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Clay Target Legends Recalling the history of past and present champions and influencers of the clay target sports.

09/12/2026

Confessions of a Clay Target Shooter

2005 World S***t Championships -

The 2005 NSSA World S***t Championships would start with the annual Referee World Championship under cloudy and wet conditions. Ted Meunier claimed the Championship with a lone 97x100 over David Webb 96 the Runnerup and Jacob Coffin in third place with 94x100. As was the case with previous years, Re*****on Arms graciously sponsored the event which included belt buckles and cash as awards.

Thirty shooters would break perfect scores in the 12 Gauge Fiocchi Mini World Championship. Robert Uknalis 100 emerged with the 12 Gauge Championship followed by George Lehr 100 and Paul Giambrone III 100. High Lady was Mary Di Giovanni with a lone 100.

In the 28 Gauge Briley Mini World, there were 51 shooters that broke 100x100. Mike Schmidt Jr 100 emerged the Champion over Craig Lakey 100 and Robert Paxton 100. High Lady was Jo Ellen Collin with a lone 100.

The 20 Gauge Perazzi Mini World saw 30 shooters break perfect scores. In the ensuing shootoff, Billy Williams 100 emerged as the Champion over George Lehr 100 and Louise Terry Campedelli 100. The Lady winner was Nicole Hier 100 over Susan Bogardus 100; Holly Paul 100 and Kathryn Donovan 100.

In the Decot Hy-Wyd 410 Mini World Championships, a total of 13 shooters broke 100x100. Tami Parham with her 100 outlasted 12 other shooters to become the fifth Lady shooter in NSSA history to win an Open World Championship - the others being Carola Mandel; Kathryn Donovan; Jodie Robertson and Lori Desatoff. Paul Giambrone III 100 was the Runnerup followed by Al Magyar 100. Tami Parham 100 would also take the Ladies title over Trish Magyar also with 100x100 in the shootoff.

The Briley Mini World HOA Championship saw three shooters tied with 400x400 - Bob Uknalis 400; Paul Giambrone III 400 and Craig Parsons 400. In the second shootoff round under the lights Uknalis was the first to miss and placed third. Parsons was out next gaining the Runnerup trophy and Paul Giambrone III emerged as the HOA Champion . Lady HOA honors went to Tami Parham with 396.

The next event was the White Flyer Champion of Champions event that had 203 competitors and 31 - 100x100’s shot. Mike Schmidt Jr 100 was the Champion over Robert Uknalis 100 and W Parks 100. High Lady was Mary DeFrancesco with a lone 100.

Wayborn Bowling 100 was the Federal Doubles World Champion over 23 other shooters with perfect scores. Runnerup honors went to Stu Fairbank 100 and Billy Williams 100. High Lady was Mary Di Giovanni with a lone 100. Two Man Team honors went to Woo and Grates with 199 over Armstrong and Kozak, also with 199. Five Man Team honors went to the MS Team of Callahan; Gates;Bowling;Boyd and Hopper with 491x500.

The Beretta 12 Gauge Championships were up next. The first 125 targets of the 250 target event constituted the Eastern Open. Here 66 shooters broke 125’s and Mike Schmidt Jr 125 was the winner over Todd Bender 125 and Kevin Monteleone 100.

The second 125 targets was the Western Open and 60 shooters broke 125x125 . Luke Deshotels 125 was the Champion followed by Mike Schmidt Jr 125 and Larry Woo 125.

In the full 250 target Beretta 12 Gauge Championships, 26 shooters broke the coveted 250x250. Robert Uknalis 250 emerged as the 12 Gauge World Champion over Mike Schmidt Jr 250 and Rusty Hyde 250. High Lady was Gayle Osborne with a lone 250. Two Man honors went to Lehr and Parsons with 500x500 and Five Man honors went to the team of Steinkraus; Clark; Gilbert; St George and Krukoff with1239x1250.

The Browning 20 Gauge World Championships saw 106 shooters break a perfect 100x100. Paul Giambrone III 100 was the Champion over Stewart McCoin 100 and Craig Kirkman 100. High lady was Susan Bogardus with 100 over Kathryn Donovan 100 in a shootoff. Two Man honors went to Schmidt Jr and McCoin with 200x200 over 6 other teams with 200. Five Man honors went to the team of Steinkraus;Clark; Gilbert;St George and Krukoff with 499x500.

The Krieghoff International 28 Gauge Championships saw 95 shooters break perfect scores of 100x100. George Lehr 100 emerged as the 28 Gauge World Champion followed by Craig Kirkman 100 and Craig Lakey 100. High Lady honors went to Hooly Paul 100 over Veronica Tucker 100; Louise Terry 100 and Lynn Cogdill 100. Two Man honors were captured by Uknalis and Lakey with 200 over 3 others teams with 200x200. Five Man Team honors went to the “Californians” that included Burke; Hurlbert;Marble;Sifers and McLauglin with 499x500.

