The weekend of April 20-22 saw over 350 shooters descend upon the rolling central California grasslands of Camanche Hills Hunting Preserve.   They were there to take part in the first ever Western Regional Championship.  First ever since the NSCA did away with the Zone system in favor of realigned regions where any shooter can win the championship.  Beautiful terrain, sunny weather and good targets made for an excellent few days of shooting.

The courses set among the lush green grassland of Camanche Hills were there for the taking.  Multiple scores were in the 90′s with Red main giving up a 99 and White a 97.  My overall impression of the courses was one of balance, there was a good mix of targets on both main courses.  I thought red stood out as the best course with the most interesting mix of targets.  It was was very entertaining to shoot.

Red main was set by David Fiedler and his cohorts.  Stand out presentations on Red were a close R-to-L crosser hugging a hill followed by an outgoing bird from the left that seemed to fly between the hill and a tree branch.  This was shot from an elevated platform.  The next station was a trap like  teal in front of the station but elevated on a hill followed by an incomer way to the shooters right that followed a curve of the side hill fading away.  Another one was a R-to-L crossing bird that curled in a bit followed by a R-to-L rabbit that was shot from an elevated stand.  You were shooting down on that rabbit, always a fun shot.  There were a few lifts present on the weekend to provide those tower shots and Red had a good combo of a battue and fading away standard off of a condor arm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJFjo-Wk5J8

White main also had a good balance of targets but was overshadowed by a huge battue thrown like a teal at all of 60+ yards.  It was a bit of a separator station on a course with no other targets like it.  It was definitely hittable provided you had hit the going away overhead that was thrown before it.  You definitely wanted to make sure you bagged that one.  Myself, I walked away with a one on this station.

Although I enjoyed all of the targets on the weekend I did feel that many of them could have used just a bit more distance.  The courses were fun but if there had been just a few more teeth in them, they would have been stellar.  There were only a couple of times all weekend where the presentation made me ponder how much lead to give it.  The majority of presentations were about getting the rhythm right.  Usually it was a quick one.

I didn’t shoot the sub-gauge events but reports from shooters weren’t good.  Seems there were some bad holdups along the course.  On Friday when our prelim slot rolled around we had to wait through about 5 squads from the previous flight before we could shoot.  Never figured out why that was as our flight got around the course in good time.  Another holdup was on White main on Sunday when the battue teal machine broke down.  A lot of stations had to be closed while they fixed that one.  Seems most shooters took these problems in stride though and didn’t let it ruin the weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMVvEz_y0UA

Very unusually for me I wasn’t able to shoot the FITASC event on the weekend but the parcours were set in some of the most beautiful terrain at Camanche Hills and looked to be expertly set by David Fiedler and crew.  Sorry I missed that one.

The event was well supported by various shooting and outdoor vendors and good food was on offer from vendors or in the club house.  Looked like good trade was done through the weekend.  A Saturday night party was thrown but we opted instead to have dinner at the nearby Camanche Hills Sportsman Dinner House and Lounge.  Unfortunately I can only give it two of five stars though the prime rib was good.

Top dog of the event was Texan Jeff Derrington shooting 99 and 94 to win the main. He also won the 5-stand.  RU was Kruger and 3rd was Scott Robertson who was having a fantastic weekend winning the Prelim and coming RU in FITASC and 5-stand.  In future, I think we should fly Scott in to all World events at the last possible minute, he seems to shoot better that way.  Lady HOA was Alexandra Wampler, RU Michelle Robbin and 3rd Desirae Edmunds.  FITASC was won by Gebben Miles.  For the complete list of results see:

WinscoreOnline.com

The 2012 Browning/Briley Mardi Gras shoot was held the weekend of March 3-4 at Cajun Elite Shooting Club in Jennings, Louisiana.  Gebben Miles was hot coming off his 100 straight win in the Arizona Open and won the BBMG with a 188ex200 followed by Brad Kidd on 187 and Pat Lieske on 185.  "I’ve shot the AZ Open and the BBMG and I’m blessed to be two for two." said Miles, "The Targets where set by Anthony Matarese and where entertaining.   I really liked his tower shots, they had distance and tricky lines."

