Koenig Wins Eleventh Consecutive Masters Championship

SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS – Smith & Wesson Corp., announced today that the company’s professional shooter Doug Koenig has claimed a new record in the history of competitive shooting by winning his 11th consecutive Masters International Shooting Championship earlier this month. This year’s match, held at PASA Park in Barry, Illinois, marks the 16th time Koenig has claimed the championship title since first competing in the 1999 championship event.

The Masters International Championship consists of three separate events with a total of nine different stages of fire. Throughout the championship match, competitors shoot from various positions at target distances ranging from 25 to 200 meters. At each event the targets differ in size, shape and height, requiring shooters to make precise adjustments. During the prestigious event, Koenig won every stage of the match, set one record and tied another, and won the overall title by a considerable margin.

“Extending my winning streak at the Masters is truly an incredible feeling,” said Doug Koenig. “As any competitor will tell you, winning never gets old, but at an event such as the Masters with such a talented field of competitors, it is never a given. Although I have won this match a number of times, it is always a test of endurance and skill.”

According to Koenig, the courses of fire at the Masters are always challenging and he has commented that any lack of preparation on his part could bring about disastrous results. “The day I start slacking off in my preparation is the day I hang up my holsters,” said Koenig. “I can give you a long list of reasons for my hard work on the practice range. I am proud to represent my sponsors at every match I attend and I am always going to give it my all.”

In June, Koenig captured his first title of the season as a member of Team Smith & Wesson at the 2009 Sportsman’s Team Challenge. Throughout his career, Koenig has won numerous national and world championships in pistol, shotgun and rifle events. Over the last twelve years he has dominated the field of competitive pistol shooting, winning three World Speed Shooting Championships; an International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Championship; three World Action Pistol Championships; a World All-Around Championship title; and now his 11th consecutive Masters International Shooting Championship.

“We are proud of all Doug’s accomplishments throughout the years, said Tom Kelly, Vice President of Marketing for Smith & Wesson. “Having Doug as part of our team is truly a pleasure, and we look forward to supporting his future accomplishments. Smith & Wesson also is proud to support the shooting sports that are a vital part of our industry.”

Koenig’s talent and preparation before each match is evident not only by his long list of accomplishments, but also by the passing of these traits to his son – Trevor Koenig. At this year’s 2009 Masters International Shooting Championship, Trevor won the Junior Title, allowing the father and son duo to take home two titles.

“I am extremely proud of how Trevor performed throughout the event,” said Doug. “He has worked hard to develop his skills and speaking as both a father and instructor, I couldn’t be happier with the progress he has made in his shooting as well as the sportsmanship he demonstrated during the match.”

For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to www.tcarms.com.
Contact:
Matt Rice, Blue Heron Communications (800) 654-3766 or matt@blueheroncomm.com

Team Glock Takes Three Area 8 Championships

Smyrna, Georgia –Team GLOCK won three titles at the USPSA Area 8 championship August 27-30 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The tournament featured eleven courses of fire requiring a minimum of 257 rounds. Nearly 300 competitors participated in the annual event.

In the Production division, Team GLOCK used GLOCK 34 pistols chambered in 9×19. Captain Dave Sevigny won nine of the eleven courses of fire for another decisive high overall finish by scoring 1248 match points. 2009 marks the 6th time Sevigny has won the Area 8 championship. “They always put on a good tournament and our team was happy to be there. I feel ready for the Nationals and Jessie and Randi are shooting better than ever. They will be tough,” Sevigny said.

Four women entered the 64 competitor Production field at Area 8. Randi Rogers won the High Lady category with a 14th place overall finish while scoring 890 match points. “Lorton” was her favorite stage from the match. It was a 30 round 150 point stage with 15 IPSC Targets. The design was a hallway with ports cut in each side where the shooter had to travel down the hallway finding and shooting the targets as they became visible. This was a great stage for a Production shooter because it offered a great layout to plan your reloads and make the most of moving and reloading. Overall she was 15th on the stage with 75% of the stage winner’s score. “Area 8 was a great experience for me as I train to compete at the USPSA Nationals this year. I learned several things at this match and I plan to continue perfecting my skills as I head to Las Vegas, NV for nationals in two weeks,” said Rogers.

Another notable finish with a GLOCK 34 in the Production division came from Area 8 resident Tori Nonaka of Virginia. The 14 yearold junior competitor was High “C-class” and Junior, 2nd place Lady and 21st place overall with 829 match points.

In the 94 competitor Limited division field, seven women shot for the title. Still hot off her Steel Challenge world titles, Jessie Abbate won the High Lady category with a 6th place overall and 2nd place in the Master class. Jessie won all eleven stages in the ladies category and was in the Top 10 overall in six of the eleven stages. Jessie’s 997 match points at 80.55% is one of the best high lady finishes considering several Master and Grandmasters were entered. “Team GLOCK made a clean sweep across the board and I’m proud of my teammates. We have all trained hard and this is a great start in preparing for the USPSA Nationals,” said Abbate. “The stages were quite deceiving, appearing to be wide open targets, but yet they presented awkward angles, and shooting positions, with targets moved back to further distances. The match turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected, but was definitely prepared and welcomed the challenge!” Jessie used her GLOCK 24 in .40 for her most recent accomplishment.

Team GLOCK will next compete at the USPSA Back to Back Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada September 12-19. Sevigny and Rogers will then head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the IDPA Nationals September 24. Following the IDPA Nationals, the team will appear at the GSSF GLOCK Annual Shoot XVI in Conyers, Georgia September 26-27.
Contact:
Shelley Decker, (770) 432-1202 x 6208 or shelley.decker@glock.us

Team Leupold Continues Wins in Tactical Shoots

BEAVERTON, Ore. – Leupold’s team of tactical competition shooters continues to roll in matches around the country.

Recent results for Team Leupold include:

NRA Tactical Police Competition, Regional 3 Gun, at Tri-County Gun Club, August 29 and 30, Sherwood, Ore. – Team captain Dave Neth took first place in the Tactical Division, and won high overall.

I.T.R.C., August 22-23, Gillette, Wyo. – Bennie Cooley placed first along with his partner, Mike Voigt.

DPMS Tri-Gun Challenge, August 21-23, St. Cloud, Minn. – Neth placed fifth in the Tactical Optics class, Kelly Neal claimed first place and Charles “Tate” Moots took second in Tactical Optics Heavy, Tony Holmes captured second place in the Open class, and Mark Hanish was ninth and Tasha Hanish 41st in Tactical Optics.

Colorado Multi-Gun “Sporting Rifle” match, August 9, Raton, N.M. – Neth took first place in the .308 division and tied for third overall.

Rocky Mountain 3 Gun, August 6-8, Raton, N. M. – Neth was fourth overall in the L.E. Tactical Optics class , while Moots took first place overall in L.E. Tactical Optics Heavy.

Industry Masters, July, 24-25, Hartford, Conn. – Holmes won high overall.

Leupold & Stevens, Inc., the most prominent American-owned and -operated optics company, employs more than 650 people in its state-of-the-art facility near Beaverton, Ore. Leupold is a fifth-generation, family-owned company whose products are sold worldwide to hunters, wildlife observers, competitive shooters, law enforcement officers and special operations military personnel. The product line includes rifle, handgun and spotting scopes; binoculars; rangefinders; flashlights; mounting systems; and optical tools and accessories. For more information, go to www.leupold.com.

Media Contact:
Patrick Mundy
(503) 526-1467
pmundy@leupold.com

Jeff Patterson
Swanson Russell
(402) 437-6410
jeffp@swansonrussell.com

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