Sherwood Forest AAFTA Grand Prix 2025
Sherwood Airgunners of Steubenville Ohio had their Sherwood Forest AAFTA Grand Prix May 30-June 1, 2025. If I had to describe this match in one word it would be CHALLENGING! Not only did the 42 competitors have to deal with 3 challenging courses they also had to deal with the elements and Mother Nature certainly had a lot for them!
Friday our first guests started arriving at the club around 8:00 and we announced the practice range HOT. The forecast was calling for clear skies for a few hours then rain from about noon until the rest of the day. People took advantage of the clear skies and made sure there rifles and pistols were sighted in for the upcoming pistol match scheduled at 1:00. We here in eastern Ohio are no stranger to rain this spring and as much as I hoped we wouldn't have any for our event the FT gods had other plans! At noon an hour before the pistol match was to begin the rain started coming down and by the looks of the radar it was here to stay for a considerable amount of time. I considered alternative plans but in the end decided to move forward with the pistol match as all competitors came well prepared to shoot in the wet conditions. We passed out gallon ziplock bags with the score cards and timers in an attempt to keep the score cards as dry as possible in the steady showers that were coming down.
Before the pistol match equipment was chronoed and a safety briefing was held as 16 competitors were squaded into 2 person groups. The match consisted of 8 lanes, 6 of those lanes had 3 targets while the other 2 lanes had 2 targets for a 44 shot pistol match. Each target was shot at twice from near to far concession and a forced position standing lane was also used. The Troyer rating was a 32.3. We used 8 lanes closest to the club house 4 on each side of the road. We chose these lanes so our competitors will not shoot any lane more than once the entire 3 days of shooting. As the match started the first thing you notice was all the umbrellas on competitors gun carts and rain wear that everyone had on. I have to say a number of wise shooters attached there big umbrella on there gun cart and parked it next to the lane giving themselves a nice shelter as they took their shots. I walked around with my two dogs Benji and Levi and chatted and took pics. It rained the entire match just a steady shower, wind was not much of a factor but trying to keep the scorecard dry was nearly impossible. At the end of the match we had Jeff Swartz shooting a very impressive 40/44 for 1st place and Brandon Michaud and Dan Putz just one shot behind with a 39/40. The pistol matches they have been having down at Fairfield Sportsman club really paid off as Jeff and Brandon are members there. A shootoff for 2nd and 3rd will be decided on Sunday. We had zero cold lines, zero malfunctions and zero target protest for this match. Very well done I am proud to say.
Saturday morning the rain stopped at about 7:00 just in time to put out some dry targets on the practice range. The forecast was calling for a very slight chance of rain but the winds were to be a steady 12-15 mph with gusts to 25-30mph. We had 42 shooters signed up to shoot our 2 rifle courses which are appropriately named the Highlands and the Hollow. These courses give you a very different shooting experience and we are blessed to have such diversified terrain on our 50 acres. A safety meeting was held at 9:30 and match began about 10:00. I was in the Hollow course with other WFTF shooters and Hunter Piston shooters as well. The course was a little sloppy but wood chips that were recently added to the main trail did a nice job of keeping mud off your shoes. As the match started i quickly realized how much wind we had to deal with. This course which typically doesn't get much wind was a complete different story today. Trees and bushes were whipping around with winds swirling seemingly in every which way which was making your wind call a real challenge. Added to the factor was the loud windy leaf noise coming from the tops of the tall trees making you think perhaps the wind was stronger than it actually was. As the day went on I thought of the Hunter PCP and Open shooters who were up on the Highlands course. This course features a small field with 6 lanes in it. Some recently added high elevation target stands were surely going to be particularly difficult on this gusty day. When the match was over I talked to a few people who had told me how bad the wind was. Lane 5 in the field on the Highlands course had a 52 yard headshot crow which is elevated 20 feet up a tree. They were telling me how the tree was swaying back and forth as the wind was gusting. Making for a particularly difficult shot as the crosshairs of the scope tried to chase down the kill zone. Moments like that you don't soon forget. We had a few targets get pulled off a target stand probably due to the very wet conditions and angles that some of the targets were. But there was no protest.
