Results are in for some of the early high power and service rifle competitions at Camp Perry. SGT Sherri Gallagher took the Coast Artillery Trophy Match, edging runner-up Rodrigo Rosa in a Shoot-Off by three ‘Xs’. Finishing third was Carl Bernosky. Gallagher, Rosa, and Bernosky all shot identical 200-15X scores in the main match. The Coast Artillery Trophy, pictured on the right, is a lidded silver loving cup with the figure of a uniformed U.S. soldier of the 1920s shooting a rifle from the standing position embossed on the side. The trophy was donated to the NRA by the Coast Artillery Association in 1923 to be awarded to the high-scoring Coast Artilleryman in the President’s Match. The Coast Artillery Match is a rapid fire match shot from 300 yards in the prone position.
In the Scott Trophy match, Harry Harrison finished first, winning by tie-breaker over Carl Bernosky. Both Harry and Carl shot identical 200-15X scores. The Scott Trophy match is shot rapid fire in two strings of ten shots — each string lasting only 70 seconds. Competitors have the option to kneel or sit when shooting, although most opt to sit.
The Members Trophy Match is a a slow fire match of 20 shots from 200 yards while standing. First shot (and won by William F. Leushner of New York) in 1901, the original competition called for annual NRA members to shoot five shots at 200 yards while standing and five shots prone at 500 yards.
Coast Artillery Trophy Match*
1. Sherri Gallagher 200-15X (100-10X)
2. Rodrigo Rosa 200-15X (100-7X)
3. Carl Bernosky 200-15X
4. Jack Jones 200-13X
5. David Kerin 200-12X
5. David Tubb 200-12X
5. Harry Harrison 200-12X
Scott Trophy Match
1. Harry Harrison 200-15X
2. Carl Bernosky 200-15X
3. Samuel Freeman 200-14X
4. Kevin Bangen 200-13X
5. John Holliger 200-13X
Members Trophy Match
1. Rodrigo Rosa 199-7X
2. Joseph Hendricks 198-5X
3. Norman Houle 197-11X
4. Carl Bernosky 197-11X
5. Sherri Gallagher 197-8X
*In the Coast Artillery Trophy Match, SGT Gallagher and Rosa fired a shoot-off, as they had an unbreakable tie in the match. In the shoot off, Rosa had a 100-7x, and Gallagher had a perfect 100-10x to win the Coast Artillery Trophy.
The 2011 NRA National High Power Rifle Championships kicked off Sunday August 7th, with the first series of Team matches including the Whistler Boy High Power Team Match and the NRA 2nd Amendment Team Match. Initial Team results are posted below. Sunday was a great day for the young CA Grizzlies– junior shooters from California. One Grizzlies squad won the Whistler Boy match, and a second Grizzlies crew placed fourth. Way to go Grizzlies! Following the Team Matches, the individual competition begins. As results are posted throughout the week, we shall see if last year’s overall champion, Sherri Gallagher, can repeat her winning performance from last year.
High Power Team Match Results (Pending Certification)
Whistler Boy High Power Team Match
1. CA Grizzlies Mother Lode – 965-24X
2. ASRP Gold – 963-24X
3. NCRPA Gold – 959-20X
4. CA Grizzlies Richmond – 957-27X
5. WLCSINC – 952-23X
NRA 2nd Amendment Team Match
1. Sierra Gold – 991-57X
2. Sierra Dave & Ron – 990-47X
3. Richard Associates Frenzl – 989-44X
4. AMU Match Rife – 987-56X
5. Remington Bushmaster – 986-44X
NRA-Springfield M1A Match
1. Bill Bowers – 483-13X
2. William Walter – 480-13X
3. Shawn McKenna – 480-13X
4. Jeremy Castle – 475-5X
5. Sara Rozanski – 474-11X
Get the Latest Deals on CMP Rifles and Accessories
The 2011 CMP Sales Catalog Issue II can now be downloaded (in PDF format) from the CMP website. Check out the new offerings before they sell out. You can also may request a 2011 CMP Sales Catalog hard copy by filling out the Request Form.
