Team Smith & Wesson Earns Ten Division Titles At International Revolver Championship
Jerry Miculek Extends Winning Streak to 18 Consecutive Victories.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--(Ammoland.com)- Smith & Wesson Corp., announced today that Team Smith & Wesson members earned an unprecedented ten division titles during the International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) 19th Annual Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championship (IRC).
During this year’s competition held in San Luis Obispo, California, Team Smith & Wesson took home multiple wins in the Open, Limited and Retro Revolver Divisions. The IRC match was highlighted by wins from Jerry Miculek, John Bagakis, Craig Buckland, Annette Aysen, Elliot Aysen, Team Captain Julie Golob and junior shooters Molly Smith and Janae Sarabia.
Continuing his record-winning streak of back-to-back title victories since competing in the 1993 IRC, Jerry Miculek once again defended his Open Division title against the field of 86 division shooters. Using a Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 627 V-Comp, Miculek was able to capture his 18th consecutive victory at the IRC, outpacing his nearest competitor by just over 35 seconds. Miculek also went on to be named the Open Senior title winner.
“Each year, the IRC brings together the best revolver shooters in the world and with such a talented field, being able to win your division is never a given,” said Jerry Miculek. “In preparation for this match, I concentrate on not taking anything for granted. The stages of fire are always challenging and it only takes a couple of mistakes to fall behind. The match staff did an excellent job with the event and it was great to see all of my team members perform so well.”
Following Miculek’s lead was Team Captain Julie Golob and junior shooter Janae Sarabia, who competed in the women’s Open Division. In just the third ICORE match of Golob’s shooting career, the Smith & Wesson Champion was able to come from behind on the final stage of fire to claim the top spot for the second year in a row. Using a Smith & Wesson 627 V-Comp, Golob was successful in capturing her third major victory of the 2010 season. Finishing third in the women’s Open Division was thirteen year-old Janae Sarabia. A California native, Sarabia’s final time of 417.83 left her a mere four seconds out of second place. Along with her impressive third place overall finish, Sarabia was also named the Junior Open Division title winner.
In the Limited Division, Team Smith & Wesson members swept the top two spots with John Bagakis edging out fellow teammate Elliot Aysen for the division title. Bagakis, who has now won the Limited Division three years in a row, won six of the 12 stages of fire shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 627. Bagakis’ final time of 267.75 placed him seventh overall in the match. Following closely behind Bagakis was team member Elliot Aysen. Aysen, who repeated his second place finish from the previous year, also went on to be named the Limited Senior Champion. The 2010 IRC also saw multiple wins by Team Smith & Wesson in women’s Limited Division with impressive performances by Annette Aysen and junior shooter Molly Smith. Winning all but one of the 12 stages of fire, Aysen turned in yet another dominating performance, successfully defending her Ladies Limited title. Placing third in the women’s Limited Division was thirteen year-old Molly Smith. Smith, continuing her momentum from the NRA Bianchi Cup, finished the match with a final score of 460.40, allowing her to take home the Junior Limited Division title for Team Smith & Wesson.
Concluding division wins by Team Smith & Wesson was team member Craig Buckland. Buckland, competing in the newly formed Retro Revolver Division, won six of the 12 stages of fire using a Smith & Wesson Model 66-2. Buckland’s final score of 349.00 gave him the division title by over 13 seconds from the nearest competitor. Buckland opted to shoot a second entry at the IRC using the same Model 66-2 in the Limited Division. In his second entry, Buckland was successful in winning the High Six Shooter Title.
“Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen multiple members of Team Smith & Wesson deliver strong performances in some of the toughest competitions of the season,” said Tom Kelly, Vice President of Marketing for Smith & Wesson.
“From Jerry’s amazing 18 consecutive victories to the incredible displays of talent from two of our youngest shooters, Janae and Molly, it has certainly been an exciting month for Team Smith & Wesson. On behalf of the company, I would like to extend a special congratulations to each of the eight titleholders and to all of the other shooters who competed under the Smith & Wesson banner. It has been inspiring to watch this team of athletes take shape and we look forward to watching them progress throughout the rest of year.”
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC) is a U.S.-based, global provider of products and services for safety, security, protection and sport. The company designs and constructs facility perimeter security solutions for military and commercial applications, and delivers a broad portfolio of firearms and related training to the military, law enforcement and sports markets. SWHC companies include Smith & Wesson Corp., the globally recognized manufacturer of quality firearms; Universal Safety Response, a full-service perimeter security integrator, barrier manufacturer and installer; and Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting firearms. SWHC facilities are located in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Tennessee. For more information on Smith & Wesson and its companies, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com; www.usrgrab.com; or www.tcarms.com.