Kriefski 2008 UCB Top Gun

The last shells have been fired and a Champion has been crowned. A big United Clay Buster congratulations goes out to Mike Kriefski. Mike is the defending 2007 Team Champion and also the Local 505 team captain. Mike shot a very strong, consistent season and earned the right to have his named engraved on the prestigious UCB Traveling Trophy.

Great season Local 505. Only 36 weeks until we do it again.

Week 12 - The Fat Lady Sang

Week 12 unfortunately signifies the end of our clay busting season. Hanke and Krull were M.I.A. but the rest Local 505 finished the season strong. Alex was the Top Gun in Week 12 and posted his highest score ever as a Clay Buster. Congrats also go out to Mike for earning the 2008 UCB Top Gun Award. Stay tuned for pictures and stories from the First Annual UCB Steak Fry and Awards Ceremony. 

Great season Local 505.

Practice Makes Perfect

Well, we've reached the end of another season. Much like summer, they always go by too fast. But I'll let Krully share the details of that with you.

This post is dedicated to one simple truth of clay busting. Perhaps the golden rule of consistent bird annihilation (aka, CBA), if you will: practice makes perfect.

As one who suffered from a bit of a Sophomore Slump this year, I now know one thing for certain about trap. Repetition breeds confidence. And winging it just don't cut it.

Whether that means getting out to the club on a Saturday morning (as seen here with Coach Krull - note that his whistle and clipboard are slightly off-camera). Or Tuesday Night Hunt Clubs throughout the winter. Or even mounting your gun in the basement, painting the corners. You've just got to practice. Or you don't bring home the hardware.

That said, hat's off to another great season for Local 505. First year in AA. First year competing for the club win. And first year we ever shot the trap house (thanks again, Harps).

Photo Credit: The Hankery (c) 2008

Week 11 Report

Week 11 brought beautiful weather and possibly the highest first round team scores in UCB history. The practice rounds last Saturday seemed to pay off as the Local 505 shook off some shooting demons. Krull was top gun this week with Schmalz a close second. Only 50 shells remain. Let's make them count.

The Gunslinger

Meet Schmalz, a.k.a Billy the Kid. Alex is a Local 505 sophomore and has shooting reflexes reminiscent of an Old West gunfighter. Legendary tales are told of his body counts on Call of Duty and other first-person shooting video games. Alex's years of gaming translate well to his Browning Citori and the brotherhood of clay busting. One day ol' William H. Bonney may contend for the UCB Traveling Trophy – just don't challenge him to a gunfight.

Week 10 – The Quickie

Week 10 was very uneventful and over before it began. Only three members of the Local 505 were on the line tonight as Harper and Kriefski were M.I.A.  Kriefski's bank score earned him top gun this week as he continued to stretch his lead on the team. Only 100 shells left to improve your scores.

Mr. Most Improved

Meet Harps. Shawn is four-year veteran of the Local 505 and has earned the 2008 Most Improved Clay Buster Award. His Beretta has gotten hot the last 4 weeks and is shooting well above his average. Keep wishing those birds a Happy Birthday Harps! 

Week 9 - Task Force Thunder

The United Clay Busters of America were honored to have Iowa National Guard Staff Sergeant, Adam Akers join them on a recent sortie. Adam serves with the I-133rd Infantry, Task Force Thunder, and just returned from a 12-month mission in Kosovo. Adam's presence brought good luck to John who earned Top Gun this week. In other news, Hanke only trails Schmalz by two birds is the highly contested "Race for Third Place." Only three weeks remain. 

Sometimes, We Count More Than Just Birds

After the birds have been shattered and the scores tallied, the Clay Busters are known to head to the clubhouse for a little refreshment and relaxation. Most often, this means cold cans of your favorite barley pop. Occasionally, it means the enjoyment of some of venison. And from time to time, it means enjoying a little 500.

Now for those of you who don't know your Butler County Rules from your Franklin County Rules, we'll keep this simple. 500 is a trump-based game, with partners, that involves bidding and trick-taking. But more to the point, it involves cunning, guile and a heaping helping of smack talk.

And on this recent Tuesday night, the Veteran Iowegians were outgunned by the Novice Wisconsinites. Steeped in their own cultural tradition of Sheepshead (the preferred card game of the Badger State) and Euchre (what you play when you don't have enough people or have had one too many barley pops), the Wisconsin team took two of three games in this battle of wits.

