Team Springfield™ Wins, Places and Shows at the 2016 Rio Salado Desert Classic/USPSA Area 2 Championship
MESA, ARIZ. (March 11, 2016) – (ArmsVault.com) – Team Springfield™ had a successful shoot this past weekend at the 2016 Rio Salado Desert Classic, just one day after announcing its newest additions, junior shooters Jalise and Justine Williams.
Working as a squad and sporting their new uniforms, Jalise and Justine performed side by side with Team Springfield™ members Rob and Kippi Leatham on stage breakdowns, resetting and taping targets, and supporting each other on both good stages and bad.
When the squad’s last shot was fired, the team had earned some noteworthy accomplishments:
Carry Optics Division – Rob landed on top of the new, provisional Carry Optics Division. He discussed the importance of the new division that has emerged:
“After a tough battle with top-level shooter and buddy Nick Saiti, I ended up getting the better of him,” Rob said. “I commend USPSA for creating this division. It is a godsend for several reasons. For the competitors who do not want to spend multiple thousands of dollars on an open-division pistol but need to use an optical sight due to vision issues, your prayers have been answered. And for shooters who see the opportunity this platform offers other than for competition use, you now have a division in which to train and test your skills. I enjoyed shooting it and believe the future of sighting systems for handguns, just as in short-range carbine use, is some sort of optical sight system. I’m glad to have gotten in on the ground floor!”
Single Stack Division – Jalise finished top junior and second among the women; Kippi finished third among the women
Production Division – Justine finished second junior and second among the women
Team Springfield™’s guns of choice were:
- Rob – Springfield Armory® XD(M)® 5.25” in 9mm with Leupold Delta Point Scope
- Kippi – Springfield Custom™ 1911 in 9mm
- Jalise – Springfield Armory® 1911 Range Officer® in 9mm
- Justine – Springfield Armory® XD(M)® 5.25” in 9mm
“I’m so thrilled that the Williams family has joined Team Springfield™” Kippi said. “I could not be more proud of the girls and their performance this weekend. These young competitors are serious and fearless. I cannot wait to see them progress in the sport. This is going to be a fun ride.”
The match ran flawlessly and was blessed with the typical Arizona spring weather, according to the team. “Match director Paul Caudill and his team of exceptional volunteers always produce a top-notch event,” Kippi said.
This year’s USPSA Area-2 offered 15 stages, requiring 350-plus rounds of ammunition and allowed more than 430 shooters to attend.
About Springfield Armory®
“The first name in American firearms,” Springfield Armory® was founded in 1777, when George Washington ordered the creation of an armory to store ammunition and gun carriages during the American Revolution. In 1794, the armory began to manufacture muskets and spent the next 150 years supplying firearms for every major American conflict. The original armory closed in 1968. In 1974, the Reese family took ownership of the Springfield Armory name and began making the M1A™ rifle. Today, Springfield Armory develops many products loyal to the company’s heritage, like the 1911 pistol, while ensuring its future with innovative products, including the XD®, XD Mod.2™ XD(M)® and XD-S® polymer pistols.