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Koenig Makes it Six at 2002 NRA Bianchi Cup
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Koenig Makes it Six at 2002 NRA Bianchi Cup Tournament
At 21 years of age, Doug Koenig became the first Bianchi Cup champion to win the tournament with a perfect 1920-point score. This year, at age 33, he became the first six-time winner of the NRA-Bianchi Cup National Action Shooting Championship, again with a perfect 1920-point score and a total of 184 tie-breaking hits termed "Xs." Koenig's 2002 victory came up one X shy of the course record that he co-holds with 1999 Champ, Bruce Piatt. The tournament, the 24th in the history of the competition was conducted at the former Chapman Academy range, now operated by the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club of Columbia, Missouri, May 22 to 25.
Four matches, each worth 480 points, for a total of 1920 points, comprise the Bianchi Cup championship aggregate. Those four are:
Match 1 - Shooters draw and fire on a pair of Bianchi silhouettes within a time limit that varies from three seconds (for one shot on each silhouette) at seven yards to 15 seconds (for three shots per silhouette) at 50 yards. Firing includes use of the unsupported weak hand for one string at 10 yards.
Match 2 - Contestants draw and fire strings of six shots at a Bianchi silhouette, within a time limit that increases according to the increasing range. Shooting is done from the left and right-hand side of a barricade.
Match 3 - A Bianchi silhouette is pulled across a 60-foot-wide opening both right to left and left to right, in six-seconds per run. Shooters draw and fire at the moving silhouette , six shots per run at 10 yards, three shots per run at 15 and 20 yards, and two shots per run at 25 yards.
Match 4 - The Falling Plate Eventl; essentially, a rapid-fire silhouette match. The targets are 8"-diameter steel plates set atop 4' steel racks. In competition, shooters draw and fire on a rack of plates, each of which must fall to be counted as hit. Plates are scored hit or miss.
In a contest in which "down one" has come to refer to a contender's X-count, or tie-breaking score, Koenig started his 2002 run, "down." He posted a 480-point clean score on the first match fired, the Barricade Event, with 47 Xs - down one. Chief rival Bruce Piatt fired a perfect 480-48X, as did 16-year Bianchi cup veteran George Mowbray, of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Mowbray, the eventual winner in the match, nailed down his win in a one-on-one shoot off. Though Koenig had challengers for the entire contest (the top five finishers posted 1920-point, clean scores), his final triumph was never out of the question. He finished the three-day tournament at the top of the lists, with a 10-X margin.
When a fellow competitor quipped that he might need to enlarge his trophy room to accommodate a sixth Bianchi Cup, Koenig responded, "I can do that."
Other victors in this year's Action Shooting Championship include Vera Koo, a businesswoman from Atherton, California, who took up shooting as a way to relax. She won her third Women's crown with a score of 1905-151X. Her victory was a squeaker, though, a tie with Army Sergeant Julie Goloski of the Fort Benning-based Army Marksmanship Unit. Goloski, 1999's Army Athlete of the Year, posted an equal score but fell short in Xs fired at the longest ranges in the contest - a standard means of deciding ties.
Young shooters also prospered in the 2002 Bianchi Cup. Mitch Conrad, in his last year as a Junior-category competitor, overcame a determined challenge by Australia's Josh Sweeny and took Junior honors with a 1903-166X.
Senior laurels went to a 10-year Bianchi veteran, retired airline pilot Sam Baiocco, of Colleyville, Texas, with a score of 1911-156X. Baiocco's tally topped those in a field of 14 shooters.
Since 1998, a second contest has been held as part of the Bianchi Tournament - The Stock Firearm National Championship. Stock firearms are defined by Action Shooting rules as essentially unmodified firearms, part of a production run of 1000 or more pieces, available on the market for 12 months or longer. Stock firearms may be fitted with custom grips and sights similar to those found on unmodified arms. They may also be modified internally to improve functioning and accuracy. Positions and shooting techniques used by competitors in the Stock Firearm Championship are somewhat different than those used by competitors in the Open contest.