This years event drew 512 total shooters which enjoyed the great targets set by Anthony Matarese.  The event wasn’t without controversy though as there were multiple reports of ill trained trappers and no water on the courses among other complaints.  "Targets great, registration great but the tournament lacked thought out organization and they missed a lot of details for a shoot that size." said Miles.

When asked how he prepared for this season Miles said, "The last two January’s I’ve gone the the Passion Conference in ATL as a student leader.  It’s really helped to get my focus right before the last two seasons.  Ive started with 100 straight in the AZ Open the last two years."  As for his goals this year he said, "My goals are to raise the attendance at the Bible studies at all the shoots I host this year."  A person of Faith, Miles hosts Bible studies at some of the shoots attends throughout the year.  "I also have a goal of releasing an instructional video at some point this year."  That will be an awesome video!

He added that he would still be shooting his favorite Remington shotshells and Krieghoff K-80 Pro-Sporter but has changed to Muller chokes.

2012 Browning/Briley Mardi Gras Results

Tennessee’s own Wendell Cherry has started the 2012 season in fine form.  He bested the main event field of the Caribbean Cup held at Mick Howell’s Indian River Trap & Skeet in Vero Beach, Florida.  "That was my first shoot since the Nationals, so you’re gonna be a little apprehensive."  said Cherry,  "I found the targets to be challenging and the 30mph wind made them more difficult. I just worked on keeping my composure and tried to stay in the fight. Sunday’s course put a premium on being able to take the first bird fairly early for a good position for target two." 

While most hard core shooters start their season with the Seminole Cup the Caribbean Classic event has come into favor recently over the now defunct Rhino Rally as the season opener of some note.  Long transplanted Brit Mick Howells, has been quietly building up the Caribbean Classic to high standards.  Cherry said, "Mick is a pro, he knows how to get a lot out of a little.  Indian river is a small place, about 30 acres.  Mick use’s several towers and lifts to throw interesting targets and he is not bashful about setting outside the 40 yard mark. But there were stations for all levels of shooters there.  It’s a good shoot."  Targets did appear to be on the tough side with the highest of scores being a 91 but most shooters appreciated them.  Alaskan Matt Hughes of the Lindenwood shooting team took Runner Up at the event.  Complete scores for the Caribbean Classic at WinscoreOnline.com.

The next weekend things got really interesting at the Seminole Cup event at Quail Creek Plantation in Okeechobee, Florida.  Going into the weekend Cherry won the Thursday pre-lim, the Friday pre-lim, the FITASC and the 5-stand!  He just needed to close out the main event on Sunday.  "This is the third time I have won the tournament.  I think when you win the side events, leading up to the main, it puts a little pressure on Sunday.  I just try to think to myself, you have already had a good shoot, stay loose and shoot free.  I have been in this scenario several times before and that makes it easier to handle." said Cherry who closed out the main with a win over RU Curt Mauldin and 3rd Will Fennell.

Of the targets at the Seminole Cherry said, "Target wise, Quail Creek throws quality targets everyday on the blue course.  I really like them because they don’t do the cheap quarter left and quarter right that inflates scores.  They throw yardage and angle and you have to be able to point accurately to score well there."  This seems to be a sentiment shared by the huge number of shooters this traditional event attracts.  They had 457 in the Main and 540 total in attendance.

Probably one of the most interesting facts about Cherry’s amazing run over these two weekends is that he wasn’t shooting his usual gun.  "My main gun (a Perazzi MX 2000) that I have shot for about 12 years is still at the plant in Italy receiveing some much needed love and care.  So I had to shoot a different Perazzi with a new stock that doesn’t really fit.  I just put this combination together and tried to shoot for a few minutes late in the afternoon after I finished teaching.  That’s the thing I’m most proud of, having a little adversity and still making it work.  I’m hoping my wood from my old gun is back in time for the Browning / Briley." said Cherry who noted, "I have shot the same Perazzi for about 12 years, love it!  I have shot Remington Sporting Clays Nitros since 1997.  I did get a tube set from Kolar last year, and I really like that set up."

