GERRARDSTOWN, W. Va. — Lincolnville seventh-grader Abigail Hammond, 13, has only been targeting shooting for about a year, but this month she proved she has serious natural skills and competitive drive by placing second in a field of eight in the junior division of the American Marksman Northeast Regional Championship competition.

As winner of the Maine qualifying round in May, Hammond competed against top Northeast qualifiers from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regional competitions were held July 16-17 at Peacemaker National Training Center in Gerrardstown, W. Va.

American Marksman's tour is formatted to give amateur shooters the opportunity to advance from local to regional shoots to a national televised competition, when one person will become its recognized national amateur champion and win $50,000. Only the first place winner in each category from the nine national regions competes at that level, so Hammond will go only if the Northeast first place winner cannot.

Hammond was introduced to shooting last year, being taught and coached by her father, Doug Hammond. He was not eligible to compete because he is ranked in the top 10 percent in a national competitive shooting classification.

"It was a really good experience and gave me a better idea of what happens at competitions," Hammond said after the competition. "It was fun to meet new people who I could talk to about shooting and their different experiences and strategies. Also, I really appreciate the time my dad put into training me and being so patient about it."

In an interview with PenBayPilot.com prior to traveling to West Virginia to compete, Hammond said she began shooting with her father.

“Both my mom and dad do bulls-eye competitions and I thought it was really cool, having watched a lot of action films,” said Hammond. “My dad took me out and we loaded up a couple magazines and my dad had some targets and we put them up and shot. He gave me pointers on how to hold the pistol and align the site and I did pretty well my first time.”

Hammond said at first, it was just a matter of always asking to go with him to the range because it was fun and she enjoyed it. But then she competed in a 22 Pins ‘n Plates shoot at Beaver Lodge, which is a race to shoot pin and plate targets using either a pistol or rifle and both, and she did really well then too.

“You compete against another shooter to see who can finish first,” said Hammond.

Walter Simmons is the range master at Beaver Lodge, and said that not only is Hammond invariably the youngest shooter there, she is “quite a remarkable young lady.”

“She is well versed in range safety and a solid competitor-and more serious than most. She’s a bit younger than my youngest granddaughter, who is also a shooter though not as driven as Abigail,” said Simmons.

He said that in early June, he stopped by the range one evening and Abigail and her father were there practicing, as they often are.

“It's a pleasure to watch her shoot. She's deliberate, rock solid, focused and precise — actually a bit more precise than her father just then. I heard her chuckle as he added up their scores.”

When Simmons learned that Hammond was interested in competing in American Marksman, he approached the range officers and they unanimously agreed to break with tradition and award the range’s annual scholarship to Hammond. Simmons said traditionally, the scholarship goes to a 13- or 14-year-old to attend Bryant Pond Conservation Camp.

He said they were proud to have her representing the state of Maine, as well as Beaver Lodge, at the national competition.

“We felt that no one was more deserving than Abigail, so we awarded her the scholarship in the amount of $500 to help defray expenses associated with the competition,” said Simmons. “As Mike Barie, the Pins ‘n Plates range officer said, ‘I think she is deserving, and to see one of our regular shooters benefit would be a good thing.’”

At the American Marksman Northeast Regionals, Juniors, aged 12-16, shot the same courses of fire and had the same scoring criteria as those in the Men's, Women's and Military/Law Enforcement categories. American Marksman provided the rifles, pistols and ammunition. During the competition through different courses of fire, competitors shot from standing, sitting and prone positions. They also shot at multiple targets, including some in a simulated nighttime tunnel using a laser sight. At times competitors were required to use their non-dominant hand. Both time and accuracy were calculated in the results.

In preparation for the competition, Hammond practiced as often as she could, using the same firearms she would be given, along with the other competitors, to use in competition. She said the hardest part was having to practice with five different guns at once, each having a different “kick” and different weight.

She practiced with a CZPO9 9mm pistol, a Ruger Mark 2 pistol, a Ruger American 223 bolt-action rifle, a Teltex sub2000 (9 mm) rifle and a Ruger 10-22 rifle.

“My favorite is the 10-22, I’m really accurate with that and it’s very lightweight,” said Hammond. “My least favorite is the Ruger American, because that weighs 6-1/4 pounds and I have to shoot a 15-inch steel plate at 100 yards from standing, sitting and prone positions and it’s tiring.”

In addition to training and garnering the support of Beaver Lodge in Hope, Hammond continued to the Regionals with the support of the Knox County Fish and Game Association.

"Abi is very pleased with how it turned out and excited about her future in the sport," her father said. "We both appreciate support from Knox County Fish and Game and other organizations and individuals who helped financially with the trip.”

When all nine of the regional competitions have been completed, the 36 contestants will participate in the national competition in Talladega, Ala. It is to be televised on the Outdoor Channel.

Related Links:

• 2016 American Marksman Northeast Regional Championship Junior Division results

A Lincolnville resident, Barbara Hatch is a writer, editor and Abigail Hammond’s grandmother and Doug Hammond’s mother.

Reached Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 207-706-6655.