Canadian National Field Target Association Championship
Hosted by the Port Colborne Field Target Club on July 28th & 29th, 2012
Match Report by Tim MacSweyn
Wouldn’t you know that in the midst of a drought, the weekend we have set aside for the Nationals had a forecast for thunderstorms? We did get a little wet setting up Friday and had some drizzle Saturday morning, but for the match, we lucked out Saturday with a little sprinkle late that did not penetrate the canopy of the forest. With overcast skies for a good percent of the match, some lanes were dark on Saturday. Sunday was the kind of day you order for FT a match; so all in all we made out well.
After setting up the course on Friday and doing a little shooting, a bunch of us headed to Minor Fishery for our traditional fish feast. We had some great food and conversation with lots of laughs to go along with it. After that, some headed back to the club and the rest called it a day.
Saturday looked a little iffy as far as the weather went, but we carried on in the hope that we would be able to shoot the match. After the shooter’s meeting we headed out into the forest to find our starting lanes. The hunters and WFTF PCP shooters started on the red course that included all the odd number lanes and a kneeling lane. The WFTF Piston and Open PCP shooters were on the white course that included all the even number lanes and a standing lane. Aside from being the darkest day any of us had seen at the Port club, we were able to shoot the entire match without getting wet.
At the end of day one there were many tight races, especially the Open and WFTF PCP groups and the Junior Hunters. Note that the scores with the “*” beside them are the scores shot on Saturday. Then we headed over to the Reeb House, which is only five minutes from the club, for our afternoon meal and were treated to a good buffet style meal. After that, many headed back to the club for more shooting and socializing while others went to their houses or rooms to relax for the rest of the day.
Day two started off cool and sunny, promising to be a great day for FT. After the shooter’s meeting, we headed out at 10:00 AM to get started. Due to some gun sharing, we were unable to get all the top shooters of the division together in squads, but we did our best to get like scores together.
Don and Len, in the same squad of the Open PCP class, started the day tied at 57 to make for a good rivalry. Both shot very well, as they always do, but Don only dropped one on the day and took the top spot in the Open PCP division, with Len second. Dennis E shot well on both days to take third. Dennis L had to use a borrowed Open Piston gun for this match and as the only participant, was put in with the PCP group. Magdy had other obligations on Sunday, so unfortunately was unable to take part and finish the match.
The WFTF PCP division had three shooters all in close contention for the top spot. Joel and Joe both shot great scores, but Joel, with his best performance to date, was able to nip Joe by a single point to become the division winner and Canadian Champion for the first time. With no sense of drama, I dropped five shots on the first lane of the day and came in at the third position. Mike, with two consistent score finished fourth, followed by Sean who did very well as he was taking part in only his second FT match.
In the WFTF Piston class, George had a good, but not insurmountable lead coming into day two. George shot even one shot better than his day one score and is the repeat Canadian Champion in this class. Tom managed to put two good days together with a new gun and placed second. Barb, who is the first non-Ontario Canadian to take part in the Nationals, did a fantastic job on this her second Ft match, taking home the plaque for third and also won the Top Lady medal. Unfortunately, Ted had a spring break during the afternoon and after loosing many shots, had to finish the match with a borrowed gun. Jeff was using a new scope on his rig and is getting it dialed in.
The Adult Hunter class boasted the highest number of participants with ten on Saturday and eight on Sunday. Marshall is getting that QB really dialed in with lots of practice, with the results speaking for themselves. He put two good days together to earn the Canadian Champion title for this year. Bill and Greg both had two strong days and finished third and fourth respectively. A new FT shooter, Ken, had two great days and claimed the plaque for fourth place. Chris Holmes, the most able, disabled person I know put two consistent scores together and took home the fifth and final plaque for the division. Rob did very well, always having a great time and Andrew B. has continued to improve with each match. Jess made the trip down with Joel to take part in her first match and already showed improvement from day one to day two. Chris N. and James were only able to participate on the Saturday portion of the match, with Chris posting a very high score and James’ score could have put him in contention for an award as well.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Junior Hunter class, which we are so happy and fortunate to have. Thomas and Gillian were only a point apart after day one and although both shooters did very well on day two, Thomas won the first place spot, leaving Gillian with second place. Andrew D. had two good days as well. Gillian is the Canadian Champion, since both Thomas and Andrew are non- Canadians.
For the first time in some time, we did not have a class that required a shoot-off; I think everyone was hungry and were grateful for that. After enjoying the subs, chips, soft drinks and cookies, it was time to hand out the hardware. Dennis E. helped me with that task and we always have a good time during the presentations.
The draws for items on the prize table came next, bringing me to some of the many thanks needed. A good section of the prize table consisted of items donated by Air Gun Source and the Gamo DynaMax rifle combo that they sent was also raffled off. Thanks to Travis and Kirk for their generosity. Port Colborne FT Club donated approximately fourty gifts to the prize table. Don, representing the Burlington Range, donated a Cr 2240 pistol with Co2 and pellets and Shooter’s Choice donated a nice selection of hats. Scotiabank donated some T-shits and other items as well. Barb also brought a couple of gift sets from the Hanna Club in Alberta. Thanks to all who contributed to the table.
The draw for the Gamo DynaMax that was donated by Air Gun Source was the last thing to do after the prize table items were all handed out. We sold tickets to any competitor that could legally take possession of this PAL rated rifle. Janis, Len’s wife, picked out the winning ticket and although there was a Joe in the name, it was Joe McDaniel who claimed the prize. Joe seemed surprised and quite pleased with the result. Many thanks again to Air Gun Source for donating such a great prize. The proceeds from the draw will be used to purchase targets from Travis and Kirk, to create three target, lane boxes so folks that want to help can come early and set up a lane for our matches.