The Re*****on 410 World Championships completed the week and 16 shooters broke 100x100. Winning the shootoff was Greg Hayes 100 over Lori Desatoff 100 and Paul Giambrone III 100. High Lady was Lori Desatoff with a lone 100. Two Man honors went to Woo and Grates with 199 over Armstrong and Kozak, also with 199. Five Man honors went to the team of Callahan; Gates;Bowling;Boyd and Hopper with 491x500.

In the Kolar HOA 550 Championship, five shooters tied with 549x550 for that Championship. In the shootoff, Paul Giambrone III 549 emerged as the Champion over Robert Uknalis 549; Mike Kozak 549; Mike Schmidt Jr 549 and Larry Sifers 549. High Lady was Susan Bogardus with 545 over Lori Desatoff with 543. Two Man honors went to Schmidt Jr and McCoin with 1096x1100 over three others teams with 1096. Five Man honors went to the team of Gates; Callahan; Bowling;Boyd and Hopper with 2719x2750.

In the Wi******er 650 Classic that included the 100 Doubles there were five shooters knotted at 648x650. In the shootoff, Mike Kozak 648 took the 650 Championship over Stu Fairbank 648; John Barnes 648;Paul Giambrone III 648 and Chuck Isaac 648.

In the White Flyer 1050 that included both the Mini and World events, Paul Giambrone III 1048x1050 captured that Championship over Robert Uknalis 1047 and Stu Fairbank 1047.

At the end of the shoot, NSSA Chief Referee Bucky Buchanan who was retiring after this World Shoot was presented with a special World Shoot Ring and a shotgun plus a plaque from the NSSA that praised him for his outstanding performance and dedication to S***t. It was a well deserved honor !!!

That completes our discussion of the 2005 World Shoot. Next time we’ll introduce our NSSA S***t HOF Inductees - Luke Deshotels and Pauline McReynolds plus Trish Magyar as the Boller Award winner.

Until next time …………………………

09/11/2026

Confessions of a Clay Target Shooter

2005 Statistics-

Before we begin our segment today, I want to take a moment to think back to the 9/11 tragedy that occurred in New York, PA and Washington DC. With the attack that happened that day, all our lives changed significantly. I remember being in my White Flyer office in Houston and receiving a call that morning from a shooter friend, asking if I had seen the plane crash into the World Trade Center ?? At that point, I was not aware what happened but soon our television in our Break Room was on showing the full tragedy unfolding. Absolutely incredible what we were watching !! All of us will NEVER forget what continued to unfold that day. Our lives were changed forever. Watching what happened and was continuing to unfold was gut-renching!! Seeing thousands of people killed in a huge building; seeing innocent airline passengers die and all the chaos and bloodshed that soon followed, truly was something that remains vividly in my mind. Seeing all those first responders including the police and fire departments and bystanders, risking their lives to save people also was something I’ll never forget. Although a major tragedy, it would bring out the best in our people. All those folks in the World Trade Center and those on the airliners, all had families and you never forget that either.

It has now been 25 years since all this occurred and it still seems like yesterday. I now understand what the folks experienced in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. As we commemorate this special 25 year anniversary, I hope all of us continue to think about what happened- think about the families that were destroyed that day and all the horror it caused. Say a prayer or take a moment out of your busy day today to recognize what happened to our country plus also to honor all those that we lost that day. NEVER FORGET !!

Ok, now let’s get back to 2005 and take a look at the numerous statistics that occurred and look at some of the outstanding accomplishments and achievements of many shooters.

2005 Statistics and Other Stuff -

During the 2005 there were a total of 11-500x500’s shot :

1. Chuck Isaac - 500x500 - Krieghoff Masters - 1st career 5x5
2. John Castillo - 500x500 - Bradshaw - 1st career 5x5
3. Robert Uknalis - (3) -North/South; Rivenburgh Open ; Zone 2 - his 8th career 5x5.
4. Todd Bender - 500x500 - (2) - Hillbilly and Zone 4 - 8th career 5x5
5. John Herkowitz - 500x500 - Motor State - 1st career 5x5
6. Larry Woo - 500x500 - Motor State - 7th career 5x5
7. Craig Kirkman - 500x500 - Bulluck Open - 5th career 5x5
8. L. P Giambrone - 500x500 - Beretta World - 2nd career 5x5

The 2005 shooting year saw 22 - 400x400’s shot:

