For Immediate Release
May 29, 2015
Team Safariland’s Doug Koenig wins his 16th NRA Bianchi Cup Title
Reese, Golob, Voigt and Leatham applauded for strong performances as well
Ontario, CA – Safariland® congratulates team member Doug Koenig for his win at the NRA Bianchi Cup Action Pistol Championships – his 16th win at this event! Koenig earned this year’s title in a hard fought battle while using the Safariland ELS Competition Belt System and Model 014 Open Class holster.
Held annually at the Green Valley Pistol Club in Columbia, MO over the Memorial Day weekend, the May 20-23 event kicked off with a full day of rain, but this didn’t stop the shooters from performing their best. Despite the rain, Doug shot another perfect score of 1920 points and 180Xs for the tie breaker. His X count was enough to win the match and beat out 268 of the top shooters in the world. Following the same format every year, the Bianchi Cup included Mover, Falling Plates, Practical and Barricade events. With 480 points possible for each stage, this match was definitely a challenge for all competitors with a possible 1920 Points and 192 X count.
Koenig once again used his Safariland ELS Competition Belt System and the 014 Open Class Holster for the match. “I have been shooting with Safariland gear for almost 25 years and I attribute this equipment, in part, to my overall success,” said Koenig. “Using Safariland gear means never having to worry about my equipment and I can focus on my shooting.”
Safariland also congratulates Team Members Maggie Reese, Julie Golob, Mike Voigt and Rob Leatham for their performance at the Bianchi Cup Action Pistol Championships. Reese started out very strong in the match by cleaning all 48 plates and shooting a 478 on the Mover. She finished with a highly-regarded 4th place overall in the Women’s Division. Golob finished with a respectable 7th overall while battling through some major back pain and Voigt finished in the top 10 in the Men’s Open Division; all using the Model 014 and ELS rigs. Shooting in the Production class, Leatham competed with the Safariland ELS Belt System and 5198 holster to finish in the top 3 of the championship.
“We are very proud of Team Safariland for their accomplishments and dedication to perfection,” said Scott Carnahan, Vice President, Equipment, The Safariland Group and Team Safariland Manager. “We all work very close together to develop the finest products in the industry and continue to stand by our motto of ‘Innovation, not Imitation’.”
Congratulations also go out to the Top Lawman of the event Kyle Schmidt, and fellow officer and High Production Champion Enoch Smith. Schmidt finished 4th place overall with a strong score of 1918 and 166Xs and won the aggregate score of both, Metallic and Open guns combined. The Safariland gear used by these shooters allowed them to put their attention on their match and not the equipment.
Safariland has been a Major Sponsor of the NRA Championships and the shooting sports. To find out more about the products and Team Safariland, visit www.safariland.com.
About Safariland®
Established in 1964, Safariland® has earned worldwide renown and a leadership position in the industry for its technologically advanced holsters and other gear to the law enforcement, military, concealment and competitive sporting markets. Safariland holsters, belts and accessories provide users with high-quality tools to perform their jobs safely and effectively. Safariland is credited for developing the first Level III retention holster for the uniformed duty market. With a reputation for INNOVATION NOT IMITATION®, the Safariland brand continues its position as the worldwide leader in retention holsters. Safariland is a part of The Safariland Group family of brands. For more information, visit www.safariland.com/dutygear.
About The Safariland Group
The Safariland Group is a premier global provider of trusted, innovative, high-quality law enforcement and security products for the public safety, military and outdoor recreation/personal protection markets. Offering many of the world’s most recognizable names in these markets, principal brands include Safariland®, ABA®, Second Chance®, Bianchi®, Break Free®, Mustang Survival® and Med-Eng®. Forensics brands include Identicator® and NIK®. The Safariland Group’s mission, Together, We Save Lives™, is inherent in the lifesaving products it delivers. The Safariland Group has its headquarters in Jacksonville, FL.
The Safariland Group is a trade name of Safariland, LLC.
For further information, please contact:
Hope Sjursen
Director, Marketing/Creative Services
The Safariland Group
Tel 1+909-923-7300 x31223
hope.bianchi-sjursen@safariland.com
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