Leatham, Golob Win Single Stack
It was business as usual for Springfield Armory’s Rob Leatham and Smith & Wesson’s Julie Goloski-Golob, as both veteran competitors repeated to win the 2010 United States Practical Shooting Association’s (USPSA) Single Stack National Championship.
Rob Leatham again lived up to his nickname, “the Great One,” winning his unprecedented 16th consecutive title, taking five of the 16 stages during the match held at PASA Park, in Barry, Ill.
“Rob has proven year after year that when it comes to the single stack 1911 pistol, he is unstoppable,” said Michael Voigt, USPSA president and runner-up to Leatham in 2009. “On behalf of the 19,000-plus members of USPSA, I extend my heartiest congratulations to Rob on another amazing shooting sports victory.”
Unlike past years when Leatham dominated the match from start to finish, the path to victory at this year’s match was more challenging with the second , third and fourth place finishers each taking a turn in the lead. However, all three fell behind and watched as Leatham took and held the lead through the last five stages of the match to win by a narrow 12-point margin.
Simi Valley’s Taran Butler, fresh off a 3-Gun Nation shoot-off victory at Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun, and who finished third in the 2009 Single Stack Nationals, won two stages in the match and finished second with a final score of 1110.2881. Phil Strader of Owasso, Okla. flirted with the match lead before falling to second place on the 11th stage and then falling third place on the 14th stage. He finished 30 points behind Leatham in third place with a final score of 1092.7056, up from his sixth place finish in 2009.
Todd Jarrett, who shot for his own company, Strike Force Manufacturing, took the early lead in the match only to fall back to again finish fourth overall for the second year in a row. Jarrett won three stages but finished 47 points out of first with 1075.8925.
Despite competing with a brand new gun, Golob captured her tenth title with a dominating performance, winning eight of the 16 stages and holding the lead for most of the match. Her final score of 812.9764 outpaced her nearest competitor by more than 28 points.
“I’m very excited to have won my tenth USPSA national title, especially after taking the time off to have a baby and not knowing how that might impact my ability to perform at a championship level,” said Golob. “It’s a great honor to have reached this point in my competitive shooting career.”
“With this win Julie joins an elite group of USPSA members who have ten or more national titles,” Voigt said. “Her victory is a testament to her dedication to the sport and I congratulate her on reaching this important shooting sports milestone.”
“This was by far the best Single Stack Nationals I’ve shot,” explained the 32-year-old Golob. “The course design and target presentations tested every skill a shooter needs in competition, making this an exciting match to compete in.”
Coming in second behind Golob was Sara Dunivin, an officer in the Phoenix Police Department. Dunivin is the only other shooter to hold the lead in the match, taking it from Golob on the seventh stage only to relinquish it on the twelfth. Dunivin finished with a final score of 784.3796.
Tori Nonaka of Woodbridge, Va., claimed the Junior Single Stack National Championship, posting a 736.9316. Nonaka, who is quickly gaining attention as an up and coming shooter, placed fifth overall among the women.
Paul Hendrix, of Jamestown, N.C., captured the seniors category, besting a field of 56 competitors with a final score of 880.2010.
The Single Stack Nationals was established in 1994 as the Single Stack Classic by pistol smith Richard heinie, and then-USPSA Illinois Section coordinator, Russell Cluver. The match was designed specifically for the 1911 style of pistol, and no other pistol design has been permitted in the competition. In 2006, USPSA designated the popular match as a national championship.
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