Time moves on

[Jerry Halcomb]

I’m posting about something I’ve noticed the last couple of years. The Triple Crown!! I’m not a competitor there but it never stopped our departed friend BC from posting so I’ll follow in his footsteps!!! LOL.
A little history, Henry Stenemyer a shooter from back in the day from Springfield IL created the first match that used 3 different competitive rimfire types to compete. This happened at Henry’s Lefthanders Shooting Club near Springfield IL. Henry was the ARA match director there. Jerry Luck won it I’m pretty sure. There wasn’t the prize table etc just bragging rights.
Now my comment, my nostalgia is kicking in when I see that one of the original games we compete in is no longer used as a leg to the triple crown. No more IR50/50 the last couple of yrs. Why is this? Is it lack of promotion in general by IR50/50? It just saddens me, I can’t blame the promoters of the triple crown they are going to use their best judgement to keep attendance up.
So no big news in this post, I’m just voicing my feelings when I see an organization, IR50/50 having some issues.

 

[RFS99]

Jerry, thanks for the history lesson! We need more posts like this so we all can understand where the concept of these matches has come from. I shoot ARA, both Factory and Unlimited, but I've never been close enough to a range that holds IR5050 matches (for Unlimited rifles). I see the results of the matches and understand how it has lasted for a very long time. I guess I can only offer an opinion that times change, people change, and in due course, we experience changes in our shooting opportunities.

I have only been to one TC, as it's a far drive for me from SE Wisconsin, but I had a great time. It was the first year that they replaced the IR5050 target with the new X-Out 300 target, so I have never shot an IR5050 target in a sanctioned match environment. I am close to Chief City where Scott Albury is the MD for the IR5050 matches there, but I don't have a sporter rifle and they don't hold unlimited matches, so not much in terms of ranges with sanctioned matches close to me. It seems to me that most things in benchrest rimfire are hanging on by a shoelace, where one or two people are responsible for holding matches at the various ranges around the country, or producing key components of the rifles we shoot. Once they retire, then what will happen to our sport? More change is coming...

Thanks again for the post and history. The Triple Crown is a very special event and I encourage folks to try to get there and shoot. One day, we won't have that opportunity and it will be sorely missed!

 

[Jerry Halcomb]

You are right about the one or two people and hanging on by a thread!!! I think about the example of Chickenfoot where the recent demise of Bill Casey seems to have cause a move of the indoor nationals to TX. The venue is evidently close to new home of the out door ARA unlimited nationals. That move seems pretty dramatic to me.

 

[JP65]

"I think about the example of Chickenfoot where the recent demise of Bill Casey seems to have cause a move of the indoor nationals to TX."

I don't believe the loss of Bill Casey actually had anything to do with it......... the present owner is very upset that the venue has been jerked out from under them. Seems like the "one or two people" make a unilateral decision without much care about how it effected others.
Bill Casey and Phil have been great supporters of this sport! On second thought, you might be right about Bill's demise.........for if this would have happen while he was around, you would hear and smell it from Georgia to Wisconsin! The Slickisms would be running wild!