The 9th Annual Palmyra Invitational took place over 12-13, 19-21 and 26-27 January 2008 at the Palmyra Sportsman’s Association in Palmyra, PA. This smallbore and air rifle match has gained tremendous popularity in recent years attracting some of the top collegiate and junior shooters from across the country.

When match director Erin Gestl first held the event nine years ago only 65 shooters competed in the match. This year over 360 competitors registered, filling relays all three weekends the event was held. One of the draws to this match is that shooters can compete as individuals and as members of four-person teams; this makes it an excellent match for NCAA teams to attend. This year there were over fifty teams in both smallbore and air rifle, and competitors were broken down into several categories such as NCAA, Open, J1, J2 and J3.

A large volunteer staff was on hand each weekend to keep the range operations running smoothly. With over 2000 members, the Palmyra Sportsman’s Association certainly has a large volunteer pool to draw from, and the event is spread between two air rifle ranges and one smallbore range located on the club’s 130-acre complex. When competitors were not on the line they could watch a slideshow with photos from the match on a display in the waiting area, or browse the Center Shot or Ernest Shooting Products booths. The vendors were on hand with a variety of shooting equipment for sale.

In the NCCA, division the top air rifle individual score was shot by Christopher Abalo of West Point who finished with a 593. The top air rifle team was the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a score of 2347. In smallbore, Stephen Scherer of West Point won the NCAA individual event with a 583, and the top smallbore team was the University of Kentucky Blue with a score of 2306. For complete preliminary results from the 2008 Palmyra Invitational please visit www.palmyrasportsmens.com. Published results will be sent to each participant along with a CD with the photos taken during the match. Registration for the 2009 Palmyra Invitational will begin after the final results are mailed out, which is usually mid February. Continue to check the club’s web site for further information, or contact Erin Gestl at egestl@wcupa.edu.

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