The Mesquite Shooters have skills few may want to mess with, especially when you find that most of them over the age of 50 win medals in competitions that involve firearms and some of them haven’t been shooting for as long as you might think.
Mesquite Senior Games first time competitor, Bruce Landvik, shoots for the gold in the 2015 competition. Photo by Teri Nehrenz
One perfect example of how far the Mesquite shooters have come in little time is first time competitor and two- time Gold Medal winner Bruce Landvik.
After only have been involved with shooting guns for about 6 months, Landvik joined the Mesquite Senior Games last year as a Range Safety Officer, he thought he was too young to actually compete in last year’s Senior Games and only found out after the registration deadline that he was indeed eligible.
Landvik didn’t let that stop him, he did his job, made sure everyone followed the rules and had a great time at last year’s competition and he pressed on with his new found hobby of shooting and even expanded his horizons to include shooting sporting clays.
Landvik’s dedication to the sport paid off in this year’s Mesquite Senior Games when he took home gold medals in both the center fire and rim fire categories.
Also taking home several medals from this year’s Senior Games were 4 members of the Women’s Defensive Weaponry Club with Sallie Henrie taking home the gold. Instructor Lance Barr was right there to give moral support and cheer for the winners.
From left to right, Marty Lynch, Debbie Andrews, Coach Lance Barr, Sallie Henrie and Shirlie Kitzmiller feel ecstatic about their fellow club members winning medals at the 2015 Mesquite Senior Games Pistol Shoot. Photo submitted.
Women seemed empowered in this year’s competition when Mary Ellen Anderson, Vicki Jenks and Noretta Huddleston also took home gold medals. Pistol-Packin’ Huddleson is still the oldest competing woman in the Mesquite Senior Games at the ripe old age of 79 but silver medalist Connie Christensen isn’t far behind her in either age or score.
The Top Gun Awards went to the “young guns” with Sallie Henrie (324) and William Corputz (352) both coming from the “60 something” categories.
Here are the final and full results for the 2015 Mesquite Senior Games Pistol Shoot:
2015 MESQUITE SENIOR GAMES TARGET PISTOL SHOOT
DIVISION RIMFIRE MEDAL CENTERFIRE MEDAL FIRST/ LAST
F60-64 319 GOLD DNS CHERYL SMITH
F60-64 255 SILVER 177 GOLD MARY ELLEN ANDERSON
F60-64 248 BRONZE DNS MARTY LYNCH
F60-64 231 DNS DEBRA ANDREWS
F60-64 112 103 SILVER ROBERTA ROYAL
F65-69 324 GOLD 217 GOLD SALLY HENRIE
F65-69 166 SILVER TERRY KILBURN
F65-69 DNS MARDEE HARPER
F70-74 322 GOLD 307 GOLD VICKI JENKS
F70-74 267 SILVER 166 SILVER JUDY MARASCO
F75-79 309 GOLD 104 SILVER CONNIE CHRISTIANSEN
F75-79 296 SILVER DIANE HASLETT
F75-79 225 BRONZE 230 GOLD NORETTA HUDDLESTON
F75-79 210 SHIRLIE KITZMILLER
M50-54 339 GOLD 294 GOLD BRUCE LANDVIK
M55-59 350 GOLD 341 GOLD MICHAEL MORGAN
M55-59 323 SILVER 255 KEN VAUGHN
M55-59 318 BRONZE 286 BRONZE KELLY COOK
M55-59 315 262 CHIP VAN BUSKIRK
M55-59 290 SILVER JEFFERY CHRISTENSEN
M60-64 352 GOLD 341 SILVER WILLIAM CORPUZ
M60-64 340 SILVER 343 GOLD CHUCK BARTOLINI
M60-64 266 BRONZE 293 BRONZE BOBBY COX
M60-64 255 240 HERBERT ROYAL
M65-69 322 GOLD 175 CLAIR CHRISTENSEN
M65-69 321 SILVER 289 BRONZE TOM SPENCER
M65-69 314 BRONZE 280 PINK PINCKERT
M65-69 279 306 GOLD JOHN BLASKO
M65-69 263 295 SILVER EDWARD CARNEY
M65-69 DNS MIKE HUGHES
M70-74 339 GOLD 346 GOLD STEVE ANDERSON
M70-74 331 SILVER 326 SILVER ARTHUR CHESHIRE
M70-74 326 BRONZE 323 BRONZE LARRY MIRANDA
M70-74 321 314 JOHN NETTLE
M70-74 284 262 KARL GUSTAVESON
M70-74 261 293 HENRY HARPER
M70-74 245 JIM LYNCH
M70-74 243 RAY NAVAS
M70-74 213 185 ROBERT PISTNER
M75-79 326 GOLD 211 TOM OLIVER
M75-79 320 SILVER 254 SILVER GEORGE GAULT
M75-79 291 BRONZE 213 BRONZE BILL OCONNELL
M75-79 288 197 BOB GYLE
M75-79 256 GOLD DICKIE GETZ
M80-84 279 GOLD 195 BRONZE FRANK HAMBLY
M80-84 253 SILVER 250 GOLD BOOTS NELSON
M80-84 166 FRED JULIANO
M80-84 162 BRONZE 212 SILVER WILLIAM BOYD
M80-84 DNS JOHN MARTIN
M90-94 209 GOLD RICHARD BOWERS