Twenty-seven shooters from five states contested the June 4-5 TEXtreme Airgun Sports leg of the 2022 Extreme Field Target national Grand Prix series; slightly fewer than the 30-40 anticipated. However, that increased the odds of cashing in on the generous $3000 prize list for those not afflicted with competition anxiety ;-) , including several TEXtreme newbies and at least one experienced firearms competitor shooting his first field target match of any kind.
That we had a record number of lady contest a TEXtreme FT match (hint- see singular context), and lady spectator/supporters (five) was one of the Match Director’s favorite statistics of the weekend. Said lecherous MD made the most of the opportunities, while attempting to avoid being shot by attached men-folk. Suffice to say a decade removed from virtually any sighting of females (at least human), much less flirting opportunities, combined with a long history of flirtatiousness even since such compliment-ary behavior became considered politically-incorrect, made for a perfect storm worth weathering! Thankfully TEXtreme regulars have excellent senses of humor; well beyond that of ‘normal’ folks. The outstanding senses of humor were on full display this weekend, complemented nicely by lightning-quick wits. Oh… and impressive shooting skills!
That started in the Saturday morning Extreme Pistol FT match when (the even more lecherous than me) Paul Bracaglia decimated the field of nine with a near-perfect 47/48 score. And if we are to believe him (no comment), his one miss was actually an edge-split that didn’t take down the target.
Also the reigning Republic Of Texas Pistol Field Target Champion, Pablo barely finished his Marauder rifle-to-pistol conversion in time to set it up for the match after discovering the two-by-four he used to fashion some semblance of a legal pistol stock was infested with YellaWood Weevils. Not sayin’ any of the weevils bore into his brain, but he is definitely suffering hallucinations (of grandeur) since his incredible pistol-shooting display. PB pocketed a $300 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate for his BB-pistol shooting acumen. FANTASTIC shooting, Pablo!
Caleb Dickinson took a strong Second Place in the pistol match with an excellent 38/48 score. Caleb used a Marauder pistol (P-Rod) converted to regulated bottle power, wearing an Athlon scope, and shooting 18 grain pellets at 660 FPS. Caleb nabbed a $200 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate for his pistol efforts, no doubt making the drive home to Oklahoma a little more enjoyable. Not that he and lovely wife Anna need any help in the conversation department; both are quite gifted in that regard. Great shooting, Caleb! And nice chatting and joking with you and Anna this weekend.
Carey Hymel captured Third Place in the pistol match, posting a 35/40 with his .177 Thomas pistol. Carey’s pistol wears a Nightforce 7X35 ATACR scope, and zings 13.4 FX pellets 805 FPS. Carey ‘carried’ (see what I did there?) a $100 AoA gift certificate back home to Louisiana for his fine pistol shooting.
Thank you very much for the donation of the field target Carey; I really appreciate it! And thank you and Terri for being TEXtreme regulars despite the thousand-mile round trips! Everyone always enjoys y’alls attendance immensely, and we look forward to seeing you again in September.
With as much help as possible to delegate between the morning pistol match and the 2 PM Rifle Match #1 Shooters Meeting, the fast-unraveling Match Director managed to move fast enough to convert the pistol course to rifle configuration in time to allow about an hour of pre-match rifle practice. Thankfully the frazzle-brained MD had well-qualified help on hand to fill in my many gaps during the Shooters Meeting, that took about an hour nevertheless.
We enjoyed somewhat lighter wind conditions than usual in Rifle Match 1, and lower temperatures than average for June in Texas. Partly cloudy skies kept shooting conditions relatively comfortable, however Paul Bracaglia’s HOT SHOOTING continued through the Saturday Rifle Match.
Shooting his Derrick Wall pixie-dusted .30 FX Bobcat, that he was forced to repossess from some low-life degenerate for failing to PAY after committing to buy it from him, Paul posted the high score of 45/48 in Saturday's Rifle Match #1. (Knew I should’ve paid for that Bobcat, rather than a(nother) trip to Boystown).
Tribute to the level of competition, and setting up an interesting Rifle Match #2 on Sunday, hot on Pablo’s heels (Saturday) were Will Thibault with a 44/48, and Faisal Khan and Bobby Corcorran both with 43s.
Sunday proved up to the 100 degree forecast, albeit not as repressive as it sounds thanks to very gusty winds even stronger than usual TEXtreme match-day gales. As expected, Sunday scores were lower than Saturday scores, resulting in some interesting shuffling of the final podium standings. Also as could be expected in the more challenging conditions, only a third of the shooters posted higher scores on Sunday than Saturday.
