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.
Southwestern Zone
Missouri
We are finally into the registered shooting season here in Missouri. Hopefully by now you have had the opportunity to attend a registered shoot at or near your home club. By the time you read this, the Missouri State Shoot will be in the history book. Planning has already begun for the 2018 Missouri State Shoot, which will be the 50th anniversary at the permanent homegrounds at Linn Creek. If anyone has any memorabilia from the first state shoot at Linn Creek and would like to share it for a week, please contact me or Randall Crawford. The BOD is working hard to put together a fun program. Look for more information in upcoming reports.
There were seven Missouri shooters who made the trip to the National SC in San Antonio, TX, for the Southwestern Grand. Five came home with trophies, with Samantha Foppe leading the pack with 14, including the overall handicap title. Congratulations, Samantha! Bradley Noble captured two trophies, with Lee Wayland, Steven J. Fuller and Stephen Ricketts each bringing home an award. While the rain held off all week, the wind certainly didn’t and made for some challenging targets off and on. Overall the weather was some of the best I have seen in the last few years for this shoot. I would like to thank management and staff at NSC for all their hard work. Those folks put in some long weeks this time of the year, with several back-to-back large events leading up to the Southwestern Grand. If you have never shot at the National SC, you should add it to your bucket list. Look for complete coverage of the shoot in this issue.
I look at some of the gun club schedules around Missouri, and the one thing that most of them have in common is that there are more and more youth shoots scheduled. A good deal of these are non-registered, which is okay, but how do we get more shooters to register targets? I have a couple of small gun clubs that have recently inquired about getting certified to throw registered targets. I put that high on my list of priorities to get them certified and throwing registered targets. Now if we can just keep them going and try to get some of the old clubs back in the game, it would benefit not only youth shooters but also those of us who have been shooting for a while. I hope that with increase of the youth shooting, we can all convince those clubs to reconsider throwing registered targets.
If I can be of assistance, or if anyone has anything they would like to have reported, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003.
Be safe and break ’em all!
Stephen Ricketts
ATA Delegate
New Mexico
Congratulations go out to two of our outstanding shooters who were inducted into the New Mexico Hall of Fame at the 2017 state shoot. Britt Dalton and Jim Copsey are two well-deserving shooters who have excelled at all levels of trapshooting. Both Britt and Jim have achieved their ATA Grand Slam (200 singles, 100 doubles and 100 handicap from the 27-yard line), which is a great achievement in itself, as only 477 shooters have accomplished this since Dan Orlich became the first on July 30, 1964. Britt and Jim have competed and won numerous trophies all over the southwestern U.S. and have made a habit of making the journey to Vandalia and Sparta for the Grand American. You can read about these great shooters’ accomplishments at www.nmtrap.com. Also, congratulations to all who took home trophies, and a big thank you to all who attended, especially those who traveled great distances from within and out of state, which helped make the New Mexico State Shoot a great success.
The Belen club hosted a shoot April 2. Mike Chase, Jimmy Kennedy and Richard Amundson all posted 98s to take their class trophies in the day’s singles. Randy Chrobocinski and Dennis Martinez led the doubles, and Chrobocinski and Douglas Doonan posted high scores in the handicap.
Albuquerque TC hosted their annual three-day shoot the following weekend. Dennis Martinez led Friday’s singles with 99, Tyler Jenson posted the high 95 in Friday’s handicap (which pushed him back a half yard), and Dale Rechtenbach led the doubles with 96. Saturday’s 200-bird Singles Championship had great attendance. Dr. Jerry Born and Mike Chase both posted 194s, with Born winning the champion trophy. Jamie Anderson, David Wyrick, Rick Camp, Peter Zagorski, Michael Allen, Kathleen Starr and Chase won the class and category trophies. Chase also led Saturday’s handicap. Sunday’s doubles winner was Robert Trobaugh, with Born, Richard Amundson, Ernie Walker and Al Osmun taking the class trophies. Sunday’s handicap champion trophy went to Wyrick, with Majeed Hayat, Amundson and Chase taking the yardage trophies.
As busy as May was, which included the New Mexico State Shoot, there are only a couple of shoots in the month of June. Hobbs is hosting a one-day shoot on the third, and Silver City is hosting a three-day Summer Shoot-out June 16-18.
The NMSTA has new officers in place, and I ask that you give them all the consideration possible as they get settled in and all the support you can in the coming year. A huge thank you goes out to Cory Dalton, Jim Powers and Britt Dalton for all their hard work and accomplishments during their time leading the NMSTA. The NMSTA is a much better organization from your efforts.
Dale Rechtenbach
ATA Delegate
Oklahoma
Ada S&TC’s March 26 shoot was well attended, and weather warmed up as the day went by. Shooting east in 25- to 30-mph south winds affected the targets, keeping the scores low. Twenty-six shooters braved the windy conditions in the singles. Junior Zane Arnold was high with 96. In the handicap, junior Clay Galbreath led with 91. In the doubles, sub-junior Colton Ables entered the high of 87. Trace Bolles broke 94 to tie for B in his first registered shoot. He is the great-grandson of Oklahoma Hall of Famer Eugene Leach (father of Lowell Leach, also in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame).
The Grand National GC of Enid also held a shoot March 26. Info is in this month’s TRAP & FIELD.
Some Oklahoma shooters went to Iowa Park GC, who also held a March 26 shoot. Their first event was 200 doubles, where Pat Stacey and Chance Fleming were high with 192 each. Stacey and Ryland Downs both broke 100 in the singles. Downs also broke 98 to win the handicap.
Shawnee Twin Lakes TR held a shoot April 2 under cold and rainy conditions. Mike Grove was high in the singles with 97. Mike Meeks won the handicap with 94. Ron Freeman’s 93 was the high doubles score.
Interesting weather in Oklahoma again on April 4. It was snowing six inches in the panhandle, and it was 83° in McAlester.
Ada had another great shoot April 9 in spite of very windy conditions again. Thirty-seven shooters showed up. Grove managed a 97 to win the singles. Ryan Moore broke 95 for first place in the handicap. Vickie Farmer was second with 92, and Terry Piguet was third with 91. Mike also won the doubles with 89.
