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Team Biographies



Chad Kurgan (a.k.a. "Reaper")

Classification: High Master
Time with the Grizzlies: 8 years

Goals:

  • To beat personal aggregates of 494-26x and 792-33x
  • To be the next Junior National Champion in 2010

Accomplishments:

NATIONALLY DISTINGUISHED RIFLEMAN - BADGE # 1962
CALIFORNIA DISTINGUISHED RIFLEMAN
FIRING MEMBER OF THE 2009 NATIONAL CHAMPION - NTIT (RATTLE BATTLE) COMPETITION
PRESIDENT’S 100 - 2008
NATIONAL RECORDS

  • CO-HOLDER - 200YD RAPID SITTING JUNIOR - 200-16x
  • CO-HOLDER - 100YD RAPID PRONE - OPEN - 200-13x
  • CO-HOLDER - 100YD RAPID PRONE - CIVILIAN - 200-13x
  • HOLDER - 100YD RAPID PRONE - JUNIOR - 200-13x
  • HOLDER - 2008 NTIT (RATTLE BATTLE) - JUNIOR - 1233
  • HOLDER - 2009 NTIT (RATTLE BATTLE) - JUNIOR - 1284
  • HOLDER - 2009 NTT (6 MAN) - JUNIOR - 2870-74x

NATIONAL JUNIOR CHAMPION - MINUTEMAN TROPHY TEAM MATCH - 2008 - 2009
NATIONAL JUNIOR CHAMPION - FRED EDGECOMB TEAM TROPHY - 2008
NATIONAL CHAMPION - LEATHERNECK TEAM TROPHY - 2009
CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

  • 2006 - 2007 - 2009 - 2010 JUNIOR HIGH POWER CHAMPION
  • 2010 JUNIOR SERVICE RIFLE CHAMPION

CANADIAN-AMERICAN LONG RANGE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

  • 2010 JUNIOR CHAMPION

M1A SPRINGFIELD MATCH

  • 2007 INAUGURAL JUNIOR CHAMPION

MEMBER OF THE 792 CLUB

PERSONAL BESTS:
494-26x
792-33x

Other Info: Chad is currently attending college and in his free time he likes to shoot trap and high-power.


Anthony Henderson

Classification: Master
Hometown: Sonora/Santa Cruz

Goals: Go distinguished. Be a high master. Be the best that I can be and push my teammates to succeed.


Shelby


Shelby Rosasco

Time with the Grizzlies: 3 years
Classification: Master

Other Info: Shelby is 19 years old and lives in Fresno, CA where she attends California State University, Fresno as an Agricultural Education major. She has been shooting for 4 years and is currently classified as a master, with goals to become distinguished and reach the classification of high master. Other interests include horseback riding, working on her families cattle ranch, and spending time with friends and family.




Jim Minturn ("a.k.a. Ball Gazer")

Time with Grizzlies: 5 months
Accomplishments:

  • High Junior - Springfield Match
  • High Marksman - 2007 Creedmoor Cup

Other Info: Jim is 15 years old and lives in Valley Center, CA. He has been shooting a little over two years now and has been on the Grizzlies for 5 months. Some of his hobbies include being lazy and horses.


 

Brandon C. Bayer

Age: 17
Classification: Expert

Other Info: Brandon enjoys all types of shooting, but mainly long-range rifle shooting. He’s been shooting all his life but started the .22 Program at the Mother Lode Gun Club in the fall of 2004. Besides shooting, he likes to hunt, fish, hike in the Sierra Nevada’s, 4 wheel and pretty much everything else that has to do with the outdoors. He is a freshman at Sonora High School and his main goals are to graduate high school, eventually earn a High-Master classification and later get accepted into the Marine Scout/Sniper Training School and graduate from the School. After the Marines he plans to continue competitive rifle shooting and get a job with Cal Fire or the US Forest Service.


Sagen Maddalena 

Classification: Expert
Age: 16
Hometown: Groveland

Goals: My goals are to break the National Junior Off-Hand record and become a high-master.

Interests: My main interests are shooting; any day at the range is a good day. I enjoy working with young horses and putting miles behind them and also competing in endurance riding. I play the piano quite regularly.


 

Cheyanne Acebo

Time with Grizzlies: 2 ½ years
Accomplishments (to name a few):

  • Ranked 41 on President's 100 (7th on Junior ranking)
  • Nationally Distinguished

Other Info: Cheyanne is 17 years old and is a Senior in high school. She plans on going to community college and getting a job after graduation. When asked what she enjoys doing during her free time she responded, “I have two AP and 1 Honors class and I shoot every weekend. I don’t have free time.”


Bradley Pappageorge

Age: 17
Hometown: Copperopolis
Classification: Expert

Goals:

  • To have fun and excel in shooting

Interests: Bradley is a die hard skier and in winter, if he's not on the range than he's on the slopes. This is his first year on the Grizzlies and went to Camp Perry for the first time this past August. He enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, shooting, skiing, and long walks on the beach! (haha) Bradley had a great time at Perry and it was a worth while trip for him and is very excited to be going back next year.