Virtue of his consistently fine shooting, in posting Sunday’s high score of 42/48 combined with Saturday’s second highest score of 44, Will Thibault’s aggregate 86/96 score not only got him the Rifle competition win, but $1000 CASH and a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate! Will also gets three 2022 Extreme Field Target Grand Prix series points for the win (on top of one GP point for entering the TEXtreme event). GREAT SHOOTING, WILL!
In also displaying consistently fine shooting skills with an excellent 40/48 Sunday score added to his 43/48 on Saturday, Faisal Khan’s 83/96 aggregate nabbed him Second Place in the rifle competition. Faisal’s take was $500 cash, a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate, two GP placement points, and a GP match attendance point. Excellent shooting, Faisal! As always, your presence and participation are enjoyed by all.
Bobby Corcorran’s fine 43/48 Saturday rifle score proved excellent enough to hold off a come-from-behind charge by another well-known airgun bandit for Third Place in the rifle competition. Bobby’s 79/96 aggregate got him $250 cash and a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate. Since he has already accumulated the maximum six Grand Prix points applicable toward the Grand Prix final standings, Bobby’s one placement and one attendance point from the TEXtreme GP event go to waste… kind of.
Left to each EFT Grand Prix Match Director’s discretion in this inaugural 2022 national EFT Grand Prix season, the TEXtreme Match Director chose to allow “blocking” by competitors already maxed-out on 2022 GP points. By (my) dictating Grand Prix points from the TEXtreme event won by already maxed-out competitors go to waste, as opposed to some GP Match Directors passing such points down to the next highest-placed competitor at their GP events, I allow maxed-out competitors to “block” their GP competitors from inheriting the maxed-out competitor’s GP points.
My reason for dictating a maxed-out competitor’s excess points go to waste rather get inherited is to incentivize maxed-out competitors to continue attending multiple Grand Prix events. Because that is one of the major reasons for Grand Prix competitions in the first place; to encourage competitors to INVEST in growing the Grand Prix, their sport, and hybrid vigor (look it up).
The celebratory drinking he and I did on Saturday night might have had something to do with the dousing Paul Bracaglia’s HOT Saturday shooting took on Sunday. Apparently the boy can’t hold his Colt 45, MD 20/20, Jose’ Cuervo, Rot-Gut Whiskey and Everclear, because Pablo’s Match 2 score slipped eleven points from his Saturday score of 45/48 (high score of the of day on Saturday). Nevertheless his 79/96 aggregate was good enough for Fourth Place in the rifle competition, and a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate to add to his $300 AoA gift certificate from winning the pistol match in such impressive fashion.
I’d say, “Don’t spend ‘em all in the same place”, but I think you have to Pablo! ;-)
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Will, Faisal, and Bobby for your generous gifts of Colt 45, MD 20/20, Jose’ Cuervo, Rot-Gut Whiskey and Everclear that y’all so generously and selflessly donated after Saturday’s rifle match. I made sure Pablo had plenty of all five gifts, just as y’all requested. I also appreciate the crispy, new $100 bill.
Aforementioned “other well-known airgun bandit” who made an impressive come from behind charge to catapult himself into the bounty (see what I did there?) by improving on his Saturday score by five points in Sunday’s more challenging winds was none other than that notorious TEXtreme podium regular, Derrick Wall. Derrick’s excellent, second highest Match #2 score of 41/48 catapulted him THIRTEEN PLACES up the standings to capture Fifth Place in the rifle competitIon! Apparently DW heeded the advice of an ancient, ANCIENT “other well-known airgun bandit”- never give up! (You’re welcome, Bud.)
Derrick adds a $200 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate to his impressive and growing AoA GC collection for that awesome display of never give up. Fantastic recovery Derrick!
Some interesting stories/lessons from the TEXtreme Grand Prix weekend bear relating.
A squad-mate on Sunday who is not only a great friend but awesome shooting competitor suffered an unfortunate equipment issue that seems to be a recurring theme at TEXtreme Field Target matches. After all three in our squad finished our second lane of the day with eleven points of our first twelve shots, I should have known better than even mention it. Nevertheless, while departing Lane 8 for Lane 1 at the other (far) end of the property, I commented, “Looks like we’re gonna make it interesting, Boys”.
Come Lane 1, Art could no longer fell a target. By the time he figured out his locking elevation turret had rattled loose during the bumpy range-cart ride between Lanes 8 and 1, the damage was done to any chances of a decent result. The same thing had happened to this weekend’s Champion at a previous TEXtreme FT competition, except it was Will’s moderator that rattled loose on the bumpy ride then. The lesson?
