to shooters I heard a lot of comments on how they liked the course and it was tough.
With 20 shooters it took about 3 hours for the match and most were glad it was over. Coming all the way from Oklahoma Mark Welker took 3rd place shooting 41/48. In second from New Jersey was National Pistol champ Brian VanLiew with a score of 43/48. New pistol and FT shooter Kelsie Michaud got first place shooting in her first ever Grand Prix match. Kelsie is from Fairfield Ohio which is near Cincinnati and she got a awesome score of 44/48.
Day 2. The forecast called for another sweltering day with temps again hitting the mid 90s with more high humidity. The practice range was opened at 7:30 as shooters took their turn on the range. A safety meeting was at 9:00 and shooters eagerly made their ways to the Highlands and Hollow courses immediately after. All PCP Hunter shooters shot the Hollow course and everyone else was on the Highlands course. Both matches started about 9:30 and temps were already in the mid 80s and rising. I for one could tell you it was undoubtedly the hottest day I could ever remember shooting a match in. Add in a leather creedmoor shooting jacket and you got a constant sweat making it very miserable to shoot in. As the day progressed we had some winds kick up and made for a real challenge in the field on the Highlands course. Both courses are heavily wooded with thick undergrowth making lots of dark areas to put targets in. We use a lot of elevated targets which I feel gets some more wind than if set on the ground on a block. Both courses were set at a 32 Troyer rating which I felt was a very fair and challenging for new and veteran shooters alike. On the Highlands course WFTF veteran Paul Cray finished with a 56/60 for the top score of the day. Just 2 shots behind Paul was Tyler Patner shooting a 54/60 and Jeff Paddock with a 53/60. Shooting WFTF Piston Leo Gonzales shot a 46/50 with Matt Uhler only one shot behind with a 45/60. Greg Shirhall lead the Hunter Piston group which also shot the Highlands with a great score of 45/60. Open PCP was lead by Artie Claudino from Lexington North Carolina shooting a 56/60 and Larry Gromacki within striking range at 52/60.
Down in the Hollow the Hunter PCP shooters were finding plenty of challenging lanes with shots up and down hills with the same dark canopy and shadows to deal with. Doug Cunningham came out with a 49/60 for the day 1 lead in Hunter PCP with 3 shooters, Doug Rogers, Rick Vaeth and Dale Pruheire close behind each with a 47/60. After the match everyone enjoyed a catered BBQ meal from Bad Axe BBQ from Stratton Ohio. Once everyone had their fill of food and deserts we had a raffle from items generously donated by our sponsors Baker Airguns, JD Custom Designs, Lexington Airguns and Pyramyd Air. After the raffle targets were repainted and we were ready for day 3.
Day 3. Today the forecast called for some possible thunderstorms in the afternoon with a slight break in the heat wave with temps in the mid 80s. With those storms some strong winds were also expected. After a short shooters meeting at 9:00 the competitors made their way out to the Highlands and Hollow courses. Today the bumbag and Hunter Piston shooters would hit the Hollow and the Hunter PCP shooters would be on the Highlands. Changes were made in the squadding according to the previous days scores with the top shooters in each division shooting with each other if possible. The weather definately was not as hot as the first 2 days but it was still very warm and humid. We had wind all throughout the day with stronger gusts present as the day went on. On the Highlands course Eric Jones shot a personal best 55/60. Jeff Swartz shot a 54/60 just one shot behind. Doug Cunningham was also in the 50s with a 52/60. Down in the Hollar Paul Cray and Tyler Patner were making it very interesting with Tyler shooting a 55/60, Bill Rabbit shooting in his first match this year at WFTF shot a 53/60 and Paul Cray was right behind with a 52/60. In WFTF Piston Matt Uhler shot a 46/60 and Paul Manktelow shot a 36/60. In Open PCP Artie Claudino lead the group once again shooting a 51/60. Everyone made there way back to the clubhouse as scores were verified and pizza was served.
In order to receive an award you needed 3 competitors for a 1st place award. 5 competitors for a 2nd place award and 7 competitors for a 3rd place award.
In Hunter Piston Greg Shirhall had a 78/120 for a overwhelming win.
In Hunter PCP where we had the most competitors of 25, Eric Jones with his great second day moved up the leader board for a 3rd place finish, 97/120. Jeff Swartz also made a sizeable run up the board with a great day 2 and came in 2nd place with a 99/120. Doug Cunningham was able to maintain his lead and took first place with a 101/120.
In Open PCP Larry Gromacki from Conneaut Ohio shot a 101/120 for 2nd place. Artie Claudino maintained his lead and got first place with a very solid score of 107/120.
In WFTF Piston Matt Uhler another buckeye shot a 91/120 for the 1st place win.
Finally in WFTF PCP Bill Rabbit with a very good day 2 shot up the leader board with a 103/120 for a 3rd place finish. Paul Cray former World Champion shot a 108/120 for a strong 2nd place finish. Tyler Patner from Cleveland Ohio shot a very impressive 109/120 for First place and Match High Score in some very tough sweaty conditions.
I just want to thank everyone that was involved with making our first GP a very special one. Too many people to thank but they know who they are. I hope everyone likes our courses and hope this was a good GP experience for you. So THANKYOU for shooting with us at Sherwood Airgunners!
Sincerely,
Match Director
KeithWalters
Picture links: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TWQPxChhH4pS3ya19
