Around the ATA December 2016
Information for Around the ATA is provided to TRAP & FIELD by state and provincial ATA Delegates and/or their designated representatives.
Shooters and local officials: Please inform your ATA Delegate of news about shooters and clubs in your area.
Southern Zone
Alabama
I want to give a couple of shout-outs from the Grand, first to John White for shooting so well during the tournament. I also want to give big kudos to Robert Goodman, former Virginia ATA Delegate and now our ATA Treasurer. Bob shot a 100 straight in the Grand American Doubles Championship and took home veteran honors. Bob is a longtime friend, and that is quite an accomplishment.
We just finished the Rebel Yell at Dixie in Mathews. We had over 85 shooters on Saturday. Weather was a bit blustery, wind wise, on Saturday, but it finally settled down, and Sunday was a beautiful day to shoot. We had folks from Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Kentucky in attendance. The club offered a free dinner to shooters on Saturday evening. I will have more on winners in the next issue. I want to thank our sponsors for the support they give to Alabama trapshooting and to Dixie Trap. They are a big part of making this a great shoot for all. If you could not make it, you missed a good time; put it on your calendar for next year.
Keep going to the local clubs and bring a friend; once they try it, they will love it, and we always need some new shooters to fill out squads.
Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Without the men and women of our armed forces protecting this country, we would not be able to enjoy this great sport. When you see a soldier, thank them for their service.
I hope to see you all on the line somewhere soon. If you need my help or have news to report, contact me any time at 205-410-8201 or [email protected].
Fred Jensen
ATA Delegate
Florida
Holiday greetings to everyone; enjoy the season and support Florida clubs throwing registered targets this month. It’s a great time get some good practice in before the big trap tournaments start up in January.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductee, Don Kerce, has made an outstanding achievement by achieving acknowledgement in the ATA Quarter Million Club. Quite a feat for any ATA registered trapshooter to obtain. Don has fired at a combination of singles, handicap and doubles targets leading up to a cumulative total of 250,000. At his induction ceremony, I will be asking Don how many he hit out of the 250,000? Anxious to hear his answer!
Some milestone awards were presented to our Florida trapshooters recently. Ken Sippel received his pin and certificate for 100,000 singles. Sarah Jacobs earned her pin and certificate for 50,000 singles. I always enjoy shooting with Sarah; she is a terrific shot. Moving on to handicap, Theresa Bellerive received her 50,000 pin and certificate, while Jack Schumpert obtained his 25,000 pin and certificate. Now onto doubles, Mallory Stanton received her pin and certificate for 50,000. Congratulations to all.
Top Florida trapshooters who made the 2017 ATA All-American team include our senior veteran captain Kay Ohye; Mallory Stanton, Lady I first team; Marilyn Lehrfeld, Lady II first; Andrew Loitz, junior first; Matthew DeBord, junior gold second; Gerald Armstrong, sub-vet second; Mark Zauhar, veteran first; and Don Kerce, senior veteran second. Congratulations to all for all your fine shooting. If and when you get a chance to meet up with one of the aforementioned trapshooters, please acknowledge their achievement and congratulate them for excelling into the ranks of All-American.
The Palm Beach SC should be seeing some major construction activity at this time. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Sept. 1. This is part of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shooting range development program being designed and in many cases built throughout the state. In the planning stages is a similar shooting complex, designed for the WMA in Osceola County. All of this information is on the Florida Fish and Wildlife website. As I receive dates for a grand opening, I will share with you in this column.
Other trapshooting ranges in the state that have had some form of improvement or a comeback to trapshooting: for those in the central east coast, look for additional trapshooting opportunities at the county-operated range in Indian River County. From the pictures sent to me, pads and houses were complete for three traps. More to come as construction continues. For those in the central west coast, Sarasota GC resumed ATA shooting sometime in October after a short pause in their ongoing program.
If you have anything important for Florida trapshooters to know about, contact me at [email protected] or 321-427-6553.
Larry Grenevicki
ATA Delegate
Georgia
First off, thanks to everyone for a successful 2016 Atlanta Fall Classic at Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds. We had a bunch of fellow shooters who pitched in and helped out during the day, especially Noel Salvanera and his family, Mike and Betsy Reed plus Russ Wright and a few others. Without their help, we would not have been able to hold the shoot. Noel helped with everything outside on the fields. Christian, Mark, Lexi, Dani, Elizabeth, Betsy and Mike did most of the scoring throughout the day, I think. David Witt was behind the computer for most of the day, handling registration and posting scores.
I want to thank the donors who sponsored the belt buckle trophies. This was really an idea by my friend Darren Warden, who wanted an event in the fall to bring people out to shoot registered targets. This year we had 11 buckles plus runnerup medals and a trophy for most-improved 100 targets. Thanks to Al Kent, Bruce Swinsky, Bob Matlock, Mike and Betsy Reed, Darren Warden, Mike and Neno Schildgen, Russ Wright and a few others who donated to the trophy budget. As always, thanks to William Hale for the design, artwork and participation pins for the shoot. With the record attendance this year, we will need more pins for the 2017 shoot.
Top honors this year went to Darren Warden, who won with 194, followed closely by Gary Blair with 193 for runnerup. Mike Reed won AA, William Hale A, Kevin Brandt B, Shannon Rankin C, and Scott Webster D. Category buckles went to Emily Rankin for ladies’, Clifford Plummer for veteran, Max Owen for junior and Thomas Miles for sub-junior. Most-improved went to Megan Foley, shooting on the Woodward Academy Clay Target Team.
Georgia shooters had a great time Oct. 22-23 at the 26th annual Rebel Yell at Bill Parson’s place in Mathews, AL. Events kicked off on a windy Saturday morning with 200 singles followed by 100 handicap. Then on a much calmer Sunday were 50 pair of doubles and 200 handicap targets. The event was a blast, with almost 100 shooters over the weekend. Bill and his crew did an outstanding job.
You never know what the weather will bring, but this year it was the most fun I’ve had at a shoot in a while. Good to see so many Georgia shooters make the trip, including a bunch from our Atlanta Sunday Trap League. Congratulations to Bob Boswell Jr., who took home the high-over-all trophy for 558×600. Bob also won the Singles Championship. Outstanding job and great shooting. The club put on a smoked chicken dinner on Saturday night that was outstanding. Looking forward to going back next year.
Had a good day out at the Fayette Co. 4 H club on the last Saturday in October. It was a family fun day shoot for the middle and high school kids to break up their practice routine. We had some 5-stand targets set up, plus skeet, trap and modified trap. Even brought out the 120-year-old Parker side-by-side and the pump action .410s. A bunch of moms and dads even got in on the fun and were out breaking targets. Thanks, coaches Noel and Kalvin for coordinating the shoot.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held Oct. 24 for a new trap range in north Georgia. The range will consist of three trapfields and will be outside of Blairsville in Union County to support the local 4 H club.
Just a reminder, our 2017 Georgia State Trapshoot will be April 27-30 at South River GC in Covington. If you have shot with us before, I hope you had fun and will be back. If you haven’t made it to our state shoot yet, I hope your plans work out to join us this year.
I hope everyone gets a chance to be with friends and family during the holidays this year. Looking forward to all the opportunities the new year brings. Be safe, have fun, shoot well, and attend as many registered events as you can in 2017.