The Stock Firearm National Champion for 2002 is Rob Leatham, of Mesa, Arizona. Leatham, a world-class shooter in International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) competition and the 1984 Bianchi Cup winner, posted a Stock Firearm-winning score of 1884-136. This victory is Leatham's second Stock Championship. Second honors went to speed-shooting record holder Jerry Miculek, of Lafayette, Louisiana, at 1872-129. Germany's Marc Kleser took third at 1870-122X.
Winners in the NRA-Bianchi Cup Action Shooting Tournament share a prize package valued at approximately $250,000.
For more information on the Bianchi Cup or on NRA Action Pistol Shooting, call (703) 267-1450, or contact us by e-mail at bianchicup@nrahq.org, or by visit our Web site at www.nrahq.org/compete/dept-pistol.asp.
Results of the 2002 NRA-Bianchi Cup
National Action Shooting Tournament
The National Action Shooting Championship
Winner Doug Koenig 1920-184X
Second Mike Voigt 1920-174X
Third Don Golembieski 1920-172X
Fourth Jens Bork 1920-169X
Fifth Justin Blackburn 1920-160X
The National Stock Firearm Championship
Sponsored by Smith & Wesson
Winner Rob Leatham 1884-136X
Second Jerry Miculek 1872-129X
Third Marc Kleser 1870-122X
Matches and Special Categories in the Open Championship
WOMEN Winner Vera Koo 1905-151X
Second Julie Goloski 1905-151X
Third Jayne Sneesby 1888-135X
JUNIORS Winner Mitch Conrad 1903-166X
Second Josh Sweeny 1897-148X
Third Hunter Pilant 1879-125X
SENIORS Winner Sam Baiocco 1911-156X
Second John Cameron 1893-154X
Third Mike Flagler 1872-125X
INTERNATIONAL Winner Jens Bork 1920-169X
Second Arnt Myhre 1916-166X
Third Roland Croes 1916-165X
LAWMAN Winner Bruce Piatt 1918-176X
Second John Pride 1918-174X
Third Jack Ragsdale 1906-167X
SEMI-AUTO Winner Doug Koenig 1920-184X
Second Mike Voigt 1920-174X
Third Don Golembieski 1920-172X
REVOLVER Winner Masashi Yada 1914-136X
Second James Broughton 1904-155X
Third Kenneth Hewitt 1894-133X
Class Winners in the Open Championship
High Master Bruce Piatt 1918-176X
Master Kelley Gilmore 1916-158X
Expert Gerald Firebaugh 1888-149X
Sharpshooter Takeo Ishii 1882-139X
Marksman Adam Lennert 1808-111X
Unclassified Kisei Takashima 1900-135X
Team Results
Winning Team Koenig Custom 5756-532X
Doug Koenig 1920-184X
Bruce Piatt 1918-176X
Carl Bernosky 1918-172X
Second Team TASCO 5745-491X
John Pride 1918-174X
Mickey Fowler 1916-171X
Chad Carlson 1911-146X
Third Team ZERO 5730-477X
Justin Blackburn 1920-160X
Kim Beckwith 1906-151X
George Mowbray 1904-166X
Match Winners in the Bianchi Cup Aggregate
Match I - The Practical Event
Sponsored by Zero Ammunition Doug Koenig 480-47X
Match II - The Barricade Event
Sponsored by Gilmore Sports Concepts George Mowbray 480-48X
Match III - The Moving Target Event
Sponsored by Leupold Doug Koenig 480-42X
Match IV - The Falling Plate Event
Sponsored by Sierra Bullets Bruce Piatt 480-48X,
plus 65 tie-breaking plates
Added Events - Part of the Tournament Program
The Speed Event
Sponsored by Bianchi International
Open Winner Doug Koenig
Stock Winner Jerry Miculek
Woman Winner Julie Goloski
Junior Winner Hunter Pilant
Senior Winner Sam Baiocco
The Speedload Challenge
Sponsored by Hogue Grips
Winner Mike Voigt 360-34X
The Random Target Event
Sponsored by Winchester
Winner Mike Voigt 9.62 sec.
