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Creedmoor Cup Matches

By Christine Elder, CMP Staff
SSG Email Praslick III, USA, talks with competitors during the Highpower Rifle Shooting Clinic which started the events for the Creedmoor Cup Matches.
The 2005 Creedmoor Cup Matches were held directly after the CMP Western Games at Camp Pendleton, CA, on 9-13November. There were 167 competitors participating in the Camp Pendleton Long Range Matches and 169 competitors in the Creedmoor Cup, with 21 teams participating in the Commanding Generals Team Championship. Members of the CMP staff were present to assist with the match registration and competition results throughout the matches. The CMP internet-based Competition Tracker system allows scores to be posted live on the web during the match so that competitors and family members can follow the progress of the matches. This system was used for both the Creedmoor Cup Matches and the CMP Western Games.

The Creedmoor Cup Matches started with a free Highpower Rifle Shooting Clinic conducted on Camp Pendleton’s Wilcox Range by members of the U. S. Marine Corps and U. S. Army (USAMU) Service Rifle Teams and Creedmoor Sports staff member, CWO3 Dennis DeMille, USMC (Ret.). DeMille won the 2005 NRA National Highpower Rifle Championship at Camp Perry. The clinic featured lecture, demonstration and dry-fire activities with lots of hands-on coaching during the dry-fire sessions. On Thursday, competitors were able to practice on Wilcox Range, shooting at 200, 300 and 600 yards.

MSgt Alexander Arrieta, USMC, from Albany, GA, won the Camp Pendleton Long Range Match I for the Service Rifle Category.
The Camp Pendleton Long Range Match, which was fired on Friday, consisted of three matches fired at 600 yards. Competitors were divided into three categories: Service Rifle, Any Rifle-Iron (metallic) Sights and Any Rifle-Any Sights. In Long Range Match I, MSgt Alexander Arrieta, USMC, from Albany, GA, won the Service Rifle category with a score of 200-10X. Scott Riles, a High Master from Thousand Oaks, CA, won the Any/Iron category firing a 200-12X and SSgt Kevin Worrell, USMCR, of Laredo, TX, won the Any/Any category with a score of 200-14X.

In Long Range Match II, it was Peter Burns, a master long range shooter from Jacksonville, NC, who took first place honors in the Service Rifle category with a score of 199-14X. MGySgt Harry Harrison, USMCR, from Corona, CA, won the Any/Iron category with a 200-13X. In the Any/Any category, Gary Eliseo, of Orange, CA, won with a score of 200-9X, only 3 X’s over SSgt Kevin Worrell, USMCR, to prevent Worrell from sweeping the three matches in that category.

GySgt Kevin Marion, USMC, of Quantico, VA, won Long Range Match III Service rifle category with a score of 200-13X, the highest score of the day. MGySgt Harrison won the Any/Iron category again with a score of 199-12X. SSgt Kevin Worrell also won the Any/Any again with a score of 200-11X.

In the Creedmoor Cup, competitors could fire either a Service Rifle or Match Rifle. The Creedmoor Cup consisted of an 800 aggregate fired “across-the-course” with 200 yard slow fire standing, 200 yard rapid fire sitting, 300 yard rapid fire prone and 600 yard slow fire prone events. SPC Brandon Green, USA, of Fort Benning, GA, won the 200 yard slow fire standing with a 197-3X in the service rifle category. MSgt Neil Jensen, USAF, of Las Vegas, NV, fired a 192-3X to take the match rifle 200 yard slow fire standing match. It was SFC Daniel Marquart, ARNG, of Bismarck, ND, (200-14X, Service Rifle) and Gary Lund, of Bakersfield, CA, (200-9X) who took firsts in the 200 yard rapid fire sitting event. GySgt Kevin Marion, USMC, had the high service rifle score in the 300 yard rapid fire prone match with a 200-9X, while Donald Heuman, USAMU coach, had the high match rifle score with a 200-8X. In the 600 yard slow fire prone stage, SSgt Justin Skaret, USMCR, of Tucson, AZ, won with a 198-4X (Service Rifle) and Gary Eliseo, won with a 198-8X (Match rifle).

MSgt Neil Jensen, left, and SFC Norman Anderson, right, were the top shooters in the Creedmoor Cup Match and Service Rifle Aggregates..
In the Creedmoor Cup Aggregate, SFC Norman Anderson, USA, of Columbus, GA, came out on top with a 791-35X to win the Service Rifle category. Earlier in the year, Anderson won both the President’s Rifle and the National Trophy Individual Matches at the 2005 National Matches at Camp Perry. Close behind Anderson was SPC Brandon Green, USA, with a 790-32X and GySgt Ron Fuchs, USMCR, of Gilbert, AZ, with a 786-9X in second and third. In the Match Rifle category, MSgt Neil Jensen, USAF, won with a 784-31X. Following Jensen was Gary Lund with an aggregate of 782-29X. Tom Albanito, Glendale, Arizona, was third with a 775-18X.

A total of 21 teams competed in the Commanding General's Team Match.
The Commanding General’s Team Match on Sunday wrapped up nine days of clinics and shooting events. In this competition, each member of four person teams fired the National Match Course at 200, 300 and 600 yards with coaching allowed. In the Service Category, USMC Arbogast dominated with a score of 1972. Team members were GySgt Kevin Marion, SSgt Jason Benedict, MSgt Alexander Arrieta and Sgt Ryan Benedict. The team captain was CWO-4 Martin Cole and the team coach was SSgt Kevin Arbogast. The USMCR Gold Team came in second, beating the USAMU Praslick Team by one point, 1959 to 1958. In the Match Rifle Category, Fish Canyon Gold placed first with an 86 point lead over the Nevada Team with their score of 1929. Team members were Martin Tardif, Gary Lund, John Giles and Marco Rojas. The team captain was Gary Lund and the team coach was John Giles. Team Hubert finished third, one point behind the Nevada Team with a 1842.

Creedmoor Sports hosted a BBQ after the Creedmoor Cup Matches on Saturday. All competitors firing in the day’s matches were eligible for the door prizes which included nearly $20,000 worth of Kowa Spotting Scopes, Gracey Power Trimmers, Armalite products, hardback Shooting Coats, shooting mats, shooting stools, shooting gloves, Kalispel rifle cases, Big Blue scope stands, Sierra bullets, Turner slings, Jensen slings, Giraud case trimmers and a Creedmoor Range Cart.

To view a complete listing of results from the Creedmoor Cup Matches, click on http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bH/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=958. Photos from the Creedmoor Cup Matches can also be viewed on the CMP website at http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/05/Creedmoor/index.htm.