Russ Wright
ATA Delegate
Kentucky
Congratulations to Robert Dyer, who shot his 250,000th target at Hog Heaven GC Oct. 14.
There’s not a lot going on at this time in Kentucky, as ATA shooting is winding down. Some clubs are still shooting and need your help and support. If you can, please help them with your attendance.
The Kentucky State shoot dates are set, and they are June 27-July 2. The Southern Zone Shoot will be July 13-16. Please try to make these shoots, as they are getting better every year.
The Grand is a go in Sparta again in 2017, and last year was a great and successful shoot. If you didn’t get to attend, try to make it in 2017; you will not be disappointed.
I wish you great health and many broken targets! God bless.
Terry Dean
ATA Southern Zone Vice President
Mississippi
The Mid South Fall Trap Classic, held at Coast R&PC in Biloxi, was well attended and shot under ideal conditions—blue skies, with temperatures at the start in the high 60s and finishing each day in the mid 80s.
At the request of out-of-town shooters, shoot management expanded the program, so Saturday consisted of 200 singles followed by 100 doubles. Shooters saw 100 doubles, singles and handicap on Sunday. Participants were from the Gulf South region, plus several from the Midwest.
Two Louisiana shooters led the first singles event: Jim Jenkins with 195 and Howard Ragland, runnerup, with 189. Kim Wilson, a local, scored an impressive 94 in doubles.
The next doubles event was won by Florida’s Lewis Knack, who matched the winning score of the day before with another 94. Louisiana’s Doyle Brooks took runnerup.
Jenkins proved his dominance in singles on the second day with a 99, followed by Wilson with 97. Classes were won by Mississippi shooters: the undersigned won A with 95; Kent Lacina, B, 92; James Saucier, C, 97 (way to go, Jim!); and Brian Harmon, D, 94.
The final event, handicap, saw a three-way tie between Wilson, Bob Miller and Andrew Lacina. Wilson won the shootoff with a perfect 25.
A “fun shoot” was held after the program finished. From the 27-yard line, Post 3, all shooters loaded two shells for a doubles miss-and-out. Bob Miller won the $100 prize, hitting all four birds thrown.
Jim Porter attended this shoot, his first registered targets since major surgery, just after he returned from the Grand in August. With his new Kolar, Jim managed to get into a doubles shootoff on Sunday. Very impressive, considering what he has been through lately.
We greatly appreciate and thank Kent Lacina, who spearheaded this shoot from conception through completion. John Oren, MTA president, kept the fields going and handled the many trophies and prizes. Brian Harmon, MTA vice president, made sure the club and its facilities were ready for the crowd and did the computer work, including registration and results. They are the gears in the finely tuned machine, resulting in a smoothly run shoot.
All in all, with the cooperation of the weather and the can-do attitude of the shooters, it was a thoroughly enjoyable two-day event. It is widely hoped this will become an annual happening, next year to be scheduled a week or two later in October, as there were competing activities that put a strain on availability of hotel rooms.
This two-day shoot is a nice complement to the two-day trapshoots in the summer sponsored by Capitol GC in Jackson. Capitol’s shoots are always well attended because of the excellent targets thrown and the great people who participate.
Christmas is coming, and, thus far, Santa has given no hints regarding gifts for shooters. If Santa whispers in your ear that you or someone else is getting something new, please let me know so it can be shared with our extended Mississippi trap family ([email protected]).
A group of Mississippi shooters always attend the Dixie Grand at the Silver Dollar SC in Odessa, FL, held every year in January. This year will be no exception, and if you are interested in going, please drop me a line.
Just after the two-day shoot at Coast R&PC, Brian Harmon had a knee replacement, the second in six months. He is rebounding very well and should be back on the traps by the time you read this.
Shoot well!
Charlie Boggs
ATA Delegate
North Carolina
Rockingham Co. continues to host a few non-registered Lewis class fun shoots. The shoots seem to be enjoyed by all and are introducing possible future ATA members to competitive trapshooting.
The recent fall three-day shoot at Buckhorn was successful this year. Weather was great, staying around 70°, and even with the wind coming in the last day, some good scores were posted.
I had a report from the high country that the Wing Fling at Watauga GC was a good tournament with some windy targets. They had another great meal put on by John Waters with about 50 pounds of wings cooked on the grill. This is a yearly event that we should all check out next year.
In addition to the above-mentioned clubs, the following hosted some good fall weather shoots: Coharie, Rockingham Co. and Low Country Preserve. Rockingham and Low Country are hosting Big 50 shoots. Many of the clubs had to cancel several shoots due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew in late September.
Outside the state, we had George Brown, Brian West and Marty Hill attend the 2016 Rebel Yell Shoot at the Dixie TC in Mathews, AL. Eighty-eight shooters took the line over the weekend, with $4,000 added money. A great time was had by all.
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and will have a merry Christmas. Don’t forget to check the shoot calendar and plan to shoot some winter targets at our clubs that throw registered targets all year.
Remember to visit www.nctrap.com and www.tarheeltrap.com for NC shooting information. If you have anything you would like to see in this article, please send it to me. at [email protected] or 919-357-6859.
Jeff Galloway
ATA Delegate
South Carolina
The South Carolina Hall of Fame Shoot was a great success; weather was beautiful, couldn’t have been any better. Our inductee, Doug Stenback, had a great shoot, running 100 in singles on Sunday. Doug was honored during his induction by having his wife Gloria there as well as his brothers Tom from Wisconsin and John from North Carolina. See the story in this month’s Gun Club Scores for all winners.
Congratulations go to next year’s inductee Teresa Knight; give her your congratulations when you see her. Another congratulations goes to Teresa for making the Lady II All-American second team for the second year in a row.
In another achievement category, the following shooters were listed in the Grand American All-Around leaders based on the 400 championship targets. In their respective categories were Jennifer Willson, Teresa Knight and myself. On 1,000 targets, Teresa and I are also listed. No trophy or award, but still really neat to be on those lists in TRAP & FIELD. I get one more atta-boy; I reached 100,000 singles in Greenville the second weekend in October.
If all goes as planned, we will have our all-state team in next month’s report. Stay tuned; quite a few new names. We will be addressing our state team rules at our January meeting, so if you have any questions or comments, please pass them on to your district representative.
I hope all our fellow shooters have a great and safe Christmas. If you have someone who doesn’t know what to get you, a flat of shells is a gift that would make me happy.
I’m sorry to report the passing of one of South Carolina’s well-known (to us regulars) shooters, Glenn Wedding. Glenn was a regular until health issues dogged him. He always had a smile and was always pleasant. Glenn will be missed.
I just received an e-mail that Elbert Throckmorton has recently passed. He was a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame and the first shooter to break 100 straight from the 27-yard line. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year filled with 100 straights.
Jim Faber
ATA Delegate
Tennessee
Let me wish everybody a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
There is not much interest in trapshooting during the winter months in Tennessee. Many members are busy deer hunting or chasing the ducks, so therefore it is a good time for the next few months to talk about some of our accomplishments from the past target year.
