New York Juniors Make History

By Steve Cooper, CMP Writer

CAMP PERRY, OHIO – A pair of junior shooters from the state of New York made history on 18 July at the 2010 National Trophy Team Pistol Match by being the first junior team from their state to participate in the National Matches at Camp Perry, according to their coaches, Peter Militello and Paul Korn.

The history-making Ten-X junior pistol team contingent from New York State included, from left, Rick Powers, Rebecca Powers, Paul Korn, Eric Wagner, Robert Korn and Peter Militello.

“You’re watching history in the making,” echoed Militello, 71, of Orchard Park, and Korn, 42, of Elma. “It happened thanks to the new law in the state of New York,” Militello said.

Shooters and coaches autographed their historic target which they plan to display at their home club in New York.

Due to changes in New York law adopted in August 2006, New York juniors as young as 14 up to the age of 20 were allowed to learn to shoot handguns only at accredited shooting ranges, and under the supervision of a parent or guardian, military officer, a military or NRA-certified small arms instructor, or an adult certified in responsible hunting practices by the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation.

Rebecca Powers and Eric Wagner were the first junior pistol team to represent the State of New York at Camp Perry at this year’s National Matches.

The change meant Eric Wagner, 16 of Elma and his teammate Rebecca Powers, 17, of West Falls could practice and compete as a team. It was Wagner’s and Powers’ first trip to Camp Perry as a team. Powers participated in the Matches for her third time as an individual this year. It was Wagner’s first. The team was sponsored by the Ten-X Shooting Club in Lancaster, New York.

It’s Wagner’s first year of competitive shooting and he has fired in three matches so far in 2010. When asked how he felt about his first experience at Camp Perry, he said “I’m hungry!”

Eric Wagner, of Elma, New York checks his target between shots during the slow fire portion of his NTT pistol match.

Powers, a winter and league shooter, said she has enjoyed her Camp Perry experience in each of her three campaigns here as a junior. “I love the people; I’m having lots of fun and I’m looking forward to coming back next year,” she said.

Rebecca Powers sends a round downrange during the National Trophy Team Match.

Her father, Rick, 52, also a competitive shooter, said “It’s great, I love that she wants to shoot with me.”

Coach Paul Korn, Eric Wagner, Rebecca Powers and coach Peter Militello discuss results after pulling targets.

The team was also accompanied by Robert Korn, 57, of Cheektowaga, New York, a veteran of 31 years of pistol competition. It was his second trip to Camp Perry.

Junior pistol shooters from the state of Texas also left their boot prints on the 2010 CMP National Trophy Pistol Matches, taking the top two team positions and a few individual places as well. All junior matches are fired with a .22 caliber match pistol.

Rebekah Jennings, 19, of Boerne, Texas, was the overall aggregate points leader which combines the aggregate total of the Junior President’s Trophy, National Individual Trophy and National Team Trophy events with a score of 916-23X. Fellow Texan Zachary Hedrick, 17, also of Boerne was second with a combined aggregate of 888-16X and Keaton Harlow, 18, of Pflugerville finished third with a total of 866-13X to complete the Texas sweep.

Jennings won the NTI Junior G.P. “Perry” DeFino trophy with a score of 285, landing an amazing 15 of her 30 shots in the X-ring, 10 more than her nearest competitor. With the score of 285-15X, she set a new National Record for the Junior NTI Match. She also backed up Hedrick in the two-person team match that gave Texas Gold its victory. Hedrick fired a 276-8X with Jennings on his heels at 275-5X.

The Texas Silver team of Harlow and Rafe Corley, 19, of San Antonio, placed second in the match with an aggregate score of 514-6X followed closely by VSSA Juniors with a 513-5X. VSSA (Virginia Shooting Sports Association) Juniors was led by Blake Fleming, 18, of Gloucester Point and Walker Buckman, 14, of Lovettsville with scores of 260-2X and 253-3X, respectively.

James McCaig, 18, of Columbia, Tennessee, won the prestigious Junior President’s Trophy with an aggregate score of 363-5X, topping Jennings at 356-3X and Fleming who fired a 352-6X.

Early in the week Jennings shot a 271-5X with a rack grade M9 9mm pistol in the CMP-USAMU Small Arms Firing School Excellence-In-Competition Match to lead all shooters. Because she already has leg points toward her Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge, she was ineligible to win the M9 Award Plaque.

Christopher Hudock, 19, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was the high junior shooter in the Service Pistol Warm-Up Match on Tuesday, 13 July. Hudock fired a .22 caliber smallbore sport pistol in the match.

Juniors also flocked in record numbers to the CMP’s airgun Competition Center during the National Matches pistol phase, home of an air-conditioned 80-point electronic target indoor range. Click on the following link to learn more about this year’s air pistol competitions: http://www.odcmp.org/0710/default.asp?page=NMAIRPISTOL2010.

To read more about the CMP Air Gun Competition Center, visit http://www.odcmp.com/MarksmanshipCenters.htm.

For more information about the 2010 CMP National Trophy Pistol Matches results log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=5688.

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