State-Journal.com - Right on target

State Journal/Kelly Mackey Gary Wilkerson, left, and Will Curlin shoot at the Franklin County Sportsmen's Club. They will be participating 2009 US Open Sporting Clays Championship at the Elk Creek Hunt Club in Owenton.

State Journal/Kelly Mackey Gary Wilkerson, left, Will Curlin, and Rex Pitts pose at the Franklin County Sportsmen's Club. The three will be participating in the 2009 US Open Sporting Clays Championship at the Elk Creek Hunt Club in Owenton.

“Pull!” Gary Wilkerson shouted, aiming his 12-gauge shotgun down the shooting range at the Franklin County Sportsmen’s Club.

Rex Pitts pushed a button that launched an orange target into the air like a Frisbee while Wilkerson and Will Curlin took aim and shot the floating orange target to pieces.

These three men, along with Kent Rhoads, will represent Franklin County in the 2009 U.S. Open Sporting Clay Championship, a national event that will attract shooters from across the country and some international shooters held at Elk Creek Hunt Club in Owenton Tuesday through June 28.

A total of 1,194 are registered to shoot in the event, which is the second-highest competition held by the National Sporting Clays Association behind the National Championship held in San Antonio.

“It’s going to be big for Frankfort,” Wilkerson said. “I don’t think anyone will be able to book a hotel in town during this event with so many people coming in.”

The four Frankfort-area shooters compete in small events about once a month. Rhoads and Wilkerson have competed in the smaller All-American competition earlier this year, their first real competition.

Curlin and Pitts have more national experience under their belts. Curlin has shot in the 2003 U.S. Open in Maryland and Pitts traveled to San Antonio to shoot in the National Championship.

“I probably finished somewhere in the 50s overall at that event,” Curlin said. “I finished third during the preliminary round and they bumped me up a class, but in the main event I couldn’t tell you where I finished.”

Although he didn’t place in the National Championship, Pitts still had quite an experience.

“It was a real unique experience to go down to San Antonio and shoot in a national competition against some of the best in the country,” he said. “I’m not that good of a shooter, but just to be there at the top competition was something special.”

Not many people around Frankfort know about the sport, but the four shooters have noticed an increase in popularity as the U.S. Open comes closer to central Kentucky.

“There have been more people at Elk Creek shooting than there have been in the past,” Curlin said. “Last year there were about 800 shooters at the U.S. Open in Louisiana. There has been an increase in popularity I believe.”

Rhoads, who could not make it to the Franklin County Sportsmen’s Club, added that people tend to be confused on the difference between shooting sporting clays and shooting traps.

“There aren’t a lot of registered sporting clay shooters in Kentucky compared to trap shooters,” he told The State Journal by phone. “A lot of people don’t know the difference between clays and traps, so that may be a reason not many are aware of the sport.”

An important thing about the competition is that the shooters are at an equal advantage. In the golf U.S. Open, a competitor may shoot a course and know every slope, every hazard or every blade of grass if he or she was so committed to the course.

In the sporting clays version of the U.S. Open, however, shooters have no idea where targets will fly – or in some cases roll.

“They’re there setting traps at Elk Creek now,” Pitts said. “No one’s allowed to shoot there because they don’t want anyone to have an unfair advantage. Those people who are setting the traps are devious in where they put them. It’s a mental exercise.”

Curlin knows that a shooter should expect a few surprises when the targets start flying during these competitions.

“I’ve seen two (rolling targets) skimming across the water,” he said. “I’ve seen targets put in upside down so it changes their flight pattern. I’m sure there will be a target next week that I have never seen in my life.”

For the competition, shooters are divided into classes based on skill and experience. Curlin and Pitts will be competing in Class A, two below the highest class, and Wilkerson and Rhoads will compete in Class B.

All shooters entered the competition by paying an entry fee and shooting 500 registered sporting clays prior to the event.

33.	Posted by nautilusfish June 22, 2009
	Q. fish, why do you always leave when it gets interesting? A. I leave because there is not content and the topic is starting to stray. Personal attacks without factual responses do no good and waste my time, which is where most of these things finally end up. Statement by Trying: And as everybody knows, I love to push buttons. Since you guys immediately went to condemn me, I pushed, lol. You know I'm from Germany and immediately ventured to dig up Hitler and you tell me that I know nothing about American liberties and whatever else. You jumped on a high horse and stereotyped me. Reply: You like to push buttons but get offended when someone contradicts you. Don't post is you get offended. Also, I didn't condemn you for being German. I condemn your opinion just as you have my opinion many times before. I did however list that if you proclaim to be from Germany, then you should remember from your heritage what happened to the German people under the rule of Hitler. I did not nor have I ever grouped you with Hitler, but if you feel condemned about what he did then that is on you. I only listed your country of origin has a historical example of apathy which allowed him to strip the German people of their gun owner rights. I don't care if you are from Saturn or Mars, history tells the story and some people learn from it. Others, well here is our difference. Statement by Trying: Exactly that behavior displayed here by you, fish, by gunnuts (oh that guy is really off the rocker), philips and twoods, that is the behavior people categorize as nuts. Once again, apathy, leads to inaction and inaction leads to loosing a right. If I stand idly by and let people pop off about how we do not need the 2nd amendment to be so free for gun ownership, then the elected officials hear your side and not mine. Then they strip the right. At that point I let you decide for me what I didn't believe in. So your argument that I shouldn't contest your opinion is ridiculous. Go ahead and deem me as a "gunnut" for not letting you and your group have all the say in this matter. When you speak out against any form of the currently legal gun ownership laws then expect someone to take you to task for your comments. Like it or not. Trying I don't want or like to argue with you, but if you push a button on a hot issue, then expect it from me or someone else close to that issue. It is part of the debate. I am done with this unless you can come up with some sort of facts or historical evidence to dispute what I have written. And no, complaining about being slighted doesn't count. Fish out.

30.	Posted by trying June 22, 2009
	fish, why do you always leave when it gets interesting? smartgirl has a point. There was a gang immediately condemning me, complaining about their rights being taken away to the point of wanting me out of the country. Over what? One harmless gun nut joke. It wasn't only you, it was twoods, philipsonline. Did it occur to you that there are real self-proclaimed gun nuts out there? I'm not anti-gun, just anti-carrying your gun around town all day. If you keep it in your home, that's your business. But there are enough idiots who think they need to tote it around all day. They somehow can't leave house without it. That IMO is crazy to the point of irresponsible. And as everybody knows, I love to push buttons. Since you guys immediately went to condemn me, I pushed, lol. You know I'm from Germany and immediately ventured to dig up Hitler and you tell me that I know nothing about American liberties and whatever else. You jumped on a high horse and stereotyped me. Stupid Europeans! Ready to march to the slaughterhouse like little lambs without a fight with a little dash of 'be ashamed about what happened in your country's past'. Yeah, a really good argument. Exactly that behavior displayed here by you, fish, by gunnuts (oh that guy is really off the rocker), philips and twoods, that is the behavior people categorize as nuts. You are so afraid somebody is going to take your gun away, you jump immediately all over the first person who might make a negative comment, even if it is a joke. There are self-proclaimed gun nuts out there like those in Chucky's protest (one of those people who simply can't leave house without it, also one with a 'pile o guns' at home), and apparently gunnut. Do a search, you'll find more gun fanatics proudly calling themselves gun nuts. Well, thanks for the entertainment anyway. It's simply fascinating how quickly threats arise and people are steamrolled over without questions. Makes me feel really safe knowing that some of you cross my path in town toting your guns.