National Match Tweets and Facebook Updates from CMP
The CMP is now on Twitter! Get CMP reports from Camp Perry by searching for ODCMP on Twitter.com or click the Twitter Icon posted below. During the National Matches CMP will also post updates on Facebook.
By Steve Cooper, CMP Writer Calm conditions and sunny skies prevailed as three previous champions set new national records in all three classes in the 2011 National Rimfire Sporter Championship fired here Sunday, 24 July. Charles J. Opalewski II, Lucas Boord and Ron Villanueva, all past champions, once again reached the top of the podium at this year’s event which also brought out a record 480 match entries. Opalewski, Boord, and Villanueva ALL set new National Records in their respective classes.
Record-Setting Performances in ‘O’, ‘T’ and Tactical Classes
Opalewski, 21, of Vicksburg, Michigan, won the open sights class (O-Class) with a national record aggregate score of 586-21X in the six-stage, 600-point, three-position match. He fired a clean 100-3X in the standing slow-fire stage en route to the win. The 2010 champion, CSM Steven Slee, U.S. Army Reserve, 47, of Dimondale, Michigan, finished one point behind Opalewski with a 585-19X performance. Opalewski surpassed Slee’s 2010 record score of 584-25x.
Lucas Boord defended his 2010 telescopic class (T-Class) championship with a total score of 597-39X, smashing his own national record of 593-34X in the process. Boord, 21, of New Stanton, Pennsylvania, fired perfect 100s in prone slow-fire and rapid-fire, sitting slow-fire and standing slow-fire, dropping one point in sitting rapid-fire and two in standing rapid-fire.
In junior shooting, Amos Peck, 18, of Leslie, Michigan, won the overall O-Class competition with an aggregate score of 570-5X, followed by Aaron Ward, 18, Ypsilanti, Michigan (554-8X) and Stephenie Sabin, 17, of Curtice, Ohio (542-7X).
Ron Villanueva captured the Tactical Rimfire Class title at the 2011 National Rimfire Sporter Championship. Villanueva, a perennial rimfire finalist, also ranked third in this year’s T-Class. Villanueva set a new National Record Agg of 590-27X while winning his first tactical rifle class championship. Villanueva cleaned his first three stages of fire and also fired a 99-4X in standing rapid-fire.
Increased Interest in ‘Tactical Rimfire’ Class
This was the second year for the tactical class at the national event. The tactical rimfire category is growing rapidly, as this year’s entry of 55 shooters more than doubled last year’s 22. Legal tactical rimfire rifles must comply with the requirements for overall weight and trigger pull and have a configuration that is similar to common AR and modern military rifles. Tactical rimfire rifles may have either aperture or optical sights (no higher than 6X).
Congratulations to USAMU member SSG Michael McPhail, winner of the 2011 Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship. SSG McPhail won three matches and took the 1st Daily 1200 Aggregate as he shot consistently throughout the week to finish with 4796-401X. Coming in second place overall was Mark Delcotto with a 4796-380X and CPT Christopher Abalo, SSG McPhail’s teammate on the AMU, finished third with a 4795-388X.
With so many talented shooters participating in the championship, SSG McPhail’s commanding X-score ended up as the deciding factor as his point total of 4796 was matched by two other shooters, Mark Delcotto (Civilian Champion), and Paul Nordquist (Any Sight Champion). McPhail shared credit for his victory: “I’d like to thank the commander of the AMU, all the solders and support staff at AMU — coaches, other shooters, my teammates — and also the NRA and the volunteers. Without the volunteers this match would never even happen.”
Held July 24-29, the Smallbore Rifle Prone Championships are a part of the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships held at Camp Perry, Ohio each year. Comprised of a Metallic Sight and Any Sight championship, competitors take 480 shots over the course of 12 matches from distances of 50 meters and 100 yards to determine who will take home the Critchfield Trophy.
Special Category Winners
Paul Nordquist shot a 4796-371X to match McPhail’s point total and secure the title of Any Sight Only Champion. Renowned shooter Nancy Tompkins won the High Woman award with a 4794-375X. Reya Kempley shot second (among women) with a 4794-352x and Sarah Beard of Texas Christian University took third with a 4790-351x. Kempley also won the Metallic Sight Championship with her aggregate of 2400-182x.
