Yesterday's Palma Team action marked the end of the 2010 National Rifle and Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. NRAblog was honored to serve as your source for all things Camp Perry, and we encourage you to stick around. More coverage is in the queue.

This year, Camp Perry spectators and NRAblog readers watched previous champions Brian Zins (Pistol) and John Whidden (Long Range High Power) reclaim their crowns. SSG Shane Barnhart took first in smallbore's 3-Position and Prone matches, and last year's Long Range champ Sherri Gallagher staked her claim to the High Power Championship.

Rising juniors and savvy veterans endured the unique weeks of sun, rain, and wind that only Camp Perry provides. Seasoned coaches shared their knowledge with teenagers in grueling week-long camps. Competitors marveled at the friendships built through their sport and listened to stories from expereinced warhorses like  Fred Cole and Nancy Tompkins. And don't forget NRA's dedicated volunteers, some of whom spend their entire summers helping out. The NRA said thanks to all our hard-working volunteers with a thank you beach party, but that can't begin to express how much we appreciate their efforts.

Some competitors left with trophies. Others left with questions; did I shoot too fast, should I have waiting for the wind to past, is this the best I can do? The only way to find those answers is to maintain the training and return to Perry for the 2011 Championships. With a little luck, and a couple more Xs, we could see some new names on next year's trophies. More...

The Bristol Press in Bristol, Connecticut, wrote an article on Camp Perry competitors Claudia and Richard Duksa, pictured below:

Teen has sharp eye for targets, academics

Claudia Duksa is spending her summer vacation doing what she’s good at — small bore rifle shooting.

And the 17 year-old is really good at it. On Tuesday, she and her father, Richard Duksa, will be heading to the national championships at Camp Perry in Ohio.

She got started shooting at age 8, when her father built her a small range in the barn the farm he owns in Southington.

“We’d go down there and practice,” she recalled. “We learned on our own through shooting books, and did just about everything on our own at first. We made up our own schedule and to try to teach ourselves to shoot.”

A few yeas later they joined Bell City Rifle Club in Southington, where she received more advanced instruction and made rapid progress.

“She loves her sport and she stays very focused,” said her father, who still acts as her informal coach.

Continue reading here.

Catherine Kauffelt, a competitive rifle shooter born and raised in West Virginia, wants to go to law school one day. At 21, she’s currently a long way from home, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political economics at the University of California at Berkeley. She’s also one of the younger members of the Randle International Women’s Team.

Kauffelt reports a preliminary score of 400-29x for today’s two matches, the 50 yard and 100 yard Randle Team match. At left, Kauffelt and her spotter ready themselves for the next round in Tuesday's Randle Team competition.

“I don’t get to shoot during the year,” she said of her time on campus in California. “But I think (shooting) fits well with my personality. I’m an exact, kind of nerdy person. Shooting is very exact.”

“It’s about concentration and perfection. It comes down to millimeters,” she told NRAblog. 2010 is her second year on the Randle Team.

She calls her competitive shooting career “random,” but says she enjoys the sport and is driven to succeed.

NRAblog loves to talk to NRA Volunteers, and we try to introduce our readers to as many of these dedicated patriots as possible. During the smallbore prone phase of this year's National Matches, we were able to chat with three couples. Their stories are below.

The Herringtons

Lloyd and Phyllis Herrington, pictured above, are no strangers to Camp Perry. “She’s been volunteering 11 years, and I just got my 10 year pin this year,” Lloyd told NRAblog. He said they read NRAblog and he believes they may even have been featured here already. When we thanked them for their dedication to the National Matches, this couple said they wouldn't spend their summer any other way.

"In the 1960s Phyllis competed here at the Matches," Lloyd said, "then we started raising a family, and here we are now, married 52 years, with great grandchildren." 

Phyllis has been teaching Hunter Education for the past 14 years in the state of Ohio. “She was honored with a Governor’s award for outstanding service, which they rarely give out,” Lloyd told us proudly. “She’s small, so all her guns are cut down in size,” Lloyd said. “Our grandkids all started with her guns.”