The Southwestern Grand was attended by 17 of us from Oklahoma. Royce and crew put on a great shoot, as usual. I believe 11 of 17 won one or more trophies. Elissa Cronk with TRAP & FIELD covered the shoot, and her report should be in this issue, so I will leave it to her as to who won what.
Some Oklahomans breaking good scores were Brayden Bliss, Josh Stacey, Ron Bliss and Shelby Skaggs, 97 in singles; Rick Bliss, 97 and 96 in doubles; Shelby Skaggs, 98 in doubles; Jeffrey Trayer, 95 in handicap (96 was high); Pat Stacey, 99 and 198 in singles, plus two 98s and a 99 in doubles; Joe Anglin, 95s in singles; and Bill Dayton, 96 in doubles. Charles LeadingFox won a trophy, but he kind of messed up the squad on one handicap. He broke 92 when everyone else broke 93s. When I talked to him about it, he said, “Believe me, I’ve heard about it.” Windy conditions kept the scores low, with two handicaps being won with 96s.
Thanks to Ron Bliss’ efforts, the state shoot program was finished in record time, and I passed out 50 copies in San Antonio. I also picked up a Texas State Shoot poster from Ron Cunning to post at our state shoot. I plan to take Oklahoma posters and another 50 programs with me to the Missouri State Shoot. We are fortunate to have very good cooperation with our surrounding states promoting each other.
Mike Herman, ATA Southwestern Zone Vice President, held a Zone meeting at the Southwestern Grand. There will be $3,000 added by the ATA. The Zone fee will be increasing from $1 to $1.50. Ties will be settled by forward run this time. It was also decided that class winners and ties will not advance.
Thanks to the Potterfields of Midway USA, the ATA’s investment of $250,000 for AIM has now become $750,000! Starting next year, 5% of this amount can be used to help grow the AIM program. Please thank Larry and Brenda Potterfield for their generous donation.
Oil Capital GC in Tulsa held a shoot April 23 and had good attendance, with 28 shooting into a light north breeze. Scores were high, indicating good targets. Pete Wedelin was high in the singles with 99. Jack Murphy was high handicap with 94, and Chris Johnson won the doubles with 97. Oil Capital also shot the Big 50s every Thursday at 5 p.m.
Iowa Park also had a shoot April 23. It was a beautiful day, but the north wind kept some scores low. Pat Stacey won the 200 doubles with 196. Marvin Allbright won the singles with 99. Ken Isenberg won the handicap with 93 from the 27-yard line.
The shooting community is saddened by the loss of another Oklahoma shooter. Ronney Koch from Duncan passed away April 13. Ronney was a big part of the Duncan GC’s youth shooting program. He and Marie Ketchum coached several winning youth teams competing at the Oklahoma State Shoot. They also coached Ronney’s daughter Carolyn Koch, who was on these teams and went on to be very competitive in Olympic competition. Ronney shot 35,425 singles, 25,000 handicap and 16,100 doubles. There will be more information coming in TRAP & FIELD’s Completed Careers. Our sincere condolences go out to the Koch family.
Support our men and women in law enforcement and military.
Tim Deister
ATA Delegate
Texas
Wow! I actually have some news to report this time about some of our Texas shooters. (This doesn’t mean that I’m not mentioning the Rulebook, cause I’m going to).
I have news on the father-and-son duo of Tom (the dad) and Tommy (the son) Nations. At the Southwestern Grand, Tommy broke his first 100 straight. Tom shot at and broke his 50,000th singles target. Congratulations to two very fine gentlemen.
More news from the Southwestern Grand: Drew Fryman shot at and broke his 25,000th singles target. Drew is a great guy and works very hard trying to get the Waco GC back into shooting registered trap targets. Thanks, Drew; we need all the clubs we can get throwing ATA targets.
The El Paso S&TC is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year. The club is run by members for members. They made many improvements in 2016, and more will continue in 2017. If you have not been to El Paso lately, you really need to go. It is a very friendly, family-oriented club. They refer to their club as “the little jewel in the valley,” and it truly is. You can check the Texas TA website for shoot dates there and at all Texas clubs. El Paso will be hosting the Zone II shoot Oct. 27-29. I hope you will make your plans to attend now.
The ATA Southwestern Zone Shoot will have two Texas sites this year: both Waco and Amarillo will shoot July 13-16. I certainly hope you will be able to attend. Each will do a super job of hosting.
I just saw an article in the current TRAP & FIELD about manners at gun clubs. That’s something that is sometimes forgotten by shooters and also something we, as shooters, don’t do a good job of explaining to our new shooters. I won’t cover the whole article, but I do want to point out a few things. First, and maybe most importantly, when you leave Post 5 headed to Post 1, please turn to your right and go behind the other shooters. That way you don’t take a chance of gun barrels banging together. Another thing is to keep movement to a minimum while waiting your turn to shoot. This is especially true when the person next to you is about to shoot. If you drop a shell or have any other problem, wait until it is your turn to address the problem. Last, keep noise to a minimum. Causing extra targets to be thrown is a distraction to fellow shooters and an extra expense to gun clubs. This by no means covers everything, so please read the TRAP & FIELD article. What?! You don’t subscribe to TRAP & FIELD? Shame on you. Before you do anything else, get on the phone or online and subscribe today.
Eighteen- and 19-yard shooters are still having squadding problems. I understand that very well. I will continue to work on eliminating the 18- and 19-yard lines for handicap. Until that happens, you can request a yardage increase. All you have to do is call me. Don’t wait until a Saturday morning when you are at a shoot to call. David Rhoads, our Southwestern Zone Central Handicap member, makes it happen very fast, but the ATA office must be open for the request to be processed and completed. Any requested yardage increase is official when you can see it online on the ATA website. Please remember that anyone who receives a requested yardage increase will not be eligible for a 1,000-target review for a period of two years.
Another reminder: if you pre-squad for a shoot and are not going to be able to attend, please call and release your squads. Don’t cause other shooters to have to shoot short-squadded or on a much later or earlier squad than they want.
