So we finished shooting and as you do, we stopped and chatted with everyone we saw while heading back to the car. I saw Mark “Berty”Bassett, he was shooting in the top squad. He shared that Dylan Varney had held on well enough to claim the title. He had a bad day himself but should have done enough to secure a top 5 spot (4th actually). Jack Harris and Gerhard Genade from South Africa had shot into a tie for 2nd and 3rd. So that was a shoot off.
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As I made my way closer to the car, I stopped and saw Irishman Conor McFlynn and my teammate Paul Cray (who managed to get his scope issues from day two sorted out to come back for day 3). Conor and I were able to do some fuzzy math and realize that we were also tied. So Yoeri, Conor and I would have a shoot of, just a question of for what places. Paul shared his score of 44/50 which was better than Greg (42) for the day and one shot behind me on 45 again. While Paul wasn’t in contention himself, his 44 would help the team score for the day. And Lauren finished on 43, also helping the team total. We just needed to know how the rest of the Welsh and South African team faired.
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After more info gathering, the table was set. Jack and Gerhard would shoot off for 2nd/3rd (138/150). Conor, Yeori and I would shoot for 5th-7th (133/150) and Greg and Lauren would shoot for 8th/9th (130/150).
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I’ll pause here and say this Worlds was impeccably well run. Very few cold lines, near zero protests and they had scores verified and entered online within an hour or two of each course finishing. The Phoenix Airgun Club, Garrett, Bill, and all of their volunteers did a fantastic job running this event. My thanks and praise to all of them!
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After more fuzzy math, we had determined that the PCP team finished 2nd! This is the highest podium finish for a US PCP team ever and to be a part of it is an honor I cannot describe. And as expected, the US Springer team dominated! Easy to do when your top three shooters actually finish 1, 2 and 3 overall! But now it was time for the shoot offs!
View attachment 514640 (The team podium for PCP - R to L - USA/2nd, England/1st, Wales/3rd)
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Ohio native Dan Putz was in a shoot off on the spring gun side for 6th and 7th. He ended up winning on a long kneeling shot. Lauren bested Greg in their shoot off, claiming 8th place. I was not so fortunate, I missed a long kneeler while Conor and Yeori went the distance, with Conor winning on a long standing shot. When I say “went the distance” it’s important to understand that shoot offs at worlds are set up like a lane. Each shooter has two targets, in this case a 25mm in the mid 20s and a 40mm around 45 yards. You shoot sitting, then if everyone is equal after shooting them, kneeling, then standing. It’s all eyes on you in that moment. Anyway, the final showdown saw Jack claim 2nd after going to kneelers.
View attachment 514638View attachment 514644View attachment 514643 (A few shots during the shoot-off)
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While I was not thrilled about the shoot off result, it was really hard to be upset knowing I’d just shot my way into the Top 10 in the World, helped our US team podium, earned my master patch, AND finished as the top US shooter. Lots of boxes checked there!
View attachment 514642View attachment 514641 (My medals and the coveted WFTF Master patch)
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It was a great Worlds and to do all of this on home soil means a lot to me. It’s been a great season, and I feel like I’ve definitely accomplished much, but I’d by lying if I said there wasn’t more work to be done. Hindsight is always 20/20 and as our Ohio crew sat around the table that evening, we discussed the shots we should have made. For me, there were plenty and any number of them would’ve made a difference. But now is the time to learn and move forward armed with the experience and knowledge gained this year to do even better in 2025.
View attachment 514639 (The Top 10 PCP Shooters)
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