I suggest TEXtreme competitors each purchase a couple expensive, full-suspension mountain bikes (nothing less than $5000 each), and connect them together with a Posturpedic mattress secured with duct-tape and bailing-wire to construct TEXtreme-resistant rifle caddies! Tell my buddy Cash at Dewey, Cheatum and Howe CycleWorx that Ronaldo sent you, and he’ll make you a 'special' deal.
Of course I want to thank Airguns Of Arizona not only for their generous sponsorship of this Grand Prix event, but their always-generous sponsorship and other support of TEXtreme Airgun Sports virtually from the get-go. Many, many, MANY THANKS! The Chinese group-dinner at the BCP Loft was great, everyone had a great time, but WE MISSED YOU THIS WEEK-END, ROBERT!
Many thanks also to Jerry Cupples for his goody-bag donations of Pellet-Gage logo notebooks and pellet pouches. I appreciate it Jerry, and we missed you also Bud!
Thanks also to Jim Martin of Trailers Plus in Weatherford for the pens, Art Womack for the insulated cups, and Will Thibault for the tin of .22 JSB Redesign pellets. We used Art and Will’s donations as door prizes.
As if there was any doubt before that Derrick Wall is a bandit, he brought his lovely wife Jennifer to spectate this weekend. Thinking she might be the least likely attendee to be accused of door-prize larceny, Stupid Me called on Jennifer Wall to draw names out of the door-prize pot. You guessed it, the first name drawn was none other than Derrick Wall! So thanks to his shrewd strategy of employing a beautiful female ACCOMPLICE, that swindler made off with the (hard to come by nowadays) Redesigns “like a bandit!” You should be ashamed of corrupting such a sweet, shy, innocent (looking) girl like that, Derrick.
In closing, thank you to all the fine folks that attended the first Extreme Field Target Grand Prix competition held in Texas. I consider you all friends, hope to continue evolving and improving my venue and events, and correcting my mistakes and short-comings.
Art will be posting responses to this Match Report as he completes extrapolating information and details. TRUST ME, if such brain work was left to this Neanderthal, match reports would take weeks!
Happy Shooting Y’all,
Ron
P.S.- I intended to now attach event photos, but am getting the same "unable to create temporary upload directory" message I've been getting lately on AGN. In other words, NOT MY FAULT! (I think)
That we had a record number of lady contest a TEXtreme FT match (hint- see singular context), and lady spectator/supporters (five) was one of the Match Director’s favorite statistics of the weekend. Said lecherous MD made the most of the opportunities, while attempting to avoid being shot by attached men-folk. Suffice to say a decade removed from virtually any sighting of females (at least human), much less flirting opportunities, combined with a long history of flirtatiousness even since such compliment-ary behavior became considered politically-incorrect, made for a perfect storm worth weathering! Thankfully TEXtreme regulars have excellent senses of humor; well beyond that of ‘normal’ folks. The outstanding senses of humor were on full display this weekend, complemented nicely by lightning-quick wits. Oh… and impressive shooting skills!
That started in the Saturday morning Extreme Pistol FT match when (the even more lecherous than me) Paul Bracaglia decimated the field of nine with a near-perfect 47/48 score. And if we are to believe him (no comment), his one miss was actually an edge-split that didn’t take down the target.
Also the reigning Republic Of Texas Pistol Field Target Champion, Pablo barely finished his Marauder rifle-to-pistol conversion in time to set it up for the match after discovering the two-by-four he used to fashion some semblance of a legal pistol stock was infested with YellaWood Weevils. Not sayin’ any of the weevils bore into his brain, but he is definitely suffering hallucinations (of grandeur) since his incredible pistol-shooting display. PB pocketed a $300 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate for his BB-pistol shooting acumen. FANTASTIC shooting, Pablo!
Caleb Dickinson took a strong Second Place in the pistol match with an excellent 38/48 score. Caleb used a Marauder pistol (P-Rod) converted to regulated bottle power, wearing an Athlon scope, and shooting 18 grain pellets at 660 FPS. Caleb nabbed a $200 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate for his pistol efforts, no doubt making the drive home to Oklahoma a little more enjoyable. Not that he and lovely wife Anna need any help in the conversation department; both are quite gifted in that regard. Great shooting, Caleb! And nice chatting and joking with you and Anna this weekend.
Carey Hymel captured Third Place in the pistol match, posting a 35/40 with his .177 Thomas pistol. Carey’s pistol wears a Nightforce 7X35 ATACR scope, and zings 13.4 FX pellets 805 FPS. Carey ‘carried’ (see what I did there?) a $100 AoA gift certificate back home to Louisiana for his fine pistol shooting.