The Invitational Moving Target Event
Sponsored By NSSF
Winner Vance Schmid 240-19X
http://www.nra.org/display_content/show_content.cfm?mod_id=51&id=3308
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
At 21 years of age, Doug Koenig became the first Bianchi Cup champion to win the tournament with a perfect 1920-point score. This year, at age 33, he became the first six-time winner of the NRA-Bianchi Cup National Action Shooting Championship, again with a perfect 1920-point score and a total of 184 tie-breaking hits termed "Xs." Koenig's 2002 victory came up one X shy of the course record that he co-holds with 1999 Champ, Bruce Piatt. The tournament, the 24th in the history of the competition was conducted at the former Chapman Academy range, now operated by the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club of Columbia, Missouri, May 22 to 25.
Four matches, each worth 480 points, for a total of 1920 points, comprise the Bianchi Cup championship aggregate. Those four are:
Match 1 - Shooters draw and fire on a pair of Bianchi silhouettes within a time limit that varies from three seconds (for one shot on each silhouette) at seven yards to 15 seconds (for three shots per silhouette) at 50 yards. Firing includes use of the unsupported weak hand for one string at 10 yards.
Match 2 - Contestants draw and fire strings of six shots at a Bianchi silhouette, within a time limit that increases according to the increasing range. Shooting is done from the left and right-hand side of a barricade.
Match 3 - A Bianchi silhouette is pulled across a 60-foot-wide opening both right to left and left to right, in six-seconds per run. Shooters draw and fire at the moving silhouette , six shots per run at 10 yards, three shots per run at 15 and 20 yards, and two shots per run at 25 yards.
Match 4 - The Falling Plate Eventl; essentially, a rapid-fire silhouette match. The targets are 8"-diameter steel plates set atop 4' steel racks. In competition, shooters draw and fire on a rack of plates, each of which must fall to be counted as hit. Plates are scored hit or miss.
In a contest in which "down one" has come to refer to a contender's X-count, or tie-breaking score, Koenig started his 2002 run, "down." He posted a 480-point clean score on the first match fired, the Barricade Event, with 47 Xs - down one. Chief rival Bruce Piatt fired a perfect 480-48X, as did 16-year Bianchi cup veteran George Mowbray, of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Mowbray, the eventual winner in the match, nailed down his win in a one-on-one shoot off. Though Koenig had challengers for the entire contest (the top five finishers posted 1920-point, clean scores), his final triumph was never out of the question. He finished the three-day tournament at the top of the lists, with a 10-X margin.
When a fellow competitor quipped that he might need to enlarge his trophy room to accommodate a sixth Bianchi Cup, Koenig responded, "I can do that."
Other victors in this year's Action Shooting Championship include Vera Koo, a businesswoman from Atherton, California, who took up shooting as a way to relax. She won her third Women's crown with a score of 1905-151X. Her victory was a squeaker, though, a tie with Army Sergeant Julie Goloski of the Fort Benning-based Army Marksmanship Unit. Goloski, 1999's Army Athlete of the Year, posted an equal score but fell short in Xs fired at the longest ranges in the contest - a standard means of deciding ties.
Young shooters also prospered in the 2002 Bianchi Cup. Mitch Conrad, in his last year as a Junior-category competitor, overcame a determined challenge by Australia's Josh Sweeny and took Junior honors with a 1903-166X.
Senior laurels went to a 10-year Bianchi veteran, retired airline pilot Sam Baiocco, of Colleyville, Texas, with a score of 1911-156X. Baiocco's tally topped those in a field of 14 shooters.
Since 1998, a second contest has been held as part of the Bianchi Tournament - The Stock Firearm National Championship. Stock firearms are defined by Action Shooting rules as essentially unmodified firearms, part of a production run of 1000 or more pieces, available on the market for 12 months or longer. Stock firearms may be fitted with custom grips and sights similar to those found on unmodified arms. They may also be modified internally to improve functioning and accuracy. Positions and shooting techniques used by competitors in the Stock Firearm Championship are somewhat different than those used by competitors in the Open contest.
