Skeet shooters bring home victory for Air Force

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The Air Force Skeet Team presented a plaque to the director of the AIr Force SErvices Agency in a ceremony at the Pentagon here Nov. 2, capping a season that blasted Navy, Marines and Army teams in competition.

Maj. Vernon Lucas, who represented the skeet team and works at the Pentagon, expressed his appreciation to Arthur Myers during the ceremony.

“Our team is made up of people stationed across the country,” Major Lucas said . “If it weren’t for the support of services, we wouldn’t be able to go out there and win all those competitions.”

Skeet -- which is a competitive target shooting sport -- was invented in America in the 1920s by hunters who wanted to improve their aim for hunting season. In today’s world, both hunters and nonhunters around the globe are drawn to skeet ranges where they fire at clay objects hurled in the air in a crisscross pattern.

The Air Force team, which is divided into two five-man teams, recently won several titles in the 2005 World Shoot held in San Antonio. Air Force Team One finished first in the overall military events, followed by Army Team One and Air Force Team Two finishing in third place. Air Force shooters also brought home more than 15 individual awards.

Those victories came just a few months after the 2005 Armed Services Skeet Championship held in May in northern Mississippi. It was a weeklong event that brought together retired and active-duty military skeet shooters from all services. Altogether, more than 30 individual awards were received. 

Master Sgt. John Barnes from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mt., was inducted into the Armed Forces Skeet Association Hall of Fame for his accomplishments, while Airman 1st Class Christopher Ashley from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., was named Armed Services High Overall Champion. 

“This sport takes a lot of practice and skill,” Mr. Myers said . “They represented the Air Force well, and they’re doing a good job at it, too.”

For more information, visit the Armed Forces Skeet Association at www.afsashoot.com.