Opalewski Defends Open Championship as Guay Wins Telescopic and Villanueva Defends Tactical Class Title at 2012 National Rimfire Sporter Match

CAMP PERRY, OHIO – Three shooters, none of whom are strangers to the awards ceremony at CMP rimfire sporter competitions, turned in strong performances Sunday, 22 July, at the 2012 CMP National Rimfire Sporter Match. The event drew 553 entries from the Midwest, South, Atlantic Coast, New England and as far away as Anchorage, Alaska.

Charles Opalewski, of Vicksburg, Michigan, who set the 2011 O-Class national record with a 586-21X, repeated as national champion at this year’s National Rimfire Sporter Match at Camp Perry, firing a 580-18X.

The Rimfire Sporter Match is an introductory competition which is fired using standard off-the-rack, non-competition type .22 caliber rifles that may be semi-automatic or bolt action. Shooters may compete in Open Sights (O-Class), Telescopic Sights (T-Class) and Tactical Rifle classes. They may also re-enter in another class as range space and time allocation allows. A total of 600 points may be earned in prone, sitting (or kneeling) and standing positions and each position is comprised of slow-fire and rapid-fire phases worth 100 points each.

Jacob Guay, of Nashville, Georgia, established a new national record with a 598-35X aggregate score out of a possible 600 in the Telescopic Sights Class of the National Rimfire Sporter Match. He was also the high junior shooter in the Tactical Class.

Charles Opalewski, 22, of Vicksburg, MI, who set the 2011 O-Class national record with a 586-21X, repeated as national champion, firing a 580-18X. Jacob Guay, 17, of Nashville, GA, the 2011 high junior at Camp Perry and winner of this year’s Eastern Games rimfire sporter match at Camp Butner, NC, was the overall winner in the T-Class, establishing a new national record with a 598-35X aggregate score.

Ron Villanueva, 47, of Parma Heights, OH, who won his first national Tactical Rifle Class championship last year, defended his title with an aggregate score of 593-30X. Since 2009, Villanueva has knocked on the championship door in all three rimfire classes, finishing third in T-Class in 2009, third in O-Class and T-Class in 2010 and third in T-Class last year. He finished in sixth place in T-Class this year in a fiercely-contested field.

Ron Villanueva, of Parma Heights, Ohio, defended his 2011 Tactical Rifle Class championship and set a new national record, leading the field with an aggregate score of 593-30X to win the 2012 championship.

Don Moore, 62, of Chattanooga, TN, finished second in O-Class with a 577-21X and Larry Kindell, 52, of Tawas City, MI, placed third with a total score of 576-18X. Moore was also the high-scoring senior in O-Class competition.

Jessica Hudson, 13, of Halifax, VA, was the high overall junior shooter, high 4-H club shooter and high women’s category shooter in the O-Class, firing an aggregate score of 572-21X.

Jessica Hudson, of Halifax, Virginia, was the high overall junior shooter, high 4-H club shooter and high women’s category shooter in the O-Class of the 2012 National Rimfire Sporter Match.

Guay’s outstanding performance in T-Class also earned him honors as high overall junior shooter and high 4-H club shooter. Herb Hudson, 67, of Anderson, IN, was the high senior shooter, firing a total score of 587-25X. Nikki Smith, 18, of Cordele, GA, was the high women’s category shooter, firing an overall score of 592-34X.

Guay finished second to Villanueva in the Tactical Rifle match, firing a 591-28X, just two points behind Villanueva. The Georgia junior was also the high junior and high 4H club shooter in Tactical Rifle.

Richard Dixon, 60, of National City, MI, was the high senior in Tactical, with an aggregate score of 588-26X. Denise Miller, 38, of Coshocton, OH, was the high women’s competitor in the match with a score of 581-21X.

Garrett Myrick, 16, of Taylorsville, Georgia and Zach Payne, 20, of Euharlee, GA won the O-Class and T-Class team matches at the 2012 National Rimfire Sporter Match at Camp Perry.

In addition to individual competition, several Rimfire Sporter competitors fired team matches in the Youth-Adult Partner Match in all three classes of competition. The match gives younger and older shooters an opportunity to work together toward achieving success on a team level.

In O-Class, the team of Zach Payne, 20, of Euharlee, GA, and Garrett Myrick, 16, of Taylorsville, GA, won the O-Class team match with a combined aggregate score of 1125-26X. Stephenie Sabin, 18, of Curtice, OH and Steven Sabin, 53, also of Curtice, placed second with a combined score of 1109-18X. Danielle Drexler, 17, of Rydal, GA, and Sierra Baldwin, 15, of Taylorsville, GA, captured third place with a team total of 979-13X.

Larry Abernathy, 58, and Aaron Abernathy, 17, of Akron, Ohio were victorious in the Tactical Rifle Youth-Adult Partner match with an aggregate score of 1158-44X.

The O-Class winners, Payne and Myrick, also won the T-Class Youth-Adult match with a team aggregate score of 1177-61X. The team of Jacob and Paul Guay, 51, of Nashville, GA, placed second with a team score of 1172-52X. Larry Abernathy, 58, of Akron, OH, and Aaron Abernathy, 17, also of Akron, placed third in T-Class with a score of 1144-40X.

The Bartow 4H shooting club of Cartersville, Georgia, brought a contingent of 27 attendees to Camp Perry to participate in the 2012 National Rimfire Matches. A total of 16 juniors were among the group and many of them graced the awards table with successful performances.

Larry and Aaron Abernathy were victorious in the Tactical Rifle Youth-Adult Partner match with an aggregate score of 1158-44X. Jacob and Paul Guay placed second in the Tactical Rifle team match with a combined score of 1157-39X. Kurt Boller, 53, of Roanoke, IN, and David Boller, 13, also of Roanoke, placed third in the Tactical Class with a team total of 1110-30X.

Leon Rutherford, of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, takes a moment to congratulate coaches Scott Drexler and Doug Payne of Georgia’s Bartow 4H shooting club at the 2012 Rimfire Sporter Match.

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