Thank you very much for the donation of the field target Carey; I really appreciate it! And thank you and Terri for being TEXtreme regulars despite the thousand-mile round trips! Everyone always enjoys y’alls attendance immensely, and we look forward to seeing you again in September.
With as much help as possible to delegate between the morning pistol match and the 2 PM Rifle Match #1 Shooters Meeting, the fast-unraveling Match Director managed to move fast enough to convert the pistol course to rifle configuration in time to allow about an hour of pre-match rifle practice. Thankfully the frazzle-brained MD had well-qualified help on hand to fill in my many gaps during the Shooters Meeting, that took about an hour nevertheless.
We enjoyed somewhat lighter wind conditions than usual in Rifle Match 1, and lower temperatures than average for June in Texas. Partly cloudy skies kept shooting conditions relatively comfortable, however Paul Bracaglia’s HOT SHOOTING continued through the Saturday Rifle Match.
Shooting his Derrick Wall pixie-dusted .30 FX Bobcat, that he was forced to repossess from some low-life degenerate for failing to PAY after committing to buy it from him, Paul posted the high score of 45/48 in Saturday's Rifle Match #1. (Knew I should’ve paid for that Bobcat, rather than a(nother) trip to Boystown).
Tribute to the level of competition, and setting up an interesting Rifle Match #2 on Sunday, hot on Pablo’s heels (Saturday) were Will Thibault with a 44/48, and Faisal Khan and Bobby Corcorran both with 43s.
Sunday proved up to the 100 degree forecast, albeit not as repressive as it sounds thanks to very gusty winds even stronger than usual TEXtreme match-day gales. As expected, Sunday scores were lower than Saturday scores, resulting in some interesting shuffling of the final podium standings. Also as could be expected in the more challenging conditions, only a third of the shooters posted higher scores on Sunday than Saturday.
Virtue of his consistently fine shooting, in posting Sunday’s high score of 42/48 combined with Saturday’s second highest score of 44, Will Thibault’s aggregate 86/96 score not only got him the Rifle competition win, but $1000 CASH and a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate! Will also gets three 2022 Extreme Field Target Grand Prix series points for the win (on top of one GP point for entering the TEXtreme event). GREAT SHOOTING, WILL!
In also displaying consistently fine shooting skills with an excellent 40/48 Sunday score added to his 43/48 on Saturday, Faisal Khan’s 83/96 aggregate nabbed him Second Place in the rifle competition. Faisal’s take was $500 cash, a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate, two GP placement points, and a GP match attendance point. Excellent shooting, Faisal! As always, your presence and participation are enjoyed by all.
Bobby Corcorran’s fine 43/48 Saturday rifle score proved excellent enough to hold off a come-from-behind charge by another well-known airgun bandit for Third Place in the rifle competition. Bobby’s 79/96 aggregate got him $250 cash and a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate. Since he has already accumulated the maximum six Grand Prix points applicable toward the Grand Prix final standings, Bobby’s one placement and one attendance point from the TEXtreme GP event go to waste… kind of.
Left to each EFT Grand Prix Match Director’s discretion in this inaugural 2022 national EFT Grand Prix season, the TEXtreme Match Director chose to allow “blocking” by competitors already maxed-out on 2022 GP points. By (my) dictating Grand Prix points from the TEXtreme event won by already maxed-out competitors go to waste, as opposed to some GP Match Directors passing such points down to the next highest-placed competitor at their GP events, I allow maxed-out competitors to “block” their GP competitors from inheriting the maxed-out competitor’s GP points.
My reason for dictating a maxed-out competitor’s excess points go to waste rather get inherited is to incentivize maxed-out competitors to continue attending multiple Grand Prix events. Because that is one of the major reasons for Grand Prix competitions in the first place; to encourage competitors to INVEST in growing the Grand Prix, their sport, and hybrid vigor (look it up).
The celebratory drinking he and I did on Saturday night might have had something to do with the dousing Paul Bracaglia’s HOT Saturday shooting took on Sunday. Apparently the boy can’t hold his Colt 45, MD 20/20, Jose’ Cuervo, Rot-Gut Whiskey and Everclear, because Pablo’s Match 2 score slipped eleven points from his Saturday score of 45/48 (high score of the of day on Saturday). Nevertheless his 79/96 aggregate was good enough for Fourth Place in the rifle competition, and a $250 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate to add to his $300 AoA gift certificate from winning the pistol match in such impressive fashion.
