For 2021, the New Jersey Skeet Championship moved back to Joint Base. It was held on September 10, 11, 12. The tournament started with Doubles on Friday afternoon. The wind was blowing at 19 mph and the targets were all over the place, but NJSSA Treasurer Ben Galioto was able to bear down and break a respectable 96 to win the championship. Mason Palidar’s 92 took A1, Robert Vrablik shot a nice 93 to take B1, and Neil Alexander and Howie Mann both shot 86’s to take C1 and D1 respectively.

On Saturday morning the wind was still blowing for the 12 gauge event. Both Ben Galioto and Jim Seiler broke 98’s. A large crowd looked on as Jim and Ben engaged in a fierce shoot-off. After five stations Ben Galioto claimed the 12 gauge title. Dick Lukasik’s 97 earned him AA1. Rick Bagni won B1 also with a 97. Justin Cimino won C1 with a 97, a personal best for Justin! Howie Mann iced D1 with a 92 and Ray Stas won E Class. Welcome back Ray! Sub Junior shooters Grant and Gavin Glossner both had their hats blown up after breaking their first 25’s. Both shooters smoked 95 targets in the 12 gauge event. Nice shooting gentlemen!!

On Saturday afternoon we had the 28 gauge event. Ben Galioto and Robert Nowak, both with 97’s, shot off for the Open Championship and after three stations Galioto took the title. Mike Costello’s 94 earned him B1 and Joe Madlinger’s 93 reeled in C1. Pennsylvania’s Gavin Glossner was on fire, breaking a 93 to take D class.

This year, a total of 22 people attended our state shoot dinner. Ben’s girlfriend Donna did an excellent job getting Yeager Hall prepped, picked up delicious cold subs, chips, beverages and a cake. During the dinner it was announced that two very deserving sportsmen will be inducted into the New Jersey Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Ben Galioto will be inducted for his shooting achievements as well as serving as NJSSA President and Treasurer. The other inductee is Edward Amaty who has served as NJSSA Chief Referee for two decades. Ed will be inducted as a Frank DeMao Hall of Famer. Both men will receive plaques and give speeches at the 2022 State Shoot dinner.

The winds simmered down just a little more on Sunday morning for our 20 gauge event, and Ben Galioto took advantage by breaking a solid 99 to win the 20 gauge Championship. Mason Palidar took A1 with a 97. Bruce Gordon also shot a 97 to win B1 and Joe Madlinger iced C class with a 95. Another up and coming Junior sensation, CJ Wojtaszek, broke a 93 to take D class. Nice shooting CJ!!

The final event was the 410 bore and two familiar gladiators, Jim Seiler and Ben Galioto both shot 95’s. The atmosphere around the shoot-off field was electric as there was a lot riding on this championship. After 6 hard earned stations, Ben crushed both targets winning the 410 title and sweeping the entire event! Robert Nowak won AA1 with a 93. Colonel Carl Wojtaszek also broke a 93 to win A1 and CJ Wojtaszek was able to bear down and break a 93 to take C class. Ralph Novotny’s 85 took D class.

This year’s HOA champion was Ben Galioto with a 389. Ben Galioto set a new record by being the first New Jersey shooter to win every event at a NJ state championship. Dick Lukasik broke a 372 to take AA1. Jim Seiler’s 383 won A1. Robert Nowak’s 380 iced B1 and Bruce Gordon’s 371 earned him C1. Tony Veil won D1.

Our Non-Resident Champions: (NY)-Robert Nowak (28ga & HOA), (FL)-Bruce Gordon (DBLS & 20ga), (NY)-Justin Cimino (12ga) and (NY)-Carl Wojtaszek (410). Nice shooting gentlemen!

This year our skeet administrator was Ben Galioto who was responsible for running a flawless glitch free tournament. It should be noted that when we couldn’t find a third referee, Ed Amaty sacrificed a weekend of shooting to referee our event. A selfless act by a true sportsman, thank you Ed! Our other two referees, Mark Bricker and Sophia Galioto were excellent on the button the entire weekend. Thank you to Howie Mann for providing us with beautiful State Shoot patches. New York shooter David Collins provided us with proof shells. Thank you, David! Finally, a big thank you to Ernie Yeager, Al Raguseo, James Garrett and the entire Joint Base staff for making this shoot possible.