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Colfax Action Shooting Team wins at state

COLFAX Action Shooting Program team members who attended the state tournament are: (front row, left to right) Gabrielle Affolteer, McKenna Yingst, Kali Risler, Xander Reed, Jack Kouba, Taylor Risler, Nokomis Nosker, Nolan Stafne, Arianna Pickering, Kimberly Krista, Will Wanish; (back row, left to right) Coach Wade Reed, Benjamin Affolter, Craig Ervin, Head Coach John Budnaitus, Marshall Reed, Gavin Wenz, Trin Gunnufson, Jackson Zunker, Trevor Rothbauer, Austin Robert, Coach Jim Krista. Missing are coaches Sam Wenz and Jim Nosker. – photo submitted

For the fourth year in a row the Scholastic Action Shooting Team, sponsored by Colfax Sportsmen’s Club, returned with medals from the Scholastic Action Shooting Program’s Wisconsin State Tournament. This years match was June 9-10 at the Door County Rod & Gun Club, Sturgeon Bay.

According to John Budnaitus of Eau Claire, head coach, the team claimed three first place and three second place finishes.

Colfax’s Optics Rifle Rookie Squad composed of Nolan Stafne of Menomonie, and Xander Reed of Strum, plus two ghost scores, garnered a first place.

Their Optics Rifle Intermediate Division Squad also won first place. Squad members are Gabrielle Affolter of Baldwin, Kimberly Krista, of Arkansaw,  Arianna Pickering of Arkansaw, and Will Wanish, Colfax.

Their third gold came from the Rimfire Pistol Intermediate Division Squad composed of Craig Ervin of Altoona, Taylor Risler of Colfax, Benjamin Affolter of Baldwin, and Will Wanish.

Colfax’ 1911 Model Senior Division Squad claimed silver. Squad members are Marshall Reed of Strum, Jackson Zunker of  Menomonie, Gavin Wenz of Chippewa Falls, and Trin Gunnufson, Colfax.

Those same four shooters also made up the club’s Centerfire Pistol Senior Division Squad, where they again claimed the second place silver.

Colfax’s Rimfire Pistol Senior Division squad rounded out the team’s medal winning efforts by taking home silver. Squad members, all from Colfax, are Trevor Rothbauer, Nokomis Nosker, Kali Risler and McKenna Yingst.

Individually Colfax’ athletes finished very well in the standings, Budnaitus said. In Men’s 1911 Pistol Wenz was second, Gunnufson was third, Zunker was sixth and Marshall Reed was 10th. In Men’s Centerfire Pistol Gunnufson was third, Wenz was fourth and Zunker was eighth.

Colfax athletes clogged the top standings in Rimfire Pistol. For the Men’s Division Rothbauer was fourth, Will Wanish was fifth, Taylor Risler was ninth and Benjamin Affolter was 10th. In the Ladies’ Division Yingst placed second, Kali Risler was fifth and Nosker was sixth.

Budnaitus said the Colfax team is always looking for new athletes. He invited any student who will be in grade 12 or below this fall and who has an interest in competing to contact the team through the Colfax Sportsmen’s Club web page. Depending upon their age, youth may participate using .22 rimfire rifles, .22 rimfire handguns and/or centerfire handguns.

Action shooting has each competitor facing an array of five steel circular or rectangular targets. The object is to hit all of five of them as quickly as possible. Each athlete addresses each bank of targets five times, with the slowest run being thrown out. There are four different target groups, out of a possible six groups, the athlete has to address. A normal competitive squad is composed of four athletes. A dummy, or ghost score, must be taken for any unfilled positions.

Budnaitus explained that the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is the national governing body for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP). The team based program offers youth the opportunity to safely participate in an exciting action sport. SASP is designed to instill in young people a set of personal values and character traits for fair play, compassionate understanding, individual responsibility, sportsmanship, self-discipline, and personal commitment.

He added that the SSSF was founded in 2007 by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Based in San Antonio, Texas, SSSF is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity that oversees both the SASP and the Scholastic Clay Target Program. 

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