The atmosphere surrounding competitive shooting varies depending upon the discipline. Smallbore, for example, is a festival. Galleries are filled with canopies, flags, friends, and family. Spectators work the grill, yell out support, and cheer without abandon. Long Range High Power, on the other hand, is an island. No flags, no cheering -- just a solemn climate of concentration. Which is why the appearance of a family on the sidelines stood out during Long Range at Camp Perry.

Conspicuously stationed amongst the abandoned wagons on gear was the Litke family. Live and in person at Camp Perry for one reason and one reason only. "We wanted be here to show our support, we're very proud of him," the family echoed. And what a family it was.

Mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, another grandmother, godmother, father–in–law, mother–in–law ... everyone except for the family dog. Well, almost everyone — apparently Mrs. Jared Litke (the competitor's wife) drew the short straw and was home watching the dogs. Talk about luck.

The rest of family Litke traveled two hours from their home base of Stow, Ohio, to watch their Marine in his second attempt at besting Camp Perry. "He actually shot pretty well for his first time in competition last year," said his mom. "He's doing well this year too. We're proud of everything he's done – especially joining the Corps."

Currently stationed in Quantico, Virginia, Jared joined the Marines four years ago this May. And the family couldn't have been happier with his decision. "We were excited when he told us he wanted to join," said his mom. "It was something he chose to do, he had a plan all together, and he simply completed the plan. He just went in and has been doing wonderful."

Bob Gustin of Cameron Park, California, didn't set out to establish a new record at the 2010 NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio - so he set two. One as part of a team and one all on his own.

"Guess it was my time," Gustin mused. "After 46 years of shooting here at Camp Perry, I should have set a record at something."

First on the agenda was the Palma Individual title. That's fifteen shots from 800, 900, and 1000 yards. And how many times did Bob make it out of the ten ring? Not once.

"I cleaned it," said Gustin. "I've shot a perfect round before, but never with this many Xs."

His score of 450-33x beat the old mark by six of those Xs. And who's numbers did he beat? Palma teammate Nancy Tompkins-Gallagher. Just to show there were no hard feelings, Nancy and her daughter Michelle joined Bob along with Bryan Litz to set a new Palma Team Match record of 1796-119x. A quintessential feat for the boy who once begged his father to take him to the range.

"Dad never shot a rifle in his life," said Gustin. "I asked so he took me. My father was great that way."

Bob started shooting on the smallbore range. Then, in 1980, he switched to reserve shooting with the service rifle section until ultimately moving to high power in 1990. Twenty years later, he's perfected the shot and spends even more time on the range.

After retiring from a 31 year stint on the California Highway Patrol (No CHiP references please - "I haven't said anything nasty about you yet" ... Bob Gustin ) Bob now gets to do what he really loves.

"I shoot," Gustin laughed. "Well, I also drive my wife around in our motor home. Last place we saw was Shipshewana, Indiana. There's a nice Amish community there that she likes to visit for the quilting, the food and the people."

But retired or not, Bob always finds time for practice. We all do when it comes to doing what comes natural aids in perfecting one of the things he loves best.

"I just like shooting. It's fun and you meet a lot of interesting people. Especially here at Perry."

Palma Team Match awards were handed out this afternoon in a ceremony held at the base of Viale Range. While top billing went to team Litz-Gallagher with a recording breaking score of 1796-119x, there were still plenty of other prizes to hand out.

Scores are listed below: Congratulations to all team members and competitors.

Match 523 – Palma Team Match - Palma Rifle
Team Name	Results
Litz-Gallagher	1796-119x
SE Rifle Club Blue	1788-106x
Bald Eagles Jones	1788-104x

Match 524 – Palma Team Match - Service Rifle
Team Name	Results
USAMU Craig	1761-69x
All Guard Kerin	1716-045x
Oh R&P Assoc/Service Go	1610-028x

Match 525 – Palma Team Match - Any Rifle
Team Name	Results
Buckeye Volunteers	1704-40x

Photos from the Palma Course Team Matches Awards at Camp Perry

The last shots of the Palma Course Team Matches were fired on the 1000 yard line to officially end the 2010 National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry.

The Palma Course Team Matches are halfway through at Camp Perry. Match #523 (Palma Rifle), #524 (Service Rifle), and #525 (Any Rifle) are fired concurrently from 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Four-member teams shoot unlimited sighting shots and 15 shots for record in the prone position at each point.

Here are photos of competitors shooting from the 800 and 900 yard points:

When walking the line here at Camp Perry, one can’t but help to notice a feather or two firmly planted in the ground. Pick one up, and the officials will pounce. After befuddling a few shooters while searching for the answer, NRAblog tracked down Assistant Chief Range Officer Neal Waldron for an explanation.

“They mark off the blocks,” said Waldron. “And if you run over them with a golf cart then they’ll pop right back up. You won’t get the same performance from a big metal stake.”

Blocks are the areas of responsibility that each Block Officer manages. If a shooter needs an armorer, a target pulled, or a rule clarification then it’s the Block Officer who starts the ball rolling. But they can only roll the ball in their sector – which is sectioned off by the feathers.

“Camp Perry is the only place I’ve seen them used,” said Waldron. “We usually find them on the range or on the beach. That fella down there, he brings his own. Think he likes to put them in his hat. But it works. Nobody can argue with that.”

NRAblog sat down with 2010 Long Range High Power Rifle Champion John Whidden after the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday night. Here’s a portion of that interview:

Standing on the stage with a smile that just won’t quit, three-time Long Range High Power Rifle Champion John Whidden has little time for thought. Much like his performance on the firing line, it’s all intuition and instinct as he’s flooded with questions and congratulations. Hands are thrust from every direction through arms, past heads, and between the bodies that block the way. He does his best to keep up with the action, but the crowd's enthusiasm is difficult to tame. Eventually, he finds an opening and steps back from the action.

