July2026 (1) - Flipbook - Page 44
The Westergaard Prize is awarded to the competitor who
completes the highest score for 20 shots fired from the o昀츀and
position at 100 yards.
*Participants have unlimitted sighting shots.*
This offhand event takes place on Sunday 1/24/27.
Chris Westergaard served as a living bridge between the
golden age of American Schuetzen shooting and its modern
revival. Through his competitive success, historical writings,
and the influence he passed to his son August, he helped
preserve the traditions, techniques, and spirit of Schuetzen
rifle competition for a new generation of marksmen. He was
one of the key custodians who kept the tradition alive until
later revivals could occur.
•
He was considered one of the leading professional
Schuetzen shooters in the United States during the
sport's peak era. Contemporary accounts note that he
won enough prize money from shooting competitions
to purchase a large farm in Iowa, a remarkable
achievement that speaks to both his success and
consistency.
•
Westergaard competed at a high level for more than
half a century, beginning around the turn of the
twentieth century and continuing into the 1970s. Such
longevity was exceptional even among accomplished
marksmen.
•
He earned the title of Senior Champion at the 1958
U.S. National Outdoor Smallbore Rifle
Championships. By that time he was already a
veteran shooter whose career stretched back to the
black-powder Schuetzen era.
•
Chris Westergaard's greatest achievement may not have been any single match victory, but
rather his sustained excellence across more than fifty years of competition. A champion
during the waning years of the golden age of Schuetzen shooting, he earned substantial prize
money, gained a national reputation as a master o昀츀and marksman, and remained active long
enough to pass the traditions of Schuetzen shooting to a new generation of competitors
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July, 2026 - Issue #3