Kayla Swenson

Age: 19
Hometown: Mi Wuk Village
Classification: Expert

Goals:

  • To "clean" 600 yards
  • Get High Master Classification

Interests: Archery, raising/showing rabbits, soccer, shooting, Jujitsu

Other Info: Kayla has been to Camp Perry 3 times with the Grizzlies and loves being the team.


Dylan Lyons

Classification: Sharpshooter
Age: 16
Hometown:
Sonora

Goals: To reach Master then eventually High Master

Interests: I like to work with my friends in metal work, carpentry and auto mechanics. I enjoy being outdoors and am learning to shoot a bow and arrow. I also like to play my banjo.  Country music is my favorite.


Hugh "Conar" Braly

Classification: Expert
Age:
14
Hometown: Copperopolis

Goals: Short term goal would be to practice, practice, practice, so I can move my classification up as quickly as possible.  Long term goal is to do well in high school, go on to a university and make something of myself. Hopefully in a career that has to do with firearms.

Interests: I love shooting of all types. Whether real or simulated if it has a trigger and a projectile I’m in! I enjoy airsoft and paintball with my friends and all the Call of Duty games on Xbox are my weakness.  But High Power is my passion. To make the shot count at extreme distances always makes my day.  

Anything Else: “You’ll get out of it what you put into it.” Our coach Rob Taylor told us this at one of our practices and I like to keep that valuable statement in mind for everything I do


Cody Bishop

Classification: Sharpshooter
Age: 18
Hometown: Sonora

Goals: My goals are to graduate high school and sign up for the Army and try to get on the Army Marksmanship Unit


Morgan William Owen

Classification: Sharpshooter
Age: 14
Hometown: Sonora

Goals: My main goal is to become an expert before or during nationals at Camp Perry, Ohio.

Interests: I always have a good time playing the piano and guitar.  I love all art including sketching, painting and stained glass.  I love  to swim and play Water Polo.  I spend most of my free time outdoors or tinkering with some creation in the garage.  I strive to achieve academic excellence and especially love studying science.

Anything Else: I plan to go to college after graduating from Sonora High School and study science.  I would welcome an ROTC scholarship, as I see the military as a great career as well. 


James MacMillan

Age:17
Hometown: Kentfeild

Interests: wrestling, lacrosse, shooting

Goals: To become distinguished, set junior sitting national record to make Presidents 100 and to become a High Master.


Shawn Bharadwaj

Age: 16 years
Hometown: Carlsbad, CA
Classification: Expert

Interests:  Aside from shooting, I enjoy playing the guitar, swimming and going to the beach.  My other passion is working out, doing crossfit every week at school with lots of pushups and pull ups.  In addition to shooting and hanging out with friends, he aspires to become an engineer.

Goals: To become a Master or High Master by the end of the current year as well as earn leg points by the time I go to Camp Perry.  I want to improve my sitting rapid and offhand scores.

Additional Info: My parents are from India, but have lived in the United States over 25 years.  I was born in San Diego and have lived in California for my entire life.  I have been shooting High Power for about 6 months (since September 2009).  I love to read and have a large collection of books related to shooting among other things.


Kasey Nelson

Age: 16
Hometown: Escondido

Interests: Bblack and white sketching besides shooting.

Goals: To get my Expert card.


Kevin Tandoc

Age: 16
Hometown:
Stevenson Ranch
Classification: Marksman

Interests: Shooting, Hunting, video games, soccer and having fun.

Goals: To attend a four year university and become a successful engineer. I am currently attending Bishop Alemany High School.


Blake Eames

Age: 16
Hometown: Lafayette
Classification: Expert

Goals: My goals are to become a distinguished rifleman before I age out and to make the Presidents 100 as a junior.


Hollie Swenson

Age: 16
Hometown: Mi Wuk Village
Classification: Marksman

Goals: To make Sharpshooter, get all A's on my report card and own my own Internet based business.


Lynn R. Bahten

Hometown: Jamestown
Classification: Den Mom!

Goals:

  • To make sure the team is in good shape and can put their energy into their shooting
  • To help them be the be the very best young adults they can be, on and off the range

Other Info: "It is my pleasure to work with and to help these young adults. It is great to watch them grow with each year. They are our future, we all need to do what we can to help them grow up to be smart, responsible adults."


Connie Taylor

Hometown: Tuolumne

Classification: Team coordinator to help see everything runs smoothly and help serve as an ‘adopted mom’ to the team or whatever else is needed.

Interests: I enjoy my grandchildren that I don’t see often enough and working with all the juniors involved in the junior program.  I have been involved with the juniors for atleast 17 years + now since my own sons were juniors in the program.  It would be wonderful to still be involved having my grandchildren involved in the program as well.  There are so many fine young adults who have evolved out of this program.

Goals: To see that everything and everyone is taken care of so they might better be able to focus on shooting the best they can. To see that these young people turn in to the best adults they can be when they come out of the program, both on and off the range since they are our future.

Other Info: We have seen young adults go from the Grizzlies team in to the Citadel, AMU, Air Force Academy, and Annapolis. Many have a goal of getting in to law enforcement or just helping to coach other youth new in to the shooting program.  Each one is as important as the other.