1. Kevin Monteleone - (2) 400x400 - Flamingo Open and Happy Jack - 3rd career 4x4
2. Tami Parham - 400x400 - Comstock - 1st career 4x4
3. Bill Spurlock - 400x400 - Three I - 1st career 4x4
4. Hal Guggolz - 400x400 - TOC Bradshaw - 2nd career 4x4
5. Craig Kirkman - 400x400 -Downing Challenge - 14th career 4x4
6. Bob Shuley - 400x400- Soya Open - 1st career 4x4
7. Bill Burke - 400x400 - Pudrunners - 7th career 4x4
8. Stu Fairbank - 400x400 - Motor State - 14th career 4x4
9. Paul Newman - 400x400 - Zone 7 - 2nd career 4x4
10. Chris Phelps - 400x400 - IL State - 1st career 4x4
11. Harry Proffitt - 400x400 - SW Classic - 1st career 4x4
12. Mike Schmidt Jr - 400x400 - Happy Jack - 21st career 4x4
13. Kim Crutchfield - 400x400 - Arkansas State- 1st career 4x4
14. LP Giambrone - 400x400 - Mini World - 6th career 4x4
15. Craig Parsons - 400x400 - Mini World - 11th career 4x4
16. Robert Uknalis -400x400 - Mini World - 15th career 4x4.
17. Chuck Isaac - 400x400 - Krieghoff Masters - 1st career 4x4
18. John Castillo - 400x400 - TOC Bradshaw - 3rd career 4x4
19. Todd Bender 400x400 - Hillbilly - 35th career 4x4
20. John Herkowitz - 400x400 - Motor State - 5th career 4x4
21. Larry Woo - 400x400 - Motor State - 17th career 4x4

The Top Shoots for 2005 based on difficulty were:
1. World Shoot
2. Mini World
3. Krieghoff Masters
4. Toni Ann Rogers Spring Shoot
5. Pan America and Great Eastern Tied .
6. SW Classic
7. Motor State
8. Briley/Bluegoose
9. Kasle Charity
10. US Open
11. Zone 4
12. Western Open
13. Zone 2
14. Texas State
15. Alltel
16. Hillbilly
17. Zone 6
18. TOC Bradshaw and Zone 7 Tied.
19. Virginia State
20. Colomatrix Open

The 2005 High Volume Target Leaders were :
12 Gauge-
RU Myers - 4250 targets
Rebecca Myers - 4050
Matt Hansen - 3900
Joe Shanks - 3550
Tom Pavlack - 3400

20 Gauge -
Robert Wagner - 4650 targets
RU Myers - 3700
Tom Pavlack - 3650
Rebecca Myers - 3600
C Busby - 3600

28 Gauge -
Hal du Pont Jr - 6300 targets
Steve Gould - 4500
Tom Pavlack - 4050
Matt Hansen - 3550
RU Myers - 3300

410 Bore -
Ken Mason - 9600 targets
Hal du Pont Jr - 8100
Matt Hansen - 3450
RU Myers - 3300
Tom Pavlack - 3250

Doubles -
Matt Hansen - 3300 targets
Norman Key - 3000
RU Myers - 2924
Paul Thompson - 2800
Rebecca Myers - 2800
Bobby Scott - 2800

HOA -
RU Myers - 14,550 targets
Hal du Pont - 14,400
Matt Hansen - 14,350
Tom Pavlack - 14,350
Rebecca Myers - 14,050

HAA -
Matt Hansen - 17,650 targets
RU Myers - 17,474
Tom Pavlack - 17,050
Rebecca Myers - 16,850
Neil Vann - 14, 450

The total number of 100 straights shot in each category was interesting and worth noting:

12 Gauge -
RU Myers - 18 - 100’s
Wayne Mayes - 14
Mike Schmidt Jr - 13
Robert Uknalis - 13
Billy Williams - 11
Steve Krukoff - 11
Bob DeFrancesco - 11
Todd Bender 11

20 Gauge -
Mike Schmidt Jr - 16- 100’s
Stewart McCoin - 13
Sam Armstrong - 12
Kurt Grates - 12
Robert Uknalis -12
Craig Kirkman - 12

28 Gauge -
Mike Schmidt Jr - 13 - 100’s
Robert Uknalis - 11
Paul Giambrone III - 11
Kurt Grates - 10
Robert Paxton - 9
Van Lewis - 9
Larry Woo - 9

410 Bore -
Wayne Mayes - 8 - 100’s
Mike Schmidt Jr - 6
Robert Uknalis - 6
Clay Baldwin - 5
Paul Giambrone III - 5
Larry Sifers - 5

Essentially, that will do it for the 2005 Shoots. Next time we’ll cover the 2005 World Shoot and conclude with the 2005 NSSA S***t Hall of Fame Inductees.

Until next time ………………………….

09/10/2026

Confessions of a Clay Target Shooter

2005 Part 3-

The NSSA EC had it’s annual Spring and Summer meetings and here are the highlights of those meetings :

1. It was reported that the number of shoots for 2005 was about the same but attendance seemed to be down in several areas because of adverse weather conditions.
2. Michael Hampton Jr was the Director of Sporting Clays and reported that targets and shooters increased over the past year.
3. The Sporting part of the League and Sweepstakes was eliminated.
4. A proposed HOF “Honor Roll” to recognize outstanding NSSA Referees with 15 or more years of service was established - the first award would be in 2006.
5. New York “black rimmed” targets was okayed for use at the mini World and Main World.

