CAMP PERRY, Ohio – John Bickar, 46, of Menlo Park, CA, narrowly achieved the highest score in the President’s Pistol Match at the 2023 National Matches by just three shots in the x-ring and has now added his name to the list of gifted athletes who have won the coveted competition over the past four decades. The event was held as part of the annual series of pistols being fired at Camp Perry in July, facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).
The President’s Pistol Party saw great competition in 2023, with the top five spots separated by just one point. Bickar scored the win with a score of 386-13X.
Similarly, SFC Ryan Franks, 35, of Ellerslie, GA, led the respected National Trophy singles pistol bout by a score of 295-13X. His performance was two points below the current national record, set by SSG James Henderson in 2009. Franks, who held the individual service pistol aggregate overall title in 2022, achieved the honor again in 2023.
Later, he joined SFC teammates Greg Markowski, SSG Carl Clegg and SFC Ryan Adams to help claim victory in the National Trophy Team Match with a commanding score of 1130-34X, 24 points clear of second-place CRPA Scarlet, the High Civilian team.
SFC Adams went on to top the Police and Military Service Pistol Match by a score of 383-12X, beating out teammate SSG Hudock by one point. Although he came up short in the military event, Hudock bested Adams to victory in the 1911 As-Issued competition.
Frederic Coffee, 58, of Bedford, OH, also competed closely and earned an x-count victory in the M9 Pistol Match held in conjunction with the Pistol Small Arms Firing School, posting a score of 257-5X.
Similarly, Sergeant Jason Gregoire, 35, of Midland, GA, earned his own x-count victory in the CMP Service Revolver EIC Match with a score of 377-11X, just five clear of second-place contender, last year’s Revolver winner SFC Greg Markowski.
David Lange, 54, of Glen Rock, NJ, barely led the .22 Rimfire EIC pistol duel by two points, with a score of 288-7X. In 2015, Lange earned the Distinguished .22 Rimfire Pistol Badge #1 after being the first to achieve the required number of EIC (excellence in competition) points to receive the distinction. The Rimfire badge is one of three number 1 badges Lange has: each part of the five distinguished badges he has achieved over the years.
Other standouts included teens Nick Milev, 18, of Ossona, MI, and Charisma Owen, 20, of Wichita Falls, TX. Milev was the overall athlete for the Junior President’s Pistol Match and went on to win the GP Perry DeFino Trophy as the winner of the Junior Individual Pistol event. He also led the .22 Rimfire Pistol Junior Aggregate. Owen also put in consistent performances throughout the week, earning the highest aggregate points among the President’s, National Individual Trophy and National Team Trophy events.
Also of note was 1LT Lisa Emmert Traciak, 27, of Colorado Springs, CO, who won the Rose Krelstein Trophy as the tallest woman in the National/President’s Trophy Individual Aggregate. Her score of 659-26X was just one shy of the current national record, which she set herself in 2022. Emmert Traciak also took the senior woman title in the President’s and National Individual events along with the National Guard Association Trophy, Military Police Corps Trophy and General Mellon Trophy.
As in previous years, the GLOCK Shooting Sports Foundation (GSSF) National Challenge was part of the National Match schedule. The event is designed to accommodate new and experienced competitors and includes five different 10-shot series from 5, 7, 10, 15 and 25 yards in four divisions: Stock, Unlimited, Rimfire and the new MOS (Modular Optic System) grouping. All shots on goal are scored, with no penalties for missed or missed shots. Prizes were awarded to the overall competitors as well as the High Guardian, High Junior, High Lady and High Senior categories.
The GLOCK National Challenge overall scorers (each with perfect scores of 500) were:
Stock: Jack Ragsdale, 65, Lumberton, MS
Unlimited: SSG Standard Matte, 34, Waverly Hall, GA
rimfire: Captain Nick Roberge, 47, Fredericksburg, VA
MO: 1SG Lance Espinosa, 58, Skandia, MI
View a full list of results from the 2023 National Trophy Matches on the CMP match tracking page at https://ct.thecmp.org/23NMPistolResults. Find photos to view and download for free at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f148616975.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearms safety and marksmanship training and the promotion of marksmanship competition for United States citizens. To learn more about the CMP and its programs, log on to www.TheCMP.org.