Tennessee all-state team (* denotes All-American):
Men’s—Robert Smith, .9539; Mitchel Loveless II, .9482; Richie Bolin, .9309; Larry Hord, .9225; Joe Dement, .9200; David Beesinger, .9136; George Reese Jr., .9127; Maynard Brooks, .9121; Stephen Rice, .9114; Mark Bess, 9111. Women’s—Amy Dement*, .9192; Kelsie Nelson, .9115; Katie Barnett*, .8827. Junior—Dillon Tosh*, .9607; Garrett Sweeney*, .9488; Parker Hinson, .9160; Griffin Black, .9142. Sub-Junior—Garrett Bradford*, .9268; Justin Spaid, .9222; Hunter Morton*, .9066; Kerry Davis Jr.*, .9019. Junior gold—Justin Osborn*, .9505; Hayden Zeigler*, .9439; Chandler Brown*, .9406; Tristian Fenwick, .9322; Travis Dickson, .9305; Garrett Morrison, .9116; Andrew Kobeck*, .8853. Veteran—Steve Williams, .9151. Senior veteran—George Reese, .8986; Richard Rankin, .8853; Martin Burklow, .8848.
Congratulations to all. The 11 shooters making the All-American team is a new record for Tennessee. Next month we will discuss some interesting facts and figures about the 2016 target year.
Read the Rulebook, please, and check out Shootatatn.com for more info.
For questions or further information, contact me at [email protected] or 731-217-9957.
Billy Cook
ATA Delegate
Southwestern Zone
Colorado
Winter is on the way, I think. The weather out west has been exceptional. I’m sure many of us will have snow on the ground by the time this article is in the TRAP & FIELD, but for now, no complaints. When winter finally gets here, we’ll pay for the great weather so far. Take advantage while it is good and shoot some clays!
Many of us don’t shoot many registered targets in the winter, unless we travel south to warmer climates. However, there are a lot of registered shoots scheduled during the winter. These are a great opportunity to stay sharp. Also, don’t forget winter trap leagues. I think this is a great training opportunity to work on our game during less-than-ideal conditions. Check out your local club; you might be surprised who you see shooting winter league.
We’re all working on our schedules for the 2017 year. I encourage everyone to try a new shoot every year. Check out a club that you’ve never shot at. Get to know some new people and have some great fun!
We live in a time where slower is thought to be better. I’m sure we’ve all heard someone say “speed kills.” We all need to keep in mind that we have rules for setting targets. Make sure your target setters pay attention and set targets in accordance with ATA rules. I’ve seen trends toward slower and slower targets. Slow isn’t the answer. The target needs a certain amount of speed to remain stable and consistent. Add a little breeze, and you’ll wish the setter had the legal speed on the target.
The following applies to target height. I’d like to see the T-bar back at every club. Set the height according to the rules to start with, and don’t change it. If a squad wants the height looked at, use a T-bar. If the target is within legal limits, “shoot ’em.” You’ll find that when a club uses a T-bar, the height change requests will fall significantly, making the shoot run more smoothly as everyone shoots the same target
Good luck training this winter, and I hope to see all of you on the line during winter leagues and registered shoots this winter.
As your ATA Delegate, I’m here for you. If you have any questions or concerns or need help resolving an issue, please let me know at [email protected].
Mike Herman
ATA Southwestern Zone Vice President
Louisiana
At our September meeting, the board of directors of the Louisiana Trapshooting Association voted to award our 2017 state shoot to the Toby Bancroft Memorial GC (formerly Pine Hills GC) in West Monroe. The dates will be May 19-21.
West Monroe is located in northeast Louisiana on I-20. There are a number of modern hotels within easy driving distance of the gun club as well as a large number of restaurants. There are also RV parks located nearby for those shooters with motor homes.
By the time you read this, preparations at the club will be well under way to host the shoot. The club is upgrading one field and building an entirely new field, so it will have four fields for the state shoot. The club is removing some trees to ensure all fields will have a good background. The club will use new or well-maintained Pat-Traps on each field in order to present good targets for all. There are also plans for a Saturday night crawfish boil again this year.
For the first time ever, our state shoot will permit pre-squadding. Shooters are strongly encouraged to pre-squad, as entries will have to be limited due to the number of fields available. Watch for pre-squadding to become open on that website closer to the shoot date.
The LTA board appreciates the support of all who have attended our state shoot in the past, and we cordially invite you to join us at this new state shoot venue. Directions are available on our association website www.louisianatrapshootingassociation.org. Those who want to see the club before the state shoot can check the LTA website for registered shoot dates throughout the winter
Robert LaBorde
ATA Delegate
New Mexico
The 2016 New Mexico state teams and High Average award winners have been calculated. If you have any questions or see where something might have been overlooked, please feel free to contact me. If I do not hear from you by the first of the year, the NMSTA will consider the calculations correct and final.
First team—captain Britt Dalton, .9639; Randy Chrobocinski, .9637; Cory Dalton, .9552; James Powers, .9420; Davin Leboeuf, .9288; Carson Holt, junior, .9231; Dennis Martinez, veteran, .9044; Don Maddox, senior vet, .8931. Second team—Jim Copsey, .9225; Mike LeFevre, .9151; David Piancino, .9010; Dale Rechtenbach, .9009; Dudley Clark, .8940; Zach Perkins, junior, .7942; Jerry Wright, veteran, .8729; Andrew Piancino, senior vet, .8608. No women or sub-juniors qualified.
High Average Singles award winners are as follows: champion, Britt Dalton, .9882; AA, Chrobocinski, .9818; A, Holt, .9695; B, Piancino, .9456; C, Randy Barone, .9033; D, none qualified. Handicap: champion, Chrobocinski, .9513; runnerup, Britt Dalton, .9377. Doubles: champion, Cory Dalton, .9678; AA, Britt Dalton, .9659; A, Rechtenbach, .9321; B, Holt, .9350; C, Barone, .8257; D, Doug Mathews, .7604. Congratulations to all; great shooting!
The Albuquerque TC hosted their Annual Shoot the first weekend in October in conjunction with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and the fall scheduling meeting of the NMSTA. Leboeuf won the Singles Championship, and Cory Dalton won both the Doubles and Handicap championships. The NMSTA fall meeting had several topics of interest. After lengthy discussion, it was voted on and passed to dissolve the existing state shoot rotation and enter into a five-year contract with the NRA Whittington Center to host the state shoot over Memorial Day weekend. State shoot attendance should be very good at this facility, and the NRA Whittington Center is committed to hosting a great state shoot. RV reservations begin early February, so if you plan to attend, you might want to consider making your RV reservations early, as they most likely will fill up fast. Other discussions included separating the clubs’ annual shoots by at least two weeks to spread them out, as the general consensus is that for the most part, they are every weekend in September and early October, and shooters are finding it difficult to attend them all. The 2017 New Mexico shoot schedule was solidified, so you should be seeing the shoot schedule cards at your local clubs by the first of the year.
The Belen TC hosted their October two-day shoot the second weekend in October. Event winners included Dennis Martinez, Mike Chase, Russell Burton, Jacob Hines, Charlie Gates, Ron Hieronymus, Jerry Wright, Majeed Hayat, Ernie Walker and Richard Camp.
To everyone, have a wonderful holiday season; remember the true meaning of the holidays and get ready for another great year of shooting in New Mexico.
As always, you can reach me at [email protected].