Western Open-
HOA -Mike Schmidt Jarvis 399 over Larry Woo 399;Clay Baldwin 399;Billy Williams 399; Craig Parsons 399 and David Anderson 399.
Dbl - Ron Hurlbert 100 over Larry Woo 100 and 7 others.
410 - David Anderson 100 over Bill Marble 100 and 6 others.
28 - Larry Woo 100 over Mike Schmidt Jr 100 and 12 others.
20 - Clay Baldwin 100 over Mike Schmidt Jr 100 and 14 others.
12 - Todd Bender 100 over Wayne Mayes 100 and 12 others.

Zone 7 Championships -
HOA - Paul Newman with 400x400.
Dbl - Jim Humphrey 100 over John Herkowitz 100 and Matt Wagoner 100.
410 - Paul Newman 100 over Larry Sifers 100and Matt Wagoner 100.
28 - Paul Newman 100 over Jerry King 100 and 10 others.
20 - Paul Newman 100 over John Moen 100 and 12 others.
12 - Johnny Herkowitz 100 over Matt Wagoner 100 and 11 others.

Illinois State -
HAA -Chris Phelps 498
HOA - Chris Phelps with 400x400.
Dbl - Joe Vancura with a lone 100.
410 - Chris Phelps with a lone 100.
28 - Zak Knasko 100William Barnett 100 and 6 others.
20 - Ed Dean 100 over Mike Glasby Jr 100 and 4 others.
12 - Leonard Boblitt 100 over William Barnett 100 and 8 others.

Zone 3 Championships -
HAA -Larry Woo 497 over Ryan Davis 497.
HOA - Ryan Davis 399.
Dbl - Dave Starrett with a lone 100.
410 - Ryan Davis 100 over Al Magyar 100 and 3 others.
28 - Larry Woo 100 over Al Magyar 100 and 9 others.
20 - W Parks 100 over Larry Woo 100 and 7 others.
12 - Bruce Christian 100 over Scott Fisher 100 and 7 others.

Zone 5 Championships -
HAA-Dave Blomeyer 496.
HOA - Mike Schmidt Jr 398
Dbl - Dave Blomeyer 99 over Whitney Damron 99 and 2 others.
410 - Jason Stitt with a lone 100.
28 - Mike Schmidt Jr 100 over Adam Goodart 100 and 5 others.
20 - Brad Goodart 100 over Pete Lorge 100 and 7 others.
12 - Mike Schmidt Jr 100 over Paul Bollie 100 and 6 others.

Hillbilly Open-
HAA -Todd Bender 500x500
HOA - Todd Bender 400x400.
Dbl - Todd Bender 100 over Billy Moore100 and 2 others.
410 - Wayne Mayes 100 over Craig Kirkman 100 and Todd Bender 100.
28 - Todd Bender 100 over Paul Giambrone 100 and 9 others.
20 - Craig Kirkman 100 over Todd Bender 100 and 11 others.
12 - Todd Bender 100 over Kevin Monteleone 100 and 10 others.

Lobster Open -
HOA- Robert Uknalis 399.
Dbl - Mike Stasio with a lone 100.
410 - Robert Uknalis 100 over Robert Williams 100 and Johnny Sarge 100.
28 - Bettina Wohlforth 100 over Tom Johnson 100 and 4 others.
20 - Matt Marcin 100 over Charles Murphy 100 and 3 others.
12 - Robert Uknalis 100 over Glenn Carboneau 100 and 7 others.

Zone 1 Championships -
HOA - Stu Fairbank 399 over Marl Vaillancourt 399.
Dbl - David Wilke with a lone 100.
410 - Eric Steinkraus 100 over Stu Fairbank 100
28 - Steve Krukoff 100 over Angelo Troisi 100 and 9 others.
20 - Mark Vaillancourt 100 over Peter Coyne 100 and 6 others.
12 - Mark Vaillancourt 100 over Dana Driscoll 100 and 12 others.

Bull Run Open-
HOA -Bill Murrell 397 over William Boiler 397.
Dbl - Doug Frazier with a lone 99.
410 - RU Myers 100 over Bill Murrell 100 and William Boiler 100.
28 - Jeff Elder 100 over Tom Schaefer 100 and 2 others.
20 - Donald Root 100 over William Boiler 100 and 4 others.
12 - RU Myers 100 over Tom Schaefer 100 and 4 others.

US Open -
HAA -John Mello 497
HOA - Paul Newman 398 over John Mello 398
Dbl - Josh Goodnight 100 over John Imbt 100.
410 - Stewart McCoin 100 over Dave Baylog 100 and 3 others.
28 - Mark Vaillancourt 100 over Paul Newman 100 and 6 others.
20 - Mark Vaillancourt 100 over John Shima 100 and 12 others.
12 - Ashley Hartley 100 over Ron Hurlbert 100 and 11 others.