Of special note, one of those 457 in the main was young Sub-junior shooter Annabelle Ayres who took the Ladies main event title over RU Jenni Clark and 3rd Diane Sorentino.  She also just narrowly missed the Ladies win in 5-stand.  Cherry said of Annabelle, "To tell the truth I had not heard of her before this shoot but that was a very good score for someone so young and inexperienced.  Could there be a new sheriff in town?"  Complete scores for the Seminole Cup at WinscoreOnline.com.

For our 2011 NSCA National Sporting Clays Championship coverage we talk with event Runner Up Zach Kienbaum from California.  It proved a good time to talk with Zach as the year is winding down and I’ve wanted to hear his story for a while.  It also turned out that event champion Bill McGuire is like some kind of phantom, we just could not get a hold of him.  What you may not know about Zach is, he is probably the winningest sporting shot this year.  He has a knack for getting a podium spot almost every time he picks up his gun and it’s just a matter of time before the center spot will be his.

International Sporting Clays:  How had your year been, going into the nationals?
 
Zach Kienbaum:  Heading into Nationals my year was going very well after some early season inconsistency.  Until May of this year, I had been shooting a new High Rib Perazzi MX2000/3 with mixed results.  A few very strong scores coupled with very mediocre scores.  After frustrating myself all the way into the end of April, I decided the Saturday night of the World English Sporting Championship to switch back to my flat rib MX2000/8.  My scores turned around, literally overnight.  After a good Sunday in San Antonio, we started shooting events in Houston for the Triple Classic at Rio Brazos on Tuesday.  I shot well in just about every event all week, making the Super Final in the FITASC and Main.  I finished 3rd Over All just behind Wendell Cherry with George Digweed winning handily. 

The US Open at M&M started just about a week after the Triple Classic and I managed to take Runner Up in the Main Event there.  With my new found confidence I turned in consecutive Podium finishes at the Texas State, California State, Fossil Classic, Diamond Classic, Alaska State, Western Open, Lobster Classic, and Targetline Cup.

While never feeling like I shot my absolute best, I could feel myself getting stronger as a competitor and felt better than ever heading into Nationals.  I knew I had a better shot than just about anyone going in, and my hat’s off to Bill McGuire on some outstanding shooting. I shot good enough to win on most weeks but Bill handled the pressure best and turned in an unbelievable score.  I put myself in position to win on a lot of Sundays in 2011 and know that in the future I’m going to feel even more comfortable there and get my fair share of wins.

ISC:  How did the Nationals targets compare to previous years?

ZK:  I honestly felt that this years Main Event targets were probably the best targets I have ever shot in San Antonio and I’ve been attending since 1991. With a shoot that size it’s impossible for them to please everybody and this year they definitely got as close as possible to that.  Especially in the Main Event.  With last year being quite possibly the hardest ever Nationals targets, this years targets were well thought out, extremely fair, creative and fun with just the right amount of difficult targets that truly tested your entire game and separated the top shooters.

ISC: Any particular target or course stand out in your mind as being a favorite?

ZK:  My favorite course at Nationals would have to be Neil Chadwick’s Orange Course.  This was probably my favorite Chadwick course ever and I’ve been shooting Neil’s targets since the mid 1990′s.  He’s not afraid to throw a lot of faster on edge quartering targets and this year there was none of that.  They were all visible and he threw a great mix of hittable yet demanding presentations.  Mike McAlpine’s Red Course was another standout in my opinion.

ISC:  Tell us about your hardest miss or station.

