Local Woman Top Shotgunner

POTTER — Local shotgun shooter Leslie Marchando of Potter is a top shotgun target shooter in several different disciplines on the national shooting circuit.

She competes in sporting clay competition, which is designed to copy actual field hunting with flushing pheasants, rabbits, geese, springing teal and crossing doves, but uses clay targets instead of live game.

“The targets  vary in size, down to midis which are the size of a Ritz cracker and are launched off 100-foot towers, very challenging,” she said.

On May 22 she won first place in the main event in the All-American FITASC and Shooting Clays competition, in which she scored 129 points in the two-day course.

Shooters can win All-American Points and Marchando is ranked 13th in the nation.

She recently won several categories of competition in the Chicago, Ill., area last weekend.

Marchando travels to the U.S. Open where she will compete in Willows Sporting Clays on Monday, May 31, through June 6 in Tunica, Miss.

There will be 1,600 shooters competing for the top prize and Marchando will shoot 1,100 rounds of ammunition.

“I also won the High Overall Lady in 5-stand Main in Nashville, Tenn., last month at the Gamiliel Cup and was fourth in the 5-Stand competition in my class at the Masters Cup in Pennsville, N.J.,  two weeks ago,” Marchando said. “I’m heading off to the U.S. Open this week in Tunica, Miss., and after that I’m competing in the FITASC Grand Prix in Columbus, Kan. and the UK/U.S. Masters in Chicago, Ill. I’m also in the Western Open in August in Mt. Vernon, Wash. All of these events have over 500 shooters from all over the world. I’ve been competing against the Brits and Italians, who are very good at this sport since they invented it.

“FITASC is a European sport and it’s usually found only on the big shoots,” Marchando said.

It is a 100-target event, there will be four stations to shoot  from. The shooter can only mount the gun when the shooter can see the target. It is a very difficult sport, I took fourth in class at the All-American eight-station 200 target event. I would have done better if my first three stations weren’t in the fog. All sporting clay events are shot in all weather. I’ve shot this year in fog, rain, snow, hail and 70-mile-an-hour winds.

“I shoot sporting club subgauges in 20, 28 and 410 and have been winning often in the .410, and took first in class at the Dogwood FITASC/porting Championships in Bucksnort, Tenn. in March,” Marchando said.