It could be Brady to Branch.
“Jerome just says, ‘Hey Colin,’ and I know something is going in the air,” said Colin Micklon.
For exhibition shooters Micklon and Jerome Holt, “something” could be a traditional clay pigeon – or an onion, a charcoal briquette, a hockey puck or whatever else one man may toss in the air for the other to shoot.
Holt, of Bethel, and Micklon, of Fryeburg, are “Team Zespy,” the only two-person professional exhibition shooting show in the U.S., according to Holt.
The two men met only a year ago, but since then they have created intricate exhibition routines that include tossing shotguns to each other simultaneously, loading them, and shooting, all in the three seconds before the clays or other objects hit the ground.
They have developed a reputation impressive enough to earn an invitation to the national “Shot Show” in Las Vegas next month.
Holt and Micklon both learned to shoot at an early age.
For Micklon, who grew up in Lovell, it was 9. “I’ve had a lifelong love of guns and collecting,” he said. “I’ve always had shotguns.”
Holt started at 5, taught by his father, who was a Navy chief gunner’s mate in World War II and Viet Nam.
In fact, both Holt and the shooting team are named after his dad’s best friend from the Navy – Jerome Zespy.
Holt learned to shoot a variety of firearms, including shotguns, Thompson machine guns and 50-caliber machine guns.
“my father got free ammo from the Navy,” said Holt. “It was supposed to be dumped overboard, but he got permission to keep it.”
The young Holt was a quick study. by 8, he could outshoot some state troopers with their own pistols, he said.
To challenge himself and keep target practice interesting, he made up unusual targets, such as a vitamin pill stuck to a Band Aid at 70 yards distance. Another trick was placing an ax head backwards in a log and shooting at the sharp edge from 40 yards, splitting the bullet on impact.
He continued to shoot as an adult, but much of his time was taken up in establishing the business he operates today, Eagle Earthworks.
Then in 2005 he saw a television show featuring Tom Knapp, a world famous exhibition shooter who was sponsored by the Benelli gun company.
“I watched it and said, ‘I can do that,’” said Holt. “I took an old Winchester rifle to L.L. Cote’s [in Errol, N.H.] and told them I was looking for a Benelli,” he said.
He turned in the 115-year-old rifle for a Benelli shotgun, and started practicing.
Not long after, Knapp did an exhibition at the Kittery Trading Post. Holt attended and met him, and Knapp invited him to participate in the show.
Holt continued his efforts to make contacts in the field. a practice session of three hours can take 1,000 rounds of ammunition, at a cost of about $320, so finding a sponsor helps a shooter finance his development.
Holt met a Benelli representative and asked him about becoming an exhibition shooter sponsored by the company. he was told Benelli averages a call a week from shooters looking for sponsorships.
“you have to be a great shot, communicate well, and entertain,” the rep told him.
Holt kept practicing, and in 2008 set up a couple of small, informal shows on his property.
He also met Benelli exhibition shooter Tim Bradley, helping him set up for a show at L.L. Bean’s, and even sharing a tip to help Bradley load his gun faster.
Holt eventually talked his way into an exhibition arrangement with Cabela’s of Scarborough, but the plan fell through when his contact there left his job. “I was in limbo for a couple of years,” said Holt. a partnership
Then last year on a job in Lovell, he met Micklon, owner of Micklon Tree and Landscaping.
“we talked about guns, and became good friends right away,” said Micklon, who had no experience in trick shooting or shooting exhibitions.
Holt invited him to a shooting event in Scarborough, and talked to him more about the idea of exhibitions. In Micklon Holt saw motivation, determination and ability, along with a desire to constantly improve.
In early winter the two started shooting together.
A shared competitive attitude drove each to try to best the other. “we challenge each other,” said Holt.
They worked out routines to interact with each other as they prepared to shoot, aided by the fact that Holt is left-handed and Micklon right.
“We’re facing each other all the time,” said Holt.
They tossed clays in the air, spinning 360 or 720 degrees before shooting. they tossed the shotguns to each other before loading them. they shot the guns upside down.
Some of their combinations produced 24 shots in 12 seconds.
They also looked for different objects to toss and shoot. Micklon is a golfer, so he tried shooting golf balls, “driving” them 250 yards with the shotgun.
Holt spotted a hockey puck at Micklon’s house, and they tried that, shooting it 300 feet straight up in the air.
They even filled a ping pong ball with a powdered substance that made it explode when hit with shot.
As their routines grew, they started thinking seriously about an exhibition team.
“This spring we began making a push for Team Zespy,” said Holt.
They did their first exhibition together July 15, at the Scarborough Fish and Game. they did another in Carrabassett Valley. The pair incorporated “audience request” tricks, which they improvised on the spot.
They’re planning other exhibitions for youth organizations.
“we want to get more people involved,” said Holt, and particularly teach young people that guns can be used as tools, if safety procedures are correctly followed.
They also hope to generally increase their exposure, to take their routine to the next level.
“as professional shooters, we’d like to go national,” Holt said. “there are only 10 or 12 in the country. we are the only ones who are a team. we think that’s our niche.”
Accomplishing that will require some serious sponsorships. Holt estimates that at that level, the supplies for practice alone costs $35,000 a year, per shooter. then there are travel expenses.
They got some good publicity in October, when they were featured in a segment of “bill Green’s Maine,” on WCSH 6 television.
Team Zespy’s chance to take the next big step will come in mid-January, at the Shot show in Las Vegas.
“there are 6,100 vendors there. It’s by invitation only,” said Holt. “we were invited by Benelli.”
The pair plans to make 50 DVDs of their routines to distribute, and they are hoping the gun world will take notice.
But whatever happens, Holt and Micklon will always keep in mind what has brought them this far.
“The biggest thing is we have fun,” said Holt.
<a href="http://www.bethelcitizen.com/node/13071/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.bethelcitizen.com/node/13071/Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:20:34 GMT”>Local exhibition shooters aim high