Dale Rechtenbach
ATA Delegate
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City GC’s Sept. 23 shoot was well attended. Scores were high, with Dillon Pospisil breaking 99 for singles champion. In the handicap, Paul Hooper won champion with 95. The doubles was canceled due to approaching bad weather. Paul helps the club with the trapshooting events. This club is growing, and that’s a good sign for all of us. They are proposing adding two traps so they can accommodate more shooters. With their two trapfields, they can accommodate only about 30 shooters now. I plan to attend their next meeting at their request and discuss layout of the new trapfields, traphouse specifications and traps to be purchased, and also answer any questions they may have.
Danny Elston was in the hospital for a shoulder operation that went well, but then he went back to the hospital with more serious issues. We all wish him well on his recovery.
Mike Cook’s wife Linda passed away Oct. 6 after a long battle with cancer. Our sincere condolences go out to Mike and his family. Linda’s funeral was held Oct. 8, and the Saturday events at OTSA were canceled so we could attend her funeral. A lot of shooters attended.
Oct. 9 National Trapshooting Day events were held in beautiful weather, warm with a slight south breeze. Ron Bliss set great targets, and the scores showed it. Attendance was probably the best we have had this year, with several new shooters signing up. Marvin Webb from Texas came up to shoot with us, and I think he enjoyed it. We have a plaque on Field 2 recognizing Marvin for helping us rebuild after the devastating tornado of 2013. Marvin won champion in the singles with 99 and champion in the doubles with 97. William Dean won champion in the handicap with 97. Robert Felgenhauer had the next-high score with 96, winning a yardage NTD belt buckle. Rick Bliss and Stan Crawford’s 98s were next in singles, with Stan prevailing in the shootoff. Stan’s 95 was the next-high score in the doubles and won another NTD buckle. Shelby Skaggs won ladies’ champion in all three events, earning three NTD buckles.
Shelby has been shooting very well all year. At the Missouri Fall Handicap, she broke 198 in the singles to tie Rachel Hopkins, where they both broke another 100 each, but Rachel prevailed. Shelby was also runnerup in a handicap, where she tied Rachel again. Shelby won Lady I third in Sunday’s doubles and the all-around. Ron Bliss said he was called for a shootoff in Sunday’s doubles, but by then he was well on his way home.
Brian Northup is in the process of gathering shoot dates so the shoot cards can be printed. We now have 10 clubs this year to schedule dates that conflict least with each other. From past experience, I know how difficult this process can be at times. Please send these dates in without being asked, so the first rollout can be reworked for everyone.
Congratulations to Ron Bliss, who has shot 75,000 handicap targets, and Corbin Grybowski for having now shot 25,000 singles.
There is some good news for shooters earning All-American points. The combined championship entries that qualify for awarding points has now been lowered from 600 to 450. Even a single event with 450 entries will be considered as an “Other major tournament,” and All-American points can be awarded.
Congratulations to five Oklahoma shooters who are this year’s All-Americans: Pat Stacey, Corbin Grybowski, Rose Shaffer, Shelby Skaggs and Rick Bliss. For Shelby and Rick, this is their first time to become All-Americans. They all attended the Grand, earning some of their points there.
Oklahoma attendance at the Grand has been growing from 27 in 2009 to 53 in 2014, 50 in 2015 and 53 in 2016, plus three more shooters who attended but did not shoot. A number of these are young AIM shooters who are doing very well.
Duncan GC held their annual fish fry shoot Oct. 16. The weather was great, and it was well attended by a bunch of us AAA eaters. The fish was so good several of us went back for seconds. The hot fish kept coming out, and they even sent 10 to 12 bags home with shooters. Gus Bradshaw won the singles with 99 and the handicap with 93. Mike Grove won the doubles with 94
The winter 50-bird derby shoots started Nov. 1 and run through Feb. 28. These are a good way to stay in practice and also introduce new shooters to trapshooting. Check the new shoot cards for clubs and dates. Let’s support our military and law enforcement personnel.
Tim Deister
ATA Delegate
Texas
Fall is in the air in the part of Texas where Princess and I live. I guess snow will be blowing and the temps dropping before long. As I get older, the cold seems to hurt much more than it used to.
We headed to El Paso for the Zone II shoot Oct. 27. If you have never been to the El Paso GC, you have missed one of the really fun places to shoot. Everyone there treats you like family and does everything they can to make sure you have a great time. Make your plans to go.
I would like to send congratulations to Drew Fryman for shooting his first 100 straight at the Fort Worth GC (not that anyone called or texted me the news. I read it on Facebook). Anyway, congratulations, Drew.
Texas had 11 shooters who made All-American teams. I think that is fantastic. Making first teams were Dalton Jennings, men’s; Jennifer Wilburn, Lady I; Ginny Warren, Lady II; Larry Tagtmeyer, veteran; and Gary Sherrod and John Hoffland, senior veteran. On All-American second teams were Troy Collier, sub-veteran; Charlie W. Long and Marvin Allbright, veteran; and Bob Johnson and Joe Swinger, senior veteran. Congratulations to each of you.
I know some of you are having squadding problems with the 18- and 19-yard lines. If you would like to have a yardage increase, please let me know. I will have to contact our rep on the Central Handicap Committee, David Rhoads (a super good guy, I might add) for approval. Just remember, if you receive a requested yardage increase, you will not be eligible for a 1,000-target review for two years.
Read the Rulebook, have an up-to-date average card, be courteous, treat the trap help with respect, have a true appreciation for all the volunteers at the local gun clubs, and be an asset to our sport, not a liability.
If you have news, please let Princess or me know. You can call 806-679-6889 or e-mail me at [email protected].
Till next time, y’all shoot well, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.
Jerry O’Connor
ATA Delegate
Western Zone
Arizona
The roller coaster has inched its way to the top, and the downward plunge into Arizona’s 2017 shooting season is under way. The unofficial start is our Hall of Fame Classic, which took place at Ben Avery Oct. 21-23. It was unseasonably warm, as October in Phoenix can be, but this becomes a huge plus as we move deeper into the season. Attendance was strong; the Handicap Championship was up by 15%, and overall about 1,000 more birds were thrown. The highlight was the Saturday night dinner and ceremony posthumously inducting F. Rudy Etchen of Scottsdale into our Hall of Fame. Rudy’s accomplishments are far too numerous to list, but just to mention a few: he shot the first 100 straight in doubles at the Grand American; won 31 Grand trophies, including the Clay Target crown, the HOA and All-Around in 1952; and was on 17 All-American teams, ranging from junior to men’s and industry to veteran and senior vet. Jim Sharp accepted the award on behalf of the Etchen family.
There was one other induction that evening, albeit of a more dubious nature. Ken Schatz and Joe Henderson became official members of the Arizona Senior Veterans Society, with plaques duly presented by president George Miller (and they thought that veteran was a tough category).
Friday featured preliminary singles, handicap and doubles. Ken Mlynarz started things off right with 100 in the singles, closely followed by Jim Sharp, Joe Henderson and George Miller at 99. In the doubles, veteran Jim Kidwell topped the field with a nice 98, and Max Peevyhouse’s 96 gave him high gun in the ’caps. Max was at it again in Saturday’s singles, tying Richard Goerlich at 198, with Richard winning the shootoff for A. Tim Robb was high gun and veteran winner, coming in with 199. Doug Sims and Henderson tied for AA, Richard Grub took B, Colton Hartley C, and Robert Otterson D. Tiger Volz, who had a nice shoot, won ladies’, and Charlie Ames was the junior champ. Senior vets turned into a three-way tie at 198 between Wayne Ward, Jay Alderman and Ron Schroer, with Wayne taking the shootoff.
