Mike Schlesinger shows off his second place, 25 yard bench rest check for $250.
Jeff Krueger
On November 15 and 16, the new Quail Creek Air Gun Club range was the place to be. Organized by Airguns of Arizona in Phoenix, the International Extreme Bench Rest Competition took place here in Quail Creek.
The event drew nearly 100 participants from six different countries including the U.S., England, Sweden, France, Venezuela and the Czech Republic. This event pulled in 25 corporate sponsors from all over the globe who donated cash and prizes for the winners.
Four members of the Quail Creek Air Gun Club participated in the main event. They were Eileen Sykora, Mike Schlesinger, Ted Linham and Robert Burnham. The four rifle shooting categories were 75 yard extreme bench rest, 25 yard bench rest, outdoor speed silhouette and field target. Other club members supervised an indoor air gun and dart pistol challenge for those who wanted to try their hand at pistol shooting.
Prizes were awarded for the top three places in each event. These prizes included checks for $1000, $500 and $250. Additionally, prizes were awarded for the best youth and oldest competitors in each category. Several high end air rifles were included as prizes.
The banquet and award ceremony took place at the Madera Ballroom and was attended by over 100 people. One Quail Creek shooter, Mike Schlesinger, took second place in the 25 yard bench rest, losing out on first place after a tie breaker. Mike took home a check for $250. Eileen Sykora placed a very admirable fifth place in the 75 yard extreme bench rest and Robert Burnham had a respectable twelfth place finish in that same event. A raffle was also held and lucky Sheila Wyllie of Unit 12 won a very nice air rifle.
When asked about the event, Quail Creek Air Gun Club president Robert Burnham stated “The annual Extreme Bench Rest competition has proven to significantly increase awareness and attracts more interest in the sport of shooting air guns as an alternative to live weapons.” Burnham went on to say “The sport of air gunning is an equalizer between different age groups, genders and physical abilities. With effort anyone can practice, compete and become a national or world champion as demonstrated by Mike and Eileen.”
The Quail Creek Air Gun Club would like to express a special thank you to Mike Taylor and the rest of the POA team for all the effort in preparation, catering and clean up for the event. Also, many thanks to the QCAGC members and their friends who helped in both the organizing and running of this event. Fees and proceeds for this event went to the Quail Creek POA.