Novices get on target at ‘Shoot for a Cure’ trapshooting tournament

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

NASHUA — The clay pigeons didn’t get any bigger or fly any slower.

Nonetheless, they finally became hittable targets for first-time trapshooter Carlyn Stanley.

“I’m surprised I was able to do that,” Stanley said after she went 5 of 5 in her final station round during Saturday’s “Shoot for a Cure Trapshooting Tournament” at the Nashua Fish and Game Club.

“I guess it came down to relaxing and being a little more patient before shooting,” said Stanley, who salvaged a 50-round score of 23.

Stanley made the trip to the tournament from Truro, a small city south of Des Moines, on behalf of boyfriend (Jacob), who is a relative of Charles City graduated senior Rebecca Tierney, whose family helped organize the second-annual tournament to raise support for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“I wish I would have tried this earlier,” Stanley said. “Maybe I could have done this in high school.”

Stephanie Koebrick, another novice shooter, also had a hot streak where she hit 3 out of 4 clays after starting with a long string of misses.

“This is actually the second time I’ve tried this,” said Koebrick, who participated in the inaugural “Shoot for a Cure”.

“The thing that I had to get use to was the shock of the sound when you pull the trigger,” Koebrick said. “Another thing is after shooting for a while, your arms get a little sore.”

The tournament was conceived by several parents from the Charles City/Nashua-Plainfield high school team after several team members and coaches participated in a JDRF benefit event in Cedar Falls.

“We decided that it would be nice to hold something like that at a more local site,” said Wanda Tierney, mother of Rebecca and wife of CC/N-P trap shooting team assistant Kevin Tierney, who was among the instructors assisting the likes of Stanley and Koebrick.

Recent Charles City graduate Rebecca has Type 1 diabetes, and so do fellow recent CC graduates Bryce Hamm and Alex Blickenderfer (2015).

But the affliction apparently doesn’t affect their aim.

In the Men’s Over-18 Division, Blickenderfer was the top shooter of the day when he recorded a round of 48 of 50.

Mikel Oleson and Steve Mercer each shot 47, but Oleson won the tiebreaker for second place.

In the Women’s 18-and-Under  Division, Tierney took first with a 44 score.

In the Men’s 18-and-Under Division, Hamm’s 42 was bested by Jacob “Shorty” Greenzweig’s 46. Brenden Kvernevig placed third with a 37.

In the Women’s Over-18 Division, Julia Hanson paced the field with a 45 — one shot better than Diane Ruth (44). Former Charles City trapshooting standout Sydney North place third (37).

The Nashua Fish and Game Club will host another trapshooting event on Aug. 12 — a memorial tournament in memory of former Charles City trapshooter and Iowa State University student Thomas John “TJ” Houdek, who was killed last year in a motorcycle-truck accident.

Like there were in the “Shoot for a Cure” tournament, there will be instructors and guns to use for first-time shooters.

Shoot For a Cure

July 29

At Nashua Fish and Game Club

Top Division Placers

MEN’S OVER 18 — 1. Alex Blickenderfer 48, 2. Mike Oleson 47*, 3. Steve Mercer 47.

WOMEN’s OVER 18 — 1. Julia Hanson 45, 2. Diane Ruth 44, 3. Sydney North 39.

MEN’S 18 and UNDER — 1. Jacob Greenzweig 46, 2. Bryce Hamm 42, 3. Brenden Kvernevig 37.

WOMEN’S 18 and UNDER — 1. Rebecca Tierney 44, 2. Carlyn Stanley 23.