Teams of active-duty and retired military and other veterans enjoyed competition and camaraderie during the 55th Annual Armed Services Skeet Championship held here May 11-15.
Each five-person team competed in 12-gauge, 20-gauge 28-gauge and 410-gauge shotgun events, as well as the doubles and high overall events, said retired Marine Corps Col. Chris Naler, President of the Armed Forces Skeet Association.
The Navy took the team win. Army Spc. Dustan Taylor won the High Over All, or HOA, Championship for the shoot.
Throughout the week, each team shot at a clay target weighing about two or three ounces and measuring just over five and a quarter inches in diameter. The targets flew between 42 and 46 mph, projecting from a high house or low house.
The teams shot 100 targets per shooter or 500 per team for a total of 2,500 total targets for the competition, Naler said.
The team that shoots the highest number of targets cumulatively wins ownership of the large traveling trophy -- complete with each service branch’s emblem on it -- for the year. Each year, the winning team adds an engraved plate displaying its team name and their score. Individuals also win medallions and other prizes.
Bragging rights are nice, but the colonel, who shot for the Marine Corps’ skeet team from 2006 to 2014, said many come more for the camaraderie.
A ‘Fabulous Experience' for Veterans
“We enjoy ribbing each other with regards to our respective services, but in the end we’re representing all those who have served honorably,” Naler said. “It’s just a fabulous experience, seeing generations of military. We have Korean War veterans, Vietnam-era vets, several veterans from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. There’s one squad here of retired shooters who’ve been shooting together at this event for 31 years. That shows you the kind of bond that comes when you serve in uniform.”
Taylor, a U.S. Army Marksman Unit shooter and instructor from Fort Benning, Georgia, has been shooting for nine years. He said he enjoys the shooting competition, especially with the veterans.
“It’s amazing, hearing their stories, just the way the Army used to be and the way it is now, or the Marines or Navy or Air Force, whichever the case it may be,” said Taylor, who will be trying out for the Olympics in October. “My coach, the one who helped me to become an AAA shooter, he had 20 years in the Air Force, and he really helped me out along the way.”
AAA is the highest class for a skeet shooter.
Marksmanship Experience
Skeet shooting can improve marksmanship because the shooter is aiming at moving targets, Naler said. The competitors said the sport could have real-world applications.
“Competitions like this are important because marksmanship has gradually declined from World War II to where it’s not really measured in the number of rounds we fire to take out an insurgent or individual. It’s measured in the tonnage of ammunition that we have to use,” Taylor said. “More emphasis on marksmanship would really bring up the effectiveness of a small team as opposed to having to use a bigger force or suppressive fire.”
Skeet shooting helps him to focus, said Marine Corps Sgt. Paxton Elliott, a signals intelligence communicator from Camp Pendleton, California.
“We’re taught that every Marine is a rifleman, but shooting skeet is different,” he said. “We learn the fundamentals in boot camp and every year thereafter, but it’s quite different when you apply those to a moving target with a shotgun versus a stationary target with a rifle.”
Elliot added, “But it just takes time. Each time you step up on the station, you have to be in the moment and focus. It’s been six months, and I’m getting to where I’m pretty confident. I’m going to take that skill back to the rifle and pistol range in the Marine Corps and it will help considerably.”
Stress Aid
Navy Lt. Conor Stephens, an intelligence officer at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, has been shooting for nine years and skeet shooting for six years. He shot his first 100 out of 100 this week. This is his fourth Armed Services Skeet Championship. He said skeet shooting helps him handle stressful situations in his military role.
“I’ve improved shooting under pressure, and I’ve dealt better with stressful situations because of my skeet shooting,” Stephens said. “It has kept me calm and focused. It’s very beneficial.”
Army Capt. Katie Fichtner, an artillery officer from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, encourages service members and veterans to give skeet shooting a try. She has been shooting for about seven years and this is her first Armed Services Skeet Championship.
“When I first started, I was very intimidated and my brother basically dragged me out onto the skeet field,” Fichtner said. “Since then, it’s been a wonderful experience. You can start anywhere at any age. I’ve met some gentlemen out here who just started shooting three years ago, and they are about 65 years old.”
She added, “You can start at any age and at any ability. There are so many local gun clubs. Most installations have MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) programs. I encourage anyone to just go out, find a local gun club and get started.”