The 2015 East Coast Slingshot Tournament, held annually in Alverton, PA, is the largest slingshot tournament and gathering in North America and this year was the best yet. Slingshot enthusiasts and competitors from across the USA and as far away as the United Kingdom fell on Alverton June 5-7, 2015. This year saw over 40 registered competitors and plenty more folks who came out for the fun and fellowship that slingshots offer so well.
The tournament format consists of a variety of targets and settings in order to determine the champion. The shoot consists of 3 paper targets, two of which are shot at 10 meters and one at 25 meters. 10 shots per target are shot with a perfect score per target being 30 points. Next is the field event where each shooter has one shot each at 30 3D silhouette animal targets at unknown distances, culminating with the long range gong shoot. The gong shoot consists of each shooter taking five shots at a 24″ diameter steel plate at 70 and 40 yards. No practice shots are allowed, each hit counts for one point. Finally, there is the speed shooting event where each shooter has the opportunity to shoot as many shots as possible at five soup cans at a distance of 10 meters. The more you hit, the higher the score. A total of 15 points is possible here. A perfect round (which has never been shot) is 145 or 146 with the bonus 3D target. This year the reigning champion and Team SimpleShot member, Ray Bazonski, was finally dethroned! Ray has won this tournament for the last three years and his nickname ‘The Iceman’ is quite appropriate. Ray is one of the very best shooters in the nation and his ability to focus under pressure is legendary. This year also saw several other well known shooters such as Michael McClure (MJ), Bill Hayes, and others. Team SimpleShot took three of the top five spots this year with Nathan Masters, SimpleShot Founder taking first place with a score of 135. Second place to Ray Bazonski with a score of 129 and Angelos Giouzepis in fifth with a score of 106.
As always, it is a fun event and if you like slingshots, you owe it to yourself to attend next year. The first weekend of June 2016…Be there!
Check out another great review of the tournament from our friends at WoodsMonkey.com
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