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Sportsmen’s Club Pistol League shoots for fun
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Wednesday, 09 July 2008
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
The Forest Lake Sportsmen’s Club was established way back in the 1930s, but just last year a pistol league was started by Eric Marleau.
A member of the NRA for more than 30 years, and also a DNR firearms Safety Instructor for about the same amount of time, Marleau could almost be considered a gun aficionado.
He was hoping to bring back the feel of the gun clubs of old and he thinks the Forest Lake Sportmen’s Club (4648 240th St. N.) has done just that.
“(At first) we ran two leagues. We had focus groups to see what they wanted,” he says. “I was kind of ready to go either high competition, like I’ve always done, or more for fun. And we kind of went on the fun end.”
Saying that the pistol league’s went toward the fun end is a bit of an understatement.
The winner of the eight-week league that began June 10 gets a jar of pickled herring, while the loser is given $5 of baloney.
As the flier for the summer league states: Prizes will vary depending on Rangemaster’s mood. But the final comment at the bottom of the page probably sums it up best.
“We expect great fun with much shooting and hunting conversation,” it reads.
Unlike most sporting leagues, where teams or individuals play at a specific time with a focus on winning, the pistol league runs from 3 p.m. to sunset. The 27 members trickle in and out when it works for them, with a majority arriving between 5 and 6 p.m.
“It’s the perfect league,” member Julie Huseby shares. “There’s not a lot of pressure, but there is a lot of razzing.”
Marleau adds that politics rarely come up, “because you’re just preaching to the choir,” so discussions generally fall into two categories.
“It’s usually just guns and hunting, and hunting and guns,” he says.
In between the chit-chat, there is an organized Course of Fire, where Marleau posts a list of how much, how fast and how far everyone should shoot.
All types of pistols and sights are allowed, and Marleau even has a replica of an 1873 Colt that he brings for others to try.
But in keeping with Sportmens Club’s focus on safety, Marleau checks everyone’s gun before using it, and if young men or women are interested in joining, they must have a Firearm Safety Certificate.
For anyone who is interested or has questions, Eric Marleau can be reached at 651-462-4587, or
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“It’s a good place to come and shoot your favorite firearm and get better,” Huseby says.
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