“It felt good getting off to a respectable start on the first day,” Whidden reflected. “That just sets the stage for everything.”

A respectable start was a bit of a surprise as John all but neglected his usual summer training regiment. Eventually, as calendar trudged on into new year, he started ramping things up.

“Over the past few weeks, I got really excited about the Championship,” said Whidden. “I started training really hard. It was sort of like cramming at the last minute for the big exam.”

The cram sessions worked and now John is one of the few three-time champs. Still, you get the impression that win or lose, he has discovered a hint of contentment in the mere act of competing. With the right group of companions, just being there is enough.

“I had a great time, enjoyed the shoot offs, man it was just great. Being surrounded by a bunch of really good folks, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my trip.”

The complete interview with 2010 National Long Range High Power Rifle Champ John Whidden will appear later this month on NRAblog.

Last night marked the conclusion of the Long Range High Power edition of the 2010 National Rifle and Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. Today NRAblog heads out to the Viale Range for the Palma Team matches. While we wait for those results, take a moment to view the pictures from last night's Awards Ceremony.

Long Range High Power Awards at Camp Perry

Nothing is official until names are named tonight at the Hough Theater in Camp Perry, Ohio, but for all intents and purposes, the national Long Range High Power Champion of 2010 is John Whidden. With an overall score of 1243-75x, he bests the AMU's Brandon Keith Green by three points and, if the bulls came into play, 15x.

Still shooting at the same mountain side he fired on before his first championship in 2007, the only thing more important than Whidden's membership in the three-peat club is the possibility of making it to the four-peaters. There he would join long time adversary (and 5-time Long Range champ) G. David Tubb. But for that you'll have check back with us next year.

From John Whidden-Camp Perry

Until then, enjoy the above shots of John in action and get ready for a boatload of photos from tonight's Awards Ceremony. Inside the Hough Theater, tonight at 8 p.m., Long Rangers only -- along with anyone else who wishes to attend.

All stages of the Palma Individual Trophy Match have been shot and the scores are coming in. These scores are only preliminary and have not been finalized yet.

Match 540 – Palma Individual Trophy Match
Competitor	Results
Robert Gustin	450-33x
Robert Steketee	449-24x
Kelly Bachand	447-27x
David G. Tubb	447-26x
Bill Bowers	447-23x

Not only did Sports Illustrated send the wily Chris Ballard to write about Camp Perry, but they also sent sport photographer extraordinaire Bob Rosato to snap a few pictures. In all honesty, Bob spent the better part of five days taking hundreds of pictures from all sorts of angles.

And in case there is any confusion on the matter, the sampled picture below is of Lance Dement, not Brandon Green.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard made his way to Camp Perry last year to cover the 2009 Long Range High Power Championship. Here's a segment from his piece:

Could you hit a target 1,000 yards away? These sharpshooters can

Sherri Gallagher is 26 years old and has dark hair, pretty brown eyes and a shy smile. She likes Top 40 music, is unfailingly polite and occasionally wears her hair in pigtails. She is also so proficient with a rifle that if you were standing 1,000 yards away from her -- which is to say, 10 football fields or almost two thirds of a mile -- she could put a bullet within 10 inches of your heart 100 out of 100 times.

Not that she would, of course, but she could.

At the moment, Gallagher is prone on the ground and staring down the scope of her .308 Palma rifle at one of 40-odd competition targets on the horizon. It is August in northern Ohio and the air is gelatinous from the heat, yet Gallagher is wearing a sweatshirt under her Army fatigues so that she can cushion her shoulder and muffle the vibration of her heartbeat. At the moment, her pulse is so low that she could be mistaken for being asleep, and she is modulating her breathing to create eight-second windows of physiological stillness. This is important, for even the slightest deviation in the position of the muzzle -- say, the width of a piece of paper -- can send her bullet off course by as much as a foot.

The same goes for the wind, currently gusting from the west, which, when combined with the effects of gravity, mean she essentially has to "lead" her target. So great is this effect that, if you were to slow it down, the arc of her bullet would resemble a big, looping curveball, rising nearly 30 feet above the ground and then swooping to the right before punching a hole through the bull's-eye.

Read the rest of Sports Illustrated's story on the 2009 Long Range High Power Championships.

 

Before the Palma Individual Trophy match scores are entered, here are the results so far for the Canadian Cup Match. The Canadian Cup Match is an aggregate of matches 534 through 540. Scores will definitely change, and possibly leaders as well, once today's final match results are entered. As of right now, looks like John Whidden might not only be taking home the National High Power Rifle Long Range Championship title, but also the Canadian Cup title as well.

 

Match 501 – Canadian Cup Match
Competitor	Results
John Whidden	400-27x
Brandon Keith Green	400-18x
Larry Miller	398-17x
Robert Gustin	397-24x
Russ Theurer	397-20x

All relays have completed firing from the 800 yard mark for the long range Palma Individual Trophy Match. Relays 3 and 4 have also finished shooting from the 900 yard line and are getting ready to work the pits. Relays 1 and 2 will then shoot from the 900 and 1000 yard lines. Here are photos of competitors shooting from 900 yards.

The Palma Individual Trophy Match has started this morning out at the 800 yard line. Competitors will then move back to shoot at the 900 and 1000 yard lines. Shooters have unlimited practice firing and 15 shots for record at each firing point. All practice firing and the specified 15 record shots per stage must be completed in 22 minutes. Here are photos of competitors shooting from the 800 yard line:

From 800 yd-Palma Individual-Camp Perry