JB Maszk Memorial -
HOA - Kevin Monteleone 398
Dbl - Mark Beaudoin 99 over Bo Bozard 99 and Roy Whittaker 99.
410 - Tom Lause 99 over Kevin Monteleone 99 and Charlie Buist 99.
28 - Kevin Monteleone 100 over Jim Nangle 100 and 4 others.
20 - Kevin Monteleone 100 over Charles Tucker 100 and 4 others.
12 - Bo Bozard 100 over Buck Buchannan 100 and 7 others.

Boyd Wickman Memorial -
HAA - Mike Schmidt Jr 499
HOA - Mike Schmidt Jr 399
Dbl - Mike Schmidt Jr with a lone 100.
410 - Mike Schmidt Jr with a lone 100.
28 - Mike Schmidt Jr 100 over Jerod Hicks 100 and 5 others
20 - Mark Vanderbloomer 100 over Jerod Hicks 100 and 4 others.
12 - Matt Wagoner 100 over Jack Dean 100 and 3 others.

Kentucky State -
HOA - Troy Stevenson 393 over David Bolze 393
Dbl - Ryan Davis with a lone 100.
410 - Troy Stevenson with a lone 99.
28 - Troy Stevenson with 100 over 2 others.
20 - David Duncan 100 over Barkley Lister 100.
12 - Jody Stevenson 100 over Bill Eckler 100 and Tim Gadjen 100.

Michigan State -
HAA -Larry Woo 495 over Kurt Grates 495
HOA - Kurt Grates 398 over Larry Woo 398.
Dbl - David Schiebel 98 over Jim Militello 98
410 - Ray Pollister 99 over Kurt Grates 99 and Larry Woo 99.
28 - Larry Woo 100 over Dean Rossman 100 and 3 others.
20 - Adam Tompa 100 over David Schiebel 100 and 4 others.
12 - Larry Woo 100 over Brent Edward’s 100 and 3 others.

Zone 6 Championships -
HAA - Stewart McCoin 498
HOA -Michael Boyd 399
Dbl -Stewart McCoin 100 over Wayborn Bowling 100 and 3 others
410 -Michael Boyd 99 over Rusty Hyde 99 and 5 others.
28 - David Gollott 100 over John Shima 100 and 6 others.
20 - Clay Baldwin 100 over John Shima 100 and 7 others
12 - John Shima 100 over Michael Boyd 100 and 8 others.

New York State -
HAA - David Serdula 593
HOA - Chuck Isaac 496
Dbl - David Serdula with a lone 99
410 - John Mello 100 over Scott Van Etten 100.
28 - Chuck Isaac 100 over David Serdula 100 and 5 others
20 -Douglas Buck 100 over Justin Aldrich 100 and 6 others.
12 - Richard Kmeic 200 over Chuck Isaac 200 and 7 others.

Pennsylvania State -
HAA- Robert Uknalis 496
HOA - Robert Uknalis 396 over Ed Isabelle 396.
Dbl - Robert Uknalis 100 over William Teti 100 and 3 others
410 - Robert Uknalis 99 over John Sarge 99
28 - Robert Uknalis 100 over Jaime Loyola 100 and 8 others
20 - Mike Brown 100 over Greg Sturgill 100 and 10 others
12 - Roy Holtz 100 over George Miller 100 and 12 others.

Southwest Classic -
HAA -Mike Schmidt Jr 498 over Kurt Grates 498 and Kim Crutchfield 498.
HOA - Harry Proffitt with 400x400.
Dbl - Mike Schmidt Jr 100 over Kurt Grates 100 and 4 others.
410 - John Castillo 100 over Harry Proffitt 100 and 7 others.
28 - Kurt Grates 100 over Howard Huber 100 and 8 others.
20 - Stewart McCoin 100 over John Castillo 100 and 6 others.
12 - Billy Williams 100 over Hank Schmidt 100 and 14 others.

Zone 2 Championships-
HAA -Robert Uknalis with 500x500.
HOA - Robert Uknalis with 400x400.
Dbl - Robert Uknalis 100 over Bryan Jones 100.
410 - Robert Uknalis with a lone 100.
28 - Mike Stasio 100 over Robert Uknalis 100 and 9 others.
20 - Robert Uknalis 100 over Dan Dottellis 100 and 10 others
12 - Robert Uknalis 100 over John Swidrak 100 and 11 others.

Virginia State -
HAA - Jimmy Smith 495
HOA - Jimmy Smith 396 over RU Myers 396 and 3 others.
Dbl - Thomas Williams 100 over Mike Thompson 100 and 2 others.
410 - Larry Krutsinger 100 over Mark Scott 100.
28 - Doug Coulter 100 over Jack Robinson 100 and 13 others.
20 - Billy Thurmond 100 over Tom Schaefer 100 and 11 others.
12 - Jeff Bond 100 over Kevin Ritchie 100 and 15 others.

