WI State IR50 was contested at Willow River Rod & Gun Saturday, of the shooters to show up the cagey old (heavy on the old) veteran Dean Bircher came to play. Dean turns 80 years old in a few weeks and we were very pleased to once again see him at the range. For those of you that know Dean, well what can I say, Dean is his same old self, still sporting that sly smile of his that makes you wonder what he is up to, and we all know he is always up to something. One of the things he was up to Saturday was winning 10.5# class in Meters with a 250 in a total downpour. Imagine that with 80 year old eyes. If you haven't met Dean, well I dont know what to say, but that you have been missing out on one of the sports bigger personalities and talents. When I first opened up Willow River in 2006 for IR competition, Dean promptly christened the range with its first 250 the very first match. There have literally been hundreds more to follow, the range can be friendly to big scores, but with sharks like Dean in the water you better bring your A game if you want to even think of top 3. Example being Saturday in Yards when the 2012 IR50 Shooter of the Year Louise Wickstrom shot a 250-14x, which was just good enough for 5th place in the 10.5# class. In anything people do, the bottom line is the people themselves make it what it is, and shooting with people like Dean Bircher have made shooting rimfires one of the more enjoyable activities I've ever participated in. Dean, thank you for making your way down this weekend and tearing things up with us! I'd also like to thank everyone that came to shoot, even that big guy from Illinois Gene, and especially Louise, Fred, and Doug for the help keeping things running smoothly.
Brian Headlee
President, Willow River Rod & Gun Club
Yards Results
Sporter - Doug Bell 249-16x
10.5 - Gene Stroyan 250-20x
13.5 - Fred Wickstrom 250-20x
2 gun - Fred Wickstrom 500-39x
3 gun - Gene Stroyan 748-50x
Meters
Sporter - Brian Headlee 248-9x
10.5 - Dean Bircher 250-11x
13.5 - Louise Wickstrom 249-15x
2 gun - Mitch Johnson 498-29x
3gun - Mitch Johnson 745-41x
Brian Headlee
President, Willow River Rod & Gun Club
Yards Results
Sporter - Doug Bell 249-16x
10.5 - Gene Stroyan 250-20x
13.5 - Fred Wickstrom 250-20x
2 gun - Fred Wickstrom 500-39x
3 gun - Gene Stroyan 748-50x
Meters
Sporter - Brian Headlee 248-9x
10.5 - Dean Bircher 250-11x
13.5 - Louise Wickstrom 249-15x
2 gun - Mitch Johnson 498-29x
3gun - Mitch Johnson 745-41x