Trophies

The Black Hawk Rifle Club Trophy Collection                                                  (Click on the button link.) Shot-in-the-Tail Award Awarded to the Black Hawk Rifle Club member voted to have the best shooting-related "boo-boo" of the year. 2024 - Bill Hughes, For posting the wrong target at Camp Atterbury and then quitting shooting for the day ... and having "friends" who cheer loudly to vote him the winner. 2023 - Baron Whately, For having multiple issues during the National Matches such as realizing late into the prep period he had hung the wrong target (he was allowed to change it ... how does that happen?), for hanging the correct target over the incorrect target, for having a battle of wits with wind flags and losing, and the stories went on and on! 2022 - Bill Hughes, For hanging the wrong target at Camp Atterbury which equals a zero score , then he put 13 shots in the top bull in another match, then he forgot his cheekpiece and butt plate and had to borrow a rental car to go fetch them. 2021 - Shawn McDonnell, For entering daughter Amy in the Camp Atterbury Nationals and telling everyone BUT Amy! Amy rearranged her schedule on this short notice and had a great time - and made the Randle Team! 2020 - Ron Wigger, For being a day early for his mom's birthday -- telling the Black Hawks the wrong date, then delivering his mom to her party at Deena Wigger's home a day early. 2019 - Ron Wigger, For initially claiming he couldn't attend Bristol ... then announcing he could attend, but didn't have match ammo. He acquired match ammo, which was shooting well, but upon making the Dewar Team, switched ammo and fired a shot below the line, costing the team 10 points. 2018 - Kevin Nevius, For disregarding numerous reminders to set his sights at the proper distance for the Roberts Match which resulted in "a shot below the line", aka minus 10 points. His strong performance after that along with the team's strong performance still resulted in a win! 2017 - Ron Wigger,  For leaving his wallet at a gas station on the way to Bristol and having to call “Daddy” (Lones’s word, not Ron’s) for monetary help to get the rest of the way to Bristol.)  At the end of "Daddy's" nomination, Wig said he didn't know how Ron was going to get home. 2016 - Ron Wigger, For failing to recognize that 56 clicks down on a Leupold Vari-X III scope will put you "below the line." Ronnie forgot that he had clicked down from 100 yards after the last match on day three of the prone championships. Prior to Day Four's 50 Yard Match he put on another 28 clicks down. After his first sighting shot he spotted one of the nice round holes at the top of the target used to mount the target on the scoring board and assumed it was his sighting shot. He put on 28 more clicks and fired a second shot below the line resulting in a 20 point penalty and this prestigious award. 2015 - Erik Hoskins, for firing all clean targets at the Mid-Atlantic except that one clean target happened to be the wrong target for the particular match being fired, gaining him a score of zero for that clean target. 2014 - Ginger McLemore, who noticed an oddly placed bullet hole on her target at the Firecracker, then discovered it had caromed off the tail of her windmill. 2013 - Mike Anti, For 'helping' Katie Bridges before the team matches at the Metric National Championships by bore sighting her rifle compared to his after she had had to take the rings off her scope to get proper eye relief. Her first shots weren't on paper because Mike's scope was off to begin with. Coach Beard got her back on paper and she and her teammate went on to win the National title. 2012 - Steve Rocketto, For a bravura performance of ineptness - three crossfires in one day - to lose a Regional Gold Medal and a Perry voucher - only to win a silver medal, his first Regional medal, not to mention older brother bullying. 2011 - Lones Wigger, for having a screw loose. At USASNC his shots were all over the place on day one. He put the rifle in his locker and brought it out the next day remarking "my groups are almost like I have a loose sight" only to discover when he went to load that the rear sight had slid across the loading port and he couldn't load. 2010 - Steve Rocketto, for being the only person to have been both shot at through the ceiling of the club's indoor range and to have shot at someone through the same ceiling, and from the sitting position, just like this award was created. 2009 - Shane Barnhart, for firing 35 sighters at Camp Perry on the first day of Prone Metallic Sights but shooting only 12 record shots. There were excuses made about "AMU shooters don't carry timers", "the battery had died" and "I was shooting all X's". 