As competitors came off the courses around 1:00 I realized everyone on both courses really had to deal with the wind. Score cards and timers were turned in and people were treated to a meal by Bad Axe BBQ. Pulled pork, pulled chicken, BBQ beans, Cole slow, rolls and desserts definitely hit the spot after a tough day on the FT course. After the delicious meal we had a raffle with prizes donated by our sponsors,Athlon Scopes, Baker Airguns, Flop-Over targets from England JD Custom designs and Pyramyd Air. Coupons, rifles, optics, targets and a moderator were all to be had by some lucky winners. A HUGE thankyou to our sponsors for your generous contribution to help make this event what it was. Targets were painted at the end of the day in preparation for day 3.
Day 3 The weather man was calling for the winds to subside but still very prevalent during the match, just not nearly as bad as the previous day. Rifles were chronoed once again and people checked their zeroes on the practice range. A brief safety meeting was held and we were off to the lanes for the 3rd and final day. I started off in the field and a few far misses that had me scratching my head told me the winds were definitely still there. The 6 lanes on the Highlands course in the open field give that course a much needed added diversity compared to the rest of the course but were really challenging during this match. Six of the 12 targets that were in the field were over 40yds which made for some difficult shooting in the wind. Although there was wind the sun came out and really was a pleasant day to end our grand prix. As shooters came off both courses I had very high praise by numerous veteran FT shooters who told me how impressed they were with the courses and the club. I was told the Hollow course was the most physically demanding, challenging course they had ever shot and they loved it. Also how well the match was run. On day 3 we had zero cold lines, zero target issues and zero protest. Once again very well done and I applaud that, a match directors dream!
So back at the clubhouse the scores were double checked and updated on our board. We were to have a shoot off for 2nd and 3rd place in Hunter Pistol, 3rd place in Hunter PCP and 2nd and 3rd place in WFTF PCP. So Brandon Michaud and Dan Putz had a shoot off in Hunter Pistol with Brandon coming out on top for a 2nd place finish and Dan in 3rd. Up next was Karen Reis and Justin Hess in Hunter PCP which both had a two day total of 95/120. This was to decide 3rd place. Karen who is no stranger to some recent grand prix shootoffs had her experience come through for the 3rd place win. Lastly we had another FT veteran Gerald Long and Lucas Marusiak shoot off to decide 2nd and 3rd place in WFTF PCP. Once again the veteran came out on top with Gerald taking 2nd place and Lucas 3rd.
So the final standings were as follows and in order for an award 3 competitors are needed for a 1st place award, 5 needed for a 2nd place award and 7 needed for a 3rd place award. In the most popular division Hunter PCP Greg Vaughn shot a 2 day total of 101/120 for 1st place. Jeff Swartz 98/120 for 2nd place and Karen Reis 3rd with a 95/120. In Hunter Piston Eric Brewer who had to deal with a equipment malfunction on day 1 shot a 83/120 for 1st Place. Greg Shirhall had a 76/120 for a 2nd place finish. In WFTF Piston Ken Hughes had a 96/120 for 1st place. In WFTF PCP Tyler Patner shot an amazing 110/120 for 1st place and match high score. Gerald Long 99/120 2nd place via shootoff and Lucas Marusiak 99/120 3rd place. We had other shooters represent Open Piston and Open PCP.
The Troyer ratings were as follows for the three courses, this is before any wind or lighting factors are added. Pistol course, 32.3….Highlands course 33.23 and Hollow courses 33.29.
Wrapping this up id really like to thank my crew at Sherwood Airgunners for all the hard work that was put into this event. We have come along way but believe me we are not finished. It is an honor and privilege to be able to hold a Grand Prix and give back to the field target community. I sincerely hope people have enjoyed our hospitality and little slice of field target heaven we call Sherwood Forest. Lastly to all the competitors and podium finishers, you are why we do it. I cannot thankyou enough for spending the weekend with us at Sherwood Airgunners.