The October NSSA EC Meetings were held and the following are some of the highlights:
1. Discussion was in/re if the National Shooting Complex was for sale and the NSSA-NSCA was moving ?? Louise Terry spoke about that and assured all that was not true. Nevertheless, based on the residential building going on and the encroachment, she proposed the setting up of a Long Range Planning Committee to prepare ourselves in the event we might have to move in the future.
2. The NSC now had wireless Internet access on the grounds.
3. Despite a decline in membership, the number of targets thrown was up.
4. Total members as of the meeting were 16,613 - a decrease of nearly 400 members from the end of 2004.
5. Discussions began again about the need to change the game of s***t to get more members - the majority voted against this.
6. Targets issues were discussed as Re*****on was having target production difficulties due to the scarcity of petroleum pitch.
7. Mike Valerio’s S***t Manager Software was working well.
8. The NSSA Field Grant Program had been changed to now grant amounts up to $5000.00.
9. There were 1256 entries at the NSCA Nationals in September - an excellent turnout in spite of Hurricane Katrina.

Octoberfest Invitational -
HOA - Hayes Wauford 396
410 - Hayes Wauford 99 over Rod Stroman 99 and Joe Solsona 99
28 - Autumn Blum with a lone 100.
20 - Susan Bogardus with a lone 100.
12 - Gettis Upchurch 100 over Hayes Wauford 100.

Kasle Charity Open -
HAA -Mike Schmidt Jr 498
HOA - Mike Schmidt Jr 399 over Robert Uknalis 399 and Dave Starrett 399.
Dbl - Wayne Mayes 100 over Sam Armstrong 100 and 3 others.
410 - Kevin Monteleone 100 over Rick Lawry 100 and 4 others.
28 - Eric Steinkraus 100 over Mike Schmidt Jr 100 and 8 others.
20 - Mike Schmidt Jr 100 over Mike Kremski 100 and 7 others.
12 - Steve Krukoff 100 over Howie Bailey 100 and 7 others.

That will wrap up the 2005 shoots. Next time we’ll summarize the 2005 year using statistics plus mention some interesting stories.

Until next time ………………………………….

08/15/2026

Confessions of a Clay Target Shooter

2001 NSSA S***t HOF -

Three shooters would be inducted into the NSSA S***t Hall of Fame in 2001 at the World Shoot Awards dinner. Ellen Nelms; John Shima and Hervey LaLiberte - the Boller Award winner.

Ellen Nelms-

After watching her husband Bob shoot for several years, Ellen suddenly decided she did not want to sit on the sidelines any longer. Her first venture on a s***t field was at the Cold Duck Open in 1971. She broke 54x100 that day- she had not shot one practice round prior to shooting this 100 targets !!! People were impressed and suggested she start shooting more often. With the help of her husband Bob, he taught her in the beginning. Later she would attribute Buck Stark, a shooting legend from the Dallas GC, that he taught her much about s***t.
In the mid 1970’s she would stop shooting for a few years because her husband had stopped. This lasted for a short period of time as a close friend asked Ellen to come out to the gun club with her and start shooting again. This would lead to their taking a trip to Sea Island, GA where the Fred Missilidine taught them to shoot. From there, they went to a couple of shoots and she was hooked !!
Her first selection to the Lady All American Team was in 1985 - after a lot of practice and going to the shoots. She would remain on the Ladies All American First or Second Teams numerous years - in 2000 she was Captain of the Ladies Team. She attended close to 25 -World Shoots and claimed numerous Lady titles - the 12 gauge in 1985 with 250x250; the 28 gauge in 1986; the 410 bore in 1996 and 1999 and the Champ of Champs in 1996. She would also capture the Ladies Mini World HOA titles in 1995 and 1996.
In addition to her wins at the World and US Opens, she earned Lady HOA titles at the Bluegrass; Pan American;Big D;North/South; Zone 6 and many others. Much of her success she claimed from the squad she always shot with - Jim Prall; Doc Shima; John Shima; John Imbt; Kevin Prall and Fred Peters. I had the honor to shoot with that squad on numerous opportunities and Ellen was a joy to shoot with and was a great gun pointer. Ellen, like the legendary Carola Mandel of a few years earlier, would become the Lady S***t Diva of the 1980’s. She was truly impressive wherever she went and always had the great attitude that when in those rare times, she would not win,she would be happy for the person that won !! Based on her beauty,class and competitiveness plus everything she won, she truly was a Clay Target Legend and deserved this honor.

