World Class Steel Announces East Coast Pro-Am Championship Winners

World Class Steel Announces ‘East Coast Pro-Am Championship’ Winners

Old Bridge, New Jersey – -(AmmoLand.com)- On June 8th and 9th the World Class Steel shooting organization conducted the 1st annual East Coast Pro Am Championship. The championship was held at the outdoor range facilities of the Old Bridge Rifle and Pistol Club, located in Old Bridge, New Jersey. More than 160 competitors took on more than 240 steel knockdown targets spread among seven stages while vying for the top positions in each of four divisions.

Congratulations go out to the top place finishers in each of these divisions. Taking first in the Open Pistol Division was James McGinty, sponsored by both STI International, of Georgetown Texas, and Shuemann barrel. James is a Junior shooter well on his way to being one of the top shooters in the country. Taking second was Smith & Wesson Team member Dave Olhasso. Third place was awarded to Mike DiGennaro. Mike performed a great showing at his first major match since returning to competitive shooting after taking a ten-year hiatus. With his “among-the-top” showing here, Mike proved that he still has the potential to be at the top of his sport in the 2009 season. Mike has started a great shooting school, Sport Shooters Training and a tremendous shooter-oriented website, www.hoserhaven.webs.com. Great to see you back Mike and we at World Class Steel wish you continued success in all of your endeavors.

The Iron Pistol Division top spot was taken By Dave Olhasso, followed by James McGinty in second place with Dave Marques, just four points behind McGinty, taking the third position in the Division.

The Open Carbine Division saw George Meschi leading the pack and taking home the top slot.

Iron Carbine saw newcomer Danny Lisk, in only his second year of competitive shooting, take the first place award shooting a Hi Point carbine – nice shooting Danny!

The Pro Am event was patterned after the Pro Am Matches that Phil Strader organized at the USSA complex located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Pro Am is a mix of action pistol and knockdown steel that is shot using a predetermined par-time. Stages were designed and props set in each of six ranges allowing shooters to engage as many as 45 targets from different shooting positions. Firearms were allowed to have 11 rounds in the gun to start but no more than 10 rounds in any subsequent magazine. A tie- breaker stage of typical knockdown format was set up in one range. This stage saw shooters standing behind a table with firearm loaded and touching the table; on signal the shooter commenced firing until all targets were knocked down. Score for this stage was the amount of time it took to knock down all targets. This stage was indeed needed in a few close instances during the match to determine the correct order of finish. We would like to thank Phil for his direction and input into the match and also for allowing us to bring and run such a great shooting event to the East Coast in 2009.

We at World Class Steel would also like to thank the many volunteers who helped with the setup of the many stages and who performed as range Officers throughout the event. And, of course, our thanks to the many competitors who traveled from both near and far to participate in the 2009 Pro Am Championship. Needless to say, without the volunteers and the competitors the championship would not have been possible. Also, I would be remiss if I did not take the time to thank and acknowledge all the efforts of the members of the World Class Steel match committee: John Perciballi for Match Development, Chris Buchholz for Registration, scoring and emails, Matt DeVries for photography and website update, and Danny Lisk and Bill Forrai for field operations.

Looking toward the 2010 East Coast Pro Am, which will be held in the first part of October 2010, interested competitors should see their invitations in the mail sometime in early spring next year. The 2010 match will be limited to the first 200 entries with the 2009 competitors getting priority consideration for the available 2010 slots. Also, those who participated in the 2009 Pro Am will benefit by having their 2010 entry fee frozen at the low $45 2009 rate.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 2010 Championship are currently still available and any
organizations looking to participate in our 2010 Pro Am sponsorship program should contact John Perciballi at JohnP@WorldClassSteel.com.

Thank you all for making this championship a tremendous success and good luck during the remainder of our current shooting season.