BROWNS MILLS RESTAURANT GUIDE
Belly Busters (Formerly J.C.'s) 98 Lakehurst Road. 609-893-7779.
Bo Bos Chinese at Country Lakes - Lakehurst Road. 893-1797
Brother's Diner I - 127 Trenton Road. (609) 893-5500 Fax: 893-6257
Burger King - Lakehurst Road. 893-9883
Domino's - 893-1600
Family Pizza - Lakehurst Road. 735-0500
Great Wall Chinese - Pemberton-Browns Mills Road. 893-1783
Hungry Piney - QuickStop Deli - 13 Pemberton-Browns Mills Rd. 609-893-0005 Fax: 893-0559.
Ju Ju's - Seafood & Soulfood Take-Out. 609-893-2020.
Ko Ko's -
McDonalds - Trenton Road. 893-6992
Number One Chinese - Lakehurst Road. 893-8868
Papi's Pizza - 558 Lakehurst Rd., Country Lakes Plaza. 609-893-5447 Fax: 893-3984
The Pub at Country Lakes
Riccardo's - Lakehurst Road. 735-0162
Roma Pizza - Browns Mills Shopping Center. 609-893-7760. All Mj.Cc.
Skip's (Formerly Franks/O'Brian's)
Sonja's - Trenton Road. 893-3629
Soprano's Pizza - Lakehurst Road. 735-9900
PEMBERTON
Anapa's Country House - Rt. #38.
WRIGHTSTOWN
NEW EGYPT
EASTHAMPTON
Charlie's Other Brother -
Clarke's Tavern - 1291 Woodlane Road, Easthampton, N.J. 08060 (609) 702-1701
MOUNT HOLLY
Bread From Heaven - Southern Resturant, 4 Mill St., Mount Holly, N.J. 609-261-4844. Sunday buffet 12 - 6pm.
Milano - By Lamberti
Wa Wa at Country Lakes
Wa Wa on Lakehurst Road
COLUMBUS
Old Columbus Inn - 24491 West Main Street, Columbus, N.J. 08022. (609) 298-4449. Fax:298-1703. Columbusinne@aol.com All CC.
CHATSWORTH
Janet's Main Street Cafe (aka "Buzby's"). 1st & Rt. 563 Chatsworth, N.J. (609) 894-0300
NEW GRETNA
Allen's Clam Bar. Route 9, New Gretna, (609) 296-4106
SOUTHHAMPTON
Red Lion Inn
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Cranberry Inn Rt.70 Nowhere, N.J.
From Super Mario's to the Cranberry Inn, Nowhere, New Jersey
The cook's last job was at Super Mario's, the Italian joint next to Fort Dix, which closed after the owner's son was accused of being part of a terrorist cell that planned on attacking soldiers at the base.
A sailor himself, Leon Hinkle is a Navy cook who prides himself on knowing how to cook, for two or two thousand. So after being derailed by the terrorist pizza cell in Wrightstown, he's shifted over to the other side of the base, and is now operating out of this yet to be named roadhouse in the middle of nowhere.
Actually it is closer to Lakehurst and the Navy base that is now linking up, both figuratively as well as geographically, with Fort Dix and MacGuire Air Force base, making the first Megabase.
Opening a bar-restaurant-take out joint near a big military base might sound like a good idea, but not so much so when you are fifteen miles from the closest gate. There are a few Pinies who live nearby, and the suburbs of the Jersey Shore towns aren't that far away, but to be successful, this place will have to become a destination for some, a popular half-way pit stop for others, and a pleasant surprise for those who stumble on it.
They want to call it the Cranberry Inn, but they haven't registered it with the state of New Jersey so there's no name on the sign out front that used to say Harrison's, a unique little roadhouse in the middle of nowhere, a Piney stage stop between Fort Dix/McGuire, Browns Mills and the Jersey Shore.
From Ft. Dix/McGuire/Browns Mills/Pemberton Gate, you go five miles east down Lakehurst Road, then five miles further east on Rt. 70, past Whitesbog Road, this joint is the only commercial establishment on the road that I could identify within ten or fifteen miles. It is in a place called Manchester Township, and that short five mile strip is known as a gauntlet for local police patroling for traffic ticket and DUI surcharges for the Township budget, so be carefull.