John Shima-

It was rare that two shooters that shot together on the same squad, would be inducted in the same year. This would change as John Shima would join Ellen for these 2001 inductions. Being close friends, this was a great occasion to celebrate these two greats.
S***t was part of the Shima Family for over 40 years- the love of the sport was the legacy that John’s dad, Dr. Arthur Shima taught John, his youngest son. John would not actually begin to shoot s***t until he was about 8 years old. Being around s***t fields and shooters since his early childhood because he traveled to the shoots with his dad, one of the first jobs that John ever learned was gathering up spent shotshells so his Dad could reload them !! I remember that too with my Dad and it brings back great memories.
It all actually began on John’s 8th birthday when his father took him out to try s***t shooting for the first time. In 1967, at age 10, John participated in his first registered shoot. He would go onto break his first 100 straight three years later in 1970. In 1971, John would attend his first World Shoot and it would continue as he now has attended over 51 World Shoots . In 1973 he was named to his first All American Team and this would continue for many years.
John had his first big success at the World Championships in 1977 - he won the 28 Gauge World Championship and the HOA with 548x550. In 1981, he would win the 12 Gauge and the Champion of Champions events. 1982 saw John and Al Magyar have a 32 round shootoff in the 12 Gauge and John would emerge as the Champion for the second consecutive year.
During his career, John would win Open and HOA titles at the Great Eastern; Bluegrass; North/South; Motor State and other notable shoots. He also won State titles in both Illinois and Texas plus had 6- 400x400’s in his career.
John during his college years attended Trinity University in San Antonio, TX which was coached by Colonel Tom Hanzel. John credits Hanzel for really teaching him s***t - both how to shoot and instruct it. At Trinity, he’d meet Todd Bender and a strong friendship developed that led to them forming a Shooting School and conducting shooting clinics across the US. Later in his career, both John and Todd would become the first Master Class instructors in the NSSA.
I’ve had the honor to know John; his Dad and Mom plus brothers over the years. We’ve spent hours talking s***t and the great experiences, we both have had. Living still in San Antonio, John still writes for numerous shooting publications and has authored several books on shooting. He still loves the game and helps shooters throughout the world to become better gunners. Truly a Clay Target Legend, John has distinguished himself both on and off the s***t field and I’m honored to call him a friend.

Hervey La Liberte - Boller Award

No one did more for s***tshooting and League Shooting in the Northeast and East Coast than this gentleman. Beginning in the early 1950’s, Hervey was out developing shooting facilities and gun clubs. In 1962, the Eastern Connecticut S***t League was formed and was made up of eight clubs with one team each, five shooters to a team. Hervey formed this league as a result of his own club not being accepted to the New London County Conservation Group. This league would later grow to over 60 teams - Herve would be its President numerous times.
In 1974, Herve would receive an award for his involvement and developing the Eastern CT League - well deserved. In 1982, the Connecticut State S***t Association recognized him for his outstanding contributions to S***t over the years. He would be inducted into the Connecticut S***t HOF in 1987.
Besides organizing leagues, Herve served as President of the CT S***t Association three years plus also was the Comptroller. He would later run to be an NSSA State Director and he’d serve numerous times representing Connecticut. Herve also was a great promoter of shoots like the “Little Muk” shoot and he developed the popular “B-C- D -E shoot’.
In addition to his support behind the scenes, Herve won his share of Open titles and fared well on the s***t circuit. In the 1970’s he performed well at the Great Eastern and won awards at the major clubs in the Northeast. At World Shoots, he has a member of a World Championship Five Man Team and captured several Senior awards during his long career.
I never had the honor to meet Herve, but I always heard about all the great things he did for s***t in the Northeast. Guys like this are what has made S***t and the NSSA great !! Truly considered a Clay Target Legend, many thanks for all you did for our game.

What a great group of 2001 inductees !! Next time, we’ll start our discussion of 2002 and cover the major shoots and show the top scores.

Until next time ………………….

08/15/2026

Confessions of a Clay Target Shooter

2001 World S***t -

The 2001 NSSA World S***t Shooting Championships were held October 12-20 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio,TX.The Mini World shoot would begin with the annual Re*****on Arms Referee World Championships. Matt Sprague100 took that Championship over Runnerup Virgil Carter 100 in overtime and David Webb was third with 99x100.

In the 12 Gauge Fiocchi Mini World there were 82 shooters that broke 100x100. Paul Giambrone III 100 outlasted Craig Parsons 100 and Jim Humphrey 100 for that title. Lady Champion was Brandie Neal 100 over Mary DiGiovanni 100.

In the second event, the Briley 28 Gauge Mini World there were 57 shooters that carded perfect 100x100’s. Michael Cooley 100 took the title in overtime over Jamie Fulton 100 and Kurt Grates 100. High Lady honors went to Crystal Allen with a lone 100.

The NRA 20 Gauge Mini World Championships were next up. A total of 77 shooters broke 100x100. In the ensuing shootoff of the 100 straights, Alan Ferrell 100 captured that title over Larry Woo 100 and Willie Clark 100. High Lady honors went to Rebecca McCumber 100 over Mary DeFrancesco 100;Ellen Nelms 100 and Minka Williams 100.