ZK:  My hardest station would have to have been what I think was Station 4 on Red late Sunday Afternoon.  It was a True Pair off a tower from Left to Right and only one of two stands where I missed more than one target all week.  I wasn’t confident in my plan stepping into the box and missed three. It was a tricky pair with both targets being very different in both speed and line and my eyes and hands went after the wrong bird initially on the very first pair.  This frustrated me as I hadn’t let that happen all week.  Brad Kidd joked later that night at dinner that if he had led that stand off for our squad, we might be back there now shooting off with Bill.  Haha.

ISC:  What about the difficulty of the targets?  There were a few straights, fantastic shooting obviously but was it too soft?

ZK:  As I stated earlier I thought the Main Event was perfect.  The straight in the K-Kup was great shooting.  That course had more than a few targets that were easily missed.  What some people don’t understand is the level of competition in the U.S. is becoming drastically better.  You put all of the countries best, shooting 100 target events over an entire week and some of the scores turned in are going to be quite memorable. 

Weather can also be a factor.  You have to get a little bit lucky in the side events at Nationals and get a start time where the temperature, wind and sun play into your favor.  The only course I thought that needed to test you just a bit more would be the 28 Gauge/.410 Course.  The 5-Stand and FITASC layouts could have been a bit stiffer as well but what are you going to really do on flat Skeet fields?  The 20 Gauge course was another standout as having some great targets that really tested you.

ISC:  As a rule should Championship targets be set really stiff?

ZK:  I don’t necessarily think that Championship targets should be set overly stiff.  Different people consider different targets stiff.  The best setters can beat you close and beat you far.  I just feel targets need to be fair to everyone.  Visible yet challenging.  We saw some great courses on the circuit in 2011 with my favorites being the US Open, Nationals Main, and Triple Classic.

ISC:  Sounds like there were some big delays on the FITASC parcours.  What’s your take on that?

ZK:  There were some big delays on FITASC this year with it going to New Style for the first time.  What’s funny is that my squad shot it in about two hours on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM.  That was an exception and not the rule though as some flights I heard took over four hours to complete.  This I think can be attributed to people’s first time shooting the different type of layout and some people not knowing exactly where some Parcours started and ended.

ISC:  How important is a Nationals win to you?

ZK:  A National Main Event win is important to me and I firmly believe I’ll get one.  I also feel just as importantly in staying consistent and being a contender to win major events on an annual basis is just as important when judging a career.  I feel the three and four day tournaments like the U.S. Open and Nationals are my strength because of my type of game.  I just try to shoot solid scores on every round and know if I do my part I’ll be right there in the end.

ISC:  You had toyed with using a high-rib gun and went back to the low rib.  Are you going to stick with that next year?

ZK:  My High Rib experiment is definitely over.  What people need to start to think about when trying out these type of ribs is what type of method or style they predominantly shoot.  If you look around at the shooters that are truly excelling with that type of setup, they are all shooters that really let the target come to the gun and make a very minimal move to a break point.  What’s the whole point of a high rib?  To see less muzzle and effectively see the target better.  There is no question that it helps in that regard.

For me this was all true but on the flip side of that I could now see the target well but would lose track of the muzzle in my peripheral vision and miss targets having no clue as to where I was missing.  The style I shoot is to start near the bird in a predetermined spot, match speed, and move away into the lead.  All while keeping a sharp focus on the target.  The flat rib is immensely more visible peripherally therefore allowing my subconscious to never doubt where my muzzle is in relation to the target, effectively allowing me to look that much harder at the bird.  George Digweed and Richard Faulds shoot 32" flat rib Sporters.  Until somebody starts to beat them regularly using a high rib gun, we all need to use what the best are using.

ISC:  What’s your take on the overall state of the sport?

ZK:  My overall take on the sport is one of excitement.  That’s why I’m running for a spot on the NSCA Advisory Council.  We have a chance to hopefully tweak the game a bit in the next decade or so and make the sport more exciting and hopefully draw more people in.  It’s what I’ve done virtually my whole life and what I wholeheartedly plan on doing my next 30 years.  Let’s show the rest of America whats been such a well kept secret for so long. Sporting is the highest echelon of all shooting sports.