Sunday started off with the Doubles Championship. Sims (veteran) and Schroer (senior vet) were high at 97. Trailing with a 96 was Ken Mylnarz, who won Class A. The Hall of Fame Classic was closed out with the Handicap Championship, and some new names appeared. However, there was a very familiar face in the winner’s circle: Tim Robb, who shot a 98 from the 27-yard line. Next was a most interesting pair and two dedicated Arizona shooters: senior veteran Jake Gatschet and junior Hartley tied at 96. Other winners were Rick Weeks (18-21), Mark Williams (22-24), Wayne Thompson (25-26), Goerlich (27), Karen Bergman (ladies’) and sub-junior Sheldon Privetts. Robb was the all-around champ with 391.
Double Adobe, Tucson, Rio Salado and Tri-State also had shoots, but unfortunately I do not have the scores. Please remember to forward results to [email protected] so they can be included.
Now if you are starting to shiver, the heating bills have got you down, and your toes are turning blue, Arizona is calling. It’s not that far, we discontinued the stagecoach some time ago, and it’s WARM here.
John Bergman
ATA Delegate
Montana
Congratulations to everyone who made the 2016 Montana state teams
Open team—captain Jeff Wagner, .9541; Levi Simonson, .9477; Andrew Kelly, .9339; William Camus, .9321; Dan Vogel, .9320. Honorable mention—Dale Fisher, .9278; J. D. Kent, .9263; Terry Barkell, .9244; Tim Cassidy, .9216; Brandon Lyons, .9204. Category—Jackie Garrigus, ladies’, .9037; Alfred Jermyn, sub-junior, .7789; William Ellen, veteran, .9075; John Chor, senior vet, .8781.
While there was no junior on the category team, junior shooter Lyons earned a spot on the honorable mention team.
Wagner had the high averages in both singles and doubles with .9872 and .9582. Rick Dorr led in handicap with .9241.
Also congratulations to Simonson, who received a Trapshooting Hall of Fame scholarship at the Grand this year.
Jim Jones
ATA Western Zone Vice President
Utah
The old target year has ended, and the new one has begun! We have had some great little shoots with spectacular weather. September is one of the best months to have some fun and shoot good scores.
Spanish Fork hosted the last Utah shoot of the 2016 target year, and shooters posted some great scores. I want to focus on several folks who really put their best foot forward. In the first day’s handicap, Brian Gooch and Jenny McGowan carded field-high 98s. Brian and Jenny have both been on a tear lately. Jenny made the 27-yard line for the first time, making her one of less than 10 women to ever do this in Utah. Welcome to the “fence,” Jenny! The sad part of this is that Jenny is going into semi-retirement as far as her own shooting goes. She and hubby Mike have bought a house that sits on 40 acres, and they are going to be devoting a lot of time to their future. They will, however, continue to help the youth shooting groups.
In Sunday’s handicap, Carolyn Southerlin posted a field-high 96. It does my heart good to see her shoot so well. Carolyn and her husband David are some of our year-in, year-out great folks to have in the association. These two have been around the shooting world for about 28 years. Whenever Heber GC hosts a shoot, Carolyn and David are there helping out, doing the squadding and handicapping and helping with anything else that may need doing. Carolyn always has a smile on her face. I can only imagine the beaming smile she must have had after besting everyone!
The first shoot of the new target year was Ogden’s Northern Utah Open. They put on a great shoot, and everything ran very well. Ogden has put in a couple new traps and had some great trap help. One of the high points was junior shooter Dalton Van posting his first-ever 100 straight in singles and then, to prove it wasn’t a fluke, he did it again at the Nephi GC two weeks later and again at Spanish Fork the week after that. That is great shooting, young man! Dalton is among the group of young shooters from Riverton (he has since moved to Roosevelt) who have been taking the Utah shooting community by storm. Dalton told me he owes a great deal of his success to none other than Jenny McGowan and the work she has done with the USA Youth Education in Shooting Sports. Kudos once again to Jenny and Mike.
The next shoot was the above-mentioned shoot at Nephi. They had a great turnout with good targets and fantastic help. Nephi has also added a new trap and worked really hard at putting on a good shoot. Mark Greenhalgh and crew deserve a big hand. Until you have helped run a shoot, especially one at a small club, it is hard to imagine the work that goes into putting one on with just a few volunteers.
Speaking of the Riverton group, Grayson Stuart received a certificate from the ATA and TRAP & FIELD listing him as the youngest shooter to break 200 straight in singles as well as 100 in singles and 100 handicap targets on the same day. Way to make Utah shine!
Until next month . . .
Ed Wehking
ATA Delegate
Washington
Time flies, and 2016 seems to have gone by fast. By the time this issue hits your mailbox, we will have celebrated Thanksgiving and will be getting ready for Christmas and the new year. The WSTA directors have a meeting in early December, and planning for the 2017 state shoot will be under way. Some will be heading south for some shooting in the sun, and some will be shoveling snow.
The Camas Prairie Handicap will be set as the first major shoot of the target year in our region, so stay tuned for details. The Spokane GC, with help from George Seubert, have a Northwest Grand planned for April. Two gold rings will be up for grabs again this year, along with two life memberships to be awarded to junior or sub-junior shooters, and to make it more affordable for the whole family to take part, some sponsorships will be offered for the youth. Thank you, George and Karma Seubert, for helping the kids get involved in ATA events. With programs like this, the sport has a bright future as these youngsters reach adulthood.
Advertising and contributions are coming in for the 2017 state shoot, and there should be about $20,000 in added money for the event. We’ve been drawing competitors from all over the country and Canada the last few years, and we’d like to extend an invitation to everyone for our shoot and to take in the sights in Washington while you are here. June is prime time for target background and weather here, so we know you’ll have a great time and make some more friends. We’d love to see you!
Most Northwest clubs will be taking part in telephonic winter league shoots starting in January, which are great for getting more youth, new shooters and some we haven’t seen in a while to the trap club. Many of us were introduced to the game this way, so if you’re looking for a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon, come out and join us. George, I and any of the WSTA directors would be more than happy to help you get in touch with a club near you.
We’d like to extend our best wishes to Jean Ballard of the Lewiston, ID, area as she recovers from recent heart surgery. She’s been a familiar face at shoots all over Idaho, Washington, Montana and Arizona as well. While not a shooter herself, we love having her there and look forward to seeing her.
Watch the WSTA website in the new year as well as our Washington State Trapshooter’s Facebook page for more information about shoots. All clubs are encouraged to post programs, photos and results on the page, and it’s a great way to stay connected.
Delegate George Seubert can be reached by at [email protected], and my address is [email protected] if you have any questions about happenings in Washington. On behalf of George and myself, merry Christmas and happy New Year!
George Seubert, Sean Lewis
ATA Delegate, Alternate Delegate
Central Zone
Illinois
Hello, shooters! The year is winding down now. Hopefully everyone has had a good one. The Indians had their Pow Wow and Silver Dollar this past month, and I’d say they had a good turnout! Randy Miller had a great shoot, winning a trophy in five of the nine events. The three handicap champions were Dan Gauwitz with 97, Greg Hogue with 97, and Stanley Crow with 96. There were a lot of great scores shot.