Sherwood Airgunners
MatchDirector
KeithWalters & Doug Cunningham
Sherwood Airgunners of Steubenville Ohio had their Sherwood Forest AAFTA Grand Prix May 30-June 1, 2025. If I had to describe this match in one word it would be CHALLENGING! Not only did the 42 competitors have to deal with 3 challenging courses they also had to deal with the elements and Mother Nature certainly had a lot for them!
Friday our first guests started arriving at the club around 8:00 and we announced the practice range HOT. The forecast was calling for clear skies for a few hours then rain from about noon until the rest of the day. People took advantage of the clear skies and made sure there rifles and pistols were sighted in for the upcoming pistol match scheduled at 1:00. We here in eastern Ohio are no stranger to rain this spring and as much as I hoped we wouldn't have any for our event the FT gods had other plans! At noon an hour before the pistol match was to begin the rain started coming down and by the looks of the radar it was here to stay for a considerable amount of time. I considered alternative plans but in the end decided to move forward with the pistol match as all competitors came well prepared to shoot in the wet conditions. We passed out gallon ziplock bags with the score cards and timers in an attempt to keep the score cards as dry as possible in the steady showers that were coming down.
Before the pistol match equipment was chronoed and a safety briefing was held as 16 competitors were squaded into 2 person groups. The match consisted of 8 lanes, 6 of those lanes had 3 targets while the other 2 lanes had 2 targets for a 44 shot pistol match. Each target was shot at twice from near to far concession and a forced position standing lane was also used. The Troyer rating was a 32.3. We used 8 lanes closest to the club house 4 on each side of the road. We chose these lanes so our competitors will not shoot any lane more than once the entire 3 days of shooting. As the match started the first thing you notice was all the umbrellas on competitors gun carts and rain wear that everyone had on. I have to say a number of wise shooters attached there big umbrella on there gun cart and parked it next to the lane giving themselves a nice shelter as they took their shots. I walked around with my two dogs Benji and Levi and chatted and took pics. It rained the entire match just a steady shower, wind was not much of a factor but trying to keep the scorecard dry was nearly impossible. At the end of the match we had Jeff Swartz shooting a very impressive 40/44 for 1st place and Brandon Michaud and Dan Putz just one shot behind with a 39/40. The pistol matches they have been having down at Fairfield Sportsman club really paid off as Jeff and Brandon are members there. A shootoff for 2nd and 3rd will be decided on Sunday. We had zero cold lines, zero malfunctions and zero target protest for this match. Very well done I am proud to say.
Saturday morning the rain stopped at about 7:00 just in time to put out some dry targets on the practice range. The forecast was calling for a very slight chance of rain but the winds were to be a steady 12-15 mph with gusts to 25-30mph. We had 42 shooters signed up to shoot our 2 rifle courses which are appropriately named the Highlands and the Hollow. These courses give you a very different shooting experience and we are blessed to have such diversified terrain on our 50 acres. A safety meeting was held at 9:30 and match began about 10:00. I was in the Hollow course with other WFTF shooters and Hunter Piston shooters as well. The course was a little sloppy but wood chips that were recently added to the main trail did a nice job of keeping mud off your shoes. As the match started i quickly realized how much wind we had to deal with. This course which typically doesn't get much wind was a complete different story today. Trees and bushes were whipping around with winds swirling seemingly in every which way which was making your wind call a real challenge. Added to the factor was the loud windy leaf noise coming from the tops of the tall trees making you think perhaps the wind was stronger than it actually was. As the day went on I thought of the Hunter PCP and Open shooters who were up on the Highlands course. This course features a small field with 6 lanes in it. Some recently added high elevation target stands were surely going to be particularly difficult on this gusty day. When the match was over I talked to a few people who had told me how bad the wind was. Lane 5 in the field on the Highlands course had a 52 yard headshot crow which is elevated 20 feet up a tree. They were telling me how the tree was swaying back and forth as the wind was gusting. Making for a particularly difficult shot as the crosshairs of the scope tried to chase down the kill zone. Moments like that you don't soon forget. We had a few targets get pulled off a target stand probably due to the very wet conditions and angles that some of the targets were. But there was no protest.
