As the oldest, and at the time only, ICORE affiliated club in the New England Region, Watervliet Practical Shooters of Albany, New York considered hosting a regional match sometime in 2009. I canvassed our regulars in early December to determine interest in participating, and the enthusiastic response got the ball rolling. One of the toughest decisions was finding an open weekend when our ranges weren't scheduled for some other activity, and to minimize conflicts with major matches in the region. Even though it was a holiday weekend, July 5 was the best fit and planning began in earnest shortly after the first of the year. With the help and advice of many on the ICORE Board of Directors, Watervliet Fish and Game Protective Association Board of Directors, experienced match directors from other regions, and the movers and shakers in USPSA and IDPA in the Northeast, staff was recruited, stages designed, and participation encouraged. NRA approval was secured, providing documentation for non-residents to comply with a competitors exemption to the state's strict pistol laws. We held a National Range Officers Institute Level 1 course at our club in May to boost the number of trained range officers. My biggest fear as match day approached was that Mother Nature would throw a hot, humid day with torrential downpours and lighting storms at us, and a huge relief came over me about a week out when the forecast started calling for mid-70's and no rain on match weekend.

As luck would have it, everything came together perfectly on match weekend. Many staff took Friday afternoon off work, so 95% of the setup was done that day, allowing us to finish set up quickly on Saturday morning. The workers finished shooting the match by early afternoon. Sunday's weather was probably the best we will have all year. As a big contrast to one of the rainiest seasons we've had, the blue skies and mild temperatures certainly put staff and competitors in great spirits. Shooting started just a few minutes late after making sure that all stages were ready to go. Small squads with shooters eager to help with taping and resets helped finish up a bit ahead of schedule in early afternoon.

The match consisted of 8 stages and a minimum round count of 182. Stage 1, Trouble in the Barn, was a 21 round field course. The shooter started seated on a bucket milking a cow, and entered a free fire zone to engage targets around walls and through ports. Pepper poppers activated disappearing drop turners, appearing targets, and a swinger. Other barnyard animals were scattered around the stage to dress things up a bit. Dave Olhasso, Open Division, won the stage with a final time of 23.67, while Craig Buckland had the best Limited Division score of 31.38. Chuck Van Alsytne and Maryann Melisi were the range officers.

Stage 2 was Near and Not So Far Standards, inspired by the classic IRC stage, except the longest shot was only 25 yards instead of 50, and we ran it as a Shots Limited stage instead of par time. Craig Buckland won the stage with a final time of 6.76, helped by his top X count of 31 (each taking a second off his raw time). Dave Olhasso won Open Division with a final time of 10.10. This stage was staffed by Paul Hood, Joe Shufelt, and Chris Graf.

Stage 3 was another field course named That's Not Right, modeled after a USPSA stage. The shooter advanced down a free fire zone, engaging 9 targets partially obstructed by hard cover shrubbery and finished up by downing 3 Pepper Poppers, behind which were 3 US Poppers. Dave Olhasso, Open Division, won the stage with a score of 17.19, while Josh Lentz was the top Limited Division shooter and a time of 17.50. Paul Berger and Tony Dorangrichia were the range officers on this stage.

Stage 4, Smoking Star, was our rendition of the stage of the same name from the 2009 IRC. It consisted of a Texas Star flanked by 4 large plates, and the shooter was required to hit each of the large plates and one of the plates on the star on each of 5 passes. Dave Olhasso, Open, had the best time of 24.29, and Josh Lentz completed the course in 30.49 to top the Limited Division. Stage 5, Bill and Friends, shared space in the same pit. Think Bill Drill Times 3, but add overlapping no-shoots, and we ran it as shots unlimited with 5 scored rounds on each target to provide an opportunity for make up shots. Josh Lentz, Limited Division, posted the best time of 8.90, while Dave Olhasso took Open honors with 9.52. Craig and Kim Buckland ran both stages.

Pit 5 also housed 2 stages. Stage 6 was the ICORE Classifier CS-021, Six Inches of Separation, which consisted of 6 targets each taking 2 hits freestyle, followed by a second string strong hand only. Dave Olhasso, Open Division, won the stage with a score of 25.67, and Josh Lentz had the best Limited final time at 27.73. Stage 7, No-C, consisted of just 2 targets, each with the C-zone painted as hard cover, and the shooter was required to fire 3 shots at each target while standing behind a barricade, perform a mandatory reload, and repeat. Best time on this stage was 10.59 by Dave Olhasso in Open Division, and 12.00 by Josh Lentz in Limited. Bob Powell and Alan Via staffed stages 6 and 7.

Stage 8 was a steel challenge type stage, with 4 large steel targets and a 10" stop plate in the middle. The best 4 out of 5 runs were used to calculate final score. Dave Olhasso was the fastest in Open Division at 10.76, and Josh Lentz's 4 best runs added up to 11.74 to take Limited. This stage was run by Lee Butler and Bob Auer.

In addition to the range officers named above, Jim Moloney and Maynard Lassonde rounded out the match staff and helped greatly with set up. Chuck Van Alstyne was the Range Master, and Paul Berger was designated as Alternate Range Master.

Match Winner was Dave Olhasso from Open Division, and Josh Lentz was the Limited Division Match Winner. Ed Lentz was the lucky winner of the S&W Certificate, and Kim Buckland won a free entry to the 2010 International Revolver Championship generously donated by Nelson Dymond.

My thanks to our sponsors, including Smith & Wesson, ICORE, IRC, and Watervliet Fish and Game Protective Association, to a great staff, and to all the competitors for a rewarding experience. We were very pleased that so many members of the Region's newest ICORE club, the Hartford Area Wheel Gunners joined us, as did many members of the Ontelaunee, PA club from the East Coast Region. Craig Buckland of Team Smith & Wesson deserves special recognition for his tireless promotion of revolver competition in the Northeast and for helping me greatly in organizing this match. It is a safe bet that the "First Ever" will be followed by a "2nd Annual" New England Revolver Championship somewhere in the region next year.

John Major
Match Director
New England Representative, ICORE