Like the Hedger House near Chatsworth, the old Doaks on the back Mays Landing Road, Brownies in Bargaintown, and a half dozen other ragged roadhouses that have survived, you have to make this place your destination, stop there going or coming from somewhere else, or stumble on it when your lost.
It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside, after you get pass the rows of take-out beer, wine and liquor store, there's a real juke joint, complete with pool table and high wall, hardwood, ski lodge motif. The walls are so high in fact, there's a tables in a balcony that overlooks the bar.
There's some room out back too, for a barbeque, and plenty of room to park, so you know they've had some good bike runs here, regardless of who owned the place. Besides Harrisons, I heard that an old Marine owned it for awhile, and it seems to have a history that I've yet to dig up.
They opened three days previous, even though they weren't ready, and some of the people came back, including this retired guy and his friend next to me. They enjoyed their steak the other night but this time they get a seafood house scampi (shrimp, scallops, clams, lobster tail) in white wine sauce over linguine, and said they really enjoyed it. And it looked good to, especailly with the red wine to go with it. ($18.95)
I got a rib eye and it too was really good, medium rare, with a baked potato and salad that came in a $15.95.
They got some other fine dining stuff too - broiled flounder ($14.95), old fashioned meat loaf ($12.95), home made lasagne ($11.95), fettuccini Alfredo ($11), Gumbo ($13) and a Cranberry's Delight, of lightly dusted shrimp mixed in garlic oil, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes over linguini ($15.95).
Don't let that scare you though, as they also have club sandwiches, burgers, hoagies, wings ($7), wraps and cheese steaks ($8), fried apps, really fine salids ($5-8) and kids menu.
It's a mix of Americana, steak, seafood, Italian and neoclassical Navy cafateria, and if not truely great, like my rib eye, I'm sure it's all really good.
Sitting with me at the bar, besides the two retired guys from the city, were two of the Bogs Boys and their gals, sizing up the joint for a possible gig, a place they've played before.
I thought I knew them from Albert Hall, and sure enough, they play bluegrass, and have a special night they jam at a joint not far away that they gave me directions to, and I promise to check them out.
Among the new owners, Dean was still running around getting things together, and Bob was running the bar, and there's also Gene and Joe, but the big thing they have going here, as far as I can tell, is Leon in the kitchen.
When I told Leon that I had run into him at JC's in Browns Mills, and he excitedly told me about opening this place, he remembered, "Oh, yea," and took me back to show me the kitchen, how small and compact it is, but everything you need for one person to cook really good, really fast.
It was just right, and everything was really clean, and back in storage and refrigeration, he showed me how organized it all was, and it really was, Navy template, clean and organized, just like aboard ship.
Well, Leon may not have been ready last Friday when they opened this place for the first time, but he's now got it together, so if you all want to come out and check out this joint, or if you are on the way down the shore or Lakehurst, the other end of the base, or if you're lost and just happen to stuble on it, THIS IS THE PLACE.
I can see it now, once it gets a handle, a great motorcycle run, some mean bluegrass by the Bogs Boys, a slew of really good meals and good times with new friends.
But you got to remember you got to run the Manchester Gauntlet to get back to the other end of the base, so be carefull.
The cook's last job was at Super Mario's, the Italian joint next to Fort Dix, which closed after the owner's son was accused of being part of a terrorist cell that planned on attacking soldiers at the base.
A sailor himself, Leon Hinkle is a Navy cook who prides himself on knowing how to cook, for two or two thousand. So after being derailed by the terrorist pizza cell in Wrightstown, he's shifted over to the other side of the base, and is now operating out of this yet to be named roadhouse in the middle of nowhere.
Actually it is closer to Lakehurst and the Navy base that is now linking up, both figuratively as well as geographically, with Fort Dix and MacGuire Air Force base, making the first Megabase.
Opening a bar-restaurant-take out joint near a big military base might sound like a good idea, but not so much so when you are fifteen miles from the closest gate. There are a few Pinies who live nearby, and the suburbs of the Jersey Shore towns aren't that far away, but to be successful, this place will have to become a destination for some, a popular half-way pit stop for others, and a pleasant surprise for those who stumble on it.
