Virgil Minshew This is Me

Education

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1. 1. Clay shooter taking aim at national title

   cityguide.flatoday.com/fe/news - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/21/1999   Last Visited: 8/9/2001

   It surely took more than average shooting last April when Minshew won the Florida State Sporting Clays Championship , the state's highest sporting clays title , at the new Ranch Shotgun Sports facility east of Orlando. Minshew won the title by hitting 180 out of 200 targets in the Master Class , the highest , and most competitive , of the seven shooting classes in sporting clays.
   
   Sporting clays has exploded in popularity in the United States in the last 10 years , and Minshew is among the thousands who have taken up the sport that closely simulates field shooting. After 18 years as a team roper in rodeos , Minshew started shooting sporting clays six years ago when a friend persuaded him to enter a local shoot.
   
   No two sporting clays courses are the same. Course designers use the terrain , backdrops and natural vegetation of an area to make the flight of the clay targets imitate the flight of upland birds and waterfowl. The targets can be launched from traps at a variety of angles , heights and speeds , and the clays come in four sizes , with the so-called mini no larger than a silver dollar. And , each course usually includes a ground-level target imitating a bounding rabbit.
   
   Minshew , a line crew supervisor for the Kissimmee Utility Authority for 18 years , now has his sights set on a national title. He's shooting about 1 , 000 clay targets each week at Ranch in preparation for the National Sporting Clays Association Championships at San Antonio , Texas on September 7-12.
   
   I'm real close at being at the top of my shooting , Minshew said between practice shots at one of the Ranch shooting stations where the two clays make a challenging quartering away flight. But , I'll have to have some luck go my way at nationals because all the best contenders will be there. There's going to be 10 to 15 guys who could win it. It could be any one of us..
   
   Scoring will be done on 300 targets , and Minshew figures he'll have to hit 270 or better to be in the hunt.
   
   Minshew said he stays focused on his shooting , and he feels his competitive spirit and determination , traits he has carried since he attended Osceola High School in Kissimmee , gives him an advantage over other shooters.
   
   I love competition , and always have , said the 5-foot-10 , 185-pound Minshew , who stays in shape by playing raquetball. I know I'm going to get out of it what I put in it , and I want to be the best in the world , and this is the next step..
   
   If he makes a good showing at Phoenix , Minshew said he likely will compete in the world championships in 2000.
   
   In addition to the four to five afternoons of practice each week , Minshew competes at organized shoots around the state almost every weekend. His wife , Carol , often accompanies him.
   
   I love practice. I just can't wait to get to the range each day. When I'm shooting good on a day , I'll shoot 400 to 500 ( targets ) , said Minshew , who uses an $8 , 000 German-made Krieghoff K-80 , an over-and-under 12 gauge with a 32-inch barrel. Unlike some competitive shooters who use different size shot for different target distances , Minshew uses only Fiocchi-brand shells. loaded with 1 1/8 ounces of No. 7 1/2 shot , with 3 grams of powder.
   
   The daily practice ritual makes him a good shooter , Minshew said.
   
   I've always believed that the more you do something the better you get. I'm not an above average shooter. I'm an average good shot. The fact that I practice , and the dedication I put into it , is what puts me above the others , he said.
   
   But the truth is Minshew had the talent to knock down a target with a gun from the beginning. When he shot his first round of sporting clays at a Ducks Unlimited benefit at Southmere Sporting Clays at Titusville in 1993 , he hit 74 of the 100 targets.
   
   I remember at that shoot they told me I had a knack for hitting clay targets , Minshew said , with a smile.
   
   Unlike recreational shooters , Minshew has sponsors who defray his expenses and tournament entry fees.
   ...
   I wear their logos which is advertising for them , said Minshew , and I have done some shooting clinics.
   
   My sponsors are the ones that make it possible for me to shoot. They foot some of the bill.
   
   Otherwise , Minshew added , with a smile , I'd still be roping 400 to 500-pound steers at the rodeo..
   
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2. 2. KUA Board to Honor 100 Years of Combined Employee Service

   www.prweb.com/releases/2006/1/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/30/2006   Last Visited: 1/30/2006

   Virgil Minshew, line crew supervisor