Keep your local clubs busy and attend their meat shoots/fun shoots this winter. Don’t want to pick up any bad habits in the off season! If there’s anything you’d like put in the next article, send me an e-mail at [email protected].
Happy holidays!
Lauren Mueller
ATA Delegate
Indiana
Greetings, shooters! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
For trapshooters, this is definitely the slow time of year, but I’m sure you all are like me and starting to count the days to spring, nice weather and lots of targets flying. As I write this in late October, I can say we have definitely had a nice, mild fall and hopefully don’t pay the price this winter. While the ATA season gets pretty slow this time of year, there are always plenty of fun shoots, practice and various meat and money shoots to keep everyone at the top of their game.
The 2017 ATA All-American teams, based on 2016 performance, have been announced, and it is great to see Indiana so well represented on this list. Congratulations to Devon Harris for making the men’s second team; Chrissy Byrd, Lady I second; Tom Neal and Garl Gresley, sub-vet first; Jeff Webb, sub-vet second; Jack Curry, veteran second; and Vern Brown and Bobby Hubble, senior veteran second. I am very happy for each of you; much deserved.
I said last month I would have the state teams ready to announce by this month, but unfortunately that’s not the case. I’ve been working on them but have had some delays, making sure everyone is in the right category. Keep an eye on our indianatrap.com website, as they will be posted there once final, and I will have them in next month’s TRAP & FIELD article.
Target minimums for all-state teams will be the same in 2017 as they were in 2016. In order to qualify for the men’s, sub-veteran and veteran teams, minimum targets must include 2,500 singles, 1,500 handicap and 1,000 doubles targets. For Lady I, Lady II, junior, junior gold and senior veteran, minimums are 2,000 singles, 1,000 handicap and 500 doubles. To make the sub-junior team, you must shoot 1,000 singles, 1,000 handicap and 300 doubles. Also, to clarify a common question, your overall average for all-state team rankings is computed by your singles average plus your handicap average plus your doubles average, divided by three.
I do have some sad news to report. Indiana Hall of Fame member and our 1985 singles champion, Mr. J. C. Swan, passed away in October. J. C. was a true trapshooting legend and will be dearly missed. This July, during the Indiana State Shoot, I spoke with J. C. on the phone every day, as he was trying his absolute best to get to the shoot and keep his consecutive state shoot streak going, but unfortunately he was not able to make it. May he rest in peace.
Make sure you have your calendars marked for the Indiana State Shoot next year. It will be July 4-9.
As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything. My e-mail is [email protected].
Jason Barnett
ATA Delegate
Michigan
With 2016 in the books, another great year of trapshooting was had by all. The following shooters received some of the highest accolades in trapshooting. Congratulations to Michigan’s ATA All-American team members: Carl Chadwell, men’s second; Trapshooting Hall of Fame member Jacque Snellenberger, Lady I first; Keith Heeg, sub-vet first; and Ken Sims, veteran second. A congratulations as well goes to the following 2017 AIM team members: AIM all-star team, Alexandria Kocsis, junior gold. Also receiving congratulations were 2017 AIM all-Zone members Garrett Caryl, junior, and Lucas Bristol, sub-junior. The great shooting continued for the 2017 AIM all-state team: junior gold team members were captain Matthew Davis, Henry Stallman and Matthew Bellafaire. Junior team members were captain Alex Westein, Taya Bower, Jack Durham, Alex McMullen and Thomas Kemp Jr. The pre-sub members were captain Wyatt Fields and Andrew Hartley. The sub-junior team members were captain Glen Falk, Peyton Platte, Kurtis Blumenauer, Samantha Wilson and Jonathan Stockwell. Great job by all!
While visiting gun clubs throughout the state, I stopped by the oldest trap club in Michigan, Birmingham GC, for a registered tournament. Competition was fierce, as usual, and despite challenging conditions, club staple Bill Roehrig posted the lone 100 to win the 16-yard event.
In the first quarter of 2017, the following article lineup will be: January, youth shooting by ATA AIM director Tony Falk; February, the state of the MTA by MTA president J. B. Lewis, and a snowbird report by ATA Alternate Delegate Don Hoffman.
On behalf of your entire elected representation, the MTA Board of Directors, ATA Delegate, First and Second Alternate Delegates, and the AIM director, we wish you happy Hanukkah, merry Christmas and a happy 2017.
F. Darryl Hayes
ATA Delegate
North Dakota
North Dakota trapshooters are saddened by the death of Chester E. Nelson Jr. on Sept. 27. He was 77 years old. Chet began registered shooting in 1964 in Grand Forks and shot his final registered targets at the 2015 North Dakota State Shoot in Bismarck. During his 50-year trapshooting career, Chet registered 162,200 singles (third most of any North Dakota shooter), 84,900 handicap and 25,000 doubles. He served as the NDTA president for two years (1975 and 1976), secretary-treasurer eight years (1968 to 1974) and ATA Delegate for 15 years (1988 to 2003). For Chet, it wasn’t just shooting, but a social event . . . visiting with all the shooters, especially new shooters and kids, taking pictures (he had five TRAP & FIELD cover photos) and the steak fries. He was the trapshooting historian for North Dakota. He actually published a book, Trapshooting in North Dakota: A Five Decade Photographic History. He was inducted into the North Dakota Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 1996. Chet’s presence at trapshoots will be missed in the coming years.
Tim Kaffar
ATA Delegate
Ohio
I hope my friend Mike Roese did not wear the pages of his ATA magazine out looking for last month’s article. I missed last month because my wife and I were in Florida for a couple of weeks visiting our son who had been ill. It gave us a chance to help out a little, and also allowed us the opportunity to watch the grandsons play football for their respected teams. “GO SUN DEVILS.”
The 2016 Cardinal Labor Day Invitational had a total of 422 paid entries for the championship events. Winners of the main events were: singles, Timothy McMillan; handicap; Craig Blank; and doubles; Jeff Schlichter. Luke Spengler stated it was a good shoot.
The Fall Festival at the Middletown SC was a very good shoot this year. Weather was great, and the shoot was up 90 competitors. The championship events had a total of 530 paid entries. Winners of the championship events were singles, Craig Blank; handicap, Tanner Harrison; and doubles, Steve Corwin. All-around winner was Patrick McCarthy. The scores at the Fall Festival this year were the highest for these events in this millennium. This is a credit to Mike Erter and the rest of the Middletown crew. If you are looking for a good place to shoot in April 2017, I recommend the Mid-American at Middletown. The club has camping available, and the shoot seems to be increasing nicely.
The OSTA Board of Directors met Oct. 8 to start the process of developing the 2017 Ohio State Shoot. A lot of things were discussed and reviewed from this year’s shoot. Everyone is on board for trying to make the 2017 our best shoot ever. As of right now, I do know we are going to have the golf cart and trailer raffle again. The board also discussed the new contract signed with Mr. Fishburn for another 10 years at the Cardinal Center, starting after the 2017 shoot. Ohio shooters need to give a special shout-out to the OSTA negotiation team of Courtney Haning, Jeff Schlichter, Dave Schock and Marty Miller.