The couple, who teach Right To Carry courses in Ohio, typically volunteer for both the pistol and smallbore rifle phases.

 More...

At 16 years of age, Amy Bock is the youngest member of the 2010 Randle International Women's team. The high school student hails from East Brunswick, New Jersey, where her family is heavily involved in competitive shooting. "My two older brothers in the Marine Corps shoot, of course, and my whole family is pretty into it," she said.

Bock's father coached her from age 13 in the fundamentals of rifle competition. She practices at Lake Island Range in Cateret, New Jersey, every chance she gets. "I plan to continue competing in college," she said, noting she hopes to attend West Point. "I thought I wanted to attend Texas Christian University for a while last year, but I really can't imagine myself anywhere but [West Point]."

NRAblog chatted with Bock's mother on the sidelines during the smallbore competition at Perry last week. "I tell everyone she gets her shooting skills from her dad," she said. "But sometimes, when she's winning all her awards, I say to my family, 'she got some of that from me.'"

Bock said some of the junior shooters in New Jersey look up to her. "They'll ask for my opinion, which I think is really cool," she said. Bock reports a supportive environment at her high school and says she can think of many reasons for young people to get involved in the competitive shooting community. "It can improve just about anything," she gushed. "It improves mentality, the way you control your feelings, it helps you focus … you get so many awesome opportunities, especially if you compete at the collegiate level, plus, it's a lot of fun."

What does Bock consider to be the best part of her shooting career? "Everyone can just be themselves," she said. "I always have a bow on, or a hat on my head, or a lot of different color combinations, so everyone in Jersey knows me."

"Just be yourself, and it's awesome."

A collegiate All American in the 1940s, Mr. Fred Cole is now 88 years old and still a Camp Perry competitor. At Thursday night's NRA Awards Ceremony, where smallbore prone champions were awarded their medals, Match Director HQ Moody was excited to introduce him to the audience before the official ceremony began.

“He’s been our senior perennial champion forever,” Moody said, “and he’s one of our sport's fine gentleman.” As Cole stood and waved at the audience, the entire auditorium joined him with a thundering standing ovation.

Cole competed in both the 2010 smallbore 3-position competition and the smallbore prone competition. He ended the week with a comprehensive score of 4714-216x. Cole's pictured at left shooting in the prone position from 100 yards. 

"I started shooting in 1937 at Xavier High School Rifle Team," Cole told NRAblog. "That's 73 years of shooting."

"I shoot mostly smallbore position. That's my first love."

The Stonybrook, New York, resident reports winning a total of 6 intermediate senior champions throughout his Camp Perry career.

Why has he devoted so much of his time to competitive shooting? "It's the greatest sport in the world," Cole proclaimed. "It's a character builder. It demands personal discipline."

"It's a challenging sport, and one can participate individually or as a team member." 

Nancy Tompkins is a big deal at Camp Perry. After talking to her at the Randall Team match on Tuesday, a volunteer approached us. "Do you know who that is?" he asked suspiciously. NRAblog first met Tompkins on the line during the National Rifle Match’s high power rifle phase in 2008. Since then, she has appeared on the blog and in NRA news a number of times.

Tompkins first started shooting in 7th grade. “I’ve been at this a long time,” she said with a smile. She's published a book, Prone and High Power Rifle Shooting and is known in the community for her willingness to help other competitors. 

Tompkins is a 4-time National Long Range Champion. She's won the Wimbledon Cup, and the Leech Cup five times. She's won both team and individual medals in the World Palma Championships, serving on 6 Palma teams, as shooter and coach. 

How did she do at this year’s smallbore competition? “It went okay. Some days are better than others,” she said.

We wondered what sort of encouragement Tompkins would have for new shooters. Why should people consider involvement in competitive shooting of any kind?

“It’s a great social activity,” she said. “You meet incredible people. Also, it’s a great opportunity to wrk on mental and physical skills.”

“It teaches you great concentration, and young people who are junior competitors have a better focus.”

Tompkins, pictured above with Michelle Makucevich and her daughter, Danielle, age 13, says the sport is a family affair. More...