The Stock Firearm National Champion for 2002 is Rob Leatham, of Mesa, Arizona. Leatham, a world-class shooter in International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) competition and the 1984 Bianchi Cup winner, posted a Stock Firearm-winning score of 1884-136. This victory is Leatham's second Stock Championship. Second honors went to speed-shooting record holder Jerry Miculek, of Lafayette, Louisiana, at 1872-129. Germany's Marc Kleser took third at 1870-122X.
Winners in the NRA-Bianchi Cup Action Shooting Tournament share a prize package valued at approximately $250,000.
For more information on the Bianchi Cup or on NRA Action Pistol Shooting, call (703) 267-1450, or contact us by e-mail at bianchicup@nrahq.org, or by visit our Web site at www.nrahq.org/compete/dept-pistol.asp.
Results of the 2002 NRA-Bianchi Cup
National Action Shooting Tournament
The National Action Shooting Championship
Winner Doug Koenig 1920-184X
Second Mike Voigt 1920-174X
Third Don Golembieski 1920-172X
Fourth Jens Bork 1920-169X
Fifth Justin Blackburn 1920-160X
The National Stock Firearm Championship
Sponsored by Smith & Wesson
Winner Rob Leatham 1884-136X
Second Jerry Miculek 1872-129X
Third Marc Kleser 1870-122X
Matches and Special Categories in the Open Championship
WOMEN Winner Vera Koo 1905-151X
Second Julie Goloski 1905-151X
Third Jayne Sneesby 1888-135X
JUNIORS Winner Mitch Conrad 1903-166X
Second Josh Sweeny 1897-148X
Third Hunter Pilant 1879-125X
SENIORS Winner Sam Baiocco 1911-156X
Second John Cameron 1893-154X
Third Mike Flagler 1872-125X
INTERNATIONAL Winner Jens Bork 1920-169X
Second Arnt Myhre 1916-166X
Third Roland Croes 1916-165X
LAWMAN Winner Bruce Piatt 1918-176X
Second John Pride 1918-174X
Third Jack Ragsdale 1906-167X
SEMI-AUTO Winner Doug Koenig 1920-184X
Second Mike Voigt 1920-174X
Third Don Golembieski 1920-172X
REVOLVER Winner Masashi Yada 1914-136X
Second James Broughton 1904-155X
Third Kenneth Hewitt 1894-133X
Class Winners in the Open Championship
High Master Bruce Piatt 1918-176X
Master Kelley Gilmore 1916-158X
Expert Gerald Firebaugh 1888-149X
Sharpshooter Takeo Ishii 1882-139X
Marksman Adam Lennert 1808-111X
Unclassified Kisei Takashima 1900-135X
Team Results
Winning Team Koenig Custom 5756-532X
Doug Koenig 1920-184X
Bruce Piatt 1918-176X
Carl Bernosky 1918-172X
Second Team TASCO 5745-491X
John Pride 1918-174X
Mickey Fowler 1916-171X
Chad Carlson 1911-146X
Third Team ZERO 5730-477X
Justin Blackburn 1920-160X
Kim Beckwith 1906-151X
George Mowbray 1904-166X
Match Winners in the Bianchi Cup Aggregate
Match I - The Practical Event
Sponsored by Zero Ammunition Doug Koenig 480-47X
Match II - The Barricade Event
Sponsored by Gilmore Sports Concepts George Mowbray 480-48X
Match III - The Moving Target Event
Sponsored by Leupold Doug Koenig 480-42X
Match IV - The Falling Plate Event
Sponsored by Sierra Bullets Bruce Piatt 480-48X,
plus 65 tie-breaking plates
Added Events - Part of the Tournament Program
The Speed Event
Sponsored by Bianchi International
Open Winner Doug Koenig
Stock Winner Jerry Miculek
Woman Winner Julie Goloski
Junior Winner Hunter Pilant
Senior Winner Sam Baiocco
The Speedload Challenge
Sponsored by Hogue Grips
Winner Mike Voigt 360-34X
The Random Target Event
Sponsored by Winchester
Winner Mike Voigt 9.62 sec.
The Invitational Moving Target Event
Sponsored By NSSF
Winner Vance Schmid 240-19X
http://www.nra.org/display_content/show_content.cfm?mod_id=51&id=3308
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878