As competitors came off the courses around 1:00 I realized everyone on both courses really had to deal with the wind. Score cards and timers were turned in and people were treated to a meal by Bad Axe BBQ. Pulled pork, pulled chicken, BBQ beans, Cole slow, rolls and desserts definitely hit the spot after a tough day on the FT course. After the delicious meal we had a raffle with prizes donated by our sponsors,Athlon Scopes, Baker Airguns, Flop-Over targets from England JD Custom designs and Pyramyd Air. Coupons, rifles, optics, targets and a moderator were all to be had by some lucky winners. A HUGE thankyou to our sponsors for your generous contribution to help make this event what it was. Targets were painted at the end of the day in preparation for day 3.
Day 3 The weather man was calling for the winds to subside but still very prevalent during the match, just not nearly as bad as the previous day. Rifles were chronoed once again and people checked their zeroes on the practice range. A brief safety meeting was held and we were off to the lanes for the 3rd and final day. I started off in the field and a few far misses that had me scratching my head told me the winds were definitely still there. The 6 lanes on the Highlands course in the open field give that course a much needed added diversity compared to the rest of the course but were really challenging during this match. Six of the 12 targets that were in the field were over 40yds which made for some difficult shooting in the wind. Although there was wind the sun came out and really was a pleasant day to end our grand prix. As shooters came off both courses I had very high praise by numerous veteran FT shooters who told me how impressed they were with the courses and the club. I was told the Hollow course was the most physically demanding, challenging course they had ever shot and they loved it. Also how well the match was run. On day 3 we had zero cold lines, zero target issues and zero protest. Once again very well done and I applaud that, a match directors dream!
So back at the clubhouse the scores were double checked and updated on our board. We were to have a shoot off for 2nd and 3rd place in Hunter Pistol, 3rd place in Hunter PCP and 2nd and 3rd place in WFTF PCP. So Brandon Michaud and Dan Putz had a shoot off in Hunter Pistol with Brandon coming out on top for a 2nd place finish and Dan in 3rd. Up next was Karen Reis and Justin Hess in Hunter PCP which both had a two day total of 95/120. This was to decide 3rd place. Karen who is no stranger to some recent grand prix shootoffs had her experience come through for the 3rd place win. Lastly we had another FT veteran Gerald Long and Lucas Marusiak shoot off to decide 2nd and 3rd place in WFTF PCP. Once again the veteran came out on top with Gerald taking 2nd place and Lucas 3rd.
So the final standings were as follows and in order for an award 3 competitors are needed for a 1st place award, 5 needed for a 2nd place award and 7 needed for a 3rd place award. In the most popular division Hunter PCP Greg Vaughn shot a 2 day total of 101/120 for 1st place. Jeff Swartz 98/120 for 2nd place and Karen Reis 3rd with a 95/120. In Hunter Piston Eric Brewer who had to deal with a equipment malfunction on day 1 shot a 83/120 for 1st Place. Greg Shirhall had a 76/120 for a 2nd place finish. In WFTF Piston Ken Hughes had a 96/120 for 1st place. In WFTF PCP Tyler Patner shot an amazing 110/120 for 1st place and match high score. Gerald Long 99/120 2nd place via shootoff and Lucas Marusiak 99/120 3rd place. We had other shooters represent Open Piston and Open PCP.
The Troyer ratings were as follows for the three courses, this is before any wind or lighting factors are added. Pistol course, 32.3….Highlands course 33.23 and Hollow courses 33.29.
Wrapping this up id really like to thank my crew at Sherwood Airgunners for all the hard work that was put into this event. We have come along way but believe me we are not finished. It is an honor and privilege to be able to hold a Grand Prix and give back to the field target community. I sincerely hope people have enjoyed our hospitality and little slice of field target heaven we call Sherwood Forest. Lastly to all the competitors and podium finishers, you are why we do it. I cannot thankyou enough for spending the weekend with us at Sherwood Airgunners.
Sherwood Airgunners
MatchDirector
KeithWalters & Doug Cunningham
