By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
For the third consecutive year the Bald Mountain Shooting Range, in partnership with Michigan Shooting Centers LLC, hosted the 2014 Michigan State Sporting Clays Championships from June 19 to June 24.
Participants shot 200 clay targets for the main events Saturday and Sunday moving through the 14-station sporting clays course.
Two clay targets were released one after the other at each station at different elevations and speeds ranging from 50 mph to 80 mph.
Of the 228 participants, five were from the Lake Orion/Oxford area and nine shooters were ladies. Shooters typically used a 12-gauge shotgun.
Michigan Shooting Centers LLC is owned and operated by world-class shooter and All American Sporting clays competitor Pat Lieske, who operates the Bald Mountain Shooting Range and Gun Shop and the Island Lake Shooting Range in Brighton.
Since 1989 Lieske has been on the NSCA All-American team 15 times, NSCA Team USA Open team eight times, and was runner-up at the 2012 FITASC World Championships.
Lieske and his 18-year-old son Drew Lieske of Davison will attend the 2014 FITASC World Championships this July in Portugal. Pat will compete in the open division and Drew in the junior division.
Pat Lieske fields a team every year that participates in the world championships.
‘We have a series of selection events across the country and field the team based on the best shooters,? Pat Lieske said. His open team has five shooters, and junior division, ladies division and seniors divisions all have three shooters.
Lieske leases the Bald Mountain Range from the state of Michigan, which was selected by for the last two years to host the state championships. Next year the choices will be between Bald Mountain and the Detroit Gun Club.
Drew Lieske will be shooting every other day until the World Championships in Portugal, where he hopes to capture the World Junior Champion title.
‘You just have to have a plan on where you’re going to break it and how you’re going to break it. So as long as you’re prepared you’re going to do pretty good,? Drew Lieske said.