It is your responsibility to know the rules. Please study the Rulebook. Don’t be a party to someone being DQ’d because the correct rules were not applied. Our Rulebook is a listing of the rules that govern our registered shooting. It is not a book of suggestions, but rules that must be followed to allow fairness to every shooter.
There is lots of shooting going on now. Support your local clubs. Don’t forget the Texas State Shoot is in Amarillo this year, July 4-9. As was done last year, there will be in-state and out-of-state trophies. Also, second- and third-place points pins will be awarded in all categories. The folks in Amarillo will make you feel welcome and host a great state shoot.
Shooters not presenting up-to-date average cards is a growing problem. As the ATA has worked to make it much easier to obtain your average card, many shooters think that the local club can just look it up. That is not what the rule says. Page 7, Section C, No. 4 says, “Shooters not having their Average Cards up to date may be put in a higher class or otherwise penalized. The falsification of scores, may lead to disciplinary action, including suspension from the ATA.” Even if you have a printout, you must record any scores you have shot that do not show up on it. Depending on how timely local clubs are at sending in shoot reports, the printout could be two to three weeks behind. It is your responsibility to see that all registered targets are recorded before presenting your average card at the classification desk.
If you have news, please let Princess or me know about it. I would love to include it in this column. You can reach me at 806-679-6889 or [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
Alberta
As of this writing (end of April), there is still snow on the ground in much of Alberta, but days are getting longer and shooters are preparing for an eventful year.
Good news for the Alberta Trapshooting Association: Heather and Bert Brumwell have donated $10,000 to APTA! I know I speak for all of our shooters in saying a huge thank you to Heather and Bert. There is no specific designation for the money at this time; along with any guidance Heather and Bert wish to give, the board of directors will determine the best use for the funds.
Arizona state finished the winter shooting season for most of the snowbirds. We had a few winners, but not as many as usual. Diane Peyton got back to her winning ways with a couple of handicap wins, including Lady II in the championship. Art also picked up a couple trophies; among them were one for a 98 in handicap and sub-vet runnerup in the championship singles with 199. Allan Radway won vet runnerup in the Doubles Championship with 97, and yours truly took sub-vet with 99.
I had the pleasure of shooting with Lynn and Jesse Smith when Jesse shot his first 100 straight in Casa Grande. He not only shot his first 100 but also prevailed in a later shootoff on the wobble trap with a perfect 25. Jesse has put up some great scores in their first outing to Arizona; congratulations.
Bert Brumwell continues his quest to be All-American captain of the chair team. Bert is currently leading the All-American points with his many wins at the Spring Grand and Arizona State Shoot.
Doug Leong continued to shoot great scores on his Arizona tour, including a 97 in ’caps which got him back to the 25.
When this is published, we will be close to the Canadian in Edmonton, Zone in Edmonton, and provincial in Calgary. Plan your agenda carefully to include these three major shoots along with your club events.
I look forward to seeing you on the line somewhere in Alberta this summer!
Garry Hill
ATA Delegate
Arizona
Well, they did it again. Our juniors, and one in particular—Canyon Ferris—seemed bound and determined to make monkeys out of us slightly older shooters. Canyon won the state singles title with an outstanding 199, finished second in the doubles, and took both the all-around and high-over-all crowns by significant margins. Congratulations to a modest young man and a very accomplished shooter! [See this issue’s state shoot article for a profile on Ferris—Ed.]
We had a great state shoot. Yes, it was a little windy at times, but it was warm, and after all, it is spring in Arizona. Now I apologize in advance for what might seem to be a laundry list, but I would like to mention as many shooters as possible who did well. Jim Sharp and Phil Vasquez started things off right with 100s in the opening Memorial Singles. This event honors all Arizona shooters who are no longer with us. Hot on their heels was Karen Bergman, a distant relative of mine, at 99. Jim won veteran, Phil the always tough senior vet and Karen Lady II. Next up was the Tucson Handicap, and Bob Sawyer, our Rookie of the Year, was high gun and veteran champ. The final event on Day 1 was the Tucson Doubles, and Vince Bianco came through in Class A, Gene Pierce won D, and Ferris was the top junior.
Wednesday was sunny and clear, and the singles scores reflected that. Gerry Williams and Karen Bergman ran the hundred, taking veteran and Lady II, while Steve Phelps, Danny Treanor, Tom Strunk and Vince Bianco fell one short at 99. Doug Sims was high Arizona shooter in the Agave Handicap with 96, winning vet, and in the Jumping Cholla Doubles, Ken Mlynarz’s 98 took AA. Barry Roach followed at 95 to take the veteran crown. The class doubles on Thursday morning featured some fine Arizona shooting. Roger Coveleskie turned it on with a 99, running away with senior vet; Dick Goerlich won sub-vet at 98; Ferris did the same to win junior; Doug Sims and Jim Grider came in with 97s to top veteran and B; and Tiger Volz’s 96 was high in Lady II. I also note that Ted TenBroeck won C. It’s nice to see Ted back in the winner’s circle.
Next up was the Golden Barrel Singles, and Joe Henderson and Ferris set the pace with 100s. Joe won senior vet, and Canyon topped all juniors. Not far behind was Bob Mlynarz (over Charlie Wachtel in carryover), A, and Gerald Meyer, B (beating Colton Hartley in a carryover), and Williams (vet), all at 99. Karen Bergman and Mike Luchetta came in with 98s, winning Lady II and AA, respectively. Thursday ended with the Ocotillo Handicap, and the wind had picked up. High score for Arizona was another one of our juniors, Robert Mikeworth at 95, topping Ken Vanderpool, who took senior vet by one.
Friday started with the Prickly Pear Doubles. Leading the pack were Ken Mlynarz, AA; Darvin Thomas, A; and junior Wachtel, all with 98s. Then it was on to the Preliminary Handicap with 263 shooters. Fred Frazier topped Mike Luchetta after four carryover rounds to win the 22-24 group, Darrell Goen took 18-21 with a nice 94, Bob Mlynarz was high senior vet at 95, and Mikeworth proved that Thursday was no fluke by winning junior again. In the class singles, Treanor, sub-vet, and Sharp, vet, topped the field with 100s, but they were pushed hard by Williams, AA, and Ferris at 99. Other winners were Don Jensen in A; Rob Ritter, C; Rosie Kingery, D; Kathy Sullivan, Lady I; Karen Stingl, Lady II; Wayne Ward, senior vet; Brandon Matschke, junior gold; and sub-junior Sheldon Privetts.
