The Spirit of Steamboat

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1 The Spirit of Steamboat Steamboat Challenge NRA Action Pistol Regional and Wyoming State Championship Written by: Andy Rayland, Match Director 35 top NRA Action Pistol competitors from seven states gathered on the high plains of Southeast Wyoming for the second edition of the Steamboat Challenge NRA Action Pistol Regional and Wyoming State Championship. The match was conducted on August 20 and 21 at the Otto Road Shooting Range located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The match pays homage to Steamboat, a Wyoming bred championship bucking horse from over 100 years ago. Steamboat is considered to be one of the greatest bucking broncos of all time and is the state symbol of Wyoming. Governor Mead: Wyoming Governor Matt Mead meets with US Army Marksmanship Unit from Fort Benning, GA. From left: SSgt Ryan Franks, Governor Mead, SFC Adam Sokolowski, Specialist Katie Bahten

2 The Steamboat match provides unique challenges to the Action Pistol competitor. The Otto Road Shooting Range is located 6,600 feet above sea level and can be besieged by strong winds. Many competitors arrived on Thursday and Friday to practice and help acclimatize to the altitude and shooting conditions. The Regional match got under way on Saturday with a match program that duplicated the annual NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship. NRA Action Pistol is a test of speed and accuracy with an emphasis on accuracy. The sport is different from most of the other action pistol sports because all the stages are fired under time pressure and pistol and revolver shooters compete on an equal basis. A typical match is a test of the competitors handgun skill requiring shooting with accuracy at a moving target, shooting from behind a Barricade, shooting at multiple targets from as far as 50 yards and shooting at knockdown steel plates 8 inches in diameter with no makeup shots or alibis. There are four competitive divisions -- first is Open which features handguns with state of the art technological upgrades for accuracy to include but not limited to optical sights and recoil compensators. Next is Metallic Sights which features handguns with extensive modifications for accuracy but without optical sights. Production is a very popular division because it features standard out of the box handguns with very few modifications permitted. Rimfire Division allows a competitor to compete using low cost.22 ammunition. The Production and 22 Rimfire Divisions allow a competitor to enjoy and compete in NRA Action Pistol with minimal expense. 2

3 Weak Hand Shooting: AG Gant from Columbia, MO engages multiple targets with weak hand only during the Practical Event A major highlight of the Saturday Regional match was a visit by Wyoming Governor Matt Mead. Governor Mead is an A+ supporter of the NRA, a stalwart defender of Second Amendment rights, hunter rights and the shooting sports. Governor Mead observed some shooting events and took time to meet and greet with all the competitors and range staff. Everyone was thrilled to have Governor Mead attend the Steamboat Challenge and we look forward to his continued interest and support! 3

4 Family Affair: Governor Mead meets with the Ashton Family from Longmont, CO. Emmelia and Maura Ashton are Junior Competitors shooting in.the 22 Rimfire Division. Youth shooter involvement in NRA Action Pistol is very important for the continued growth of the sport. 4

5 Volunteers--the "lifeblood" of running any match. Pictured is Robert Gaskins of Cheyenne who competed and volunteered as a Range Safety Officer. Weather conditions for the Regional match were optimal with plenty of sunshine, a summer breeze and temperatures in the mid to high 60 s. A total of 192 shots were fired among four events with a maximum possible score of X. James Avenell from Columbia, MO fired a perfect 1920 with 174X s and was awarded the NRA Gold Medallion. Troy Mattheyer from Ellis, KS took the Silver and Jonah Avenell (James son) took the Bronze. 5

6 Moving Target: The Moving Target Event requires a competitor to engage a target with multiple shots from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. The target moves at 10 feet per second and is exposed for only 6 seconds. Pictured is Regional Champion James Avenell of Columbia, MO and Robert Gaskins of Cheyenne, WY as Range Safety Officer. The Sunday Wyoming State Championship shooting program had a Olympic twist to it. With the Rio Olympics going on one event in the program was International Rapid Fire which has been an Olympic shooting sport since the Modern games began in Another event was all new to the NRA Action Pistol Program - the Barricade (Modified) requires the competitor to shoot from one side of the Barricade and then reload the pistol or revolver under time pressure and fire on the other side of the Barricade at multiple targets from as far away as 35 yards. There were 174 shots fired over four events with a maximum possible score of X The weather for the State Championship was optimal as Troy Mattheyer from Ellis, KS took home the Bucking Horse and Rider trophy with a score of 1699 with 128X s. Wyoming favorite Justin Clark from Cheyenne finished first in the tough Production Division with a score of 1651 and 99X s. 6

7 In addition to some great competition, the shooting industry came through by donating gift certificates and merchandise for the competitor prize table. Steamboat Challenge is grateful for the support from Chey-Cast Bullets, MidSouth Shooting Supply, Starline Brass, Hornady Manufacturing, Lee Precision, Hodgdon, Laserlyte, and Hogue Handgun Grips. We look forward to their continued support of the Steamboat Challenge. The 2016 Steamboat Challenge was a huge success and we look forward to the continued support and growth of NRA Action Pistol shooting sport. The 2017 edition of the Steamboat Challenge will be conducted on August 19 and 20. See you next year in Ol Cheyenne! Barricade Event: The Barricade Event involves shooting from strong and weak side barricade on multiple targets under variable time limits at 10, 15, 25, and 35 yards. Pictured is Ryan Franks of the US Army Marksmanship Unit from Ft. Benning, GA 7

8 Governor Mead meets Vera Koo from Atherton, CA. Ms. Koo is an eight time Women s National Champion in the NRA Action Pistol sport. 8

9 Falling Plates: Jonah Avenell from Columbia MO fires from prone position during the Falling Plates event. The falling plates involves shooting at a bank of six 8 inch steel plates which fall down when hit. All shooting is done under time pressure. from 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards with no makeup shots or alibis. 9