They want to call it the Cranberry Inn, but they haven't registered it with the state of New Jersey so there's no name on the sign out front that used to say Harrison's, a unique little roadhouse in the middle of nowhere, a Piney stage stop between Fort Dix/McGuire, Browns Mills and the Jersey Shore.
From Ft. Dix/McGuire/Browns Mills/Pemberton Gate, you go five miles east down Lakehurst Road, then five miles further east on Rt. 70, past Whitesbog Road, this joint is the only commercial establishment on the road that I could identify within ten or fifteen miles. It is in a place called Manchester Township, and that short five mile strip is known as a gauntlet for local police patroling for traffic ticket and DUI surcharges for the Township budget, so be carefull.
Like the Hedger House near Chatsworth, the old Doaks on the back Mays Landing Road, Brownies in Bargaintown, and a half dozen other ragged roadhouses that have survived, you have to make this place your destination, stop there going or coming from somewhere else, or stumble on it when your lost.
It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside, after you get pass the rows of take-out beer, wine and liquor store, there's a real juke joint, complete with pool table and high wall, hardwood, ski lodge motif. The walls are so high in fact, there's a tables in a balcony that overlooks the bar.
There's some room out back too, for a barbeque, and plenty of room to park, so you know they've had some good bike runs here, regardless of who owned the place. Besides Harrisons, I heard that an old Marine owned it for awhile, and it seems to have a history that I've yet to dig up.
They opened three days previous, even though they weren't ready, and some of the people came back, including this retired guy and his friend next to me. They enjoyed their steak the other night but this time they get a seafood house scampi (shrimp, scallops, clams, lobster tail) in white wine sauce over linguine, and said they really enjoyed it. And it looked good to, especailly with the red wine to go with it. ($18.95)
I got a rib eye and it too was really good, medium rare, with a baked potato and salad that came in a $15.95.
They got some other fine dining stuff too - broiled flounder ($14.95), old fashioned meat loaf ($12.95), home made lasagne ($11.95), fettuccini Alfredo ($11), Gumbo ($13) and a Cranberry's Delight, of lightly dusted shrimp mixed in garlic oil, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes over linguini ($15.95).
Don't let that scare you though, as they also have club sandwiches, burgers, hoagies, wings ($7), wraps and cheese steaks ($8), fried apps, really fine salids ($5-8) and kids menu.
It's a mix of Americana, steak, seafood, Italian and neoclassical Navy cafateria, and if not truely great, like my rib eye, I'm sure it's all really good.
Sitting with me at the bar, besides the two retired guys from the city, were two of the Bogs Boys and their gals, sizing up the joint for a possible gig, a place they've played before.
I thought I knew them from Albert Hall, and sure enough, they play bluegrass, and have a special night they jam at a joint not far away that they gave me directions to, and I promise to check them out.
Among the new owners, Dean was still running around getting things together, and Bob was running the bar, and there's also Gene and Joe, but the big thing they have going here, as far as I can tell, is Leon in the kitchen.
When I told Leon that I had run into him at JC's in Browns Mills, and he excitedly told me about opening this place, he remembered, "Oh, yea," and took me back to show me the kitchen, how small and compact it is, but everything you need for one person to cook really good, really fast.
It was just right, and everything was really clean, and back in storage and refrigeration, he showed me how organized it all was, and it really was, Navy template, clean and organized, just like aboard ship.
Well, Leon may not have been ready last Friday when they opened this place for the first time, but he's now got it together, so if you all want to come out and check out this joint, or if you are on the way down the shore or Lakehurst, the other end of the base, or if you're lost and just happen to stuble on it, THIS IS THE PLACE.
I can see it now, once it gets a handle, a great motorcycle run, some mean bluegrass by the Bogs Boys, a slew of really good meals and good times with new friends.
But you got to remember you got to run the Manchester Gauntlet to get back to the other end of the base, so be carefull.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Matt "Represents True Olympic Spirit"
Matt "Represents True Olympic Spirit"
US Shooter Gives Games Most Touching Moment - Olympic Chief Jacques Rogge
Olympics chief Jacques Rogge on Sunday singled out the stoic attitude in defeat of U.S. shooter Matt Emmons as the most touching moment of the Beijing Games.