The championship events started with singles on Saturday. Ferris led the way with 199, and Ken Mlynarz was runnerup. Steve Johnson’s 198 was high in sub-vet, and Jim Sharp, also shooting a 198, was tops in veteran. Wachtel at 198 also took the junior crown, and Mike Luchetta triumphed in senior vet with 197. Kaitlin Quan won Lady I, Karen Bergman Lady II, Steve Henderson junior gold, and Kingman’s Privetts won sub-junior. The Stingls, Gary and Karen, were high guns in the husband-wife race, and that dynamic duo, Jim Sharp and his grandson Colton Hartley, were tops in the two-in-family.
In Sunday’s Doubles Championship, I had the pleasure of watching Ken Mlynarz break all 50 pairs—not a chipped bird among them. Darvin Thomas was the runnerup. Greg Cobbs won AA, Al Matthews A, and Len Sullivan B. Kaitlin Quan became the Lady I champ, and a red-hot Sandy Luchetta won Lady II with 96. Jensen’s 96 took sub-veteran, Sims beat all other veterans, and Ron Schroer was the high senior vet. Ferris topped a strong field of juniors, Henderson was high in junior gold, and Privetts triumphed in sub-junior. The final event and crown jewel of the state shoot is the Handicap Championship. Senior veteran Wayne Thompson, shooting from the 26.5, is our new title holder with 97. It’s 27 yards from now on, Wayne; congratulations! The runnerup, guess who? Ferris. Kathy Sullivan won Lady I, Karen Bergman Lady II, Treanor sub-veteran, Sims veteran, and Vanderpool senior vet. Daniel Skaggs is our new junior champion, and Privetts sub-junior.
The all-around title went to Ferris with another junior, Wachtel, right behind. Quan took the Lady I crown as did Karen Bergman for Lady II. Jensen won sub-veteran, Tim Robb veteran, and Thompson senior vet. Henderson prevailed in junior gold, and Privetts in sub-junior. The HOA title went to Ferris, with Ken Mlynarz runnerup and winning AA. Sharp won A, followed by Colton Hartley in B, Eric Binger was high in C, and our ASTA President, Steve Long, took D. Volz won Lady II, Thompson senior vet, Jensen sub-vet, Robb veteran, Wachtel junior, and Privetts sub-junior.
A few reflections: attendance was great. There were 345 competitors in our Singles Championship and 297 for the handicap. For every Arizona resident, there were approximately 1.8 non-residents. Thanks a million to our visitors. You are a very important part of Arizona trapshooting! The gang from Tucson ran the shoot with their usual efficiency. I know that sounds like a broken record, but it’s true. Our strong junior programs are showing the results of their hard work. More on this in future issues. Just leave a little room for us geezers.
Around the state: The last two events in Arizona’s Winter Chain were Ben Avery’s Season Finale April 15-16 plus Casa Grande’s Cactus Flowers Shoot April 22-23. Weather and crowds were good when Ben Avery started off with singles, and there were 99s and 98s all over the board. Jay Alderman, Max Peevyhouse, Peter Ardlen and Ken Schatz all shot 99s, with Jay winning Class A and Ken B. Mike Judges came in with a 98 to take C, and Milt Kennedy, also shooting a 98, was tops in D. Jake Gatschet’s 95 won 18-21 in the ’caps. Ron Schroer matched Jake to win senior vet. Kenn Murphy bested all in 22-24, and Thompson and Dana Erway tied in 25-27. Peevyhouse won the Class A doubles, Joe Henderson likewise in B, Larry Kennon took C, and Tony De Simone topped everyone in D. Sunday began with singles, and Ken Mlynarz did it right with 100, winning A. Jesse Zamora was not far off with a 99 and the B trophy. Murphy, who just keeps getting better and better, triumphed in C with 98, and Peggy Sauer won D. The handicap put a wrap to the 2017 season at Ben Avery. Steve Haynes was high in 18-21, Mike Luchetta bested Murphy by one in 22-24, and Ken Mlynarz won the long-yardage group.
One final note about Ben Avery: this was Paul Doetsch’s last shoot. He and Donnie are now off to a well-earned retirement. For many years Paul was an ASTA director, and he was elected to our Hall of Fame in 2009. There is no doubt that Paul helped make Ben Avery the great place it is. We all owe him much.
Casa Grande’s season-ending shoot had a nice turnout under near-ideal conditions, although you could feel the southern Arizona summer coming on. Ken Mlynarz, Art Hammer and Sharp led the pack with 99s in the opening singles. Other Arizona winners were Karen Bergman in ladies’ and John Bergman, yes, you read that right, in senior vet. Steve Johnson then took charge in the handicap and doubles. Steve is a recent transplant from Illinois. Murphy won 22-24 in the ’caps, and Bud Rupe took senior vet. Peevyhouse and Bob Mlynarz didn’t do too badly in the doubles, coming in at 98. Max lost a carryover to Steve for the A title, while Bob won senior vet. Karen Bergman continued her winning ways with a 96 for the ladies’ crown. In Sunday’s doubles, she picked up where she left off, taking B, and Ron Schroer’s fine 97 won senior vet.
Twenty-one competed in the singles, with four Arizonians tying at 98. Ken Mlynarz won a coin flip over Peevyhouse in A, Murphy stood alone in B, and Binger took C. Vanderpool went home with the senior veteran crown. In the final handicap, Bob Mlynarz was high gun and senior vet champ with 97 and earned a one-yard punch. Murphy got a half yard for his 96, and Ken Mlynarz and Peevyhouse were at it again for 25-27 bragging rights—same result, Ken won the flip. This was a most enjoyable shoot with an old-time feeling about it. Thanks, Tiger and Don.