We're proud to share this pastime with our readers, and equally proud to announce that Dane County Rules are forthcoming - likely to include the elimination of the joker and the incredibly lame "No Trump" call - as well as other general improvements to this fine game.

The Race For Third Place

Everyone knows the Local 505 is united and focused on winning the club championship. With that said, there is a close race developing for third place on the team. The UCB sophomores, Schmalz and Hanke's scores are only separated by eight birds. While third place will never get your name on the traveling trophy it will make for a somewhat interesting next four weeks.

Week 8 - Shake and Bake

Week 8 is in the books – Krull and Kriefski tied for top guns. Our team average slipped a bit but we may still move up in our class. An honorable mention to Brother Hanke for following UCB Code: 23675-wife-bday. It's always wise to reference the UCB manual when facing decisions like this and wisely using your bank score. Only four weeks left in the Championship Chase.

Week 7 Report

The weather was superb for Week 7 and the birds were flying and dying. The really good news is the UCB team scores are averaging five-to-six birds higher since the implementation of our new program, "5-Card Draw" (see June 23 posting). The UCB Top Gun for Week 7 was Kriefski. And props also go out to Mike for being tied for 3rd place in the chase for the overall Club Top Gun Championship. Good luck in bringing home the title.

We're Moving On Up…

The United Clay Busters found out their team ranking tonight for the first half of the season and it's AA. No this isn't Alcoholics Anonymous, it's the ranking for the top six teams in the league. Even though the UCB fell behind the other AA teams for the first half – Week 7 is like starting over. The slate has been cleared and all UCB needs to do is win the second half and they'll be in a shoot out for Club Champions. Hats off to Harps for shooting well above his average the last two weeks and help push the team into the AA category. We can do this Brothers!

'05: C Division

'06: B Division

'07 A Division

'08 AA Division

The Apprentice

To celebrate our Independence and enjoy the freedoms under the Second Ammendment, Ryan and I headed to the trap fields. I thought we would ease into shooting but Ryan quickly began busting the clay. After 25 warm up shells he was on the line shooting with the men.  The boy has a great stance and a very smooth gun. The UCB future looks bright.

Kriefski Swings Big Hammer at Badger State

The United Clay Busters competed in the Badger State Games today at the Sauk Prairie Gun Club. It was a great morning at the range and shooting 500 shells just didn't seem like enough. Hats off to "The Captain" for running the final 50 birds and having the highest team score.

The Local 505

John, Alex, Curt, Mike, and Shawn.

Week 5 Trap Report

We just wrapped up our fifth week of trap league and let me just say on behalf of the United Clay Busters of America, thank God for the Oregon Sportsmans Club. What would have been another Tuesday night of reruns and leftovers, turned into some great trap shooting and camaraderie. The Local 505 really put the hammers to the clay tonight and our confidence is running high as we head into the Badger State Games this Saturday.

Photo credit: The Hankery

Five Card Draw

We will be experimenting with our shooting positions in the upcoming weeks to try and spark our teams shooting average. Each week we will deal out five cards to determine who starts at each stand. The card numbers are based on each team members original shooting position. The cards have been dealt for this week and the photo shows where each member will shoot.

Krull 1, Hanke 2, Harper 3, Schmalz 4, Kriefski 5. 

Remember: Good mount – smooth guns.

Scars Add Character

There is a saying that there's a story to be told in every scar.  Our little incident last Tuesday night just added a chapter to the UCB novel. I took a closer look at the trap houses at Sauk and Oregon and they look like old warriors. No. 2 wasn't the first and I'm sure won't be the last.

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

After spending a beautiful Friday afternoon trapshooting at Sauk Prairie Gun Club, Friedrich Nietzsche's quote sure seemed true. "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Shooting at Oregon is so challenging compared to other clubs I have shot at. It is a great confidence booster to shoot at Sauk Prairie and run 73 straight before a miss. Even though our team is somewhat struggling this spring everyone should be looking forward to Badger State Games. Get ready for some cream puffs.

UCB Launches Viral Marketing Campaign

The United Clay Busters of America Local 505 have launched a viral marketing campaign to help gain awareness and to promote their organization. The first phase of the campaign includes tagging Sportsman Clubs with Local 505 wares. "We have created a variety merchandise to support our mission of solidarity and busting clay," said No. 3, UCB's Merchandising Manager. You can show your support by purchasing products at cafepress.com/unitedclaybusters.