Emmons threw away a gold medal on his final shot when he nervously pulled the trigger a split second too soon.
It was a stunning blunder that echoed his defeat in 2004 when he lost a gold on the last shot when hitting the wrong target.
Rogge also said the sight of Georgian and Russian athletes embracing on the podium while their countries were locked in conflict was an embodiment of the Olympic spirit.
"I think this kind of sportsmanship and brotherhood is really remarkable," he said.
But what deeply moved Rogge was Emmons -- even if he confessed to reporters he could not remember the shooter's name.
"What touched me most was the attitude of this American shooter," Rogge told a press conference wrapping up the Games.
He recalled how Emmons picked the wrong target in Athens and threw away his gold medal chance at the last moment. "This is something already very painful," Rogge said.
Emmons may have missed the target but he found love in Greece. Czech shooter Katerina Kurkova came up to commiserate with him afterwards and their romance blossomed from there.
His wife won the first gold of the Beijing Games and Rogge said "I saw them hugging together and that was a nice moment."
But the fates then struck Emmons once more.
"Again leading and being very close to gold, he took his rifle, put his hand on the trigger and, for some reason, the trigger went off," Rogge said.
Hailing Emmons' resilience, the International Olympic Committee chief said he admired the U.S. shooter for saying: "This is a big failure. I take responsibility but I will come back and I will win gold."
Rogge said: "This is the true spirit of the Olympic Games. The Games is not only about winning, not only about being triumphant. It is about the struggle of every athlete every day to achieve his or her own limits and having this resilience.
"Let's hope he does come back."
THEN YOU GET AN IDIOT LIKE MIKE DOWNEY WRITE THIS:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-24-downey-olympicsaug24,0,477376.story
No medal. Matt Emmons is the most helpless man with a gun since Barney Fife. I joke that the Chinese name for him is Wrong Way. He is the U.S. rifleman who is not good to the last shot. He blew sure-fire (literally) medals in 2004 and 2008 both on his last aim-and-fire. This guy ought to come with a two-minute warning. He eyes a target in Beijing, pulls a trigger and a window breaks in Tibet.
APPARENTLY DOWNEY DOESN'T KNOW THAT MATT ALREADY HAD WON A GOLD IN ATHENS AND A SILVER IN BEJING, BUT ITS EASY RIDICULE.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Matt Emmons Wins Silver Medal
From Hero to Goat and Back Again.
Matt Chokes, again.
One shot away.
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/8/18/olympics/22110736&sec=Olympics
Oh, No, Not again!
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/420/story/442282.html
Losing with Style.
http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/dateline-beijing/2008/8/19/lessons-how-lose-style/?c_id=1502725
by M.A. Mehta/The Star-Ledger
http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2008/08/browns_mills_emmons_blows_gold.html
Matt fell out of first place in the prelmininary round, and then screwed up the last round in the three stance 50 m and fell from second to fourth place, no medal.
I think he was paying too much attention to his wife.
He still has the gold from Athens, and the silver in the one stance, and his wife has a medal from Athens, and a gold and a silver from Bejing. That's some collection over one fireplace.
Congradulations to the Emmons family, and Browns Mills anxiously awaits another parade around the lake, like the one they gave Matt when he returned home from Athens.
This story isn't over yet.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/shooting/n214544166.shtml
And now its Brownsville, New Jersey.
http://www.ihthttp://www.rifleshootermag.com/RS_prone_082008/.com/articles/ap/2008/08/15/sports/OLY-SHO-Mens-50m-Prone-Rifle.php
Matt Chokes, again.
One shot away.
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/8/18/olympics/22110736&sec=Olympics
Oh, No, Not again!
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/420/story/442282.html
Losing with Style.
http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/dateline-beijing/2008/8/19/lessons-how-lose-style/?c_id=1502725
These Games have brought us graphic, vastly different images of individual despair, too.
Consider Greco-Roman wrestler Ari Abrahamian, triple jumper Hrysopiyi Devetzi and shooter Matthew Emmons.
