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Pistol Prodigies compete in Nationals

Front row (L-R) Hannah, Andrew, Braden, Nathan, Phoebe
Back row (L-R) Eli, Coach Scott, Coach Franz, Coach Lisa
Photo courtesy of Scott Poet

Manchester own Pistol Prodigies Youth Shooting Team, competed in the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) National Championships on July 15th. The Prodigies have 17 members, but were represented by six shooters at Nationals: Hannah Foltz, Eli Lobbestael, Andrew Hartley, Nathan Huddleston, Phoebe Huddleston, and Braden Osborne. Hannah, Eli, Andrew, Nathan all competed in both pistol and rifle. Phoebe shot rifle only, and Braden shot pistol only.

Squads from around the country competed, with around 550 entries in rifle and pistol. When the scores were all tallied, Manchester team was in the middle of the pack. Coach Scott Poet stated, “We were very happy with our finish, as many of these squads have been competing in the SASP for five years. Our team is just finishing our second year, and four of our shooters have only been with the team for about three months or less. In fact, for two of our shooters, this was their very first match!”

Every competition has four shooting stages during which each athlete shoots five times. The slowest time/score from each stage is thrown out, leaving the f0ur fastest times/scores for each of the four stages. These 16 scores are added together, along with the athlete squad mate times/scores, to come up with an aggregate score for the squad. Then all the squads are placed in ranking order, from fastest to slowest, in each age division. There are rifle divisions for all age groups, and pistol divisions for sixth graders and up.

“Individually, our team did great,” Poet stated, “SASP National Director of Development, Rick Leach, challenged each shooter to shoot a “perfect stage.” Each shooter that did would receive a hat, and bragging rights. Shooting a “perfect stage” means shooting a 5-target stage, five times, with no misses, shooting only 25 shots, as quickly as you can. We are proud to say that five of our six shooters shot at least one “perfect stage.” Andrew actually shot his “perfect stage” seven times as there were two timer malfunctions. Hannah was the first to get her “perfect stage” hat. She is also the only member of our team to compete in every match since the team was started in September 2014. Phoebe followed up her “perfect stage” at our State Championship Match with another at Nationals. Nathan shot very well all day, including his perfect stage. And Braden, our newest shooter, shot his perfect stage at his very first match ever. What a way to start off his shooting journey.”

Each shooting stage has a unique steel target arrangement. Some steel targets are as close as 24’, some as far away as 75’. So each stage has its own challenge. Every team member shot at least one new personal best time. Poet reported, “The team favorite stage is called “Go-Fast.” And they do exactly that, go fast!” The national record on this stage is 1.26 seconds. Prior to Nationals, Pistol Prodigies had not broken the 2:00 second mark. “At Nationals,” Poet continued, “we did not break 2:00 seconds once, twice, or even three times. It was broken four times! Andrew was the first to break it in 1.95 seconds with his rifle. Eli then shot 1.88 and 1.84 with his rifle and 1.89 with his pistol. Now, that fast! Eli set multiple team “best times” for the Prodigies. We foresee even faster times in the future.”

The coaches also got into the shooting action at Nationals. Coach Franz, Coach Scott and Coach Lisa all participated in the Coaches Challenge in which they could shoot pistol or rifle, on the same stages that the team shoots. All three coaches opted to shoot rifle. When the coaches shot, the kids were given the opportunity to “coach” the coaches. Poet elaborated, “The whole team loved this. The best part was when a coach made a mistake, which they are always correcting on our shooters. The kids loved being in charge, even if only for a few minutes.”

Poet stated that unlike many other teams in the SASP, he and Coach Lisa see their team as a family. “You will often hear them refer to the team as our kids,” he said. “We have a special bond with the kids that enable everyone to work together to improve their skills, being safe, and having fun.”

The team has one match left this season on August 6th at the Western Wayne County Conservation Association in Plymouth. They are currently looking for shooters to join for their new season, which starts September 1st. If you are interested in your family learning about or joining their team, check out our their website www.pistolprodigies.org, email them at scott@sidearmdefense.com or call them at 734-323-5293

Scholastic Action Shooting Program (formerly the Scholastic Pistol Program) is a youth shooting program that allows student athletes from age 10 through 18 and full-time college students to compete in the exciting sport of speed shooting. The focus of the program is SAFETY, Sportsmanship, Responsibility, and Fun.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.