Samantha Bullard Wins Precision, Bass Tops Sporter Class at Gary Anderson Invitational

By Steve Cooper, CMP Writer

ANNISTON, ALABAMA & CAMP PERRY, OHIO – Samantha Bullard, 16, of Atmore, Alabama, and member of the Magic City Gun Club, led all shooters in winning the 3x20 precision air rifle event at the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational in Anniston. Bullard fired near-record scores in qualification-plus-final and in kneeling in the open/overall category. The competition was held simultaneously with shooters at the CMP Marksmanship Center at Camp Perry on 9 & 10 December.

Samantha Bullard, of Atmore, Alabama, and member of the Magic City Gun Club, led all individual shooters in winning the 3x20 precision air rifle event at the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational in Anniston, Alabama. She fired a record score for Age Group II (15-16) in kneeling with a 200-16, falling two center shots shy of the open/overall record.

Bullard fired a 595 qualification score and followed with a 102 final for a 697, just a half point off Connor Davis’s national open/overall record. Along the way she fired a record score for her Age Group II (15-16) in kneeling with a 200-16, falling two center shots shy of the open/overall record.

Tessa Howald, 18, of Ozark High School, Missouri, placed second to Bullard with a 694-41, including the high final score of 104.

Katlyn Bass, 16, of Daleville High School Army JROTC, Alabama, established six new sporter air rifle records at the GAI. Bass also fired her record scores in Anniston against regional competitors while dozens of other sporter shooters from northern regions participated at Camp Perry.

Katlyn Bass, 16, of Daleville High School Army JROTC, Alabama, established six new sporter air rifle records
at the GAI. Bass’s qualifying score of 574-28 surpassed the open/overall 3x20 sporter record of 573 set by Micaela Jochum in 2006.

Bass’s qualifying score of 574-28 surpassed the open/overall 3x20 sporter record of 573 set by Micaela Jochum in 2006. In doing so, Bass also set the Army JROTC record previously held by her former Daleville High School JROTC teammate Mikaelah Atchley (570-31). She also broke the records of Jochum and Atchley in the open/overall and Army JROTC 3x20 plus final with a combined score of 669.7, shattering the former mark by 5.9 points. Lastly, Bass broke both of Jochum’s Age Group II (15 -16) records in the 3x20 and 3x20-plus-final.

She fired a 197-12 in prone, 184-6 in standing and 193-10 in the kneeling position for a total qualification score of 574-28. Her final score of 95.7 ensured her the record-setting victory in the match. Brianna Sawyers, 16, of Ozark, Missouri, finished second overall with an aggregate score of 653.1 and Leigh Yarbrough, 17, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, placed third with a 643.7.

In total, 14 sporter air rifle teams and 41 precision air rifle teams participated in the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational at CMP Marksmanship Centers in Anniston, Alabama and Camp Perry, Ohio. In this photo, several members of the Western Reserve Academy riflery team from Hudson, Ohio are seen firing their kneeling course in the 3x20 event at Camp Perry.

In team competition, Ozark High School won both the scholastic precision and sporter air rifle overall championships. Led by Tessa Howald in precision class, Ozark placed first with an aggregate score of 2300-123. Shelby Brummett, 16, Doran Makennon, 17, and Logan Hunt, 16, rounded out the Ozark squad.

New Albany High School Navy JROTC placed second with a total score of 2264-111. New Albany’s top shooter was Samuel Harris, 17, and he was accompanied by Hannah Harris, 17, Kathryn Davis, 15, and Autumn Sprigler, 18.

Luella High School, Locust Grove, Georgia, placed third with a combined score of 2239-84. Jory Folker, 18, led Luella and was joined by Dakota Tyler, 17, Michael Morrow, 17, and Christopher Carter, 16.

In sporter overall team competition, Ozark High fired a 2206-69 aggregate to win first place. The team of Brianna Sawyers, Gregory Tyler, 17, Benjamin Estes, 16, and Robert Broadstreet, 15, ensured the scholastic team sweep for Ozark.

Katlyn Bass led her Daleville High School Team 1 which scored 2193-73 in a second place effort. Joshua Ranes, 18, Jared Nabinger, 17, and Joshua Nabinger, 18, rounded out the Daleville High squad.

Brian Wyss, Jr. of the Ottawa County 4H Club prepares to send a pellet downrange in the standing portion of
the Gary Anderson Invitational at Camp Perry.

Pelion High School, of South Carolina, placed third in the overall sporter team category with a combined score of 2154-64. Clint Alama, 18, Johnathan Stark, 17, Dalton Anderson, 18, and Christopher Compo, 16, manned the Pelion sporter team.

In club team competition, Georgia Competitive Shooters of Sharpsburg, Georgia (2318) was the leading precision air rifle squad. The team was composed of Kelsey Moral, Mary Simonton, 16, James Fielding, 17, and William Cross, 18. In sporter air rifle, Charlotte Rifle & Pistol Club, Waxhaw, N. Carolina (2010) placed first and firing members were Leigh Yarbrough, Brian Hampton, 14, Rachel Faulk, 17, and Liat Bell, 13.

For complete results of the 2011 Gary Anderson Invitational, log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=7565. To view photos from the event, log onto http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/.