Civilian Champion: Mark Delcotto – 4796-380X
Any Sight Only Champion: Paul Nordquist – 4796-371X
Woman Champion: Nancy Tompkins – 4794-375X
Senior Champion: Peter Church – 4791-352X
Intermediate Senior Champion: Larry Parker Sr. – 4788-349X
Collegiate and Junior Champion: Sarah Beard – 4790-351xX
Intermediate Junior Champion: Katie Bridges – 4784-340X
Sub-Junior Champion: Sammy Richardson – 4751-270X
Service Champion: SSG Michael McPhail, USA – 4796-401X
High Visitor: Keigh Ridgeway – 4785-340X
The Randle Trophy match is smallbore international postal match with women competitors only. The Randle Trophy match was shot July 26th at Camp Perry immediately after the Dewar Trophy match. The course of fire for the match is a Dewar Course, where each shooter fires 20 shots at both 50 and 100 yards in the prone position. Below is a slide show with photos of the match.
Started in 1952 for International Women’s Team Competition in memory of former NRA President Thurman Randle, participating teams must be from an English-speaking country and field a team of 10 firing members, two alternate shooters, a captain, and a coach. Earning a position on the U.S. team is not easy, members must be one of the 12 top-scoring shooters in the Metallic Sight Aggregate competition at Perry to be invited. Below are the talented members of the 2011 Randle Trophy Team.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt was the “founding father” of the NRA National Matches*. Teddy Roosevelt believed the world was a dangerous place. To assure peace, Roosevelt believed that America needed to be prepared to fight. At the Opening Ceremony of the 2011 NRA National Championships, Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, Under Secretary of the U.S. Army, echoed the views of Roosevelt, who believed “The first step in the direction of preparation to avert war, if possible, and to be fit for war, if it should come, is to teach men to shoot.”
“Though the world has changed considerably in the last century, it is just as unsettled as it was when President Roosevelt established this competition in 1903,” Dr. Westphal said. Roosevelt, who served as an Army colonel during the Spanish-American War, witnessed firsthand how unprepared U.S. soldiers were victimized in battle. Despite winning the conflict, the U.S. suffered disproportionate casualties due to the lack of firearms training.
In his speech at Camp Perry, Dr. Westphal observed that President Roosevelt was a strong advocate of marksmanship training:
“Reflecting with regret on the casualties the U.S. took in the Spanish-American War, President Roosevelt said: ‘The great body of our citizens shoot less as time goes on. We should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys and indeed among all classes as well as in the military services, by every means of our power. Thus and not otherwise may we be able to assist in preserving peace in the world. The first step in the direction of preparation to avert war, if possible, and to be fit for war, if it should come, is to teach men to shoot.’ “
Westphal Invokes History at Camp Perry Ceremonies
Westphal cautioned that we should not forget the lessons of the past: “So I bring these old historic notes of long-forgotten battles, not because they are curiosities, but because they remind us of why Americans began gathering here over a century ago. It was because they knew the terrible consequences of not being ready for war. In establishing the National Matches at Camp Perry, they promoted the importance of marksmanship in the nation’s defense.”
“Today the Civilian Marksmanship Program trains some 400 marksmanship instructors a year. In addition, 200,000 to 300,000 young people and adults receive training in marksmanship and firearms safety through clubs and junior ROTC,” Westphal said. “The thousands of competitors who will take part in these matches follow on the heels of millions who have benefited directly … from the marksmanship training and safety programs promoted here.”
*In February 1903, an amendment to the War Department Appropriations Bill established the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP). This government advisory board became the predecessor to today’s Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety, Inc. that now governs the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The 1903 legislation also established the National Matches, commissioned the National Trophy and provided funding to support the Matches. This historic legislation grew out of a desire to improve military marksmanship and national defense preparedness. President Theodore Roosevelt, Secretary of War Elihu Root and NRA President General Bird Spencer were among the most important supporters of this act.
