The Klamath Basin Top Guns youth clay target shooting team of eight, recently earned top honors during the U.S.A. Youth Education in Shooting Sports (USAYESS) Western Regional Junior Championship tournament.
The three-day tournament took place at the Clark County Shooting Complex in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 22nd through March 24th, 2024. More than 400 shooters from all over the West participated in the 300+ target event with divisions for young men and women of Collegiate, Senior (10-12 grade), Junior (9th grade or high school rookie), Intermediate (7-8 grade) and Novice (5-6 grade). Awards were given for individuals in each division for each discipline as well as team scores and high overall (HOA) scores.
The first day of the competition, the Klamath Basin Top Guns team competed in Sporting Clays and International Skeet events. The weather was mild with some wind. However, on Saturday and Sunday, the competitors were met with high winds and gusts up to 50 miles per hour. American Skeet, 5-Stand and American Trap events took place despite the winds altering the flight of the clay targets, already moving up to 45 miles per hour from the mechanical throwers. On Sunday, a dust, wind and rainstorm moved through in the afternoon, causing a short delay in shoot-offs out of concern for the safety of the participants and spectators.
“We (coaches) talk about what we call the athletes’ triangle: ability, desire and support,” says Top Guns Assistant Coach, Bruce Bonner. “This sport not only takes excellent hand-eye coordination, but mental resiliency and the athleticism to adapt to a quickly moving target that may not be going where you’d expect… especially in the windy conditions that we saw at this tournament. And then to see these guys encouraging each other, even during a bad round – it’s just impressive to witness.”
Wearing team gear with a nod to the Kingsley Field F-15 fighter jet, the Klamath Basin Top Guns claimed their awards each night after the competition for the day was complete. A combination of event team awards, individual awards and personal best scores ultimately led to the team’s Third Place HOA win for the entire tournament.
“To say I am proud would be an understatement. The USAYESS mission is safety, responsibility, integrity and sportsmanship. Our athletes fit that to a tee,” states Top Guns Head Coach, Mike Ormsby.
Awards earned by the Klamath Basin Top Guns team are:
Third Place Team Tournament HOA, Second Place and Third Place Individual Tournament HOA awards, First Place HOA Junior Division. International Skeet: Collegiate First Place, Senior First Place, Junior First Place and First Place Team. Sporting Clays: Collegiate Second Place, Senior First Place, Junior First Place and Second Place Team. American Skeet: Collegiate Second Place, Senior Third Place, Junior First Place, Intermediate Second Place and Second Place Team. 5-Stand: First Place Intermediate. Honorable mentions for 4th Place HOA Intermediate, shooters with personal best scores and four shooters each with a “25 straight” round (meaning all targets were hit).
Two members were in tie-breaking shoot offs to earn their medals, both resulting with a win.
Team scores are calculated by taking a total of the highest five scores from each team. “For our team of eight shooters to earn third high overall for the entire event is amazing. Some of the teams we were up against had over 60 shooters! This meant that each target broken by every one of our boys mattered for the team score. They performed remarkably well under that pressure,” Ormsby explained. “We always tell them ‘One target at a time. Mental focus wins.’”
With over 35 teams in attendance from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and Utah, the boys had opportunities to meet and talk with kids from other states and teams. One Top Guns team member reflected, “I ended up getting to know a kid from Idaho during a game of corn hole while we waited for scores to come in. As it turned out, we were neck and neck with scores and we kept checking on each other throughout the tournament. He was super encouraging after I didn’t do very well for one event. In the end we were in the top three together and congratulated each other. Nice guy! I’ll definitely say hi if I see him again at another tournament.”
The team was formed in the fall of 2022, when Coach Ormsby, Coach Bonner and four Klamath shooters separated from a Rogue Valley team after finding there was enough interest to form a local Klamath Basin team. The Top Guns hail from Henley and Mazama High Schools, Henley Middle School and Klamath Community College, and have varied backgrounds and hobbies, some never having handled a shotgun before joining the team.
Mainly competing in sporting clays, trap and skeet disciplines, the Top Guns are able to practice locally at the Klamath Gun Club, B&B Clay Sports, Kingsley Field Sporting Club and Sheepy Ridge Sporting clays. Some practices are also held at Josephine County Sportsman Park.
The Klamath Gun Club states, “We are proud to support the Klamath Basin Top Guns and be their home club. Ours is one of several facilities within the Basin where they can practice and further develop their shotgun shooting skillset. The support Klamath Gun Club gives to the Top Guns Team is aligned with our mission to promote a safe, professional yet friendly and supportive place that fosters skill development and good sportsmanship for all ages. The team is an important part of the Gun Club, helping with many projects that may have been delayed or gone undone if not for their volunteer time. We are proud of the individual and team success and look forward to more of the same in the future.”
The team participates mostly in Oregon Youth Education in Shooting Sports (ORYESS) youth tournaments that require travelling to either Grants Pass, Creswell or Gervais, Oregon. Three more tournaments remain this season with the Oregon State tournament on the horizon at the end of May.
“It’s definitely a commitment,” says Ormsby. “These boys could never do what they are doing without the support of their families.”
“Also, the local businesses and folks that have supported this team is too long to list,” adds Ormsby. “We are more than grateful for everyone that has gone out of their way to help us get to where we are today.” In addition to local support, an endowment fund was established through the Midway USA Foundation that has a matching program to help support the Klamath Basin Top Guns. The fund continues to accept donations to ensure the future of the team and youth shooting sports in the Klamath Basin.