2008 - Baron Whateley, for showing up at Camp Perry, ready for practice day, on SUNDAY (a day kown to those who read the program as the first day of Prone Metallic Sights). Baron thought people had suddenly become very serious about practice day because everyone was present, all the tents were in place -- but he soon realized he was a day late. 2007 - Martha Kelley, for challenging a crossfire made on her target by a person from the other relay (shooting beside her on a continuation of fire) yet she ended up being disqualified for marking her target incorrectly, ultimately resulting in the new "Martha Kelly Rule 18.15(d)". 2006 - Ed Borham, for locking the keys to van inside the van storing everyone's shooting equipment, but not realizing that until a fruitless mad dash back to the motel on Catawba Island. And finally having to break a window in the van to get out David Cramer's equipment barely in time for him to shoot on the Dewar Team. 2005 - Matt Emmons, for cross-firing on his last shot of the 2004 Olympic Games and for how he handled that moment of disappointment with the greatest show of sportsmanship in the 2004 Olympic Games. 2004 - John Willien, for trying to combine a visit to a lady friend with a Smallbore Regional in South Carolina, but arriving a week late to the Regional. 2003 - Greg Tomsen, for assisting his fellow shooters by creating more parking spaces, for displaying his marksmanship skills with target rifles, automobiles, and target frames, and for his generosity in donating ammunition. 2002 - Randy Schwartz, for firing on point 13 (he was squadded on point 12) and claiming equipment failure because no shots were hitting on point 12. He changed rifles, but still no shots hit on point 12. 2001 - Randy Schwartz, for crossfiring on Carolyn Millard-Sparks at Camp Perry, as if she didn't have enough on her mind with her father being ill. Carolyn corrected off that shot and barely hung a 10. Randy, the experienced shooter that he is, figured he should still have 20 shots to go on his target, so he fired an excessive shot. 2000 - George Harris, for the 2000 Dewar Team Match having three stages (because the 50 stage was fired at the wrong distance the first time around). 1999 - Lones Wigger, for events resulting from his attempt to save his parking space behind the line at Camp Perry so he could use the facilities in his module between matches. 1998 - Shane Barnhart, for losing the Black Hawk Match by having a large meal just before the final targets on Sunday. 1997 - Mark Marinoff, for the ant attack on his firing point at Camp Perry while he was shooting. He had to run to the nearest Port-a-John to get rid of the critters that had crawled into his clothes. 1996 - John Black, for putting 21 shots on a 100 yard target - 12 on the top bull and 9 on the bottom bull. 1995 - George Harris, for getting a parking ticket at Camp Perry for parking his wife's car improperly at the range. 1994 - John Reynolds, for several incidents in one Camp Perry: crossfiring, hanging a 50 yard target at 100 yards, thus receiving an "original Knez" entitled "Big John Lifetime Disachievement Award". 1993 - Baron Whateley, for showing up on point 12 the first day of prone at Camp Perry because he thought the 12 on his sticker meant point 12 (it actually designated "Master"). 1992 - Lones Wigger, for three things: (1) making Mary Kay mow the lawn; she fell and broke her leg and Lones had to hire someone to finish the mowing; (2) hanging the wrong target in Match 54 at Perry; (3) mooshing an unfinished nectarine into the barrel and front sight of his rifle then being seen washing it off at a water fountain -- sticky business or secret to success??? 1991 - Web Wright Jr., for hitting himself in the head with a mallet while demonstrating his new absorption material. 1990 - Marianne Driver, for just now noticing that the shooting jacket she has been wearing for 15+ years has adjustable straps. 1989 - Edie & John Reynolds, for showing up at the NC State Games match without their rifles. 1988 - Joe Johnson, for paying his entry fee to Camp Perry and then not shooting (he did come to the BH Perry banquet). 1987 - Mike Anti, for crossfiring in Pan Am Team Tryouts and bringing an air gun to range instead of his prone gun. 1986 - Richard Hanson, for sleeping through one stage of a match at Camp Perry. 1985 - David Chesser, for shooting before the "Commence Fire" command in the position team match at Camp Perry. 1984 - Mike Anti, for releasing a shot into the sprinkler system at the Prado Tiro Olympic Shooting Range in California during Olympic Team Tryouts. 1983 - Jim Hinkle, for having to hammer stock and barrel apart after a bedding job on his rifle (he "claims" to have used a release agent). 1982 - George Williams, who shot the tail of his windmill from the sitting position while firing in a four-position match in Raleigh, NC.