Smith & Wesson Shooters Claim Three Titles at 2010 Sportsman’s Team Challenge
Team Smith & Wesson Wins Men’s Open Industry Division for Seventh Consecutive Year
SPRINGFIELD, MA – (Ammoland.com)-Smith & Wesson® Corp., the legendary 158-year old firearms maker, announced that Team Smith & Wesson earned three division titles during the 22nd Annual Sportsman’s Team Challenge (STC) National Championship.
Competing in this year’s three-gun event for the Men’s Open Industry Team was Jerry Miculek, Doug Koenig and Michael Plaxco. Together, the three accomplished shooters posted the highest scores of the match in both the preliminary and final rounds while in route to their seventh consecutive title.
Likewise in the Women’s Division, the Smith & Wesson Ladies Team composed of Kay Miculek, Annette Aysen and Justin Butler, were able to take home the division title, improving on their second place win in 2009.
Rounding out top finishes for the company was the S&W J-frames, who earned the third title of the match competing in the Junior Division.
At this year’s STC Championship, over 80 teams went head-to-head competing for national titles. During the annual competition, each member of every team is required to shoot three firearms – rifle, pistol and shotgun. The match consists of six individual events and all shots by every team member are used to calculate the final score. From the beginning, the Smith & Wesson Men’s Team took the lead and never surrendered it. After shooting the high aggregate score in the preliminary round, the men’s team scored a 576 in the championship round.
In the Women’s Division, the Lady Smith team also had a strong start, finishing 54 points ahead of the second place team in the preliminary round due to a strong performance in the shotgun stage. But as the women’s team entered the final round, they found themselves down by 40 points. Unshaken, the Lady Smith team posted winning scores on the Handgun, Rifle and Combo stages to win the women’s division by a slim five-point margin.
Also competing in this year’s STC match was the Smith & Wesson Junior Team – the S&W J-Frames – composed of Lena Miculek, Shea Shelf and Coddie Lindsay. After delivering a strong second place showing in the preliminary round, the junior team entered the final round high on confidence. Their confidence and talent showed as the S&W J-Frames posted the highest score ever in the Junior Division with a score of 485.
The events for the Sportsman’s Team challenge include: Rifle; Combo; Handgun; Mixed Bag; Flush and Flurry. The first event, Rifle, requires shooters to use a .22 rifle while firing at 46 steel targets that vary in size, distance and point value. The next event, Combo, requires teams to use one .22 rifle and two .22 handguns as they shoot 50 targets ranging in distance from 25 to 80 yards. The last metallic event is Handgun, in which shooters compete in a relay, firing at 48 total targets within restricted time limits. The final three events take competitors to the shotgun course where they engage in three unique 50-bird sporting clay style matches.
For more information on the Sportsman’s Team Challenge, visit www.sportsmansteamchallenge.com.
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC) is a U.S.-based, global provider of products and services for safety, security, protection and sport. The company designs and constructs facility perimeter security solutions for military and commercial applications, and delivers a broad portfolio of firearms and related training to the military, law enforcement and sports markets. SWHC companies include Smith & Wesson Corp., the globally recognized manufacturer of quality firearms; Universal Safety Response, a full-service perimeter security integrator, barrier manufacturer and installer; and Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting firearms. SWHC facilities are located in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Tennessee. For more information on Smith & Wesson and its companies, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com; www.usrgrab.com; or www.tcarms.com.