ISC:  What’s next for you?

ZK:  Next for me is the Southwest Championship in Tucson, AZ the first weekend in December.  That shoot should solidify my spot as Captain of the Open All American Team for 2012.  I try to never miss one of Tim Miles larger events if I can help it.  He’s a quality target setter with a lot of imagination and never disappoints.  After that I have a nice vacation to Mexico planned with my girlfriend and her family.  Christmas follows that and I’m booked teaching again the week of New Years at a good client’s private range near Santa Barbara, CA.  Life is good.

2011 NSCA National Championship Scores

A while back I had the chance to shoot the 2011 TargetLine Cup sporting clay tournament.  The event was held over the weekend of September 22-25 at Fossil Pointe Sporting Grounds in Slidell, Texas.  This is the second year I have shot in the event and again it did not disappoint.

I had some concerns about shooter numbers in the event as it had already been pushed back from May due to the large number of big events that were scheduled that month and now a late scheduled big money event in Arkansas was up against it.  Looking at registration numbers the weeks before the event it was clear the big money shoot was having an impact.  You know, I always hear out on the course that It ‘ain’t about the money’…yeah right.  Turns out that I need not have worried.  In the end the TargetLine still drew 211 total weekend competitors.  The reason for this is quality and commitment to the sport.  If you’ve been to Fossil Pointe or dealt with any of the TargetLine guys you know it’s going to be a first rate experience.  I can’t stress this enough, don’t miss an opportunity to shoot the TargetLine Cup, you WILL miss out on some of the best sporting anywhere.

The TargetLine Cup at Fossil Pointe is all about the fabulous terrain, excellent targets and 1st rate facilities.  The club house is amazing and was sporting a new food service area.  Some lovely ladies were serving up good burgers and fajitas to hungry shooters all weekend.  The terrain and layout of the courses is such that you get what seems like infinite looks.  You can be shooting a course on the same physical piece of  property today as you were yesterday and never know it after they move the stands and machines around.  Target quality is the best part though.  The combined talents of Steve Schultz and Tim Miles means you are never going to be bored.  If you want to challenge the consistency of your game come to this event.  I’m telling you, you cannot let up, you must build your score on these targets.  Even when they throw you something a little easier, you will soon learn what it means to focus.  All of this of course is run by club owner David Niederer and his wife Maryam, some of the nicest folks in the business.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOFKdsO_Uo

The Super-Sporting and sub-gauge events had some good target variety.  The targets here were set by Jason Menke.  All of these side events were on the same shared course and I felt the Super-Sporting format wasn’t pushed as far as it could be because of this.  A nemesis target appeared here, a rabbit that was below your feet.  Time and again I shoot over these buggers but not this time.  I smacked them all except one where I sent the shot neatly in front.  Whatever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9JvmLrWWqM

The prelim courses had some nice birds on them and served as a nice warm up on what was to come for the weekend main courses.  The main event courses on Saturday and Sunday were very well thought out with lots of variety on offer.  Close stuff, long stuff, high stuff, low stuff, fast stuff, slow stuff they had it all.  I remember a nice low left to right crossing standard about 10 yards away appearing between some trees on the left then back out again on the right.  This was paired with a floppy incomer that came over some trees and dropped about 20-25 yards out.  Easy to get worried about these but if you focus they’re not hard.  Overall I felt the courses were perhaps just a bit easier than the 2010 event.

