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You could be featured here! Just click the "Shooter
Questionnaire" button to the left and complete the form!
For September, 2011, the featured shooter is Scott Cusanek.
| Name: |
Scott Cusanek |
| Age: |
49 |
| Home: |
Scottsdale, AZ |
| Originally From: |
Germantown, NY |
| Occupation: |
IT Director |
| Years Shooting: |
41 |
| Years Shooting SC: |
16 |
| NSCA Class |
M |
| Shotgun: |
Browning Special Sporting / Browning Gold Auto(s) / Browning
525 |
| Ammo: |
Kemen (Practice) - Winchester Supersport / Remington Nitro's
(Tournaments) |
Q: What are your favorite things about
shooting Sporting Clays?
A: I enjoy the competition, however, the
friends I've made over the years would have to stand out as my favorite thing
about the sport.
Q: What is your favorite shooting venue?
A: I've been too many locations around the
country so it's hard to say one over another. I would summarize all of my
favorite locations based on the targets, the people and the scenery. When great
targets come together with a beautiful location and you're surrounded by great
people, that becomes my new favorite place.
Q: What has been your favorite shoot/event?
A: I've always like the Nationals if for no
other reason than the size of the event coupled with that opportunity to compete
against great shooters from all over the world.
Q: What is your favorite target presentation?
A: I could say 16 yard trap, but that would
be WRONG!! Much like my prior answer, I would sum it up by saying any fair and
interesting presentation that challenges all aspects of the shooters ability.
There is a reason we have a class distinction in this sport as in order to rise
up a shooter must be able to bring all of their abilities to a station and
execute seamlessly and without hesitation.
Q: What is your least favorite target
presentation?
A: One in which my shooting buddies can hit
and I keep missing! LOL!
Q: What do you feel is your greatest challenge in
Sporting?
A: I don't have a good answer for this .....
any challenge I have faced, I have been able to overcome. When I started
shooting in the early to mid-90's it seemed like the sport was more built around
getting better either through extensive practice or an innate ability. In order
to compete in that environment, a person must be able to understand their
strengths and weaknesses and more importantly how to apply them appropriately to
any given presentation.
Q: What do you feel is your biggest
accomplishment with regards to Sporting Clays?
A: Winning my class at the Nationals in the
mid-90's stands out as well as the many State Championships I've won. With all
of that, performing at my best in any given tournament is really what keeps me
coming back.
Q: What, if any, are your Sporting Clays goals?
A: I believe goals come with a balance
between life, family, work and sport .... I do have specific goals around
national average, all American points, beating my buddies, etc .... in the end
my main goal is to perform at my best however that might look for a given day!
Q: Do you shoot sub-gauge events?
A: Yes. 28 gauge is my favorite.
Q: What is the one "gizmo" you find
most useful when shooting?
A: I haven't found a gizmo yet that gets me
more targets.
Q: What advice would you give to someone just
starting out?
A: I'm going to shy away from the generic
answers I've seen over the years in various magazines. I mentioned before this
is not a team sport but rather an individual journey. Know yourself, understand
and leverage your strengths while having the courage to address your weaknesses
head on. Everybody starts somewhere, understand why you hit a target as well as
why you miss. Process that information in such a way as it makes you better and
you have at least one learning from every outing.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Sporting Clays in Arizona has come a long
way in the last 15 years. Being one of those folks that used to set targets and
throw tournaments in many areas of the country, don't take for granted how much
work is really involved. The next time you're at a range and you have an
opportunity ............. say "Thank You !!" for all that it takes to facilitate
our sport!
Webmaster's commentary:
I had the pleasure to shoot with Scott on a number of occasions, and Scott is
a heck of a shot, as well as a true gentleman. I also happen to know that
he loves 16 yard trap!
I've also had the good fortune to serve with Scott on the ASCA Board of
Directors. So, even though he is not throwing targets any more, he is
still involved in bringing you more and better shoots. For that, we should
all say thanks!
I'm glad Scott took the time to submit his questionnaire. Help keep the Featured Shooter feature going by filling out the "Shooter
Questionnaire."
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