August 2016 Newsletter
July was a busy month at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports.
First, we finished work on remodeling the Club Room. Many thanks for that project goes to Marsha Faulkner, our interior designer; Michele Menzer, for helping with the purchase of furniture; and Buck Buchannan, for all the work he did.
Second, a major project was completed which included work on the parking area, the entrance road, and the road from beginning to end of Sporting Clays Course 1.
Construction of Sporting Clays Course 2 started on July 12th, and as of this writing construction on the road and the shooting stations has been completed and we are waiting for the shooting houses and target throwing machines. Joe Luke will elaborate more on sporting clays in his article.
The sporting clay tournament we held in July was a great success. Congratulations go to the winner, Tom Quinn, with Judge Lance Day taking second. We have another event coming up in August and I hope to see more of our members participating.
August will be another busy month, as the club will be hosting the Zone 4 Skeet Shooting Championships starting on August 11. As of today we have 157 participants signed up. If you have a chance you might stop by to see some of the best shooters in the Southeast.
Finally, we will host another sporting clays event in August as well as hold our first members-only dinner.
I hope to see you at the club,
Z. Mincek
Upcoming Events
Thursday, August 11 – Sunday, August 14
NSSA ZONE 4 Skeet Shoot - For info. Contact Bud Steil 904-200-0889 gsteil61@gmail.com
Sunday, August 21
NSCA RING O FIRE CLAY TOURNEY
Sporting Clays Reserved
Thursday, August 25
Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Skeet Shoot
Skeet News
Jacksonville Clay Targets Sports will be hosting the 2016 Zone Four Skeet Championships the 11th thru 14th August. Zone Four encompasses the South East US plus Jamaica and Porto Rico. Shooters, that’s just right around the corner. There are some things you need to get done be ready. First off, you need to get signed up now to ensure you get good shoot times. Sign up sheet . As always good practice is always important. You can bet the temperatures will be hot for this shoot. Now is the time to get out there afternoons and condition your body and mind to shoot in the heat. Our reigning World Champion Jr shooter Emmett Kogan is already working hard in practice. He is shooting not just practice, but working hard at good practice. He just recently shot a perfect 100 straight in two consecutive practice sessions. A 200 X 200 score is very impressive.
Emmett brings home the Gold
Sometimes registering your score will force you to concentrate on your shooting. You can shoot register targets anytime the club is open. See details below:
Monthly Target Procedures
- When you arrive at the club, pick up a Monthly Target Individual Registration Report (MTIRR) and score sheet from the Cashier.
- Shoot your targets.
- Record your scores on the MTIRR.
- Submit your MTIRR, Score Sheet and daily fees to the Cashier.
Note:
- Monthly targets must be reported in increments of 100.
- The Monthly Target Individual Registration Report must be filled out completely and correctly for the gauge or gauges shot.
The Lead off Shooter is responsible to submit the score sheet to the Cashier when more than one shooter is shooting.
World Champion skeet shooter Paul Giambrone III is scheduled to return to JCTS in November to hold shooting clinics. This is an opportunity to hone your skeet shooting skills by learning from one of the best. DETAILS ON CLINIC
More News from NSSA
Need scoreboard info?
NSSA-NSCA has launched its new website, and it's now easier than ever to access up-to-date shoot results and upcoming shoots. The NSSA Scoreboard is updated weekly with the results of every shoot reported to date, and you can select the report you want by state and month. The Shoot Register lists upcoming shoots for a three-month period by state so you can plan your season. Here are some of the places you'll quickly find the NSSA Scoreboard and Shoot Register:
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NSSA-NSCA.org - The "umbrella" home page for NSSA and NSCA where you can navigate to every part of both sites, as well as the National Shooting Complex. Just scroll down the page to see prominent links to the Scoreboard
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MyNSSA.com - This bypasses the umbrella site and goes directly to the NSSA home page. There you will find Scoreboard and Register links under "Latest NSSA News and Events."
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ClayTargetNation.com - Our magazine website always has access to scores and upcoming events in multiple places on the home page. You can't miss them!
- Target Talk - How about right here? Just click on the sidebar link for the NSSA Scoreboard.
Get ready now for the World Shoot!
Don't miss the largest skeet spectacle of the year -- the World Skeet Championships! For more than a week, you can shoot with the world's best skeet shooters, compete against others in your class and concurrent for medals and awards, shop with the world's best manufacturers of shooting equipment, and have the time of your life. Claim your spot now before the rotation you want is full, and don't forget to sign up for the year's most exciting event, the Wayne Mayes Championship!
Look for your All-American Pins Soon.
Krieghoff All-American and Class All-American Team pins have been mailed to members named to those teams. You should be receiving them within a few days.
Special awards for the 2016 World Skeet Championships.
