Horner, Miculek Win AR15.COM-Rockcastle Pro-Am
Schwanz Takes Home Amateur Title
By Chad Adams
PARK CITY, Kent. – Daniel Horner dominated, Jerry Miculek survived, and Corey Schwanz held on by the slimmest of margins—three completely different ends to a remarkable weekend at the inaugural AR15.com-Rockcaslte Pro-Am 3-Gun Championships at the Rockcastle Shooting Center here recently.
In the Pro Tactical division, Horner (768.00) dominated a field of more than 170 competitors, winning five of eight stages on his way to his fourth consecutive division win this season on the FNH USA 3-Gun Nation Tour, Presented by SureFire. Taran Butler (719.36) finished second, followed by Kelly Neal (660.08), Chris Sechiatano (639.53) and Keith Garcia (638.73).
In Open, Jerry Miculek survived a tough back-and-forth battle with Clint Upchurch, James Darst, Mike Voigt and Tony Holmes—all of which were in the hunt at some time to win the match. Miculek’s 709.88 points secured the win, followed by Upchurch (679.61), Darst (660.32), Voigt (649.17) and Holmes (633.89).
Of note, Holmes took fifth even after recording a stage disqualification when his holster, with his pistol inside, popped free of his belt while moving through stage five. Had Holmes been able to record a score on that pivotal long-range stage, the leader board would likely look much different.
On the Amateur side, Corey Schwanz (572.85) survived a nail-biter over Lee Pettross (570.05), winning by a mere 2.8 match points. Chris Cazin (564.67) took third, followed by David Schuster (563.42) and Patrick Kangeter (541.01).
“After looking at the scores for five of the seven stages, I knew it would be close,” said Schwanz, who is a Reloading Technician for Sinclair International, a Brownells company. “I had been shooting fairly well, but after what happened to me on the final stage of the weekend I thought I had lost too much time. I was quite surprised to hear my name called as the top amateur shooter.”
Match director Jeff Cramblit and his team created two separate courses of fire for the Pros and Amateurs, with eight Pro stages and seven Amateur stages. However, they shared one common theme in that they were wide open. With relatively fast par times, most of the stages were fairly short in round count as well, with minimal movement compared to some natural terrain courses of fire. All combined to keep plenty of brass in the air, as well as smiles on the faces of the competitors.
“I liked the open stages of this match,” Schwanz said. “Most of them had a variety of ways to shoot them and we had to figure out what would be the best way for us. It fit with what I like to do in matches: try to find the shot or angle that no one else saw and gain some time because of it.”
The match format, which effectively served as two, simultaneous matches, enabled approximately 350 shooters to compete over the three-day event. While the format itself was unique, with this Pro-Am being the first of its kind in the sport of 3-gun, the event also borrowed heavily from other past successful firearm industry events to create a weekend unlike any other. Several companies provided support personnel and kicked in prizes for fun and challenging side shoots that ran throughout the weekend. Arguably even more popular were the Pro Clinics, where top 3-gun competitors such as Bruce Piatt, Bennie Cooley, Jerry Miculek, and others, held free clinics on different aspects of shooting 3-gun competitions.
“The event in general was a blast,” Schwantz said. “This was my first trip to Rockcastle and my first national-level 3-gun match. I really liked the Pro-Am format and the multiple days of shooting. The Pro clinics were a great addition to the schedule as well. The level of support this match received from all the sponsors was absolutely amazing. All of them deserve a big thank you!”
“The great folks of AR15.com, Rockcastle Shooting Center, Brownells, Sinclair, the PoliceStore.com and Hornady joined in our mission to open up this competition to more competitors than ever before,” said NRA Board Member and Match Chairman Joe DeBergalis. “Our event was unique and original in format. The emphasis was to provide an avenue for those wanting to become active within 3-gun, while simultaneously providing a challenging event for the seasoned competitor. Our Match Director, Jeff Cramblit, accomplished that task admirably. Our team at the Rockcastle Shooting Center led by the Noble Family and General Jerry Humble (USMC, RET) did a good job ensuring that our facilities were in superb shape and everyone was touched by their generous hospitality. As an NRA Board Member, I received great support from Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president and Chris Cox of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. We also introduced the NRA's ‘Life of Duty’ Program, a ‘mission driven’ NRA initiative that benefited our acknowledged charities, the Task Force Dagger Foundation and the Lone Survivor Foundation. There was a vendor’s row and demonstration area for our participating sponsors that enabled those competing and watching the opportunity to try the very same equipment and gear that the competitors used during the match.
“We created an "Industry Buy-In" by inviting our friends in the industry to take stock in the match and enable us to provide for them a showcase of their products that could help grow the sport,” DeBergalis continued. “For instance, we provided range access to those companies that wanted to display their products in real time. Our side matches allowed interested parties the opportunity to try LaRue Tactical, Spikes Tactical, FNH USA, CMMG, Crimson Trace, Bushnell, Benelli and JP (to name a few) products during range conditions which allowed them instant point-of-sale opportunities. This also allowed for instant branding and product recognition – much like the NASCAR adage, "Race on Sunday - Buy on Monday." Well, based the feedback from our participating sponsors – everyone there took that to heart!”
As word began to spread about the Pro-Am leading up to the match this summer, more and more companies decided get involved as well. For some companies, it marked their first entry into the sport of 3-gun.
“We are proud to say that we ‘opened’ opportunities in 3-gun for those companies who had not yet been involved: Daniel Defense, Troy Industries, Alexander Arms, CMC Triggers, Ritchie Leather were all "first time" sponsors who had a great time and have already committed again for next year,” DeBergalis said. “Through the hard work and effort of all involved, we enjoyed welcoming a total of 61 sponsors to our event and team. And when I use the word ‘team,’ I mean it. As I mentioned previously, their ‘buy-in’ was integral to our success. Most importantly, each sponsor became a major part of the competition and now has a ‘stake’ in the growth of our match for next year.
Plans are currently already underway for next year’s Pro-Am. Keep checking in here at www.3GunNation.com for more announcements on next year’s events.
2011 AR15.COM-Rockcastle Pro-Am 3-Gun Championship
Pro-Tactical
- DANIEL HORNER 768.00
- TARAN BUTLER 719.36
- KELLY NEAL III 660.08
- CHRIS SECHIATANO 639.53
- KEITH GARCIA 638.73
- BENNIE COOLEY 614.11
- ROB ROMERO 608.45
- JESSE TISCHAUSER 606.21
- MARK HANISH 603.05
- RUSTIN BERNSKOETTER 592.71
Pro-Open
- JERRY MICULEK 709.88
- CLINT UPCHURCH 679.61
- JAMES DARST 660.32
- MIKE VOIGT 649.17
- TONY HOLMES 633.89
- NICK KALISHEK 631.87
- CHUCK ANDERSON 627.54
- BRIAN BUTCHER 611.72
- CRAIG OUTZEN 590.04
- KAY MICULEK 581.68
Amateur
- COREY SCHWANZ 572.85
- LEE PETTROSS 570.05
- CHRIS CAZIN 564.67
- DAVID SCHUSTER 563.42
- PATRICK KANGETER 541.01
- DARREN GREER 539.21
- JASON HAWKINS 537.93
- CORY O'CONNORS 534.15
- RICK BIRDSALL 532.48
- DUANE LIPTAK JR. 529.75
For a full listing of both Pro and Amateur results, go to http://rockcastle3-gunproam.com/Results.html.
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