Abrahamian, the Armenian-born Swedish grappler, had his bronze medal removed by the International Olympic Committee after kicking up a stink over the judging of his semifinal loss. He had to be restrained from body slamming the officials. These are men best argued with from a distance.
He clearly has not been reading his Rudyard Kipling lately, the bit about treating the twin imposters of triumph and despair with an even hand.
Consider next Devetzi. She hurtled down the track for her final leap, striving for the silver medal, if only she could squeeze out an extra few centimetres. She made a hash of it, whereupon she burst into tears and ran into the arms of her coach.
Soon after, the bronze medal secured, she was gallivanting round the National Stadium track, Greek flag draped over her shoulders doing cartwheels. Despair to delight in minutes.
And finally consider American rifleman Emmons.
In Athens, with the gold one half-decent shot away, he had a brain explosion, firing at the wrong target.
In the 50m three-positional event here, he had the gold in the bag again, if only he put the final bullet somewhere near the middle of the board.
Instead Emmons dropped a clanger, scoring a hopeless 4.4 out of 10, dropping him out of the medals altogether.
He got a standing ovation. Maybe the Chinese crowd knew his history and sympathised; maybe they were cheering because his boo-boo had given a Chinese shooter the gold.
"When I was getting on the trigger the gun just went off," the amiable Emmons said later with a "life goes on" demeanour.
So not a man you'd want on a hunting trip, then, but a likeable and popular chap who knows his Kipling.
- David Leggat
Cupid Takes Aim - SI - Brian Cazeneuve
BEIJING -- Meet rifle shooter Matt Emmons, the luckiest Olympian in Beijing. Meet shooter Matt Emmons, the unluckiest Olympian in Beijing. Confused? So is Emmons. How come all these things keep happening to him? How can Tantalus pull Olympic gold out from under him twice, so he misses his most important shooting targets by a mile, while at the same meet, Cupid slings his arrows perfectly to make Emmons grateful for his misses? "I've had the ultimate highs and lows," Emmons says, "but when I put them together, I still feel blessed." Here's why. Go back to Athens in 2004 when Emmons won gold in the 50-meter prone rifle event and was one shot away from winning gold in the three-position prone event. Emmons didn't need a perfect shot or even an average one, just a below-average one to maintain a three-point going into his final shot. Emmons sighted, aimed and fired at the wrong target. This was Jim Marshall running the wrong way, Freddy Brown passing the ball to James Worthy and Steve Smith stuffing the puck under Grant Fuhr. It was the day Bill Buckner ran into Lindsey Jacobellis and Eddie Hart showed up at 4:10 for his 4:05 heat of the hundred. Emmons was known as a likeable, cheery guy and the line of sympathy for him after the competition practically extended out the door. Later that night, Emmons went to a beer garden where the first person to reach him was Katy Kurkova, a bronze-medal winning shooter from the Czech Republic who had said hi to Emmons a few times. A romance ensued, and the pair married in the Czech Republic last summer. "Everything happens for a reason," Emmons says. "If having Katy in my life is the reason for what happened in Athens, I'd cross-fire a million times." Then this year, Tantalus showed up again. Matt had already won a silver medal in the 50-meter rifle prone, and Katy had won a gold and silver for the Czechs. Matt was leading the 50-meter three-position competition with one shot remaining. Again, he needed only a below-average score on the last shot to win gold. Instead, his gun went off prematurely and barely hit a piece of the target. Emmons had been scoring in the tens out of 10.9, with the prospect of an eight or nine fairly remote as well as he was shooting. "I was in my pre-shot routine," Emmons recalls. "I picked up my gun and came down from 12 o'clock into the target. As I was coming down, the gun just went off." Emmons recorded just 4.4 and slumped from first place to fourth on the last shot. China's Qiu Jian won gold. Through his disappointment, Emmons again revealed himself as a fine sportsman. "I took 120 shots and then ten more in the final, and 129 of them were good," he said. "I can't let one moment ruin the beauty of the competition." Afterwards, the people in the Czech house in Beijing, including the country's prime minister, threw a party for both Katy and Matt, and the minister of the interior offered to help Emmons become a dual citizen. The two have become media darlings of the Olympic village, calling to mind the marriage of U.S. hammer thrower Harold Connelly and Czech discus thrower Olga Fikitova in the '50s. They have decided to keep competing, each with one eye on London as the other eye zeroes in on more targets. "By then," Emmons says, "I'm sure the reason for what happened in Beijing will reveal itself, too."