At our annual meeting during the state shoot, three new ASTA directors were elected. Joining the board are Steve Bell of Kingman (northern zone), Roger Combs from Surprise (central), and Don Archibald of Yuma (southern). Steve Long was reelected president, Mark Williams is our new vice president, and Roger was then named secretary-treasurer by unanimous consent. I was reelected as ATA Delegate as was Tiger Volz, our Alternate. The ASTA board has some very capable individuals, all dedicated to the sport. We are fortunate to have them.
Please don’t forget our upcoming northern shoots, and see you on the line.
John Bergman
ATA Delegate
Utah
Winter is coming to a slow halt here in Utah. I say slow because we never really have a spring in this area. It seems we go from winter straight into summer, about two days after Memorial Day.
We have not had a lot in the way of registered shoots going on so far, other than Purgatory GC, which had a three-day shoot at the end of March. Weather was good overall, with Saturday being a little dicey. Purgatory GC is located in Hurricane, just outside of St. George. This area is known as Utah’s Dixie, thus warmer weather is generally in store this time of year. The little community of Hurricane received its name for a reason; the winds tend to funnel through this area. Other than the aforementioned weather on Saturday, it was short-sleeve weather with gentle breezes.
Like at most gun clubs, if it wasn’t for volunteer help, no one would ever shoot. Troy, Harold, Britt and all the other volunteers put on a really good shoot. They all go out of their way to make sure shooters feel welcome.
Scores were good for the most part, with Brad Spencer and Scott Syme carding the only centuries in different singles events. Scott was high in two of the three handicaps. Wynn Isom and Spencer were both high in separate doubles events. Attendance was a little disappointing, with Friday being the best turnout with about six squads. I figure a squad or two skipped the shoot in order to attend the Western Regional Sporting Clays in Tucson that week or the Arizona State Shoot the next week.
If you have never been to Purgatory GC, you owe it to yourself to drop by sometime. The club is part of the Southern Utah Shooting Sports Park managed by Washington County. The park has a lot to offer as far as the shooting sports go. The shotgun portion of the facility (Purgatory GC) has four trapfields, two skeet fields, two 5-stand courses as well as two sporting clays courses. Outside of the shotgun portion, the county offers archery, pistol, rifle and cowboy action shooting. This is where the shooting venues of the Huntsman Senior Games take place during early October. If you are over 50, you are old enough to be considered a senior and join the fun.
Registration for the Senior Games has already begun and seems to fill up fast, so if you are interested in one or all of the shotgun events, log on to https://seniorgames.net. You will not be disappointed if you attend. The entire city of St. George opens its arms to over 10,000 athletes from all over the world to compete in about any type of sport you can imagine. Rooms can be hard to find this time of year, so you need to start looking now if you are considering attending. There is dry camping available at the gun club if you have a trailer or motorhome.
The Arizona State Shoot just ended, with approximately 20 Utahns making the trek to Tucson. Several of our shooters shot extremely well, and at least 10 of them brought home multiple trophies. Local winners included Joe Sudbury, Sean Hawley, Sharred Oaks, Austin Kinder, Scott McKinnon, Hayden Vandam, Grayson Stuart, Craig Hart, Linda Gibson and Lori Martin. Check out this issue of T&F or the ASTA website for all the winners.
April is really what I consider the beginning of the shooting season in Utah, with shoots scheduled at Lee Kay (a 1,000-bird doubles marathon, with proceeds going to Utah’s youth trapshooters), Ogden, Spanish Fork and Vernal. Now is the time to oil up the gun and go do some shooting. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you win; it matters if you compete.
On a final note, there have been several articles in TRAP & FIELD of late talking about when a shooter leaves a post while shooting handicap, they should move the microphone for the next shooter coming to that post if shooting a different yardage. The articles suggest that this makes the process of changing posts run more smoothly. I am sorry, but I have a totally different opinion about this subject. First of all, it is each shooter’s responsibility to shoot the correct yardage, meaning if I place the stand at 25 instead of 26 yards and the shooter shoots the wrong yardage, who is said shooter going to blame? This has happened before. Second, if I take two seconds to move the stand for the next shooter, as opposed to said shooter taking two seconds to move the stand for themselves, two seconds is still two seconds, correct? Where is the time savings? I feel it is a very smooth process to pick up the stand while you are on the move and place it where you would like it, rather than to have someone try to place it for you.
As an experiment, I have actually timed squad movement from post to post where each person moves the stand for the next person and also where each person moves their own. At most, I found a one-second difference in the process, and it went both ways! Last and most important, here is my biggest reason for not moving the stand for the next person: quite often, the trap help (scorer/puller) does not turn the microphones off, thus when I move the stand for the next person I may accidentally release a target, and then when the next shooter gets to their post, they are probably going to fidget with the stand anyway in order to get it in the exact spot they want (taking up more time) and possibly throwing another target. So now the gun club has lost two targets versus one. I know that it is the club’s responsibility to train the help to turn the power off at “dead and change,” but let’s face it, it doesn’t happen all of the time. Remember, the only way a club makes money is by selling the targets as opposed to throwing them for free. When I am on a squad of shooters with different yardages, I tell them, “I won’t move the microphones for you, please don’t move them for me.”
Until next time, shoot for the fun of shooting.
Ed Wehking
ATA Delegate
Washington
Greetings from Washington. I hope this finds everyone well, with schedules allowing a lot of time to pursue ATA targets.
It seems that we can’t get through a weekend of shooting in these parts without some wind or rain, and sometimes both at once, but shoots have been well attended nonetheless. Spokane’s Northwest Grand was well attended. It was great to see so many juniors and sub-juniors at this tournament along with parents or grandparents who came to cheer them on or shoot alongside. This is trapshooting the way it should be: a family and friends gathering with good competition and some personal bests. We are confident this youth movement will carry over to the state shoot. Thank you, George and Karma Seubert, for your efforts in getting so many kids to this shoot. Many sponsors are committed to getting kids to the state shoot also, and for that we are very appreciative.
I had the good fortune to be in attendance for the SCTP state shoot at Walla Walla GC in April. I have to tell you how great it was to see the enthusiasm of all the kids there, which is a good sign, as these young shotgunners may well become dedicated ATA participants. Thanks are also in order to the ATA for promoting and supporting SCTP and other youth shooting programs. In my years of registered competition, I can’t think of a young trapshooter who hasn’t grown into a good adult.