Another stand out target and maybe my favorite was a left to right crosser that rose out of a draw and flew over some bushes in front with some curl.  It had a sweet spot, it was right there, you just had to commit to it.  The setter was giving you this as a challenge to execute.  If you shot early or late forget it.  This was combined with a low, hot quartering incomer from the right that curled across to the left towards the draw, maybe 15 yards out.  It kind of hugged the land and the speed fooled you as it came in.  You mounted on it coming in expecting to pull easily in front but then it seemed to put on the gas, drop low and leave you looking.  You had to be a killer, a thug, if you wanted to hit it consistently.  I sent an ambush of 3 drams of Improved Mod 8 shot to do my dirty work.  There are four fresh graves on that station.  If you want to kill something, make sure it’s dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRufSI5WDy0

FITASC was fashionable as always.  Some of the layouts were set over familiar ground last being used at the 2009 Texas State FITASC Championship.  This was a mixed blessing for me.  Returning to P1 the scene of my disaster in 2009, I had a bit of dread.  I was right, I still don’t have ‘command’ of that layout if you will.  Returning to P2 was a joy.  This is a nice layout with a hill that juts out on your left and a rise to the back with plenty of trees to work with.  Wonderful targets here.  The standout target to me was a high long crosser off the hill to the left.  Mostly because in the singles I sent a clean miss down range and was able to wait patiently as it crossed behind a tall tree and then score a One on it.  Isn’t FITASC great?

P3 was in an open field with a shallow draw running through it.  It had some nice lazy curling birds, a long incoming teal like shot and a longish quartering out bird.  P4 was my favorite, though I didn’t shoot it well.  It had kind of a little valley that was in front of you, like you were looking at little tree tops.  There was a nice fast L to R crosser that flew the whole length of the thing, a rising going away long trap shot, a going away tower bird and a great floppy flying rabbit out front poking out of the trees.  FITASC officiating was handled ably by Mo Parsons and crew.  It was a unique experience having a different ref at each peg of an old style layout.  Did those guys get unionized?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqDUv6sjYzY

So who won?  Gebben Miles but only after a shoot off with Zach Kienbaum.  They both shot equal 94′s and 95′s on Saturday and Sunday respectively.  Consider that Zach went out after Gebben on Sunday knowing he needed 95 and shot it.  He’s done that a few times this year like it’s no problem or anything.  That guy doesn’t seem to be affected by pressure.  Katie Fox was Lady champ in the Main and the rest of the scores are at the link below.

2011 TargetLine Cup Scores at WinscoreOnline

The 2011 World Compak Sporting Championship wrapped up today in Foligno, Italy and was won by Cristobal Jose Jimenez Martinez of Spain.  Martinez edged out Konstantin Lelikov (RUS) in a shoot off for the win.  Current World FITASC Parcours de Chasse Champion Christophe Auvret (FRA) took 3rd after besting young Marco Battisti (ITA) in a shoot off for 3rd.  Also, it was one of the worst finished I can remember for Digweed.  He was T72!  Not sure what happened but he shot a 15 on the Guerini layout.

Other winners were…

Ladies:  1st Cheryl Hall (GBR), 2nd Inna Aleksandrova (RUS), 3rd Beatriz Laparra Cuenca (ESP).

Juniors:  1st Marco Battisti (ITA), 2nd Guillaume Gay (FRA), Javier Gonzalez Lopez (ESP).

Veterans:  1st Tie Franke (NLD), 2nd Giovanni Zamboni (ITA), Jean-Francois Loyen (FRA).

Super-Vets:  1st Alain Reyna (CHE), Eugenio Bruscolini (ITA), Ottorino Rovetta (ITA).

Team placements:

Seniors: GBR, ESP, ITA.

Ladies:  ITA, GBR, FRA.

Juniors:  FRA, ITA, GBR.

Veterans:  FRA, ESP, ITA.

Super-Vets:  FRA, ITA, GBR.

For full results see the FITASC WEBSITE.

In late May I took a little trip out to Dallas and was able to shoot over Labor Day weekend with my Father.  On Saturday we shot the Texas Open at Rock Creek Clays in Grandview, TX about an hour South of Fort Worth.  It’s a beautiful piece of property and they threw some decent targets on the pre-lim and main events with a few exceptions though.  There were a few stands affected by the wind where the targets didn’t quite make it in.  In one case even when the wind didn’t blow there was a silly left to right 50 yard plus looping target that popped out from behind the crown of a tree mid flight and never came in past 40 yards.  Lots of zero’s were scored there, including me and I have not carded a zero on a station in over 10 months.  That being said, it was an enjoyable shoot and I won my class.  Visiting California native Justin Fox took HOA with a 97.  Rock Creek is scheduled to hold the Texas State FITASC Championship in September and it should be an excellent shoot with such nice terrain and facilities to hold it on.