Story Highlights 
Katy Emmons (pictured with husband Matt) won the first gold medal of these games.Bill Frakes/ SI
Browns Mills' Emmons blows gold on final shot mistake ... again
by M.A. Mehta/The Star-Ledger Sunday August 17, 2008, 10:14 PM
http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2008/08/browns_mills_emmons_blows_gold.html
Matt fell out of first place in the prelmininary round, and then screwed up the last round in the three stance 50 m and fell from second to fourth place, no medal.
I think he was paying too much attention to his wife.
He still has the gold from Athens, and the silver in the one stance, and his wife has a medal from Athens, and a gold and a silver from Bejing. That's some collection over one fireplace.
Congradulations to the Emmons family, and Browns Mills anxiously awaits another parade around the lake, like the one they gave Matt when he returned home from Athens.
This story isn't over yet.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/shooting/n214544166.shtml
And now its Brownsville, New Jersey.
http://www.ihthttp://www.rifleshootermag.com/RS_prone_082008/.com/articles/ap/2008/08/15/sports/OLY-SHO-Mens-50m-Prone-Rifle.php
50 METER PRONE
August 2008
 |
USA’s Emmons Mines Silver in Men’s Prone
Defending Olympic gold medalist in men’s prone, Matt Emmons of Brownsville, NJ, captured the silver medal at the Beijing Games. In an event where perfection is the norm, Emmons dropped a point in his first 10 shots and fired a 98 out of 100 in his third 10-shot string to finish the qualification round with a 597 out 600—two points behind Artur Ayvazian of Ukraine, the eventual gold medalist.
Yea, but he made up a point in the second round and lost by only one point. - BK
MEN'S PRONE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | QUAL. SCORE | FINAL | TOTAL |
| Gold | Artur Ayvasian (UKR) | 599 | 103.7 | 702.7 |
| Silver | Matt Emmons (USA) | 597 | 104.7 | 701.7 |
| Bronze | Warren Potent (AUS) | 595 | 105.5 | 700.5 |
| 4th | Vebjoern Berg (NOR) | 596 | 103.1 | 699.1 |
| 5th | Konstantin Prikhodtchenko (RUS) | 595 | 104.0 | 699.0 |
| 6th | Valerian Sauveplane (FRA) | 594 | 104.8 | 698.8 |
| 7th | Juha Hirvi (FIN) | 595 | 103.5 | 698.5 |
| 8th | Sergei Martynov (BLR) | |||
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Katerina Emmons Wins First Gold
Matt and Katerina Emmons are the darlings of the Olympics, with Katerina winning the first gold medal and then, as she won Matt's heart in Athens, she showed sympathy for her Chinese adversary, who was hounded by her hometown media.
More to come on this romance.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5igTrZaKJJ13m07bgBp1ixJ4espyQD92EJKO02
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9087455.htm
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/skill/2008-08-13-emmons_N.htm
More to come on this romance.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5igTrZaKJJ13m07bgBp1ixJ4espyQD92EJKO02
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9087455.htm
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/skill/2008-08-13-emmons_N.htm
Monday, June 30, 2008
Matt Emmons World Champion Marksman
MATT EMMONS World Champion Marksman from Browns Mills, NJ
When I first read in the newspapers that Olympic gold medal marksman Matt Emmons was from Browns Mills, New Jersey, as almost all the news reports describe him, I knew he was either in the military or he was a Piney.
He's a Piney.
Browns Mills, you can imagein, even if you've never been there, is not that big a place. It is big enough however, for me to also live in Browns Mills, within a few miles of Matt and not know him. I know some of his family. There's a lot of Emmons around these parts.
After winning an Olympic gold medal in Greece in 2002, Emmons was set to win another, precident setting two gold medals. Shooting for another gold, one shot away, target in his sights, and he got a bulls eye, but in the wrong target.