By the time this hits your mailbox, the Inland Empire Handicap will be in the books, and we’ll be making sure we have enough shells for the state shoot. This winter I wrote about quality time spent at the reloading bench, but it seems the stack of loaded cases is getting shorter. I would like to thank Western States Equipment for their contributions to our silent auction. All donations of auction items will be gratefully accepted. Contact me at [email protected] with anything you or your club would like to contribute, and of course you can bring anything you’d like to add to the auction at the start of the state shoot.
We were saddened recently to learn of the passing of Cashmere, WA, shooter Ed Pipkin. A familiar face for years at many clubs in the Northwest, Ed will be missed but never forgotten.
I hope you find some time to smoke some clays—and that I’ll be reporting about some sunny, warm weather shooting next time! Keep your powder dry.
Sean Lewis
ATA Alternate Delegate
Central Zone
Illinois
Hello, shooters! I’d like to extend a formal invitation to all to join us at Brittany SP in Bunker Hill for the Illinois State Shoot June 12-18. We have a lot of fun things going on this year. Join us on Monday for the Vintage Championship and Marathon Day. Tuesday is White Flyer Day, and all trophies are open, as well as the Hall of Fame induction dinner honoring Barb Hermes. Wednesday begins the high-over-all, and the miss-and-out contest sponsored by Baker Lead Reclamation will take place at the end of the shooting day. Thursday brings the Singles Class Championship, and there is an Illinois Gun Club Lewis with $950 added money in the latter handicap event. Friday has the Doubles Class Championship followed by the White Flyer Handicap with another Gun Club Lewis, including $866.66 in added money for that purse. Saturday brings the Singles Championship followed by a non-registered miss-and-out handicap doubles fun event. Sunday will be a busy day with the Doubles Championship followed by the Kolar Handicap Championship. For more information, the program is available online at www.brittanyshooting.com. I look forward to seeing you there!
I can be reached at [email protected]. Happy shooting.
Lauren Mueller
ATA Delegate
Indiana
Greetings, shooters. It’s that time of year . . . great weather, and the targets are flying all over the state! I wish each of you a successful and enjoyable summer of breaking ATA targets at both big shoots and local Indiana clubs.
The Indiana State Shoot will be here before we know it, July 4-9. I hope to see all of you there.
Please don’t forget about the ATA Central Zone Shoot at Evansville GC July 28-30. Keep an eye on indianatrap.com and shootATA.com in addition to TRAP & FIELD magazine for shoots that are going on. On the indianatrap.com website, click on “Calendar of Events” to see which clubs are shooting when.
As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything. My e-mail is [email protected].
Jason Barnett
ATA Delegate
North Dakota
By now most of the clubs in North Dakota are open for another season, although there has not been any registered shooting yet.
Six North Dakota snowbirds stayed in Arizona until after the state shoot. Bob Munson resumed his good shooting by winning these senior vet trophies: non-resident HOA (974), three singles awards (100, 100 and 199), two handicap prizes (95 and 95), and a doubles trophy (99). Keeping in the family competition, Lou Ann was Lady II leader in non-resident all-around (374) and in both doubles (93) and handicap (91). The rest of us were just participants (Don Ackerson, Brian Larson, Leonard Raddohl and myself).
Six North Dakota shooters made their way to San Antonio for the Southwestern Grand. During mid week, Bob Munson won singles champion in Event 7, 100 plus 299 carryover targets; Event 8 handicap, 27 runnerup, 94; and Event 10 singles, senior vet, 100. Brian Mohler shot a good handicap score, 93, winning sub-vet runnerup in Event 11. Perry Weiner won AAA in the championship singles, 198 plus 100 in shootoff, and fifth in the Handicap Championship, 94 plus 25 extras. Dennis Bredahl, Lou Ann Munson and Mark Pierson also competed.
Don’t forget to make plans for the North Dakota State Shoot July 20-23 in Bismarck. The kids’ event will be July 19. We have a full line-up of non-resident trophies. I heard the Capital City GC will have two new Pat-Traps for the state shoot, so there will be 10 program traps. See you there!
Tim Kaffar
ATA Delegate
Ohio
OSTA had its final meeting on April 8. At the present time, the BOD has everything in place for a great state shoot. There is a sponsor for every event again this year, including a couple of new sponsors, along with our previous ones. The OSTA will still have the tickets on sale for the golf cart and trailer raffle, Stock Lock is back as well as the Saturday Kubota event. Kolar still has the $5,000 shootoff, and Krieghoff is one of the new sponsors this year, along with Gun & Trophy Insurance and Eitle’s Towing Service, who is sponsoring SCTP Day.
A new wrinkle at the state shoot this year will be our gun giveaway. There are 14 events and 14 guns to be given away if you play the gun option on every program event. The Ohio State Trapshooting Foundation is working hard to bring money into the youth organization, and therefore I hope everyone plays this option. The computer system will randomly draw one gun winner after every event. Money raised goes toward sponsoring youth programs within the state plus scholarships. The Foundation gave away 10 scholarships this year for high school seniors looking to further their education. Please help our Foundation by playing this option, and if you see Dennis Filo, give him a big thank you for always looking out for the Foundation and state youth shooters. You may also give a huge thanks to Dave Schock and Jeff Schlichter for all the work and support they provide for the youth teams and shooters in Ohio. These two give countless hours and travel to several areas of the state in support of SCTP shoot programs. They will be presenting the guns every night at shootoffs.
There will also be a 50/50 drawing this year. The 50/50 tickets along with the golf cart tickets will be sold outside the Central Entry Building. The OSTA will sponsor a 50/50 drawing daily and will have different color tickets for every day. You must purchase a different 50/50 ticket every day.
OSTA will be giving out over 750 trophies and sponsoring bingo for the ladies (check your program for times), cornhole competitions in the evenings after the shoot, and the OSTA annual Hall of Fame get-together Thursday evening. Several prizes provided this year by the OSTA and OSTF will be subject to guidelines set forth by IRS rules and regulations.
