Redicker Claims Two of Three Class Wins During the National Rimfire Sporter Match

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Leading two separate classes in the 2021 National Rimfire Sporter Match was Jean Redicker, 57, of Vallonia, Indiana – overtaking the T-Class and TU Class. Redicker’s wins were reminiscent of each other, outshooting the second-place competitors by only X’s to earn the top spots.

The National Rimfire Sporter Match, part of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National Matches, was fired Sunday, July 25, on Camp Perry’s Viale Range. During the event, competitors fired from 50 and 25 yards in prone, sitting and standing positions. Over 260 competitors took the firing line during the match in Open Sight (O), Telescope Sight (T) and Tactical (TU) classes.

Marissa Bensch was High Woman of the National Rimfire Sporter T-Class and the O-Class.

“I was the most relaxed I have ever been at the National Matches,” Redicker said. “This year has been a rough year, and I was unable to practice or shoot much. I wasn’t expecting to have a good showing.”

She went on, “With that in mind, I came to Perry with the attitude to just have fun, enjoy the day on this beautiful, historical range and let the matches take care of themselves.”

Redicker said the conditions of match day were perfect – hot, but with a nice breeze.

“I was satisfied with my scores but never expected to win overall,” she admitted.

The National Rimfire Sporter Match, designed to be a safe and fun event for all ages, was hot in 2021.

When not at Camp Perry, Redicker competes in the CMP Sanctioned matches held throughout the year at the Bedford Contingent range in Bedford, Indiana. The local matches prepare her for the competition side of Nationals, but some things just can’t be simulated.

“Nothing compares to the magnitude of Perry,” she said. “Add in the factor that you are shooting in the National Matches and it is a very unique experience – one that I would encourage any shooter to participate in.”

High Woman of the TU Class was Brianna Toikkanen (left) and High Senior was Roger Burdick (right), both of Conneaut, Ohio.

Redicker’s aggregate score of 590-33X in the TU Class narrowly beat out Peter Yarbro, 46, of Mishawaka, Indiana, who fired a score of 590-28X. In the T-Class, Redicker collected a score of 592-33X, including perfect scores of 100 in the Prone Slow Fire, Prone Rapid Fire and Standing Slow Fire stages. Finishing behind Redicker with a score of 592-26X was Marissa Bensch, 21, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, who claimed the High Woman title in the match.

Bensch went on to earn the High Woman honor in the O-Class, earning a score of 567-18X and sixth overall. Bensch had also earned the title at the last National Rimfire Sporter event back in 2019 and was the High 4-H competitor of the class in 2018. Claiming the overall win in the O-Class in 2021 was past National Rimfire Match winner CSM Steven Slee, 57, of Dimondale, Michigan, with a score of 589-37X.

Eric Mantooth of Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, led the Rimfire Dewer Match.

Other leading scorers of the National Rimfire Sporter Match included:

T-Class (154 competitors):
Overall: Jean Redicker, 57, Vallonia, Indiana – 592-33X
Junior: Connor Stout, 19, Waterford, Michigan – 584-16X
4-H: Ditsy Werner, 17, Kennesaw, Georgia – 582-25X
Senior: Scott Schindehette, 76, Saginaw, Michigan – 584-22X
Woman: Marissa Bensch, 21, Stillwater, Oklahoma – 592-26X

TU Class (62 competitors):
Overall: Jean Redicker, 57, Vallonia, Indiana – 590-33X
Junior: Eric Woods, 17, Conneaut, Ohio – 573-12X
Senior: Roger Burdick, 65, Conneaut, Ohio – 587-26X
Woman: Brianna Toikkanen, 23, Conneaut, Ohio – 586-25X

O-Class (51 competitors):
Overall: CSM Steven Slee, 57, Dimondale, Michigan – 589-37X
Junior: Ditsy Werner, 17, Kennesaw, Georgia – 517-8X
4-H: Luke Schnee, 14, Curtice, Ohio – 433-3X
Senior: Thomas Dean, 67, Perry, Michigan – 572-17X
Woman: Marissa Bensch, 21, Stillwater, Oklahoma – 567-18X

CSM Steven Slee of Dimondale, Michigan, was the overall competitor of the National Rimfire Sporter O-Class.

New in 2021 was the addition of the Rimfire Dewer Match, held on the CMP’s Smallbore range. Participants in the event fired 20 shots from both 50 and 100 yards in 20-minute stages. Winning the inaugural match was Eric Mantooth, 52, Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, with a score of 387-14X.

To view a complete list of results, visit the CMP’s Competition Tracker page at https://ct.thecmp.org/21nmrimfireresults.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.