For many, this was the time to pack up and get on the road for a fairly long drive home. Lots of new friends were made and lots of fond goodbyes were offered. A few take out containers were filled for those with longer distances to cover. The 2012 CAFTA Nationals were wrapped up and just pulling targets and clean up remained.
Many thanks go to Angie, Janis and Debbie, who did a great job setting up the Sunday meal and cleaning the clubhouse up after the meal. Thanks also go to Dennis E., Don, Tom, Chris N. and Ted, who along with myself set up the lanes for the match. Thanks also to those that set up and took down the gazebos and helped us with the targets for the match and sight in range. Lots of folks jumped in to help and that is very much appreciated. Sean and Joe, thanks for coming up and always being willing to lend a hand.
My wife, Angie took two weeks of holidays before the match to help with organization and purchasing everything we needed. During the match days, she handled all the finances and kitchen organization. Needless to say, I owe her big time in the holiday weeks she has coming up near the fall. Thanks a million, Angie.
Our new or relatively new shooters, Barb, Jess, Sean and Ken are all to be congratulated for attending and doing so well. Good luck to Barb with her newly started Ft club in Hanna, Alberta; we hope to hear good things and see some pictures.
To everyone who attended, a big thank you for making the trip and making the whole weekend an enjoyable one; the people make the match. I hope to see many return faces as well as some new ones next year on the fourth weekend in July.
Tim
CAFTA Nationals 2012
Results Chart
| Rank | Name
Class |
Red
/60
|
White
/60
|
Total
/120 Av T 35.6 |
Rifle | Scope | Pellet |
| Open PCP | |||||||
| 1 | Don Irvine** | 59 | 57* | 116 | Steyr LG100FT | S&B FT | JSBH |
| 2 | Len Joe | 56 | 57* | 113 | AA S400 FT | Bushnell 8-32 | JSBH |
| 3 | Dennis Eden ** | 51 | 54* | 105 | Theoben Rapid | Nikkop 10-50 | CPH |
| 4 | Dennis Leite | 21 | 11* | 32 | HW97 | Leapers 8-32 | .22 HP |
| 5 | Magdy Hassouna | DNF | 53* | DNF | DS Grand Prix | March 15-60 | JSBH |
| WFTF PCP | |||||||
| 1 | Joel Goodwin | 48* | 52 | 100 | EV2 Mk2 | Nikko 10-50 | JSB 8.4 |
| 2 | Joe McDaniel | 49* | 50 | 99 | AZ Steyr LG100 | Leupold Comp 35 | CPL |
| 3 | Tim MacSweyn** | 50* | 44 | 94 | Walther Domi | Deben 10-50 | JSB 8.4 |
| 4 | Mike Clements | 30 | 30* | 60 | Benj. Discovery | Bushnell 8-32 | JSB 8.4 |
| 5 | Sean McDaniel | 29* | 21 | 50 | AZ Steyr LG100 | Leupold Comp 35 | CPL |
| WFTF Piston | |||||||
| 1 | George Harde | 49 | 48* | 97 | TX200 | Leupold Comp 35 | JSB 8.4 |
| 2 | Tom Peretti** | 33 | 39* | 72 | HW77K | Leupold Comp 45 | JSB 8.4 |
| 3 | Barb Larson | 31 | 29* | 60 | TX200 | Hawke 8-32 | JSB 8.4 |
| 4 | Ted Gibson** | 16 | 42* | 58 | TX200 | Bushnell 8-32 | JSB 8.4 |
| 5 | Jeff Hemming | 20 | 18* | 38 | TX200 | Falcon T50 | JSB 8.4 |
| Hunter Division | /120 | /120 | /240 | ||||
| 1 | Marshall Doan | 105* | 102 | 207 | QB 79 | Tasco 6-24 | .22 Cr HP |
| 2 | Bill Shikatani | 97* | 103 | 200 | HW100 | Bushnell 2.5-16 | JSBH |
| 3 | Greg Stopelli | 89* | 106 | 195 | AA S400 | Millet JRS 1 | JSB 8.4 |
| 4 | Ken Jackson | 84* | 86 | 170 | Diana 54 | Bushnell 6-24 | .22 JSB |
| 5 | Chris Holmes | 79* | 79 | 158 | Hatson T44 | NC Star | JSB 8.4 |
| 6 | Rob Billiard | 75* | 73 | 148 | QB 78 | Leapers 8-32 | JSB 8.4 |
| 7 | Andrew Bandy | 57* | 68 | 125 | BT65 | Leapers | .22 JSB Ex |
| 8 | Jess Costin | 47* | 53 | 100 | Cr 1377 | Leapers 3-9 | JSBH |
| 9 | Chris Nickolson** | 116* | DNF | DNF | AA S400-SL | Bushnell 8-32 | JSBH |
| 10 | James Sullivan | 74* | DNF | DNF | QB78 -HPA | Vortex 6-24 | JSBH |
| Junior Hunter | |||||||
| 1 | Tom Doan | 82* | 94 | 176 | QB 79 | Tasco 6-24 | .22 Cr HP |
| 2 | Gillian Covell | 83* | 84 | 167 | S400-SL | Bushnell 2.5-16 | JSBH |
| 3 | Andrew Doan | 70* | 80 | 150 | QB 79 | Tasco 6-24 | .22 Cr HP |
* Course shot on Saturday ** Set up lanes US – American Bold – Canadian Division Champions