BY SAPNA PATHAK
After 15 years of competitive shooting, Candia’s Dave Baldessari finally named his favorite rival.
That rival also happens to be one of his closest friends.
Baldessari joined Ron Coble of Bedford at this year’s 20th annual Granite State Senior Games; the two friends participated in the pistol shoot on Saturday, Aug. 4.
Coble, who placed first in the men’s 70- to 74-year-old division, competed in his second pistol shoot, while Baldessari made his first appearance at the event, winning the gold medal in the men’s 65- to 69-year-old division.
“Mr. Coble, obviously,” said Baldessari with a smile after being asked who is the better shooter. “I’ve been shooting 50 years and he still shows me up. This is a good event. It gives us a chance to add some more to our rivalry.”
The nine-day Granite State Senior Games includes 16 events for athletes 50 and older, with winners
qualifying to compete in the national senior games in 2009. Coble also competed in the golf tournament on Wednesday, Aug. 8, while the pistol shoot marked Baldasseri’s lone GSSG event.
Joining the duo was Bedford native Pauline Beatty, who won gold in the women’s 50- to 54-year-old division.
The pistol shoot, at Dunbarton’s Pioneer Sportsman’s Club, was Beatty’s first competitive shooting event.
“I’m so nervous about how this will go,” said Beatty before the competition. “I’ve only been shooting about a year now, and this will help me get more involved with learning how to be a competitive shooter.”
Beatty and pistol-shoot returner Judy Sturm were the event’s only female competitors. Sturm repeated as the gold-medal winner in the women’s 60- to 64-year-old division.
The event featured slow fire, national fire, timed fire and rapid fire rounds before an aggregate score was given to each participant.
New Boston’s Lee Hess and Goffstown’s Michael Page served as event coordinators. Both participated in the pistol shoot the night before, with Hess scoring a total of 799 and Page earning 846 points.
“I should’ve trained more for this event,” said Coble with a laugh. “I forgot how good these guys are, especially the ones I know the best and spend a lot of time shooting with.”