I’d say, “Don’t spend ‘em all in the same place”, but I think you have to Pablo! ;-)
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Will, Faisal, and Bobby for your generous gifts of Colt 45, MD 20/20, Jose’ Cuervo, Rot-Gut Whiskey and Everclear that y’all so generously and selflessly donated after Saturday’s rifle match. I made sure Pablo had plenty of all five gifts, just as y’all requested. I also appreciate the crispy, new $100 bill.
Aforementioned “other well-known airgun bandit” who made an impressive come from behind charge to catapult himself into the bounty (see what I did there?) by improving on his Saturday score by five points in Sunday’s more challenging winds was none other than that notorious TEXtreme podium regular, Derrick Wall. Derrick’s excellent, second highest Match #2 score of 41/48 catapulted him THIRTEEN PLACES up the standings to capture Fifth Place in the rifle competitIon! Apparently DW heeded the advice of an ancient, ANCIENT “other well-known airgun bandit”- never give up! (You’re welcome, Bud.)
Derrick adds a $200 Airguns Of Arizona gift certificate to his impressive and growing AoA GC collection for that awesome display of never give up. Fantastic recovery Derrick!
Some interesting stories/lessons from the TEXtreme Grand Prix weekend bear relating.
A squad-mate on Sunday who is not only a great friend but awesome shooting competitor suffered an unfortunate equipment issue that seems to be a recurring theme at TEXtreme Field Target matches. After all three in our squad finished our second lane of the day with eleven points of our first twelve shots, I should have known better than even mention it. Nevertheless, while departing Lane 8 for Lane 1 at the other (far) end of the property, I commented, “Looks like we’re gonna make it interesting, Boys”.
Come Lane 1, Art could no longer fell a target. By the time he figured out his locking elevation turret had rattled loose during the bumpy range-cart ride between Lanes 8 and 1, the damage was done to any chances of a decent result. The same thing had happened to this weekend’s Champion at a previous TEXtreme FT competition, except it was Will’s moderator that rattled loose on the bumpy ride then. The lesson?
I suggest TEXtreme competitors each purchase a couple expensive, full-suspension mountain bikes (nothing less than $5000 each), and connect them together with a Posturpedic mattress secured with duct-tape and bailing-wire to construct TEXtreme-resistant rifle caddies! Tell my buddy Cash at Dewey, Cheatum and Howe CycleWorx that Ronaldo sent you, and he’ll make you a 'special' deal.
Of course I want to thank Airguns Of Arizona not only for their generous sponsorship of this Grand Prix event, but their always-generous sponsorship and other support of TEXtreme Airgun Sports virtually from the get-go. Many, many, MANY THANKS! The Chinese group-dinner at the BCP Loft was great, everyone had a great time, but WE MISSED YOU THIS WEEK-END, ROBERT!
Many thanks also to Jerry Cupples for his goody-bag donations of Pellet-Gage logo notebooks and pellet pouches. I appreciate it Jerry, and we missed you also Bud!
Thanks also to Jim Martin of Trailers Plus in Weatherford for the pens, Art Womack for the insulated cups, and Will Thibault for the tin of .22 JSB Redesign pellets. We used Art and Will’s donations as door prizes.
As if there was any doubt before that Derrick Wall is a bandit, he brought his lovely wife Jennifer to spectate this weekend. Thinking she might be the least likely attendee to be accused of door-prize larceny, Stupid Me called on Jennifer Wall to draw names out of the door-prize pot. You guessed it, the first name drawn was none other than Derrick Wall! So thanks to his shrewd strategy of employing a beautiful female ACCOMPLICE, that swindler made off with the (hard to come by nowadays) Redesigns “like a bandit!” You should be ashamed of corrupting such a sweet, shy, innocent (looking) girl like that, Derrick.
In closing, thank you to all the fine folks that attended the first Extreme Field Target Grand Prix competition held in Texas. I consider you all friends, hope to continue evolving and improving my venue and events, and correcting my mistakes and short-comings.
Art will be posting responses to this Match Report as he completes extrapolating information and details. TRUST ME, if such brain work was left to this Neanderthal, match reports would take weeks!
Happy Shooting Y’all,
Ron
P.S.- I intended to now attach event photos, but am getting the same "unable to create temporary upload directory" message I've been getting lately on AGN. In other words, NOT MY FAULT! (I think)
I don’t believe I came up 13 spots. I haven’t seen the official data but I’m thinking I was in 12th position after the first GP match and then charged up to 5th with a 41 in the second GP match. That’d be a 7 spot climb.
Ron has always impressed upon me to never ever give up no matter what you produced previously. “Nose to the grindstone baby!”