So when all the stories went out from Athens about the gaff, it was Matt Emmons, from Browns Mills, N.J. who shot at the wrong target.
Browns Mills, in the heart of the Jersey Pines, is adjacent to Fort Dix, so there's a lot of military families that have settled down around Mirror Lake. Matt's father, "Dickie" Emmons is the rifle range manager of sorts, a civilian in charge of maintainging the ranges, many of which run along Range Road, where you can hear guns popping off all the time, even in the rain.
Then there's also some multi-generational farmers, fishermen, hunters and locals who are colloqually refered to as "Pineys," similar in style to hillbillys in West Virginia.
After graduating from Pemberton High School and college in Alaska, where he was just inagurated (or was that indicted) into a Nanook Hall of Fame, Emmons settled down in Colorado, where the U.S. Olympic team works out, and where he attened gradate school.
When he shot at the wrong target in the attempt at a second gold metal in Athens, the young girl on the Check team came over to offer her condolenses. The next time they crossed paths, at the next international competition, they talked again, and really hit it off. Her father, the Check shooting coach, is world renown, and has already agreed to coach the Australian team after these Olympics are over. So Matt and his Check girlfriend got married in Checkaslovakia last June, 2007, when some of the Emmons from Browns Mills went over for the gala affair.
Like a wayward "Wrong Way" Corrigan, Matt is back again this year, making the Olympic team and hoping he'll get a chance to redeem himself, and bring a few more gold medals home.
Emmons is a common name in these parts. There's Emmons Farms, and there's an Emmons on some council, and some who aren't related.
Matt Emmons' family live near Range Road, just across the street from Fort Dix firing range, thus Range Road, where the cracks of rifle fire can be heard at all times of the day, and sometimes at night.
Shooting competatively since he was a very young kid, Pat Looney, his little league coach, remembers Matt as being more interested in shooting than baseball back then. Matt Emmons, he says, is just a good college kid who can shoot really, really good.
Shooting a rifle is part of growing up in Browns Mills.
Now as he heads out for Bejing, there will be more on Matt Emmons later.
Stay Tuned.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/news/newsid=129807.html
American Matt Emmons, the 2004 Olympic champion in prone rifle, had already secured spots for Beijing in prone and three-position rifle.
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8582182&nav=menu91_4
When I first read in the newspapers that Olympic gold medal marksman Matt Emmons was from Browns Mills, New Jersey, as almost all the news reports describe him, I knew he was either in the military or he was a Piney.
He's a Piney.
Browns Mills, you can imagein, even if you've never been there, is not that big a place. It is big enough however, for me to also live in Browns Mills, within a few miles of Matt and not know him. I know some of his family. There's a lot of Emmons around these parts.
After winning an Olympic gold medal in Greece in 2002, Emmons was set to win another, precident setting two gold medals. Shooting for another gold, one shot away, target in his sights, and he got a bulls eye, but in the wrong target.
So when all the stories went out from Athens about the gaff, it was Matt Emmons, from Browns Mills, N.J. who shot at the wrong target.
Browns Mills, in the heart of the Jersey Pines, is adjacent to Fort Dix, so there's a lot of military families that have settled down around Mirror Lake. Matt's father, "Dickie" Emmons is the rifle range manager of sorts, a civilian in charge of maintainging the ranges, many of which run along Range Road, where you can hear guns popping off all the time, even in the rain.
Then there's also some multi-generational farmers, fishermen, hunters and locals who are colloqually refered to as "Pineys," similar in style to hillbillys in West Virginia.
After graduating from Pemberton High School and college in Alaska, where he was just inagurated (or was that indicted) into a Nanook Hall of Fame, Emmons settled down in Colorado, where the U.S. Olympic team works out, and where he attened gradate school.
When he shot at the wrong target in the attempt at a second gold metal in Athens, the young girl on the Check team came over to offer her condolenses. The next time they crossed paths, at the next international competition, they talked again, and really hit it off. Her father, the Check shooting coach, is world renown, and has already agreed to coach the Australian team after these Olympics are over. So Matt and his Check girlfriend got married in Checkaslovakia last June, 2007, when some of the Emmons from Browns Mills went over for the gala affair.