The NRA’s Smallbore 3-Position Awards Ceremony took place last night in the Hough Theater. Top honors went to SGT Joe Hein of the USAMU with an overall score of 2379-154x. Second was Missouri teenager Garrett Spurgeon with Arizona’s Tarl Kempley placing third. Brad Driscoll won the 2011 Camp Perry Junior Championship. Lisette Grunwell-Lacey was the Womens’ 3P smallbore champion and Ronald Durcholz of New York took the Senior title. This was a tough week of competitive for the 3P shooters — competitors battled through numerous weather dealays caused by thunderstorms.
Pistol Championships Captain Philip Hemphill of the Mississippi Highway Patrol won his first National Championship at the NRA National Pistol Championships held July 12-16 at Camp Perry, Ohio. Although Hemphill’s consistently high scores produced an aggregate total of 2632-113X. Hemphill is a ten-time winner of the National Police Shooting Championships, but this is his first big win at Perry. “This is the Super Bowl of pistol competition and winning feels great,” said Hemphill. “This is harder than the National Police Shooting Championship because of the distances you’re shooting, but winning here at Camp Perry is like winning at the Mecca of shooting.”
Earning an aggregate score of 2629-112X, two-time National Champion SFC James Henderson of the USAMU took the silver medal and the title of Regular Service Champion. Third place and the title of Civilian Champion went to John Zurek with a 2626-115X. For the fourth year in a row, Judy Tant clinched the titles of Woman and High Civilian Woman Champion by firing an aggregate score of 2549-68X. Bryan Layfield of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was named the Junior Champion and Collegiate Champion after firing a 2565-95X.
The National Rifle Association and the Civilian Marksmanship Program conduct the National Matches at Camp Perry each summer, considered to be the “World Series” of the shooting sports. Participants range from novices to Olympic-level shooters, and include civilians, military personnel, and law enforcement officers. The NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships are open to everyone; NRA membership is not required. Ongoing daily reports on the NRA National Championships are found on the NRA Blog.
Metallic Sights Standing Competition Video
Yesterday, 21 August, marked the opening of the Smallbore 3-Position Competition at the NRA Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. The video below shows some of the shooters during the standing segment of the Metallic Sight portion of the smallbore championship events.
Standing Position Shooting
This week, smallbore competitors compete in three different positions: Prone, Standing, and Kneeling. Here are images from the standing portion of the event.
Prone Shooting
Here is a slide-show from the prone segment of the Smallbore three-position tournament at Camp Perry. These photos were taken on 21 July, during the first relay.
Images provided courtesy the NRA Blog, used by permission, all rights reserved.
A “Special Edition” of NRANews.com highlights the perpetual NRA trophies awarded at the NRA National Championships. In this webcast, reporter John Popp and Mike Krei, Director of NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division, tour the Camp Perry Trophy Room. The Trophy Room holds roughly 130 statues, cups, plaques, and other awards that have commemorated the accomplishments of pistol and rifle shooters for more than a century. The oldest trophy dates back to the historic 1874 Creedmoor challenge match between Irish and American rifle teams.
Traveling Trophy Road Show
The seven-week span of the Camp Perry National Matches is only time all these NRA trophies are gathered together in one place. Krei explained: “[The trophies] are all in traveling cases… we bring them out annually (from NRA headquarters) and set them up [at Camp Perry] so everyone can see them.” Notable shooters such as Carl Bernoski, Sherri Gallagher, David Tubb, John Whidden, and Lones Wigger have their names etched on historic trophies like the Norman Adair Trophy, the Frank Parsons Memorial Trophy and the Wimbledon Cup.
To watch the Camp Perry Trophy Room webcast, log on to NRANews.com, select “SHOW ARCHIVES” then click on the “Jul 14″ tab near the top left corner. Scroll down (using the slider bar) to find the “Curator’s Corner” link, showing a 00:15:47 play time. Click on that and the video should load on the right within a few seconds. Be sure to click on the Curator’s Corner video first — if you click on a different video you’ll have to sit through the whole thing before the Curator’s Corner Video will play. Also, when you click the Curator’s Corner Video, the actual trophy feature doesn’t start until 01:47:00 point in the clip.