On SCTP Day, the OSTA will be providing ice cream. The SCTP Nationals will be in July and the Collegian in October.
I would like to see a record crowd at this year’s shoot, so I hope you make plans to attend. The third building in vendor’s row should be complete, and they have already leased some of the spaces. I will leave you with words of wisdom from a good friend of mine who always says, “Keep your head down, follow through, and bust ’em”.
Roger McNamer
ATA Delegate
Wisconsin
For some reason, I almost missed submitting this article, just like last month. (Shooters, I apologize for not having an article last month. I could say I did not have anything to talk about, but most of you know I always have something to say.) Technology and I don’t always get along, as I already wrote this month’s article once before but it did not save. Ugh. Elissa with TRAP & FIELD, thank you for putting up with me always e-mailing and asking, “Can I still submit?” Those of you who don’t know her, she is awesome. There is a lot of work that goes into putting the magazine together each month. Thank you to the staff.
We are just coming out of the deep freeze, but the lucky shooters who enjoyed Florida shooting had it made (well, some say the wind was not calm). Congrats to our winners at the Florida State Shoot: Thomas Felts, Edward Borske, Dale Prochnow, James Gurkowski, Paul Becker, Gary Reynolds and Stephen Gilbertson. Southern Grand winners were Gilbertson, Geoff Gorres and Felts.
I shot at the National SC for the first time, and what a beautiful place to shoot. Our Southwestern Grand winners from this well-run shoot were Sean Mackin, Donald Labarge, Richard Tesker, Sandra Jo Jack and John Duwe.
Please help out at your club; there is always work to be done there. Thank the people who volunteer their time, so we can shoot. Most of all, keep smiling and be safe.
Sandra Jo Jack
for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring
Eastern Zone
Connecticut
Greetings, all. I’m pleased to report that the 2017 Connecticut Hall of Fame Banquet held March 25 at Bristol F&G was a great success. Close to a hundred guests came out to honor this year’s Hall of Fame inductee, CTA president Tony Minervini, plus special recognition award recipients Ron Kulmann, Bob Hruskocy and Jason Marshall. It was warming and enjoyable to hear each of these worthy gentlemen’s words upon acceptance of their individual honors. A special thank you to Hall of Fame chairman Eddie Hale for not just this celebration but also for the many years he has been chairman of CTA Hall of Fame. He has always entertained with great wit and his knowledge of the history of our sport and its shooters.
Our state team is posted on the website www.cttrap.com, but I would like to list them here and congratulate them as well: Tony Lobo, .9457; Dave Bicknell, .9392; Joseph Wheeler, .9377; Brian Scussel, .9237; Hani Hafez, .9206; Robert Cooper, .9196; Mike Hamlin, .9175; Mike Lipetz, .9056; Andy Repko, .9053; Rich DeSerio, .8931.
Preparations are well under way for this year’s state shoot to be held June 23-25 at the Hartford GC. By publication of this letter, program books will be in hand and also available online, along with info on shoot dates and results for our local clubs. Be sure that your ATA membership is up to date as well as your average card. It is great to shoot in the sun and warm temps at last. Hope to see you there.
Rich Latouf
ATA Delegate
New Jersey
It’s April 24, and Mother Nature has been teasing us with warm weather a few days and then back to overcast, cool, rainy weather the next few days. Earlier in the month NJCTC pulled their Pat-Traps out of the houses, fearing the river would inundate them. Fortunately the water didn’t come up to what was predicted. Oh well, the weather should be better by the time you read this.
This past Saturday and Sunday were good examples of what I’m talking about. April 22 Pine Belt had their 500-bird singles marathon, and Pine Valley was holding their annual AIM Shoot. All week the weather forecasters were saying that Saturday was going to be the nicer of the two days, with warm temperatures and sunny. It was in the 50s, overcast and a slight drizzle on and off all day, and during the fifth hundred of the singles, I was told (I shot only 300) it really came down. Weather at both kept shooters home. Sunday was nice with temperatures approaching 70 in some parts of the state.
It seems I missed Tony Pietrofitta’s shooting totals for 2016. Tony should have been No. 16 in the 10,000 Target Club on Page 35 of the 2017 state shoot program; he finished with 10,300 targets.
Pine Valley held their annual Quarter Grand April 9-10, with Dan Biggs taking the singles trophy on Saturday. Francis Simcick led the handicap, and Robert Oswald paced the doubles on Sunday.
Gene Moir Jr. attended the April 9 shoot at Howell TC in Farmingdale, winning the handicap and getting punched to the 27-yard line for the first time. Congratulations, Gene! Bryan Romanow paced the doubles event, and Doug Bracher led the singles.
It was reported that 49 young adults attended Pine Valley’s annual AIM Shoot on April 22. Targets and ammo were paid for by the generous membership of Pine Valley. Other contributors were the North Jersey CTC, White Flyer, Blaser USA and Krieghoff International. Blaser and Krieghoff had tents up where young shooters could look at and demo various shotguns. Romanow led the singles race, Austin Schantz led the handicap, and Duncan Stevenson paced the doubles. Bryan also topped the all-around.
As you read this, the New Jersey State Shoot is going on or has just been completed. Hopefully I’ll be reelected as your state ATA Delegate. If not, it has been enjoyable writing about your shooting exploits during the year.
Looking ahead to July, the NJSTA is sponsoring the 18th Garden State Grand at the Pine Belt homegrounds. As mentioned in earlier articles, the shoot date has been changed to end on the second Sunday of July instead of the third, and the entire program has been revised to appeal to a broader shooting base. July 7 will be 100 singles, 100 handicap and 50 pair of doubles. July 8 will be 200 singles and 100 handicap, and July 9 will be 100 singles and 100 handicap. We listened to what shooters wanted, and hopefully we met their requests.
If you haven’t picked up a hard copy of the 2017 program, go to njsta.com and read the options and starting times for each day’s events for the Garden State Grand.
Joe Sissano
ATA Delegate
Pennsylvania
June is finally here, and that means you are probably reading this article during the Pennsylvania State Shoot—10 of my favorite days of the year. With the state’s largest shoot upon us, I would like to remind everyone of a few items to make this shoot and others as enjoyable as possible.