A lot of items were discussed, and some new brain cells were engaged for next year’s shoot. Several of the current sponsors have already committed to 2017. Bob Caplinger reported on making contact with previous sponsors who are anxious and more than willing to get on board for next year. Bob reported that the Kubota sponsor is interested in attending the shoot again next year, but at the present time they are not quite sure what the prize offering will consist of in the Kubota line. A lot of the things discussed were tabled for the January meeting. The BOD chewed the fat on a lot of new ideas and some old ones that don’t seem to be working to our expectations. The BOD decided to take their food for thought home and bring back ideas in January.
Dennis Filo addressed the Foundation portion of the meeting, which includes the scholarships offered to youth shooters in Ohio. I would like to invite all shooters to participate in any way possible for raising money for the Foundation. The Foundation gives several scholarships every year. The scholarships even go to students who work at our shoots.
I have received several applications for the all-Ohio team. Thank you for your participation.
I will leave you with the words of my good friend: Keep your head down and “bust ’em.”
Roger McNamer
ATA Delegate
Wisconsin
Gordy Braatz, a longtime member and assist to our Eau Claire R&GC, passed away Oct. 14. His humor and smile will be missed at our club.
Our Fall Handicap at the homegrounds at Rome was another success and grows each year. Remember to book your camping spot for the 2017 state shoot.
As Reney was leaving the grounds to go ride his bike, which he does every day, he looked at Dennis and said, “Dennis, make sure you tell me if I leave something behind.” Puzzled, I looked at Reney and said, “Why?” He started to laugh, and this was his story:
He got done shooting doubles on Friday at Rome and leaned his gun against his car on a purple magnetic rest (on the passenger side). After getting his shooting stuff put away, he got his bicycle down from the back of his car to go for a ride. By the time he got back to his car, it was dark. He put his bike on the rack and headed to his hotel. The next morning he arrived at the shoot, got his single barrel out and looked for his purple gun rest to lean the barrel on the car. He could not find it, so he went into the building to ask if anyone found a purple magnetic barrel rest. He was told no, but someone found a gun. He said to them, “I am looking for a purple barrel rest, no gun.” Arlene produced a gun and the purple barrel rest. Reney was suprised because he didn’t know he lost the gun also. A few scratches on the gun from the gravel it landed on, then he was back shooting the next day.
It seems I always have something to say about myself. Well, walking to the next trap, with gun and shooting bag in hand, I set my gun in rack and proceeded to walk to Post 1 with my shooting bag. Friends looked at me, wondering if I was okay. You never know what is on someone’s mind.
No shoot results to report, as winter has set in on us. Thank you, everyone, for your support at your home club; all you do is so appreciated.
Sandra Jo Jack
for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring
Eastern Zone
New Jersey
As I sit here writing December’s TRAP & FIELD contribution, it’s Oct. 20; yesterday the outside temperature hit 90°, and I had to turn the air conditioning back on again! Today it’s only in the 70s, and tomorrow if it gets into the 60s, we’ll be lucky. Weather in the Garden State!
Banger’s Sport Shop on Piney Hollow Road in Hammonton held their annual Motorcycle Gun Run Sept. 24. Seven hundred motorcyclists took part in the event, 200 more than last year. They stopped at Pine Valley, and they each shot at five trap targets, and then off they went to the next participating club, winding up again at the Pic-a-Lilli Inn on Route 206 in Shamong. One hundred percent of the proceeds, totaling $24,500, went to the Semper Fi Fund, a charity which benefits wounded veterans and their families. What a nice gesture from Banger’s Sport Shop; thanks.
Mother Nature had her way with the weather with the remnants of Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 9 as it barreled up toward the north and east from the devastation it left in the Carolinas. A benefit shoot honoring John Fuller, the appreciated trap mechanic at the North Jersey club, was being held. Heavy rains and wind were the order of the day in the morning; the afternoon cleared up somewhat to allow shooting to be carried out. John was presented a wall clock inscribed to John, “Mr. Indispensible,” thanking him for his dedication and the successful operation of the gun club. A cake decorated with edible green shells and a couple of orange targets was adorned for all to enjoy. In addition to honoring John, 50% of the entry fee was going to Operation Ward 57 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, in honor of the memory of Derek McConnell, John’s grandson, who was severely injured as a member of the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. Shooters who missed the shoot because of the weather can still make a contribution, if they so desire. It’s for a very good cause.
On Oct. 1 Pine Valley held a fun shoot to benefit the local police departments. This year the Voorhees Police Department was being honored. There were over 150 law enforcement personnel. In addition to Voorhees’, other departments represented came from Oaklyn, Haddonfield, Pine Hill, Waterford Township, Gloucester Co. and Camden Co. The Voorhees’ and Gloucester Co. police brought their police dogs and put on demonstrations—that really was a crowd pleaser. Also, vehicles used in the TV series “Starsky & Hutch” and the movie “Blues Brothers” were on hand. Forty-five shooters took part in the friendly trap competition. Food and refreshments were donated, and $1,500 was collected for the Voorhees Police Department. In addition, a new flagpole was dedicated, and Bonnie Hoffman donated her recently deceased dad’s flag from his memorial service.
What a nice gesture of Pine Valley to build ties to local law enforcement and the community. John Wilson informed me that next year police and firemen will be honored for their service to the various communities.
Mallard TC held a fun shoot Oct. 15. Leading the Doubles Championship was Steve Lokos, followed by Tom Ocasio, A; Greg Menshoff, B; and Joe Busco, C. The club wobble champ was Dennis Hughes, and open champ was John Homan.
North Jersey CTC held their club championship the following day, Oct. 16. Robert Bardi put together two 93s, one in singles and one in handicap, to secure the club championship trophy. Taking the runnerup spot was Michael Stevenson with 185. The Rich Jacoby Memorial Singles Award went to Dominic Cerrato with 98.
The Howell TC had only one registered shoot in October; they too were rained out with the remnants of Hurricane Matthew rolling through the area. On the 16th, Mike Van Note led the doubles, John Homan won the singles, and Tony Fischer secured the handicap. Registered shooting will resume at the club March 12. They will be open for practice Tuesdays and Sundays during that time.
As usual in December, there will be prize shoots and parties at clubs in the Garden State. The North Jersey CTC in Fairfield will be having their annual Wine Shoot Dec. 4. Then on Dec. 11, the annual Christmas party will be held; look for details at the club. Pine Valley will be having their annual Ham Shoot Dec. 10, and the following weekend on the 17th they’ll be having their Christmas party at the club. Pine Belt is having their party at the club on the 18th. In addition, there will be a 100-bird singles event to get you warmed up. Enjoy!
I’d like to wish all of our readers of TRAP & FIELD a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year.
If you have an idea for an article or just a question, I can be reached at [email protected] or 732-546-7910.
Joe Sissano
ATA Delegate
New York
Hello from New York and merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone. I guess I am politically incorrect for saying merry Christmas in this day and age, but I guess I will never be politically correct. Anyway, happy holidays to all.
I am sorry to say that our dear friend from Canada, Ernie Freitag, has passed away. Ernie was 77 years of age and went to the angels on Sept. 18. Ernie was a regular fixture at all of our shoots at our homegrounds in Cicero. He attended every shoot and always had a smile on his face. He was one of the warmest and nicest persons you would ever want to meet. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Vivian and his entire family on his passing. He will be missed.