The Decot Hy- Wyd 410 Championships saw 15 shooters break that magical score of 100x100. In overtime, Paul Newman 100 took the 410 Championship over Bill Murrell Jr 100 and Stu Fairbank 100. High Lady was Rebecca McCumber with a lone 99.

In the coveted Briley 400 HOA three shooters broke 400x400 - Stu Fairbank, Paul Giambrone III and Dave Starrett. In the shootoff, Fairbank emerged as the HOA Champion followed Giambrone III and Starrett. High Lady was Rebecca McCumber with 397.

Next up was the White Flyer Champion of Champions to kickoff World Shoot week. A total of 39 shooters broke 100 straight and in the shootoff,Mike Schmidt Jr 100 would emerge as Champion. Runnerup honors went to Doug Coulter 100 followed by Paul Newman 100. High Lady was Mary DeFrancesco with a lone 100.

The Federal Doubles World Championp saw 23 shooters end the event with perfect 100’s. Craig Lakey 100 would win the shootoff for that Championship followed by Kurt Grates 100 and Chad Everett 100. High Lady was Crystal Allen 99 over Ellen Nelms 99. In Two Man honors Everett and Seward broke 200x200 for that title and Five Man Team honors went to Ferrell; McCannon;Mooney; Murrell and Snyder with 487x500.

In the opening 125 targets of the 12 Gauge Eastern Open, 67 shooters broke 125x125. Mike Schmidt Jr 125 was the Champion followed by Les Lala III 125 and Craig Parsons 125.

The second 125 targets of the 12 Gauge known as the Western Open saw 81 shooters break 125x125. Mike Schmidt Jr 125 was the Champion again followed by David Gollott Jr 125 and Greg Hayes 125. Schmidt Jr in capturing both the Eastern and Western titles became the third shooter in history to accomplish that fete.

In the Beretta 250 Target World Event there were 26 shooters that finished with 250x250. Mike Schmidt Jr 250 would continue his 12 Gauge dominance to take that Championship followed by Richard Cameron 250 and Stuart Brown 250. High Lady went to Rebecca McCumber with a lone 250x250. Two Man honors went to Parsons and Lehr with a lone 500x500. Five Man honors went to Ferrell; McCannon;Mooney; Murrell and Snyder with 1243x1250 over on other team.

The Browning 20 Gauge World turned out to be a beautiful day and 123 shooters carded 100x100’s. Only 18 shooters made it through the first round of the Doubles shootoff !!. Emerging as Champion was Paul Giambrone III 100 taking the 20 Gauge over Craig Lakey 100 and Stu Fairbank. High Lady honors went to Elizabeth Pietsch 100 over Babette Burley 100; Bettina Wohlforth 100; Mary DeFrancesco 100; Betsy Suhey 100 and Laurie Copp 100. Two Man honors went to Haig and Lakey with 200 over 6 others teams, also with 200x200. Five Man honors went to Bowling; Callahan; Rishel; Gollott and Lala with 498x500.

Weather conditions continued to favor the shooters and 79 shooters broke perfect 100x100’s in the Kreighoff 28 Gauge World. Stu Fairbank 100 annexed that World title followed by Paul Giambrone III 100 and Ron Hurlbert 100. High Lady was Susan Wardrop 100 over Bettina Wohlford 100 and Rebecca McCumber with 100. Two Man honors were captured by Grates and Kremski with 200 over Steinkraus and Fairbank, also with 200x200. Five Man Team honors went to Bowling; Callahan;Rishel; Gollott and Lala with 497x500.

Despite gusty wind conditions all day, 16 shooters managed to end the day with 100x100 in the 410 World Event.. Wayne Mayes 100 added another notch to his career wins by taking the 410 over Wayne Voges 100 and Ben Kaplan 100. High Lady was Susan Huszai with a lone 100. Two Man honors went to Voges and Goodman with 199x200. Five Man team laurels went to the team of Monteleone; Montoto;Rodriquez;Nangle and Saab with 492x500.

At the end of shooting on Saturday, four shooters were tied for the 550 Kolar HOA Championship at 549x550. In the shootoff, Paul Giambrone III 549 captured the HOA World Championship over Paul Newman 549 ;Mike Schmidt Jr 549 and David Gollott Jr 549. High Lady was Rebecca McCumber with 546 over Bettina Wohlforth 544 and Susan Huszai 544. Two Man Team honors were captured by Persons and Lehr with 1095x100 over Schmidt Jr and Woo, also with 1095. Five Man honors went to the team of Bowling; Callahan; Rishel;Gollott and Lala with 2723x2750.

In the Wi******er 650 Classic, Paul Giambrone III and Mike Schmidt Jr ended up tied with 648x650. In the shootoff, Giambrone III prevailed and took the 650 Championship and Schmidt Jr was the Runnerup followed by Wayne Mays 647 over David Gollott Jr 647.

With the above, we finish our recap of the 2001 World Shoot.

Until next time ……………………………………………………..

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