The 2016 World Skeet Championships will offer an impressive new award for each of the 31 class champions in the 12 Gauge, 20 Gauge, 28 Gauge, .410 Bore, and Doubles events. Each champion will receive a commemorative Remington 1100 shotgun as part of the awards package. The classic guns will be customized with select, high-gloss wood, deep blueing, a gold-plated trigger and engraving.
Do you have a suggestion for future issues of the JCTS Newsletter? Do you have a question that you think other shooters would also like an answer to? Send it to us. We welcome your feedback at any time. Contact Bud Steil at gsteil61@gmail.com
Skeet Fever-Catch it!
Sporting Clays News
Sporting clay activity continues to be the big news at our club. Having been open for 17 months, the following has become evident:
- We have used verbiage in past newsletters that touted our shaded sporting clay course. Our shade is now validated as summer volume is holding up nicely, even though temperatures have been in middle or upper nineties. You just cannot beat shade to make a hot day more bearable.
- The growth in sporting clays nationwide led to our original decision to install a sporting clay course some two years ago. The course has now been open 17 months with volume greatly surpassing expectations. In fact sporting clay volume has exceeded regular skeet shooting during this period. The numbers have supported the early thinking.
- Sporting clays has expanded the club’s capacity to host special events, both charity type as well as registered target events. You may find it fun to shoot either type of these events. Watch our newsletters and other social media blasts far dates.
July 17 saw the club hosting its third sporting clays registered target event. All have been successful; however this one was special as two club members, Tom Quinn and Judge Lance Day stood up against some great shooters from the region finishing 1st and 2nd for the prize money. I would encourage you to consider these events in the future. There is a class for everyone and provide great fun and excitement. Quinn and Day now join Jack P. Teaque in claiming prize money during these first three events. Our region has many great shooters and they are proving to be nice people and fun to shoot with. The per round scores, July 17, ranged from the 40’s to the 90’s. The idea is about fun rather than score far a lot of people, but as in other type of events, giving it a try leads to all around shooting improvement.
The club has decided and is well under way in layout of a second sporting clay course. This expansion is our acknowledgement that your support is there for a new course which will allow for more target presentation diversity. This new course will be open within a few months.
The club wants to again thank our original sponsors and founders. Without their support, what we have and are building on wouldn’t have been possible. The next time you shoot the course, focus on the signs. You may find someone to call and personally acknowledge their support.
International Skeet News
Jacksonville Clay Target Sports was the Olympic Training Center for Vincent Hancock during the week of June 27th. Many of us recognize his name from articles published in magazines devoted to sport clay shooting. As a former member of the USAMU, Vincent has added much recognition to the sport and was most recently awarded the prominent International Shooting Sport Federation’s Shooter of the Year award. His Olympic gold medal victories in London and China placed him in elite company. He is the first Olympic skeet shooter to win gold medals in the same event in consecutive Olympic games. Vincent currently holds Olympic record and final Olympic records.
In 2015, Vincent won his third world championship, placed him in elite company.. He is the first American shotgun athlete to win three world championships, making him the third athlete to ever win Men’s Skeet World Championship Gold Medals along with Jury Tsuranov of the USSR and Abdullah Alrashidi of Kuwait.
While at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports, Chris Kauffmann had the opportunity to watch Vincent practice in Field 7. Vincent introduced himself to Chris, and they spent time talking about IS Shooting technique, among other things. Chris later spoke highly of Vincent, stating that he was an “outstanding and down-to-earth guy”. On Vincent’s last day of practice, Vincent let me know that the club has become an excellent shooting facility and he is looking forward to coming back.
Ed Franco
International Skeet Commitee
Membership Report
Club membership and activity remain strong, reflecting the growing popularity of our sport and our club. Annual membership renewal invoices will be mailed mid-August.
Members are encouraged to remit membership dues before September 30.
INVITATION TO JCTS GUEST SPORTSMEN AND SPORTSWOMEN:
We applaud the fantastic number of guest sportsmen and sportswomen who enjoy JCTS shooting facilities. We also invite you to become official members of JCTS. As official JCTS members, you will enjoy the camaraderie of member-only events, receive member discounts on cost of rounds, bulk ammunition, and reloading supplies, as well as discounts with club vendors, including Gunsmiths, Inc., Wild West Guns, and Jim’s Ear and Eye. It is easy to initiate your membership at the Pro Shop or through the
JCTS EVENTS
JCTS continues to be a hub of social, competitive, educational, corporate and non-profit activities. Please visit the club calendar often to make sure you don’t miss any fun events. In the short-term, the club will be hosting FWC Hunter Safety courses, NSCA Registered Sporting Clay shoots, the annual NSSA Zone 4 Skeet Shoot (August 11-13), and many other club, non-profit, and corporate shoots.