On a happier note, the 2017 ATA All-American teams have been announced, and I am very glad to say that 10 New Yorkers have made the teams: Chris Vendel, men’s first, 1,238 points; Tiffany Decker, Lady I second, 608; Caleb Lindstrom, junior second, 871; Justin Slater, junior gold first, 2,015; Christopher Vendel, junior gold second, 1,159; Urban Womer, sub-veteran first, 887; David Hazelet, veteran second, 614; James S. Wright, senior vet second, 686; Michael Mincel, senior vet second, 447; and Michael Latocha, senior vet second, 427. This was a great job by these fine New York shooters. Congratulations to all.
The 2016 New York State high-average shooters and state teams have been announced on www.nysata.com. Chris Vendel was the high 16-yard average shooter with .9912; Heidi Womer was high lady with .9608; high handicap average of .9303 was obtained by Michael Fox Jr.; and Bradley Heath had the high doubles average of .9596. These are great averages by these fine shooters.
The 2016 state teams are as follows:
First team—Chris Vendel, .9578; Justin Slater, .9567; Bradley Heath, .9567; Michael Fox Jr., .9546; Brian Luther, .9508. Second team—Bob Edwards, .9455; Christopher Vendel, .9394; Urban Womer, .9366; James Flint, .9292; Joshua Buchiere, .9252. Honorable mention—Greg Tartick, .9245; Rich Sauer, .9233; Dave Cichelli, .9224; Chris Landon, .9218; Mike Manzo, .9169. Women’s—Catherine Barney-Giza, .9060; Tiffany Decker, .8853; Leslie Slater, .8765; Deborah Bell, .8649; Heidi Womer, .8387. Junior/sub-junior—Caleb Lindstrom, 9280; Alexcis Coningsby, .8872; Samantha Wagner, .8811; Jenna Coyne, .8521. Veteran/senior vet—David Hazelet, .9353; James S. Wright, .9226; David Clary, .9201; Michael Waschitz, .9137; Frank Benvenuto, .9127. Congratulations to all team members.
To each and every one of you, have a happy and safe holiday season. Please stay warm during the winter months. If you are heading south or west to get out of the winter cold, please travel safe.
Good shooting to everyone. I hope to see you all soon.
Dave Cichelli
ATA Alternate Delegate
Ontario
Greetings from Ontario, Canada. I am pleased to announce our Ontario Delegate and category Delegate teams for 2017, based on shooting results from the target year ending Aug. 31.
Ontario Delegate team—Lloyd Beecraft, 12 points; Tom Batsos, six; John Costa, five; Joe DiFrancesco, five; Verne Higgs, five; Peter Tsementzis, four; Billy Zager, four; Paulo Sampaio, three; Dan Gris, three; Frank Bonaiuto, two. Ontario category team—George Iliopoulos, 12; Bert Blackburn, eight; Ed Wilmott, seven; Byron House, five; Keith Saunders, five.
Ontario is believed to be unique among the states and provinces of the ATA for recognizing accomplishments of our shooters in circumstances as I describe. Here were the challenges our province faced before these awards were introduced:
Clubs that hosted an ATA competition did not have the resources to offer trophies to the winners of any of the events. Consequently, if options were played, the only recognition a shooter would have is some prize money, target attainment and a score that may help that shooter’s running average. If the weather was unfavorable, many shooters elected not to shoot, as there was little to gain, and their running average would almost certainly be reduced. There was little incentive to travel to other clubs, so many shot only at their home club, where they had a familiar setting, often shot better and chose to reward the coffers of their own club than another club some distance away.
The only Ontario team that a shooter was able to make was the Ontario all-star team, but it was based on their composite average of singles, handicap and doubles scores. If a shooter did not shoot doubles (for instance), he or she could never make a team.
What did Ontario do to address these challenges? We used a little creative incentivization by using a low but achievable participation threshold, which was a little more flexible in remote areas to determine what constituted a “qualifying competition.” For the most part, for the non-category events: 20 singles entries, 15 handicap and 10 doubles.
For category shooters, there must be a minimum of five participants in any event. This is based on the original five categories (to explain, it can be a combination of any sub-junior, junior, ladies’, vet and senior veteran, as long as the total is five).
An event winner gets a Delegate pin (for category winner, a Delegate category pin). If there is a tie, shoot management can settle the tie by shootoff, reverse score, etc., at their discretion.
A shooter can win a maximum of only two pins in any event at the same club during the target year. This eliminates part of the “home field advantage” and encourages participation at other clubs.
At the end of the target year, the shooters who have won the greatest number of pins are named to the Delegate team (10-person team) or the Delegate category team (five-person team). All team members get a nice trophy, which is presented at our provincial championships the following year.
For those who won at least one pin, there is a personal letter of congratulations sent to each winner, together with a pin specially embossed to commemorate their accomplishments. This year I sent out 38 congratulatory letters (and pins) to men who won at least one event and 44 congratulatory letters (and pins) to category shooters who won at least one event.
Our Ontario shooters appreciate this initiative, and there is incentive to travel to other clubs and shoot in any type of weather. But it comes at a cost. Shoot management needs to identify the winners, and our OPTA secretary needs to collate this and send them to me for calculation. The consensus is that the effort pays off.
Have a happy holiday season (for the politically correct). To the rest of us, have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Paul Shaw
ATA Delegate
Pennsylvania
It’s December! Hunting seasons are in full swing, the holidays are approaching at an alarming rate, and Pennsylvania shooters are enjoying reflecting on their successes in the 2016 target year. The Keystone State led the ATA, with 20 shooters earning placement on the 2016 All-American rolls, with representation in each of the eligible categories.
I’m proud to report that three Pennsylvanians have been named captain of their respective teams. Deborah Ohye-Neilson earned captain laurels for the Lady I team. This is her 17th time as a captain and 30th placement in the All-American standings. Frank Pascoe earned the sub-vet captain spot while being named to his 12th team, four times as captain. Making his second All-American team is Luke Cowart with his first captain spot of the sub-junior team.
Just as proud, we had 16 shooters who are returning All-Americans, and one shooter making a first placement in the final standings: Donald Shaffer Jr., men’s second (three); Bethany Breighner, Lady I second (three); Lisa Long, Lady II first (five); Kim Bateman, Lady II first (six); Genevieve Davis, Lady II second (two); Evan Mood, junior first (two); Christian Koerbler, junior second (four); Daniel Rodgers, junior second (two); Wesley Beaver, sub-junior second (first); Ian Recla, junior gold first (six); Ian Darroch, junior gold second (five); Steven Huber, sub-vet second (eight); Donald Neilson Jr, sub-vet second (four); Curtis Paul, veteran second (two); Sheldon Hostetter, senior vet first (11); Philip Criado, senior vet second (six); and Richard Hamilton, chairshooter (five).
Congratulations to all of the shooters on a very accomplished year, and thank you for proudly representing your state!
We should know the outcome of the Pennsylvania state teams in the near future, and I’ll pass that information on to you as soon as they are finalized. In the meantime, if you have any noteworthy events or accomplishments, please let me know at [email protected]. Until next month, everyone have a safe and enjoyable time with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays!
Steve Ross
ATA Alternate Delegate
