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Pennsylvania Marksmen Do Well in
American Legion Air Rifle Championships

By Mike Buss
Photos Courtesy of Sean Crosier


Tempe Regan of Superior, Montana was the Sporter class Champion and Thomas Santelli of Washington, Pennsylvania was the Precision class Champion of the 2006 American Legion National Junior Air Rifle Championships.

Two records were broken or tied as 29 junior air rifle competitors met at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the 16th annual American Legion National Junior Air Rifle Championships 3-5 August 2006.

Seventeen-year-old Thomas Santelli of Washington, Pennsylvania claimed the overall Precision Championship with a score of 2474.4/2509. Santelli set a new precision standing record of 785, breaking the old record by one point set last year by tournament champion Jonathan Hall. Santelli’s performance also tied the precision prone record of 800.

Sporter Champion Tempe Regan was the only competitor in the sporter final shooting a pneumatic rifle, the rest of the field were shooting compressed air or CO2 air rifles.

Santelli attended the American Legion Air Rifle Championship fresh off competing in the International Shooting Sports Federation World Shooting Championships held in Zagreb, Croatia 12-22 July. He earned the right to attend the World Championships at the USA Shooting National Championship in June, and represented the USA as a member of the US National Development Team. Santelli is a member of the Frazier-Simplex shooting team, sponsored by Edwin Scott Linton Post 175. He last competed in the American Legion National Junior Air Rifle Championship in 2004.

29 junior air rifle competitors qualified for the 16th annual American Legion National Junior Air Rifle Championship, which was held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Tempe Regan, eighteen-year-old of Superior, Montana claimed the 2006 Sporter crown firing a 2286.1/2509. Competing in her first finals and shooting a pneumatic Daisy 753 air rifle, Regan out shot the rest of the field who were all shooting compressed air and CO2 rifles. Regan is a member of the Mineral County 4-H Shooting Sports, sponsored by Ray Welch Post 13.

Rounding out the top five in the two categories were:

Precision competition:

  • 1st place, Thomas Santelli, 2474.4, of Washington, Pennsylvania. A member of the Frazier-Simplex shooting team, sponsored by Edwin Scott Linton Post 175.

  • 2nd place, Ethan Settlemires who shot a 2458.8. Settlemires is from Walnut, Mississippi and shoots for the Cross Roads Sports Shooting club, sponsored by Peter A. Johns Post 6.

  • 3rd place, Emily Holsopple of Wilcox, Pennsylvania who fired a 2457.7. She is a member of the DuBois Rifle and Pistol Club, sponsored by DuBois Post 17.

  • 4th place, Michael Kulbacki with a 2450.2. He is from DuBois, Pennsylvania and also shoots for the DuBois Rifle and Pistol Club.

  • 5th place, Christina Dutra of Grampian, Pennsylvania who shot a 2449.2. Dutra also shoots for the DuBois Rifle and Pistol Club.

Sporter competition:

  • 1st place, Tempe Ragan, 2286.1, of Superior, Montana. A member of the Mineral County 4-H Shooting Sports, sponsored by Ray Welch Post 13.

  • 2nd place, Nicole Heitmeyer of King George, Virginia with a score of 2277.4. She is a member of the King George High School NJROTC marksmanship team, sponsored by Ratcliffe-Owens-Sumner Post 89

  • 3rd place, Lauren Strebel of Pottstown, Pennsylvania who fired a 2276.2. She shoots for the Palmyra Junior Rifle Team, sponsored by Palmyra Post 72.

  • 4th place, Max Stovall shooting a 2270.1. Stovall is from Sparks, Nevada and shoots for the Spanish Springs High School JROTC marksmanship team, sponsored by Post 1

  • 5th place, Danielle Poteete with a score of 2265.3. Poteete is also from Sparks, Nevada and shoots for the Spanish Springs High School JROTC marksmanship team.

The tournament staff selected Christina Dutra as the recipient of the annual Francis M. Redington Sportsmanship Award. This award was established in May 2005 in memory of Francis M. Redington, a long time tournament staff member who passed away in 2003. Dutra was selected as the athlete competing in the National Championship who best exemplified good sportsmanship and fair play.

A complete list of results from the American Legion Championship can be viewed at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=1709 and pictures can be viewed at http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/06/AmerLegion/index.htm.  For more information on the championship, contact Mike Buss at mbuss@legion.org.