The Rockingham 200

[straightaway]

No this was not a NASCAR race……….

April 2002, Rockingham Gun Club in Ruffin, North Carolina. It was a scheduled 2 day shoot with 200 singles and 100 caps on Saturday with a typical 300 target program on Sunday

I remember the ride that day from Lexington to RGC. I have always been a fan of Country Music and really enjoyed it when Drive by Alan Jackson came on (for Daddy Gene). This comes into play later.

Got to the club around 8:00, parked and made my way into the clubhouse. This was before the “improvements” were made to RGC-the larger clubhouse erected and mowing down the trees in front of the trapfields.

Joe Niemer was in charge, bouncing off the walls as usual for him. For those of you that did not get to “experience” Joe, you missed out. He was certainly one of the most “individual” characters I’ve ever met. On hand was his sidekick Elmo Matkins, another very unique individual.

Those of us on hand got squadded and took the line for the 1st hundred of the singles event. That day I was shooting Leadoff with George Ponton on post 2, Freddy “The Crusher” Redmon on post 3, Tommy Brown on 4 and I do not recall who was on post 5 (if it was you, let me know please).
It was a comfortably warm, windless, completely overcast day. Very consistent targets that just seemed to float out there looking as big as trash can lids.

At that time I was shooting a blond Perazzi MX3 top single. It had the equivalent of an improved mod choke in place while sending my favorite 1 1/18 reloads in STS hulls downrange. I managed to hammer out the 100 in pretty uneventful fashion.

When it came our turn, we went back out for the back half. Things started well again. Now, when shooting, I will play a song in my head until it’s my turn. Then it’s reset the mechanism, focus, look at the target and go. For that entire hundred I was hearing Alan Jackson singing Drive. Over and over again I heard the lyrics “Daddy let me drive” or “it was just an old ply wood boat” or “a little slower son you’re doing just fine”.

We moved to the last field for the final 25. The other shooters on the squad were shooting right along, not wasting any time. With that, it just seemed to me that everything was moving in slow motion and it couldn’t get back to my turn fast enough.

Finally, the last target. Mount, call, focus on the target. Nickle right off of post 5. Rolled it into a ball of smoke. I then jumped back to around the 20 yard line and started hooting and hollering. Yeah I know……..anyhow, George turned to me from post one and asked if the rest of them could finish too (I didn’t realize it at the time that George was straight on that 100, my bad…)

I told him go ahead and please do. The rest finished and handshakes all around.

Turns out I needed every target as Cliff Dowdy had smoked a 199. That was the first registered 200 ever at RGC and as far as I know remains the only one.


Until next time wherever it is. Travel Safe! Dan

[smokem]

I shot a 189 watching that 200......