 

72 young shooters have spent every waking moment since Saturday at Camp Perrry’s CMP Smallbore Rifle Range.

“We have kids here from 17 different states, from California to New Jersey and from Washington state to Florida,” Chief Administrative Office Vickie Evans told NRAblog. To participate in the program, shooters must be older than 12 and younger than 20.

Beginning Saturday, July 24, the “campers,” as Vickie calls them, have been in moving groups of 4. One coach is matched to each group based on a variety of factors, including skill level and age.

“We’ve got some folks learning the basics, while others are ready to compete for next year’s National Championship,” volunteer rifle coach Bob Beard explained.

Evans and her husband, Russell, have led this event for 23 years. The Hubbard, Ohio couple says it’s their way of giving back.

“Our son started shooting at a local club,” Russell explains. “In 1986 we brought him to the junior camp here at Perry, and found out you could volunteer to help.”

Then 12 years old, the young Evans was inspired by his coach, who was stationed at the U.S. Naval Academy. “On our drive home from Perry in 1986, our son told us he knew where he was going to college,” Russell said with a smile. He reached for his wallet. “He graduated in 1996,” he said, showing us a worn picture of a smiling young man in dress whites, “and he’s now a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy.”

“I kind of feel we owe the sport something,” the retired project engineer said. More...

July 31-August 1   High Power Rifle SAFS
August 2-7            National Trophy Rifle Matches
August 8               Whistler Boy High Power Rifle Match

                            NRA Springfield Match
August 9-13          NRA National High Power Rifle Matches
August 14-18        NRA Long Range High Power Matches 

National Smallbore Rifle Prone Champion: SSG Shane Barnhart:  4790-355x                    

Second Place: 1LT Christopher Abalo: 4786-344x                        

Third Place: Charles Kemp: 4786-338x

SSG Shane Goodhart has been to Camp Perry since 1992, minus two years. This year is his best smallbore rifle performance. Did he come expecting to win?

“I was hoping (to place in top 3),” he said. “I knew going into Any Sight that I had Abalo and Kemp, both very fine shooters, to keep up with.” The biggest challenge of the week? “Battling the wind,” he said.

Any encouragement to young people thinking about shooting competitively? “You can get a free ride to college,” he said.

1LT Christopher Abalo practiced for the national smallbore prone championships for only one month. “I took a two year break from competitive shooting, so this feels good,” he said. “I feels great, actually. I expected to shoot well, and I would say I met my expectations.”

Charles Kemp says third place is fine with him. “I exceeded my goals this year,” he said after claiming his commemorative pistol and award. “I got what I came up here after.”

Competing on and off since 1962, Kemp is quick to point out he wouldn’t be here without the support of his wife, Jan. “And a village at home – lots of support.”

Below, find the ceremony's full slideshow in pictures. Special thanks to NRAblog intern Lindsey Morgan for her assistance, and our apologies on the delay in getting this slideshow posted!

 

If you're at the National Matches and are in need of a caffeine boost or refreshing drink, the 2 Gals Coffee Shack is the place to go. 2 Gals Coffee Shack, pictured at right, is located with the other food vendors next to the Camp Perry Range Operations Building.

The beverage shack offers a wide variety of drinks: expressos, lattes, iced and hot coffee, ice blended drinks, fruit smoothies, water and even frozen hot chocolate. The prices are reasonable and the large selection of drinks quenches even the most severe thirst. 

2 Gals Coffee Shack is owned by -- you guessed it -- two "gals" named Tracey Robles and Kim Keith. Both are local women from Clyde, Ohio and travel to other local events, such as farmers markets and festivals, with their business. Last year was their first year at Camp Perry, and they enjoyed it so much they decided to come again this year.

Robles explained: "Not only did our business do really good, but we enjoyed meeting so many different people from all different places. We met competitors from Australia and England. Everyone, from the competitors to the other vendors, are so nice here. We just have such a great time."

Robles said 2 Gals Coffee Shack had to turn down other events because it will be here every day until August 12. Robles and Keith tend to open 2 Gals Coffee Shack an hour or so before competition begins, 7:00 a.m. this week, and they close around 4:00 p.m., or whenever the last matches are ending.