On Sunday we shot the Beretta Blast at Scott Robertson’s Elm Fork Shooting Sports park.  Being called a ‘Blast’ you might have guessed that it was an NSCA big blast with 200+ shooters and you’d be right.  At Elm Fork there are usually two 100 target courses on offer for competitions and you get a bit of a discount if you shoot them both.  It’s more money on shoot day but us Texans can’t get enough of clays crushing so most shot both courses.  The two courses at Elm Fork are the Woods course and the Meadows Course.  The Woods course is usually a little easier than the more open ground of the tougher Meadows course.  We started on the Meadows and the targets were nothing short of epic.  These were the best targets I have shot so far in 2011 bar none.

There was the right to left battue flying among the telephone poles, you had to pick your spot and trust it.  The deep left to right quartering away trap shot combined with a left to right crossing looper into the top of a tree.  The rabbit that would roll over two small dirt mounds…or maybe go behind them.  The elevated shooting position with a dead on eye level incomer from a small platform in front that faded to the right at the end.  That one was combined with a fast right to left crosser on report, great shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ133wFYbE0

?hd=1

I was shooting pretty well but I just couldn’t get a straight on any of the 13 stations dropping one or two the whole way.  In the end I wound up 6th in class after dropping four birds on the last station.  I know it’s up to me to connect with the target no matter what but some shooters need to learn to shut the hell up when others are in the box.  Talking about lead at the top of your lungs after someone calls pull is like talking in the back swing of a golf shot, it’s rude.  Anyway top score on the Meadows course was a 97 by young Zach Charbula.

On the Woods course which we shot in the afternoon after lunch we encountered the expected easier targets.  I was fading fast as the max number of targets I can really concentrate on in a day is 150.  I still managed to get three straights on the course and finished two birds up on my Meadows course score.  Wasn’t good enough though and I finished 7th in class.  High gun on the Woods course was posted by Kyler Ford, another 97.

If you’re in the North Texas area and you get a chance to shoot at either Rock Creek or Elm Fork I highly recommend it.  At Elm Fork you’ll experience a busy high volume gun club and at Rock Creek you’ll experience the lower pressure ‘back 40′ feel.  Both are fun.  For complete scores please check the links provided above.

Thought I would share this video produced by the Polish outfit Parcours.PL TV.  It shows the Bronze Medal shoot off action in Orville, France between Anthony Matarese Jr. and Gregg Wolf. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU2oa-olDKA

I wanted to pass along this excellent video round up from the 2011 European FITASC Compak Sporting Championships which were held in Tallinn, Estonia June 17-19.  Newly crowned World FITASC Sporting champ Christophe Auvret was the winner here too.

For full results refer to the FITASC website.  Also check out the Tallinn 2011 website as well as their Facebook page.  Very well done job promoting this event Tallinn.

Frenchman Christophe Auvret has held on to a nearly perfect lead all weekend to win the 33rd World Parcours de Chasse Championship in Orville, France with 198ex200.  Auvret has been on fire since last year when he swept all of the French qualifiers and took the win at the 2010 Euro PCH Championship in Russia.  In 2011 he has claimed a French GP of Compak, French GP of Sporting, narrowly lost his second Euro PCH title in Spain to Marco Batisti and won the World Compak Sporting Championship in Estonia. 

Auvret led the World FITASC with a 100ex100 straight until Saturday where he dropped two birds on the first set of doubles on his first parcour of the day.  He set up on the wrong bird first.   He of course followed this up by straighting his last three parcours for the win.

2011 World FITASC Scores