We are sorry to report the loss of a great skeet shooter, coach, and friend, Jamie Gaines.

Born December 8, 1948, in Louisville, Kentucky, Jamie was raised in the Bluegrass Region of the state. He attended parochial grade school and high school in Frankfort. In 1970, Jamie graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. He applied for and was accepted into Naval Flight Training in 1971. He was commissioned an Ensign and later received his wings after completing flight training in 1972. Jamie’s first assignment was to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6 in Norfolk, VA.

In 1978, Jamie met Florida Highway Patrolman C.C. “Dusty” Rhodes and was introduced to the game of skeet, and as they say, the rest is history. Upon return from sea duty, Jamie secured a shore duty assignment at the Armed Forces Staff College. During his stay at the AFSC, he met and married Major Lorraine Shelton, USAF. During this time, he went to many skeet shoots in the Virginia and Maryland area with SMSgt. Al Talacek. Jamie also took on the role of Captain of the Navy Skeet Team, working to get funding and ammunition. He was able to get the Navy Skeet Team included in the Navy budget and secure funding and ammunition for years to come.

Jamie teamed up with Luke Deshotels and ventured to skeet shoots in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, in addition to those in Maryland and Virginia. Following his retirement from the Navy, skeet took Jamie’s full attention. He and Lorraine moved several times, but in each location he found a partner to shoot with at major shoots. In 1991, it was Mississippi where he teamed up with Gabby Hulgan, attending many shoots in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. In 1995, it was back to Maryland, where he shot with Wayne Mayes. In 1999, Jamie and Lorraine moved to Helotes, Texas and Jamie learned he was in “skeet heaven.” After arrival in Texas, Jamie shot at many Texas shoots but also traveled extensively to major shoots throughout the country. Some of Jamie’s Texas skeet buddies included Rocky Goodman, Wayne Mayes, Mark Myers, and Van Boerner.

On May 9, 2003, Jamie lost his left hand in a construction accident. As Jamie put it, “It was a perfectly good excuse to quit skeet.” This did not stop him, though, because within a month, he was back shooting skeet with Wayne coaching him, and he even shot a 100 at his first shoot after the accident.

Some highlights of his skeet career include:

• 2012: Induction into the NSSA Hall of Fame
• Selection to eight Open First or Second All-American Teams
• 1992: Won Mini and World .410 titles
• 1993: Won the Mini .410 again.
• Shot five 400x400s, including the only one ever shot at East Alton
• Inducted into the Armed Forces Hall of Fame for shooting proficiency, as well as earning the K.E. Pletcher Award.
• June 2012: Inducted into the Texas Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame
• 28-gauge long-run record (1487) until broken by Stuart Fairbanks
• World 2-man team Military Civilian HOA record (1097) with Gabby Hulgan.

Jamie will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

An NSSA icon, Betty Jean “B.J.” Yates, passed away on September 4 in Tullahoma, Tennessee. B.J. was well-known among shooters at the World Skeet Championships, having refereed at World Shoots for many years. Having refereed for at least 40 years, B.J. was an inductee in the NSSA Referee Wall of Fame and was an NSSA Referee of the Year. She was a longtime NSSA Director from Tennessee and a former Tennessee State Champion.

B.J.’s friend Steve Knight, along with Barbara Griffith, contributed some memories of B.J.:

NSSA and TSSA lost one of their greatest ambassadors to the shooting sports when Betty J. Yates (better known to all skeet shooters as B.J.) passed away. B.J. was my longtime friend and shooting partner for the last 30 years. B.J. was Chief Referee in the state of Tennessee for the past 10-plus years, and as such, was in charge of many state and local shoots in Tennessee. B.J. also traveled to Grayslake, Illinois and St. Joe, Missouri, to referee several shoots. She also served as president of the Tennessee Sheet Shooting Association on more than one occasion.

B.J. was a fan of everything outdoors, from shooting skeet to bird hunting, to fishing. We spent a lot of time fishing for crappie and bass, and she especially loved fishing for crappie. She also introduced me to the sport of sheet shooting in the late 1980s, and we continued to shoot together over the next 20 years. We traveled to many of the major shoots being held around our area and beyond.

During this time we refereed the World Skeet Championships many times, and B.J. was always in the Shoot-Off Stadium for the first box or boxes of the shoot-off events. Many skeet shooters passed by her eyes on their way to gun and World Championships. B.J. made many friends during her life she will be missed by all who had the honor of knowing her.

B.J. was a straight shooter – what you saw is what you got! At the end of a shoot, all B.J. wanted was to sit on the club porch and enjoy a cold brew and a good cigar!

Just a few facts on B.J. and what she accomplished during her too-short time with us here in this Life. She was born November 14, 1937, and died September 14, 2019, at the age of 81 years, just a few short days short of her 82nd birthday. She was a teacher of mathematics at Coffee County High School, a tool and die maker at Whirlpool Corporation, a referee at the state and national level, a Tennessee State Champion skeet shooter, Tennessee Chief Referee, a member of the National Referee Wall of Fame, and NSSA Referee of the Year — a pretty nice resume for this amazing woman! Rest in peace, my friend!”

A memorial service will be announced at a later time. NSSA members and staff extend their condolences to B.J.’s family and many friends, and she will be missed.