Here are scores from the last three matches that make up the 4th Daily Aggregate in the Smallbore Prone Championships.Challenge periods have ended, and Shane Barnhart of the Army Marksmanship Unit will take home the National Smallbore Prone Championship trophy tonight at the awards ceremony.

View championship results here.

SSG Shane Barnhart:  4790-355x                1LT Christopher Abalo 4786-344x                    Charles Kemp 4786-338x

 

 

Match 314 – 4th Daily 1600 Aggregate
Name	Results
Shane Barnhart	1199-97x
Kevin Nevius	1199-97x
Boyd Goldsby	1199-92x

Match 343 – Dewar Course Any Sight
Name	Results
Ross Ewert	400-34x
Mark Gould	400-33x
Kevin Nevius	400-33x

Match 344 – 100 Yard Any Sight
Name	Results
Shane Barnhart	400-32x
Kevin Nevius	400-30x
Ronald Wigger	400-30x

 

Match 345 – 50 Meter Any Sights
Name	Results
William Neff	400-37x
Joshua Olson	400-34x
Shane Barnhart	400-33x

          

 

Before the sun sets, the 2010 National Smallbore Rifle Champion will be known. If shooters maintain the schedule they have for the past three days, shots will be fired by 4 p.m. It's been a busy week, and Match Director HQ Moody assures us today will be the busiest yet. "We have a lot to get done," he told staff and volunteers. "But when smallbore competition is wrapped up, when it's all said and done, Camp Perry 2010 will be a very successful event."

The NRA Awards Ceremony kicks off at 8 p.m. at the Hough Auditorium. All are welcome to attend, and NRAblog will upload photos of the event as soon as possible. 

Above, Lindsey Morgan captured photographs of shooters getting low to the ground again today to fire from both 50 yards and 100 yards. Army Marksmanship competitors Shane Barnhart and Christopher Abalo are still in the lead.

Spectators seem happy with this week's action. "Truthfully, we couldn't have asked for better weather," one told us. "What could be better than sitting right behind the ready line, drinking iced tea, watching some of the best smallbore shooters in the nation compete?"

Many spectators bring pop up tents and lawn chairs for maximum comfort. At left, junior competitors begin to assist in the clean-up process.

Marianne “Bobbi” Vitito experienced a transition this year at the National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry. “This is the first year she’s been in the ‘senior’ category,” her sister, Lenore, the 2010 Randall Trophy Team Captain, whispered. “She’s 65.”

You wouldn’t know it by looking at the petite, blond woman, a Cleveland native who retired from a teaching career and lives with her husband in Eastport, Michigan.

In 1960, Vitito competed at Camp Perry and went home with the title of National Rifle Junior Champion.

“Our mom was a shooter,” she said, crediting her mother with her introduction to the sport. Her father was, too, but he died when she was 7. “Mom continued competing, and, as Lenore and I got old enough, so did we.”

In the early 1950s, Bobbi and Lenore and their mother, along with a neighbor, drove all over the state of Ohio competing in rifle matches, she recalls. “It was a lot of fun,” she said. She remembers the first night she ever spent on base at Camp Perry. “I was 4, and I believe it was an Ohio State match.”

Vitito has not missed the annual smallbore rifle championships at the National Matches since 1952. She was crowned National Junior Champion again in 1963, and won the women’s rifle title in 1965, 1968, and 1970. More...

It's another warm day here at Camp Perry, the home of the National Rifle and Pistol Matches, just a bit west of Port Clinton, Ohio.

The range is abuzz as competitors finish their matches and spectators begin to fold up their lawn chairs and pop up tents. Tonight's the smallbore competition's NRA Awards Ceremony. All results will be known by late this afternoon, and the 2010 Smallbore Champion will go home with his or her prizes. 

Yesterday we heard rumors the championship will come down to Charles Kemp and Shane Barnhart. We'll let you know the minute anything is finalized.

At left, 17-year-old Jordan Turino holds his rifle, which won "Most Original Gun" in yesterday's Made In America match. More on this to come!