Wood, Carr Claim Multiple Titles at 2024 Talladega Warm-Up Matches
July 5, 2024
By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
TALLADEGA, Ala. – Over the weekend of June 27-30, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) hosted the second round of National Matches Highpower Warm-Up events at its Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama. The Warm-Up Matches served as a preview to the CMP’s upcoming National Rifle & Pistol Matches, held at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio, July 11 through Aug. 10, and was yet another preview into CMP’s line of outdoor electronic targets.
“We were very happy with the way these matches ran on our electronic targets,” said Brian Williams, CMP Highpower Manager. “Using outdoor electronic targets can often bring its own challenges, with weather and maintenance, and we continuously strive to provide our guests the best experiences at Talladega.”
“With the hard work of our staff and the cooperation of our competitors, I’m happy to report our Kongsberg Target System line of targets ran flawlessly for the Warm-Up Matches,” he added. “It was an excellent event.”
The Talladega Warm-Up matches included a 2-person team match, 30 Shot and 50 Shot rifle competitions, a 1600 Rifle Aggregate and a Mid-Range 3×600.
Leading competitors of the Talladega event were SGT Jonathan Wood, 39, of Kenner, LA, who claimed the overall title in the 30 Shot Rifle Match with a score of 296-12X, and SPC Dustin Carr, 22, of Phenix City, AL, who not only earned the 1600 Rifle Aggregate win (besting Wood by one point, with a score of 1582-72X) but went on to claim the 50 Shot Match with a score of 497-19X.
Carr and Wood had also earned the top scores on Day 1 and Day 2 of the 1600 Aggregate, respectively.
The two-day Mid-Range 3×600 featured Match (Any and Iron Sights), Service, Palma, AR Tactical, F-Open and F T/R Rifle classes. Special congratulations to Holly Eustace, 40, of Kennesaw, GA, who claimed the top score in the AR Tactical Class on Day 2 of the event, in only her second career match. She is the daughter of Mike Payne, 66, of Rome, GA, who earned the overall aggregate win in the class with a score of 1156-47X.
Other leading competitors of the Mid-Range Aggregate were:
Service Rifle: SSG Logan Frost, 32, Phenix City, AL – 1180-54X
Match Rifle: Robert Gill, 65, Visalia, CA – 1200-86X
F-Class: Ken Wright, 54, Excel, AL – 1158-32X
Keith Schachle, 65, of Jasper, GA, teamed up with Ken Lore, 68, Hickory, NC, to form Team FJB, accruing a score of 960-21X to earn the 2-Person Team win.
Mid-Range Aggregate event.
Find a complete list of results for the Talladega National Matches HP Warm-Up event at https://ct.thecmp.org/TalladegaWarmUp24Results. Photos may be viewed and downloaded for free on the CMP Zenfolio page at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f87106982.
About the Camp Perry National Matches:
Held at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Facility in Ohio since 1907, the National Matches are comprised of celebrated traditional competitions along with modern day additions. The National Matches schedule includes CMP’s National Air Gun Matches, National Pistol Matches, National Rifle Matches, National Games Matches, National Smallbore Rifle Matches and the National Long Range Rifle Matches.
Outside of competition, educational courses like the Small Arms Firing Schools lead new and experienced individuals on safety and fundamentals within a variety of disciplines, while other beginner and advanced courses provide even more training on marksmanship essentials.
Additionally, the National Matches hosts Commercial Row, where industry vendors provide a variety of supplies and other necessities, available for purchase. Competitors and guests of all ages and experience levels are welcome to view all the festivities – free of charge!
The National Matches are conducted by a partnership between the CMP and Ohio National Guard. Learn more by visiting the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/cmp-national-matches/.
About Talladega Marksmanship Park:
The 500-acres of Talladega Marksmanship Park, “The Home of Marksmanship,” hosts rifle, pistol, shotgun and archery opportunities for guests to enjoy. The park Club House consists of 13,000 square feet of useable space and includes CMP’s Pro Shop, which is loaded with firearms, ammunition, shooting accessories and CMP memorabilia.
The facility is open to the public all year long, Wednesday through Sunday. Find a list of monthly events and other happenings at the Talladega Marksmanship Park by visiting the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/ranges/talladega-marksmanship-park/.