Published: July 31, 2009 11:41 pm      

Aiming high: Students develop shooting skills with coach’s help

Brian Spory is a locksmith by trade, but he has discovered the key ingredients to helping youngsters discover a path to shooting sports.

Spory, 44, of Hollsopple, a single parent of three children, works at his family’s business, Spory’s Locksmith at 1248 Scalp Ave. in Richland Township.

But the soft-spoken Spory’s true passion is the outdoors and introducing youngsters to new opportunities.

He is a longtime trapper, has been president of the state trappers association and mentored a successful youth gobbler hunt April 18.

For the past two years, he has served as head coach of Conemaugh Township Area High School’s rifle team and has taught shooting to youngsters from other schools during summer camps at Jerome Sportsmen’s Association along Jerome Hill Road, off Route 601.

“Most of these kids are honor students and understand that being proficient in the sport requires discipline, a strong work ethic and a competitive drive,” Spory said.

He said those traits served several members of his team well as they competed in the 2009 National Rifle Association’s National Outdoor Rifle & Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio, from July 23-25.

His five-person team competed in the smallbore (.22-caliber) three-position division where they shoot from kneeling, standing and prone stances.

“Competition is fierce,” he said. “About 400 shooters from around the world gather to compete in the smallbore category.”

The teenagers taking part in the competition are: Joe Barefoot, Alum Bank, Bedford County; Darren Spory, Hollsopple; Megan Koontz, Jerome; and Kaitlyn Wilson and Deanna Binnie, both of Thomas Mills.

Spory began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Conemaugh Township when his son Craig was a member of the team and now coaches son Darren.

He also coaches the Jerome Sportsmen’s Association rifle team.

As with any shooting sport, accuracy is crucial. Smallbore competition is difficult since no rests are used when firing the .22 caliber rifles.

“The kids shoot all metallic sites,” he said. “I’m not a one-man team when it comes to coaching, and I have some great assistants who make it all possible.”

They include John Bınnie, Mark Trew and Chuck Wilson.

Trew, who resides in Pittsburgh but has a home in Seven Springs, said Spory’s willingness to dedicate time to helping youngsters is boundless.

“He’s special because of how he relates and communicates with the youth,” Trew said.

Binnie, whose daughter Deanna shot in the sub-junior division at Camp Perry, said Spory possesses all the traits for being an outstanding coach.

“His number one priority is safety, since we are dealing with firearms,” Binnie said. “He also has patience and dedication to the kids, for whom he has deep-rooted concern for their success.”

Binnie is impressed at the number of opportunities available to area shooters.

“They actually had a collegiate night at Camp Perry where college coaches addressed the kids,” Binnie said. “Shooting is like any other sport where coaches offer financial packages to recruit young shooters.”

Competitors don’t have to come from a hunting background to enjoy the sport or to be rewarded for their excellence.

Spory pointed to a young woman from Everett, Becky Hershberger, who is on a shooting scholarship at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

“There wasn’t a shooting team at her high school so she competed on her own,” Spory said. “She now is on a full ride and is majoring in biology.

“Becky wants to work with the Alaska (Department of) Fish and Game, and she serves as a good example of what’s out there for students.”

Spory, an NRA-certified safety instructor, said the county as a whole is becoming an example of an area that encourages high-school- and junior-high-age children to take an interest in target shooting.

“Every high school in Somerset County, except Windber, has a rifle team,” he said.

He enjoys the challenge of teaching those students who never have had a gun in their hand to shoot.

Students normally compete at an indoor range where targets are placed 50 feet away.

Scoring is determined by the shot placement within a series of rings on the target.

“The 10-ring bull’s-eye is no bigger than the head of a pin,” Spory said. “They are using iron sights; it’s quite a challenge.”

A match is comprised of a string of successive shots fired in a given time slot in each of the three positions.

Spory said it’s not unusual for students to challenge him as he urges them to give their best.

“Occasionally someone will say, ‘I’d like to see you do it,’ ” he said with a laugh.

When he outshoots them, they quickly decide to listen to his advice.

At last year’s Camp Perry competition, Deanna Binnie was a novice shooter in the 13- to 14-year-old junior division with a marksman classification.

“She took a first place and competed against 18 shooters,” Spory said. “This year she is shooting as an expert and the competition is a lot stiffer.”

Spory also faces challenges in his work. His most memorable experience occurred when a man called the shop to asked if he could open a safe.

The call sounded suspicious, so Spory notified the Richland Township police.

“They placed an undercover officer behind the counter when two men carried the safe inside,” Spory said. “When we opened it, the safe was full of drugs. The police left with the two men, the drugs, the safe and confiscated their vehicle.”