(Match Report by Tyler Patner)
During these most unusual times, I have found it very important to continue to maintain some sense of normalcy where I can. Most of us (without realizing it) crave some level of social interaction, and that is absolutely something that has suffered over the last two or three months of “quarantine.” In an effort to get back to something that resembles normal, the Northeast Ohio Airgunners held their first match of the year on a beautiful summer Sunday, June 7th. With temps in the low 70s, sun in the sky with some moderate cloud cover, 24 shooters made the trip to break off the winter/spring rust!
We did our best to hold to social distancing recommendations set out by the state of Ohio, and thankfully our shooters did their part as well. We shot the woods course, which was considerably darker than the rest of the property with the tree canopy providing shade for the shooters, and a number of targets. We set up 15 lanes, for a 60 shot match with a few new target placements to create a challenging course with some easier targets mixed in for our newer shooters. The course was a 31.5T on the troyer scale before wind and lighting was factored in. While there wasn’t a ton of wind, there was certainly enough to keep shooters in all divisions on their toes. 13 targets were over 40 yards, with 8 of those over 45.
A number of shooters were still working out the kinks that the colder months usually leave us with, but a few definitely showed that they’ve been practicing as the weather has warmed up. In Hunter PCP, Bill Rabbitt put up a dominant 56/60 with his Thomas and new Nightforce NX8 scope. Rick Smelko and Eric Ohlin were right on his heels with 52’s respectively. Great scores on a tricky day for sure, and especially for Eric who (I believe) was shooting just his second or third FT match ever! Way to go! In Hunter Piston, Dan Putz showed up in solid form, posting a 46 for top score. Young airgunner, Lucas Marusiak ran a Diana 48, and from talking with Lucas, it sounds like he will be back again but is looking to break into PCP next time. We look forward to having him back out.
We had four shooters sitting on bum bags this match, two in Open PCP and two in WFTF PCP. Keith Walters and his Thomas/Leupold Comp 35x combo posted a strong 53. And Tyler Patner posted an impressive 59/60 for the high score in WFTF, with his Thomas/Nightforce ATACR 7-35x. Great shooting!
We want to thank everyone for coming out and appreciate those that did for adhering to the new guidelines as best as possible.We know it’s not ideal, but it’s what we have to do for the time being.Our next match will be July 19th, and we look forward to seeing everyone there!