CMP Western Games – A Great Place to Vacation, Meet Old Friends and Shoot in a Friendly Atmosphere

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – No matter where you shoot, everyone’s got their own description of their weather. Texans call their seasons drought, flood, blizzard and twister. At Camp Perry they say “if you don’t like the weather, wait ‘til the next relay.” Mark Twain said “climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.”

The saguaro cactus, which can grow to 25 feet in height over 80 years, is found throughout Arizona and is sometimes home to Gila woodpeckers.

And of course in Arizona you can fry eggs on the hood of your car, but they say “yep it’s hot, but it’s a dry heat.”

But in all fairness to the good folks of Arizona, October is a great month to visit and meet up with friends at the shooting range. They say Montana is Big Sky Country, but Arizona has horizons that stretch all four compass points too.

Chief Range Officer Dick Whiting perched himself atop his homemade centerline range tower and called all highpower matches during the Western Games.

As a first-time visitor to Arizona and the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, I was prepared for blast furnace heat, rattlesnakes and leather-skinned guys named “Zeke, Jasper and Festus,” but I ended up meeting a great bunch of fellas like Noble Hathaway, Bruce Kawaguchi, Hilliard Elliott and Michael Soock to name just a few.

The key to beating the Arizona sun and heat is frequent hydration.

Oh I’m sure there are plenty of Slims, Carsons and Colts out there too and I understand the rattlesnakes were a little more prevalent than usual this summer, but the reality is shooters are shooters regardless of their names and the CMP Western Games Matches at Ben Avery was a great opportunity to meet more of the best folks in our sport.

The southern sun casts daylong shade in the Ben Avery target pits.

The weather was great – mid to upper 80s, wall-to-wall sun (and yes, low humidity). There was plenty of water to drink and super-friendly hosts from the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association and Ben Avery staff. The pits were shaded, which was a blessing.

It was an event that brought together dads and sons, boot camp buddies, club teams, veterans from all services, and people who had never met before and walked away friends.

Allan Barnes and Michael Soock share M1 shooting stories in the CMP sales and awards tent at Ben Avery.

Allan Barnes, 60, of Danville, California and Michael Soock, 58, of Sun City, Arizona hadn’t met before. They ended up looking at rifles for sale in the CMP tent after the day’s matches. Barnes said he came to shoot in the CMP events including the M1 Garand, Vintage Military, Springfield and M1 Carbine matches.

“Ben Avery is a beautiful facility,” he said. “It’s a little warm, but a fabulous range.”

Soock picked out an M1 to tag and have sent to him. “Seems like a good one,” he said. “I’m a shooter and collector, but I won’t collect them if I can’t shoot them,” he added.

Steve Speer had an opportunity to meet fellow competitor and actor R. Lee Ermey at the end of Day I shooting.

Steve Spear, 57, of nearby Scottsdale attended the Western Games for the first time and shot his M1, firing a 249-2X on his first day. “I had a ball and I get two more tries”, he said after bumping into Gunny R. Lee Ermey after the first day of firing.

Bill Aten of Kingwood, Texas fired well in several matches. Here he is congratulated by CMP Chief Operating Officer Orest Michaels.

Bill Aten, 58, of Kingwood, Texas won a gold achievement medal on Day I with his M1 Garand and was hoping to win at least one match prior to returning home. He came close, finishing second in the Garand and O-Class Rimfire Sporter standings with strong finishes in the Springfield and Vintage Military rifle matches.

The Powell family, John, Christina, 9, Carl, 12 and mom Sharon made the Arizona trip productive for all.

John Powell, 46, of Mount Airy, Maryland and his family probably made the longest trip to Arizona. In his first-ever Western Games he fired in the 3-Gun matches with his M1 Garand, Springfield 03A3 and Swiss K31. The two-year veteran of the CMP Eastern Games said the time lag from traveling plus the mid-day heat on the first day of competition was somewhat of a challenge but he was having fun.

The Powells made good use of their mileage. His wife Sharon attended a four-day nursing conference prior to joining the family and their plan was to sight-see in Sedona, go horseback riding. Their children Carl, 12, (a Boy Scout) and Christina, 9, were also looking forward to their Arizona adventure.

Phil Hettel, left, joined Ryan Johnson and Ryan’s father Bob for the 2010 Western Games. They plan to return next year

Bob Johnson, 50, of Chicago and Marine Corps boot camp (2071 Space Cadets) buddy Phil Hettel, 48, of Yuma, Arizona met up for their second Western Games. Johnson’s son Ryan, 17, of Philadelphia also made the trip for the first time. Johnson and Hettel plan to make the event a regular annual event.

Brad Case, 13, fired in his first M1Garand match with his dad, Eddie. Brad’s mom is currently serving in the U.S. Navy in Iraq.

Eddie Case, 47, and his son Brad, 13, of Phoenix did the father & son thing at this year’s Games. It was Eddie’s third Western appearance and first for his son. It was the first time for Brad to fire an M1 Garand in competition.

“I was only 27 points from beating him,” Brad said. Eddie’s wife and Brad’s mom is a Navy officer currently serving in Iraq and is expected to return home next September.

John Long, Rodney Cone and Paul Lowe, all of Buckeye, Arizona came to the Western Games for fun and the opportunity to reflect on days as high school classmates.

John Long, 49, Rodney Cone, 48, and Paul Lowe, 49, all of Buckeye, Arizona got together for fun they said. The threesome attended high school together. Lowe was the veteran Western Games shooter, making his fifth appearance and it was the third time each for Long and Cone.

Ron Myers holds his prized MK2 Australian Enfield rifle after firing it in the Vintage Military Rifle Match.

Ron Myers, 53, of Grand Junction, Colorado was excited about firing his 1955 No. 4 MK2 Australian Enfield in the Vintage Military match. The bolt gun had never been fired and had been packed in cosmoline for more than 50 years prior to its purchase. Myers said he has only put 103 rounds through the barrel and his first shot with it in 2008 was a perfect “X.” He purchased the rifle from a gun store in Bremerton, Washington.

Ron Myers’ MK2 Australian Enfield rifle, built in 1955 and packed in Cosmoline for more than 50 years, has seen very little use and remains in pristine condition.

A group of shooters from the same region in California are regulars at the CMP Western Games and they credit Tom Temple, 59, of Los Angeles for keeping the group’s competitive fire burning. Temple, who served as a line officer for part of the Western Games, also mentors and organizes the group’s activities.

Victor Murillo, Bruce Kawaguchi, Mike Avooske, Tom Temple, Steve Caplan and Nelson Green make the trip to the Western Games from California each year.

Joining Tom for a photo were Victor Murillo, 67, of San Gabriel, Bruce Kawaguchi, 60, of Santa Monica, Mike Avooske, 72, of Anaheim, Steve Caplan, 65 of Thousand Oaks and Nelson Green, 41, of Monrovia. The group fires virtually all matches during the Games.

Wild burros make occasional appearances near the Ben Avery Shooting Facility. They are the direct descendants of those originally brought to the area by gold miners and later set free.

For complete results of the CMP Western Games, log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=6118. To view photos from the CMP Western games, log onto http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/p211638274.

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