The Ohio Triple Crown Match is waiting for its first champion. To win the Triple Crown, a competitor must win at all three competition sites: the Cardinal 4Gun Match at the Cardinal Center in Marengo from July 1-5; the Canton-McKinley Regional Match at the Canton-McKinley Rifle and Pistol Club in Canton from July 7-9; and the National Matches at Camp Perry in Port Clinton from July 10-15. The event is organized by the Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association (ORPA).
The Ohio Triple Crown is an aggregate match derived from the top three 2700 pistol matches in the state. No one has yet won the Triple Crown, now in its third year, but even if there is no Triple Crown Champion, competitors can still walk away with cash prizes.
The competitor who has the highest grand total of the three combined scores of 2700, but has not won all three matches, will be named Grand Total Winner. Competitors can also win with the highest aggregate score in their individual classes. The classes are High Master, Master, Expert, Sharpshooter, and Marksman. This is where this match gets really fun as you are only competing against your classmates.
“It’s not just for the elite shooter,” said Mt. Vernon’s Dane Hogle, who has been competing in the Triple Crown since its inception. “It’s for all classes.”
To qualify for prizes, competitors must pay a $50 entry fee and shoot in all three matches. Competitions at each site will require 90 rounds each using a .22 pistol, a .32 to .45 pistol, and a .45 pistol.
In addition to testing their skills in popular matches, competitors will also have the opportunity to visit three of the best shooting locations in the state.
Cardinal Center Pistol Range, located at 3547 County Road 225 in Marengo near Columbus, has partnered with the Ohio Department of Resources and the Ohio Division of Wildlife to promote shooting sports throughout the state.
“The Cardinal Center is one of the top three ranges for pistols,” said Jim Henderson, who is the pistol manager at the Cardinal Pistol Range and the CMP pistol coordinator. “It has nearly 600 camping spaces, 35 action pistol bays, and a 100-point turn target range that has target lines at 25 yards and meters, 50 yards and meters, and finally 100 yards.”
The Canton-McKinley Rifle and Pistol Club at 5527 Tyro St. NE in Canton is nearly a century old.
The club was formed in 1926 and is a CMP affiliated club with over 1000 members and 30 years of experience.
Camp Perry in Port Clinton is a National Guard training facility and home to National Matches since 1906 and the CMP Gary Anderson Center of Competence and CMP’s Petrarca Range, which is equipped with state-of-the-art Kongsberg Target System technology. Camp Perry sits on the shores of Lake Erie, which offers water activities such as boating, fishing, and island hopping.
Organizers of the Ohio Triple Crown hope the first winner will be awarded this year during the third game of the competition at Camp Perry. Weapons manufacturer, Accuracy X, has added an extra incentive to the competition.
“Accuracy X will give $3,000 to the Triple Crown winner,” Henderson said.
Hogle is grateful that Henderson helped institute the Triple Crown in Ohio.
“Instead of everyone going to one game, they can come to the state of Ohio and film the three biggest games in the US in less than two weeks,” he said.
The Triple Crown creates a unique challenge for shooters.
“Anyone can go and shoot a good match, but to win the Triple Crown, you have to shoot all three,” Hogle said. “It’s kind of the latest of the latest.”
Hogle said that the Triple Crown is like running a marathon.
“Everybody shows up at Cardinal, and then it’s basically 18 days of nothing but gunshots and camaraderie,” he said. “It’s an excellent two weeks.”
Sign up here for events:
For questions or additional information, please contact Jim Henderson at [email protected] or [email protected].
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 proficiency for United States citizens. To learn more about the CMP and its programs, log on to www.TheCMP.org.