New and Familiar Faces Top Standings During National Air Gun Matches at Camp Perry
By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – The Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National Air Gun events, fired each year alongside the National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches, gives experienced competitors and those simply looking for a fun challenge the rare opportunity to compete on a national level. With a variety of air rifle and air pistol competitions designed to accommodate most ages and abilities, everyone is welcome to come and give their best shot at becoming a champion.
Winning the 60 Shot Air Pistol Championship was Javier Medina, 52, of Morouis, PR, with a score of 566-13x. He also outshot second place competitor Scott Beyer, 47, of Lebanon, IL, by just one point for the win. Medina went on to also be the top competitor in the 30 Shot Air Pistol event, with a score of 287-7x.
High Woman of the 60 Shot event was Shelly Liu, 49, of Cary, NC, as Sam Kwon, 20, of New York, NY, claimed the High Junior title. Ben Amonette, 64, of Radford, VA, finished as the High Senior and fourth overall with a score of 560-12x.
Ronald Morales, 62, of Rocklin, CA, fired a score of 369-6x to top the 40 Shot Air Pistol Match.
In 60 Shot Air Rifle, the ladies led as Samantha Shultz, 17, from Fort Wayne, IN, claimed the top spot by one point, with a score of 611.9. She beat out fellow female competitor Abi Winegarden, 36, of Pittsboro, NC, who fired a score of 610.2. Junior Claudia Muzik, 13, of Green Springs, OH, finished in the third place position, with her score of 601.8.
Winegarden and Nicholas VanRyswyk, 17, of Coopersville, MI, fired exact scores in the 30 Shot Air Rifle Standing event, compiling scores of 300-20x. Jacob Day, 14, of Columbus, GA, trailed by just one point – having dropped a point in his first round of 10 shots and ending with 299-20x.
SFC Brandon Green, 34, of the Army Marksmanship Unit, earned the overall win in the AiR-15 Challenge, impressively only dropping two points for a score of 398-14x. He narrowly beat out competitor Brad Schoenemann, 19, of Lodi, WI, who earlier in the week had accompanied Green on the firing line during the President’s Rifle event, claiming the High Junior title.
During the Challenge, competitors fire in a 20 Shot Match using AiR-15 lead pellet air guns that mirror the look of highpower service rifles. Unlike previous years, where the Top 20 would compete in a shoulder-to-shoulder elimination Shoot Off, the Highest Scoring competitor of the event was named the winner.
In Bench League competition results, Rodney Snyder, 63, of Fremont, OH, overtook the AiR-15 match by firing a score of 309.2. Larry Kiraly, 66, of Perrysburg, OH, led the sporter match with a score of 314.7, as Philip Edwards, 71, of Marblehead, OH, earned the precision win, with a score of 319.7.
Thomas Wonderly, 73, of Portage, OH, led the 40 Shot Vintage Air Rifle Pneumatic Sniper Match, with a score of 394-9x.
A Top Center Shot competition was also held during the 30 Shot Standing Rifle and Pistol matches, where the competitors firing the top eight closest shots to center receive monetary prizes, based on the number of entries. In pistol, Glenda Hurt, 48, of Red Oak, IA, received $210 for earning the closest shot, while Frank Baumgartner, 16, of Fort Wayne, IN, received $51 for the closest rifle shot.
For a complete list of results, visit the CMP Competition Tracker page at https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=18851.
About the National Match Air Gun Matches:
National Match Air Gun events are fired concurrently with the National Match Pistol and Rifle matches. Those attending the outdoor events are welcome to take a walk to the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, located on the grounds of Camp Perry, and compete in any of the air pistol and air rifle events offered throughout the duration of the Matches. The indoor, air-conditioned air gun range holds 80 electronic target firing points, with large LED screens to keep spectators in on the action.
The facility also contains memorabilia from the career of decorated American marksman and CMP Emeritus, Gary Anderson. A two-time gold medalist, the collection includes authentic Olympic items, a medal from President John F. Kennedy and even a piece of the Berlin wall. Those competing as well as those just visiting are welcome to tour the facility, free of charge.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