There will be future NRANews.com segments from the Trophy Room. These will be webcast on NRANews.com in the near future. Audio-only versions of the Trophy Room webcasts will also air on Sirius/XM Patriot Satellite Radio.
Results are in for some of the early high power and service rifle competitions at Camp Perry. SGT Sherri Gallagher took the Coast Artillery Trophy Match, edging runner-up Rodrigo Rosa in a Shoot-Off by three ‘Xs’. Finishing third was Carl Bernosky. Gallagher, Rosa, and Bernosky all shot identical 200-15X scores in the main match. The Coast Artillery Trophy, pictured on the right, is a lidded silver loving cup with the figure of a uniformed U.S. soldier of the 1920s shooting a rifle from the standing position embossed on the side. The trophy was donated to the NRA by the Coast Artillery Association in 1923 to be awarded to the high-scoring Coast Artilleryman in the President’s Match. The Coast Artillery Match is a rapid fire match shot from 300 yards in the prone position.
The 2011 NRA National High Power Rifle Championships kicked off Sunday August 7th, with the first series of Team matches including the Whistler Boy High Power Team Match and the NRA 2nd Amendment Team Match. Initial Team results are posted below. Sunday was a great day for the young CA Grizzlies– junior shooters from California. One Grizzlies squad won the Whistler Boy match, and a second Grizzlies crew placed fourth. Way to go Grizzlies! Following the Team Matches, the individual competition begins. As results are posted throughout the week, we shall see if last year’s overall champion, Sherri Gallagher, can repeat her winning performance from last year.
Calm conditions and sunny skies prevailed as three previous champions set new national records in all three classes in the 2011 National Rimfire Sporter Championship fired here Sunday, 24 July. Charles J. Opalewski II, Lucas Boord and Ron Villanueva, all past champions, once again reached the top of the podium at this year’s event which also brought out a record 480 match entries. Opalewski, Boord, and Villanueva ALL set new National Records in their respective classes. 
In junior shooting, Amos Peck, 18, of Leslie, Michigan, won the overall O-Class competition with an aggregate score of 570-5X, followed by Aaron Ward, 18, Ypsilanti, Michigan (554-8X) and Stephenie Sabin, 17, of Curtice, Ohio (542-7X).
Congratulations to USAMU member SSG Michael McPhail, winner of the 2011 Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship. SSG McPhail won three matches and took the 1st Daily 1200 Aggregate as he shot consistently throughout the week to finish with 4796-401X. Coming in second place overall was Mark Delcotto with a 4796-380X and CPT Christopher Abalo, SSG McPhail’s teammate on the AMU, finished third with a 4795-388X. 
Former President Theodore Roosevelt was the “founding father” of the NRA National Matches*. Teddy Roosevelt believed the world was a dangerous place. To assure peace, Roosevelt believed that America needed to be prepared to fight. At the Opening Ceremony of the 2011 NRA National Championships, Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, Under Secretary of the U.S. Army, echoed the views of Roosevelt, who believed “The first step in the direction of preparation to avert war, if possible, and to be fit for war, if it should come, is to teach men to shoot.”
Westphal Invokes History
Captain Philip Hemphill of the Mississippi Highway Patrol won his first National Championship at the NRA National Pistol Championships held July 12-16 at Camp Perry, Ohio. Although Hemphill’s consistently high scores produced an aggregate total of 2632-113X. Hemphill is a ten-time winner of the National Police Shooting Championships, but this is his first big win at Perry. “This is the Super Bowl of pistol competition and winning feels great,” said Hemphill. “This is harder than the National Police Shooting Championship because of the distances you’re shooting, but winning here at Camp Perry is like winning at the Mecca of shooting.”
A “Special Edition” of NRANews.com highlights the perpetual NRA trophies awarded at the NRA National Championships. In this webcast, reporter John Popp and Mike Krei, Director of NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division, tour the Camp Perry Trophy Room. The Trophy Room holds roughly 130 statues, cups, plaques, and other awards that have commemorated the accomplishments of pistol and rifle shooters for more than a century. The oldest trophy dates back to the historic 1874 Creedmoor challenge match between Irish and American rifle teams.