Contact the club if you wish to rent the clubhouse or shooting facilities for a meeting or event.
VOLUNTEERS
The great popularity of our club and target shooting sports means that we can always use your talents and energy to help us keep the club running smoothly. Please contact us, if you would like to join us in the management of club activities.
George Prattos
Membership Chairman
Collegiate
Collegiate Shooting Has Begun!
By David T. Dobson, MBA
NSCA Certified Instructor, Level III
NSSA Certified Instructor, Level III
Paragon Master Instructor
JU Faculty & Varsity Shooting Team Founder, Head Coach/Director
The Collegiate shooting season is upon us. Both the Jacksonville University and University of North Varsity Shooting Teams have begun practicing as the beginning of the Collegiate Clay Target Shooting Season began July 1. Both teams lost some serious talent due to last Spring’s graduation, but there is a lot of new talent joining and helping to rebuild our Collegiate teams. Please join me in wishing them great, safe shooting and a life-remembering, modifying and thrilling experience as we begin our Fall shooting season. Safe shooting everyone!
The ever-winning JU Varsity Shooting Team took a 6-man squad to the SCTP (www.shootsctp.org) National Championships in July which were held at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Morango, Ohio. More than 2,500 high school and collegiate athletes competed in the biggest-yet SCTP Nationals. In the Collegiate Division, JU reigned supreme as they took the HOA National titles in: Handicap Trap, and Trap Doubles, as well as RU in Sporting Clays, Third in Trap, and Fourth in Skeet. There were NO divisional lines in this shoot – all teams compete on the same level. JU faced off against a number of powerhouse collegiate shooting talent. The 6-man squad consisted of: Sean Hensley (Former Captain), Trysten Routledge, Parker Woodring, Nathan Heeb, Benji Felder and Joe Byron. JU faced some of the top shooters in the US this past July and made us proud! The JU Varsity Shooting Team is now an EIGHT-TIME National (Divisional) Event Champion, with two individual National (HOA) Champions – remarkable! Collegiate shooters have 6 years of eligibility to compete in the ACUI & SCTP system from the time of their first Nationals event, regardless of Collegiate or Graduate level, making this the most competitive system in existence today – building better citizens for our future across all fronts. We congratulate ALL of our amazing Students!
There are some 300 universities and colleges with Clay Sports (Shotgun Sports) shooting programs currently across the country, and these programs boast some of the highest GPA composites in the Collegiate world. The Shooting Sports are now the fastest growing element in Collegiate Club/Varsity Sports.
Many Thanks to Jacksonville Clay Target Sports and other Clubs here and around the country who have stood behind our Youth and Collegiate shooters, as they are our future. God Bless and safe shooting!
David Dobson is one of our long-term Resident (Master) Teaching Pros and life members here at JGC. He and Addie, also a NSCA Certified Instructor, live in Ponte Vedra Beach. He is President & CEO of Dobson & Associates, Inc., as well as the founder of Dobson Performance Shooting School (www.daviddobson.com), and current JU Faculty and Founder/Head Coach/Director of the JU Varsity Shooting Team, as well as Founding Head Coach for the UNF Shooting Team. He can be reached at: (904) 285-9500, or via Email at Ddobsonpvb@aol.com or dddobson1@ju.edu.
Tips from your Gunsmith
Managing Felt Recoil
There are many different ways to manage the recoil of your shotgun. This month I will list a few that may help you if you’re getting beat up while shooting.
Probably the most common cure for recoil reduction is having a good quality recoil pad fit to your shotgun. A very good quality pad such as a kick-ezz costs about $125.00 fit to your gun including the pad. Also at this time we can shorten or lengthen the length of pull to better fit you usually at no extra expense.
Another device that is very popular is a recoil reducer. Recoil reducers use hydraulics, springs or a combination of both to absorb the recoil when the gun is fired. There are several manufacturers such as the Graco system and the ISIS recoil reduction system. Cost for these units vary from about $300 to as much as $700 installed.
Mercury recoil reducers are another alternative. These are simply a tube that is filled with mercury that reduces the felt recoil is two ways. First is that it adds weight. Second, the mercury in the tube counteracts the recoil so the shooter doesn’t feel the effect of the recoil as much. Cost for these vary from around $100- $150 installed.
The last thing that I will mention briefly is your gun fit. If the pitch of the gun is wrong for your mount the toe of the stock may bruise your shoulder or the comb may kick you in the face. If you have any questions about your gun fit you can set up an appointment with me in the shop to take a look at you and your gun to determine if it’s fitting you correctly.
These are the most common cures for reducing felt recoil. If you have any questions about the specifics on any of the items that I have mentioned feel free to stop by the shop and we will be happy to further explain and show you how they work.
Tim Ward
Master Gunsmith