Vallonia woman claims wins two classes during National Rimfire Sporter Match

0

Ashley Brugnone

For The Tribune

Leading two separate classes in the 2021 National Rimfire Sporter Match was Jeannie Redicker of Vallonia, overtaking the T-Class and TU Class.

The 57-year-old’s wins were reminiscent of each other, outshooting the second-place competitors by only X’s to earn the top spots.

The National Rimfire Sporter Match, part of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s National Matches, was fired July 25 on Camp Perry’s Viale Range in Ohio.

During the event, competitors fired from 50 and 25 yards in prone, sitting and standing positions. More than 260 competitors took to the firing line during the match in Open Sight (O), Telescope Sight (T) and Tactical (TU) classes.

“I was the most relaxed I have ever been at the National Matches,” Redicker said. “This year has been a rough year, and I was unable to practice or shoot much. I wasn’t expecting to have a good showing. With that in mind, I came to Perry with the attitude to just have fun, enjoy the day on this beautiful, historical range and let the matches take care of themselves.”

Redicker said the conditions of match day were perfect — hot but with a nice breeze.

“I was satisfied with my scores but never expected to win overall,” she said.

When not at Camp Perry, Redicker competes in the CMP sanctioned matches held throughout the year at the Bedford Contingent range in Bedford. The local matches prepare her for the competition side of nationals, but some things just can’t be simulated.

“Nothing compares to the magnitude of Perry,” she said. “Add in the factor that you are shooting in the National Matches and it is a very unique experience, one that I would encourage any shooter to participate in.”

Redicker’s aggregate score of 590-33X in the TU Class narrowly beat out Peter Yarbro, 46, of Mishawaka, who fired a score of 590-28X. The class consisted of 62 competitors.

In the T-Class, Redicker collected a score of 592-33X, including perfect scores of 100 in the prone slow fire, prone rapid fire and standing slow fire stages. Finishing behind Redicker with a score of 592-26X was Marissa Bensch, 21, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, who claimed the high woman title in the match. There were 154 competitors in the class.

Bensch went on to earn the high woman honor in the O-Class, earning a score of 567-18X and sixth overall. She also earned the title at the last National Rimfire Sporter event in 2019 and was the high 4-H competitor of the class in 2018.

Claiming the overall win in the O-Class in 2021 was past National Rimfire Sporter Match winner Steven Slee, 57, of Dimondale, Michigan, with a score of 589-37X. He won against 50 other competitors.

New in 2021 was the addition of the Rimfire Dewer Match, held on the CMP’s Smallbore range. Participants in the event fired 20 shots from both 50 and 100 yards in 20-minute stages. Winning the inaugural match was Eric Mantooth, 52, of Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, with a score of 387-14X.

No posts to display