Like a wayward "Wrong Way" Corrigan, Matt is back again this year, making the Olympic team and hoping he'll get a chance to redeem himself, and bring a few more gold medals home.
Emmons is a common name in these parts. There's Emmons Farms, and there's an Emmons on some council, and some who aren't related.
Matt Emmons' family live near Range Road, just across the street from Fort Dix firing range, thus Range Road, where the cracks of rifle fire can be heard at all times of the day, and sometimes at night.
Shooting competatively since he was a very young kid, Pat Looney, his little league coach, remembers Matt as being more interested in shooting than baseball back then. Matt Emmons, he says, is just a good college kid who can shoot really, really good.
Shooting a rifle is part of growing up in Browns Mills.
Now as he heads out for Bejing, there will be more on Matt Emmons later.
Stay Tuned.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/news/newsid=129807.html
American Matt Emmons, the 2004 Olympic champion in prone rifle, had already secured spots for Beijing in prone and three-position rifle.
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8582182&nav=menu91_4
Ft. Benning (WTVM) - Monday was Day Two of the USA Shooting National Championships at the Pool International Shooting Complex.
The Men's Air Rifle Final was dominated by two Beijing Olympians. Three Position and Prone Rifle qualifier Matt Emmons fired a 105.7 in the final round to win the national title. Sergeant First Class Jason Parker of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) finished second, two points back. He qualified for Beijing in Men's Air Rifle and Three Position Rifle.
Both are using this event to fine tune their gear and their mind for the Olympics. Emmons said that his "hold has gotten better, and my trigger control's better, so there's a lot of technical things that have improved. And my mental game's kinda coming along, too, which is good."
Sgt. 1st Class Parker has been "working a lot on physical conditioning, and feel good physical-wise and mental-wise. Everything's good, the equipment is in top form, and I'm real happy with that."
Here's the scoop on the shooters from Sports Network:
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=olymp/news/news.aspx?id=4165620
And the highlights on our Main Man Matt:
..In both the rifle and pistol events 10-ring targets are utilized, with a number of the individual rounds having their own unique set of rules which shooters must follow in order to score points.
It should come as little surprise that the United States has had the most success in shooting over the years, the nation's 49 gold medals alone almost as many as the total number of medals (57) logged by the Soviet Union/USSR.
In Athens four years ago the Americans were poised to add to that impressive total, specifically Matt Emmons, but in what has to be considered one of the greatest blunders in recent Olympic history, Emmons went from leading in the 50m three position rifle final to an eighth-place finish when his final shot fired at the wrong target in a different lane. The agonizing faux pas allowed China's Jia Zhando to capture the gold.....
And how about this tidbit:
.....Rarely does an Olympic competitor have trouble getting his/her equipment over to the host country, but it wasn't until the end of June that U.S. marksmen learned they'd be permitted to bring their own firearms with them to Beijing. President Bush cleared the way for shooters to bring their own guns over to the Olympics with barely a month remaining before departure, which is akin to having softball players bring their own gloves.
Now that's locking the gate after the cat's out of the bag, or however that goes.
I wonder if Matt will get to meet President Bush and his right hand man, Eddie Gillespie, another native son of Browns Mills, New Jersey.
Nevertheless, the sharpshooters to keep an eye on from the United States include Vincent Hancock, the current world record holder in skeet shooting. Just 19-years old, Hancock made it look rather easy during the three-day U.S. Trials by posting a perfect 25 in the final round to earn his way to the 2008 Games.
A bit longer in the tooth is Emmons who now resides in Colorado Springs after finding true love at the 2004 Games and subsequently married Katerina Kurkova, an Athens silver medalist in air rifle for the Czech Republic. At least he came back from Greece with something positive to talk about after his problems finding the right target. Needless to say, Emmons has the added pressure of making up for his mistake from four years ago.
However, Emmons is not the only shooter who to have his issues on the target range in Athens. Michael Anti, who is heading to his fourth Olympic Games, could have pulled out the gold medal himself in the 3-position competition, but instead settled for the silver four years ago after squeezing off one too many shots while in the kneeling position of the event. If nothing else, his finish in Greece was still far beyond his previous success, with Anti finishing no higher than eighth place in 1992 or 2000.
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