Parker Wins Challenge

[Reggie B]

Daryl I applaud your efforts to get more people involved in these shoots and in turn maybe getting more people interested in classic American double guns.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Had a nice discussion with Daryl on Sunday about the whole FPC and FLC. We agreed on most things and disagreed on very few. As the Polish proverb says, “Not my circus, not my monkeys”!! Whatever the format is most of us will still shoot to qualify and if fortunate enough to reach the shoot-off, we’ll shoot with the same focus and competitive fire as always! Daryl, always remember, broken glass and razor blades.

[Double Lab]

At this point, the broken glass seems the more humane side.

Once again the super sporting course yesterday was great! If any members can get the chance to shoot it at Rock Mountain, don't pass it up. Sometimes it ain't about the score but the fun of a new venue.

[Cold Spring]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

[snip] ...... Once again the super sporting course yesterday was great! If any members can get the chance to shoot it at Rock Mountain, don't pass it up. Sometimes it ain't about the score but the fun of a new venue.

Sunday marked the annual members shoot-off and luncheon at nearby Rock Mountain. Daryl and Smitty stopped by to shoot before heading back to their homes, First pic L to R - Abby, Frank, Daryl and Mike

Second: Quite a range of guns on our squad ..... two Parker small bores (28 & 16), Model 12, Browning o/u and Beretta competition gas gun

Last: Abby is getting close to getting her own vintage SxS. Here she's trying out Mike's way cool 32" VH 16 bore

[Mike Franzen]

To be honest, one complaint I haven’t heard, “I never get to qualify because of the rules”. I have dreamed for years of making the Parker Team but so far I haven’t shot well enough. I don’t blame the event organizers, I realize there are better shooters than me and I need more practice. There are not many IMHO that want to put in the hours and rounds to be considered a competitive shooter. If someone is working towards that they realize right away it’s a highest score game. So they keep trying or they give up on becoming competitive. When we try to “Level the playing field” it’s usually because our team isn’t winning enough and there perceived unfair advantages. I say leave the challenges as they are - for the top guns. Spend time on devising shooting games anyone can enjoy. For example, in 2019 Ernie had some kind of flurry event you shot with a partner. John Davis and shot that together and had the best time. Ernie also had a game that was like shooting live birds where you had to break the target before it flew beyond the boundaries. Again, a lot of fun. We should be trying to attract more shooters, collectors and bystanders. Worrying about who wins these challenges is counterproductive. The vast majority of the different organizations members couldn’t care less when it comes right down to it. They go to these events because they want to have fun. If the whining and squabbling become the main thing it will soon die and fade away. Just look what happened to the Vintagers.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Mike, we started doing a Pro-Am Shoot here at our SXS event. We take the top 5 scores and bottom 5 scores in any 50 bird event and pair them up. Basically 1-10,2-9,3-8,4-7,5-6. Shoot-off has 5 report pair. The "Am" must shoot at each target first, the "Pro" can only shoot back-up. Keeps it interesting and gets more shooters involved into the competetive team concept. They all have fun and no complaints about the format. I like the FPC and FLC in the top 5 vs top 5 format, but will shoot it no matter what is done. Maybe a Pro-Am type deal as a new event with no differentiation between Parker or Fox shot earlier in the day? All scores put in the list and Pros and Ams figured from there. Only issue would be whether the 5-Stand would be busy or not.

[Double Lab]

Originally Posted by Mike Koneski

Mike, we started doing a Pro-Am Shoot here at our SXS event. We take the top 5 scores and bottom 5 scores in any 50 bird event and pair them up. Basically 1-10,2-9,3-8,4-7,5-6. Shoot-off has 5 report pair. The "Am" must shoot at each target first, the "Pro" can only shoot back-up. Keeps it interesting and gets more shooters involved into the competetive team concept. They all have fun and no complaints about the format. I like the FPC and FLC in the top 5 vs top 5 format, but will shoot it no matter what is done. Maybe a Pro-Am type deal as a new event with no differentiation between Parker or Fox shot earlier in the day? All scores put in the list and Pros and Ams figured from there. Only issue would be whether the 5-Stand would be busy or not.

I like that idea Big Guy. Might be a way to satisfy everyone but it could turn in to a time/scheduling nightmare. Something to think about.

[Pa SxS]

Let me give you my thought per my perspective.

First the competition aspect and I'll just talk about the Parker vs. LC Smith Challenge at the Southern for now. Each year I ask myself if I really want to shoot the qualifier and pay 60 cents per target for essentially practice? Being a realist, I know I have a snowballs chance in hell of making the team. Every year I do it. Why? First, I like to hear the gun go off, secondly, I want to support my Association, and thirdly, some part of the entry fee goes to a good cause. 10 high gun shooters make the team for each Association. I don't know how many shooters shoot the qualifier but the shooting is continuous for all day Friday and a half day Saturday. That's a lot of shooters and the majority of them will never make their team. It's the same shooters who make the team year after year plus or minus a couple of new additions. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching these guys break targets in the shootoff that I can't hit in my dreams. No amount of practice at my age will bring me up to their level.

Now for the Fox Parker Challenge, I want to congratulate Steve, Craig, and Daryl for trying something new to get the "average shooter" involved in the challenge. It seems like many of the "Top Dogs" don't like it. I guess only 2 "Top Dogs" in the shootoff is not enough. They want it all, even though it's been that way in the Fox Parker Challenge for years, and it's always been that way at the Southern. I can tell you that my name was drawn for the Parker team and I was apprehensive about shooting. I didn't want everyone to see how bad of a shot I was (although many already knew) and cost the Parker team the win. I hadn't been in a shootoff in almost 20 years while shooting ATA. I sucked it up and shot but boy was I nervous as I'm sure Dennis Downs and Fox shooter Laura Beavers was. I can tell you this, my nerves were a wreck and my heart was pounding when I took the line. My memory of shootoffs long ago are still etched in my memory and this one will be too. Lets think of the average shooters in our Associations a little more, the "Top Dogs" will still get their bones. Big shout out to Laura Beavers for giving it her best shot.

[Pa SxS]

Some pictures of the Fox Parker Challenge. Moe, Larry, Curly

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Chuck Bishop

Let me give you my thought per my perspective.

First the competition aspect and I'll just talk about the Parker vs. LC Smith Challenge at the Southern for now. Each year I ask myself if I really want to shoot the qualifier and pay 60 cents per target for essentially practice? Being a realist, I know I have a snowballs chance in hell of making the team. Every year I do it. Why? First, I like to hear the gun go off, secondly, I want to support my Association, and thirdly, some part of the entry fee goes to a good cause. 10 high gun shooters make the team for each Association. I don't know how many shooters shoot the qualifier but the shooting is continuous for all day Friday and a half day Saturday. That's a lot of shooters and the majority of them will never make their team. It's the same shooters who make the team year after year plus or minus a couple of new additions. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching these guys break targets in the shootoff that I can't hit in my dreams. No amount of practice at my age will bring me up to their level.

I shot the 20 and 16 challenges at Sanford this year . Each three times I think and qualified for the 20 . Sorry to say I didn’t shoot the open challenge , I will next year several times . Didn’t name guns in June at Hausemann’s so I suppose I wasn’t able to qualify . I did at Mikes and qualified . And provided I’m
Alive and the creek don’t rise I’ll compete in all three challenges at Georgetown . To be quite honest I thrive on competition and Sanford got my competitive juices flowing again . Can’t say I consider myself top dog caliber but I’m damn sure nipping at their heels .