by CDR Steve Killingsworth, USN (Ret)
It is widely known that our great state of Arizona is home to many of our nation’s and the world’s best shooters. And once again, as it has several times in the past, the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association (ASRPA) Pistol Team proved its shooting prowess at the 2018 National Pistol Championship Matches in July at historic Camp Perry, Ohio, on the sunny, warm, breezy south shore of Lake Erie.
Camp Perry has been home to the National Matches since 1907. It is named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who built, armed, and sailed from these shores a small but powerful squadron of warships to engage and defeat a British enemy in the hard-fought and decisive Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.
The National Pistol Championship Matches comprise a total of seven days of competition: Five days of individual and team matches in .22, Centerfire, and .45 caliber, all conducted by the National Rifle Association (NRA); followed by two days of tough Service Pistol Excellence-in-Competition (EIC), President’s Hundred, National Trophy Individual (NTI), .22 Distinguished Rimfire EIC, and National Trophy Team (NTT) Matches; all conducted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The sport is Conventional Outdoor Pistol, now called Precision Pistol, but will always be known to the shooters as Bullseye. It is fired all one-handed: slow fire at an 8-inch bull at 50 yards, and timed- and rapid fire on turning targets, under fast, demanding time constraints, at 25 yards. This challenging sport is known to really hone one’s fundamental shooting skills to a higher degree, benefitting performance in virtually all other rifle and pistol sports.
The ASRPA Pistol Team included shooters with classifications from Marksman to Master: David Bagesse, Tim Copley, and NRA Action Pistol/ Bianchi Cup (Production Division) National Champion Kyle Schmidt, all from Gilbert; Eugene Berman and California International Centerfire State Champion Steve Killingsworth, both of Fountain Hills; and multiple-time action-shooting-sport National and World ChampionRob Leatham of Mesa. This six-man team would be augmented on the last afternoon of competition for the CMP National Trophy Team Match (NTT), with three High-Master-Class shooters: five-time National Champion Steve Reiter of Tucson, multiple-time Arizona State Champion and Second Place National Champion John Zurek of Alpine, and multiple-time Arizona, California, and Oregon State Champion Tony Silva of Snowflake. All nine of these shooters train and compete regularly at the world-class bullseye range at Phoenix Rod and Gun Club
For the five days of NRA matches, a formidable four-man team was assembled each day from the original six to compete in the tough State Association Sharpshooter Class. Steve Killingsworth captained and coached. Through teamwork and strong focus on their shooting fundamentals, the ASRPA Team took Second Place Sharpshooter Class State Association Team in both Centerfire and .45 Caliber Matches. Excellent scores were fired by David Bagesse with his Hammerli Exesse Sport, Tim Copley with his Ruger MK III, Rob Leatham and Kyle Schmidt with their Springfield XDm Service Pistols, and Eugene Berman with his S&W Model 52 .38 Master, all boosting the Team to very respectable team scores in .22, Centerfire, and .45.
The 5 days of NRA matches proved to be good training for many (also providing many humbling lessons), for two days of the challenging and prestigious CMP matches that followed.
With the NRA matches complete, the ASRPA Team was now able to tap the skills of the three heavy-hitting Arizona champions Steve Reiter, John Zurek, and Tony Silva (who had now completed shooting for their sponsor teams)for the toughest-of-the-tough, CMP National Trophy Team Match (NTT). Action pistol champion Kyle Schmidt fired as the new shooter. The bold and colorful Arizona state flag was planted and stood tall on the range. The Arizona Team fired their Service Pistols well, posting a score of 1078-23x out of 1200 for Highest Scoring Civilian Team, earning the coveted Oglethorpe Trophy for Arizona for the 4th time in the Trophy’s 57-year history.
Individual accomplishments of the ASRPA Team members were many. Several shot very good scores in the Service Pistol EIC and the National Trophy Individual (NTI) Matches, as well as in the .22 Distinguished Rimfire EIC. See below for a list of individual awards.
The experience of shooting at Camp Perry left an impression on all the ASRPA Team members: whether it was initially crumbling to match nerves only to come back strong the next day, to improving one’s hold and concentration and thus one’s scores throughout the week, to shooting alongside legendary champions, to sharing in the extremely helpful nature of fellow bullseye shooters, to appreciating the colorful history of Perry’s time-honored championship grounds, and most significantly, to enjoying the camaraderie of shooting with several hundred of one’s best friends in this famous place we know so well and will journey to again.
ASRPA Team Members’ Individual Awards
John Zurek:
- 2018 NRA National Champion, .22 Caliber Match, score 884-42x
- Selected for 2018 Mayleigh Cup Team
- Citizens’ Military Pistol Trophy for HIgh Civilian Competitor, National Trophy Individual Match (NTI), score 288-11x
- Elihu Root Gold Medal for Third Highest Scoring Civilian Competitor in National Trophy Team Match (NTT)
- Earned his approximately 18th President’s Hundred Medal at 24th/100
Steve Reiter:
- Earned his approximately 35th President’s Hundred Medal at 61st/100
Tony Silva:
- Earned his 14th President’s Hundred Medal at 48th/100
Kyle Schmidt:
- President’s Hundred High-Scoring Civilian Competitor with the Springfied XDm
- President’s Hundred High-Scoring non-distinguished Civilian Competitor
- Earned 18 Leg Points toward his Distinguished Pistolshot Badge
- Earned his first President’s Hundred Medal at 78th/100
Steve Killingsworth:
- Elihu Root Gold Medal for Coach of Highest Scoring Civilian Team, National Trophy Team Match (NTT)
- Earned his 7th President’s Hundred Medal at 40th/100
