Gratz and Coscia Win Junior Division 60-Shot Championships at Camp Perry Open Using Modified ISSF 20-Shot Final Format

CAMP PERRY, OH – Elizabeth Gratz, 17, of Sigel, IL, won the junior division of the Camp Perry Open 60-shot air rifle competition with an aggregate score of 1391.6 and high final of 206.6 and Erin Coscia, 17, of Zionsville, IN, captured the junior 60-shot air pistol CPO championship with a total score of 1276.6 and high final of 193.6, at the CMP Marksmanship Center on January 13.

Elizabeth Gratz, of Sigel, Illinois, won both the open and junior division competition classes of the Camp Perry Open 60-shot air rifle match with a two-day aggregate score of 1391.6. Gratz fired a 206.6 in the new 20-shot ISSF finals format at the CMP Marksmanship Center on January 13.

Gratz doubled as the winner of the air rifle match open division and Lea Wachowich, 31, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, won the air pistol open division championship with an aggregate score of 1334.7 and high final of 200.3. All winners were determined using a hybrid version of the new international style scoring format effective January 1.

Erin Coscia, of Zionsville, Indiana, captured the junior 60-shot air pistol CPO championship with a two-day total score of 1276.6 and high final of 193.6.

In air rifle junior shooting, Sonya May, 18, of Rockland, MA, placed second with an aggregate score of 1366.6 and a best final score of 205.6. Gregory Hagar, 19, of Burke, VA, placed third with a total score of 1344.2 and a best final of 180.2.

MacKenzie Martin, a junior from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, envisions her shot plan prior to firing a shot at the 2013 Camp Perry Open.

In air rifle open competition, Lisette Grunwell-Lacey, 38, of Old Lyme, CT, placed second with an aggregate score of 1365.2, with a high final of 202.2. Hank Gray, 33, U.S. Army, placed third with a total score of 1362 and high final of 182.

In air pistol junior competition, Glenn Zimmerman, 16, of Waterville, OH, took second place with an aggregate score of 1273.8, with a high final of 195.8. Kathryn Robertson, 19, of Lynden, Ontario, Canada, placed third with a total score of 1233, with a high final of 168.

In air pistol junior competition, Glenn Zimmerman, of Waterville, Ohio, took second place to Erin Coscia (center). Kathryn Robertson, of Lynden, Ontario, Canada, placed third at Camp Perry.

In air pistol open shooting, Greg Markowski, 39, U.S. Army, placed second with an aggregate score of 1333.3 and a best final of 200.3. Patrick Franks, 34, of Williamsport, TN, placed third with a combined score of 1319.7, with a high final of 191.7.

Lea Wachowich, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, won the air pistol open division championship with a two-day aggregate score of 1334.7 and high final of 200.3. Placing second was Greg Markowski, (left) and Patrick Frank, both of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.

Under the new International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) 60-shot match format, scores fired in the qualification round are still used to determine the top eight shooters but the procedure is considerably different going forward. Once the final begins, qualification scores are left behind. Essentially, shooters line up and fire a best-of-20 final in which lower-scoring finalists are gradually eliminated, leaving the top two shooters to battle for the championship.

All eight shooters fire two three-shot series with comments made by the match director or dignitary after each series. Two more shots are fired, followed by commentary and eliminations begin with the eighth shot. At that point, the eighth place finisher is eliminated and leaves the firing line. The process continues with one elimination after every second shot going forward. The bronze medalist is declared after shot 18 and silver and gold medalists are declared after the 20th and final shot.

In the Camp Perry Open, the CMP used a complex process to determine the two-day winners, honoring the old system and the new format alike. Instead of a Day I and Day II champion, shooters in the 60-shot air rifle and air pistol matches needed to make the final both days and their highest final of two were combined with two-day qualification scores to produce aggregate winners. The twist of firing two 20-shot finals, eliminating finalists along the way, achieved the desired effect of blending the old and the new formats.

In air rifle, Gratz combined qualification scores of 597 and 588 and her best final (Day I) of 206.6, producing an aggregate of 1391.6. Though it didn’t count toward her total score, Gratz fired a 204.5 final on Day II, leaving no doubt that she deserved the victory regardless of format.

Sonya May, of Rockland, Massachusetts, left, captured second place among juniors in the CPO air rifle championship. She is pictured with Elizabeth Gratz and third place junior shooter, Gregory Hagar, of Burke, Virginia.

The fact that more competitors worldwide are shooting perfect or near-perfect qualification scores is what moved the ISSF to develop a system that is less likely to produce winners based on a single dramatic final shot, measured in fractions of a millimeter. The ISSF is attempting to declare clear-cut winners, plus produce an elimination-based finals format that is easier for the media and spectators to follow without mathematical complexity.

Sonya May, right, tries to concentrate as the field is reduced during the rollicking Super Final fired at the conclusion of the Camp Perry Open. Ann Alves, over May’s right shoulder, eventually won the fun-match.

The ISSF, in 2013, is experimenting with decimal scoring of qualification rounds in matches where electronic scoring is used in World Cup events. Until this year, decimal scoring has been used in finals. In a decimal scored match where a center shot value of 10.9 is possible, 54 more points would be possible in a 60-shot qualification round using the new method. The elimination-based 20-shot final further separates the field and reveals the highest-performing competitors, the ISSF says.

After Day II official competition, CMP held a recreational Super Final match for precision air rifle and air pistol competitors, fired under “less than desirable” conditions. The event is noisy shot-for-shot elimination “guts” match which eliminates shooters until the last two are standing, literally.

Lisette Grunwell-Lacey, of Old Lyme, Connecticut, (left) placed second in the air rifle open class with an aggregate score of 1365.2, with a high final of 202.2. At right, next to open champion Elizabeth Gratz, is Hank Gray, U.S. Army, who placed third with a total score of 1362 and high final of 182.

At this year’s competition, U.S. Army Marksmanship shooter, Greg Markowski, edged AMU teammate Patrick Frank for the air pistol Super Final championship. Markowski was awarded a CMP check for $200. In air rifle Super Final shooting, Ann Alves captured first place and a $200 prize, while Sonya Mays took second place and a cash prize of $150.

Ann Alves, of New Castle, Delaware, won a $200 cash prize from the CMP for winning the 2013 Camp Perry Open Super Final match, a recreational event that’s highlighted by music, cat-calls and other distractions created by spectators during the competition.

For complete results from the Camp Perry Open 60-shot air rifle and air pistol championships, log onto CMP’s Competition Tracker at http://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=9102.

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