The first is the need to have a paper average card and have it up to date for proper classification. Some shooters receive one from the ATA, and all shooters have access through the Shooter Information Center at www.shootata.com. Without an updated average card, classification personnel can only go by what is available, which could result in your not being classified in the proper class or yardage and could possibly result in disqualification from an event or events.
Second, please become familiar with the most recent rules. Not everyone can be an expert, but everyone should have a working knowledge of our discipline. The ATA Rulebook is also available on the website, and a hard copy can be requested from the ATA office in Sparta. When in doubt on the rules, ask shoot management, line supervisors, or your ATA Delegates.
Finally, two items that run hand in hand are courtesy and integrity. A little patience will go a long way, particularly toward scorekeepers and other shooters. Remember that everyone has different experience levels with trapshooting and may not be familiar with proper etiquette or procedures. A polite explanation or discussion will carry more weight than a loud voice or profanity. Please keep your emotions in check and conduct yourself as an adult should.
While attending a local club shoot, I witnessed a shooter go to shoot management and declare that they were placed in a class lower than they should have been and requested to be moved up. It turned out that the shooter would have won the lower class outright had they not said anything. I also learned that same shooter declared a lost target during the program that the scorekeeper scored dead, thus lowering the score by one target. This also turned out to be the difference of a winning score in the higher class.
Recently the Schuylkill Co. Winter League wrapped up their 24-shoot season. There were 207 shooters participating and eight clubs represented. Valley View won the team trophy, and individual awards were won by Jim Lechleitner with the high-over-all score, Bob Lenker for high senior, Tyler Brown for high junior, and Sarah D’Agostino for high lady.
We had a contingent of Pennsylvania shooters travel to San Antonio for the Southwestern Grand. Five shooters brought home 24 trophies, with the ladies leading the way. Deborah Ohye-Neilson carted home 15 awards, including all-around and HOA for her category and being down only one target to the HOA champion for the week. Peggy Carney brought back four awards, including class HOA, with Mark Polojac, Don Neilson (two), and John Worner (two) rounding out our winners. Congratulations to all.
I look forward to seeing everyone in Elysburg, and if anyone has any noteworthy information or questions, I can be reached at [email protected].
Steve Ross Jr.
ATA Alternate Delegate
Southern Zone
Alabama
By the time you get this, we will just be finishing the Alabama State Shoot. I hope all who were there had a good time and shot well. I hope you all had a chance to get to some of the other shoots that preceded our shoot. As I am packing to leave for the Georgia State Shoot, the weather outlook looks good through Sunday. I will let you know on how things turned out in a report down the road.
I would like everyone to look at their commitment to trapshooting in our state. We need some folks to become officers and help run the state association. This has been a tough year on Anthony, Tim and myself, and even Bill Parson has tried to help. Trying to get ready for the state shoot is a big chore. A couple of people can’t do this, as we all have jobs and families as well. So let’s step up and lend a hand; being an officer should give you some gratification that you helped your fellow shooters. It’s not that hard if we all work together.
I do want to thank all who have helped throughout the shooting year. You all deserve a lot of praise for giving back your time to make a good shoot for the rest.
Read the Rulebook and learn the rules so we don’t have mistakes that can’t be reversed. Knowing the rules and thinking you do are two different things. Good luck and good shooting to all.
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 anytime at 205-410-8201 or [email protected].
Fred Jensen
ATA Delegate
Florida
We are almost finished with all the major tournaments scheduled in Florida for this season. The last will be the telephonic ATA Southern Zone Shoot July 13-16. The Silver Dollar will be one of the clubs hosting this. Be sure to read the program mailed to you and schedule the dates into your calendar. Every year our Florida shooters compete extremely well, taking their share of the Southern Zone trophies. See you there!
We have some Florida shooters who achieved trapshooting milestones recently. In handicap, Gerald Armstrong was awarded his 50K certificate and pin. Andrew Loitz was awarded his 25K pin and certificate in singles. We had two milestones in doubles: Kay Ohye, 200,000, and Jack Schumpert, 25K. Congrats to all.
Some news from Silver Dollar: For those trapshooters not already hearing that Silver Dollar will not be hosting the Dixie Grand in 2018, please keep the January dates open. Bill Miller, Silver Dollar trap manager, has advised me that the entire Silver Dollar staff, the FTA and the Silver Dollar Corporation are designing a new trapshoot for that time slot. As details are firmed up, I will share them with you so you can plan ahead. Right now, from what Miller has advised me, it will be a shoot with money and awards.
Announcement of expanded shotgun shooting opportunities at the Indian River County Range, located on the east coast at the Fellsmere exit on I-95: at this time, registered shooting has not been scheduled. The county range opened three trapfields, three skeet fields, one 5-stand and a 14-station sporting clays course. As I hear more about their schedule, I will advise on what they may be offering.
I was saddened to learn about the passing of Richard (Dick) Dodson. Since he was close to many of us on the east coast, we knew him as a very instrumental club member, trapshooter and worker at the Port Malabar R&PC. For those who knew him and worked side by side with him, we can only hope and pray for his eternal happiness with our Lord and Savior. We all thank you, Dick, for sharing your life with us.
Larry Grenevicki
ATA Delegate
North Carolina
The 2017 Dogwood Open at the NC Homegrounds in Bostic was successful. Weather and attendance was great up until Sunday, and only then a few were brave enough to shoot in the cold, wet and windy weather. The NCTA and NCTHOF boards again worked well together to jointly host four days. Shooters from several Southern states as well as some from other ATA Zones competed for awards. All in all, I think everyone enjoyed our Carolina hospitality, good targets and clubhouse facilities. Winners, who received U.S. silver dollars as trophies, will be reported in other sections of the magazine.
I have ATA Gun Club Fund raffle tickets available for a $20 tax-deductible donation. A Perazzi High Tech Trap Combo will be awarded at the 2017 Grand American to a lucky donor. All proceeds go to the ATA Gun Club Fund and will be distributed to deserving ATA gun clubs as grants.
Remember to visit www.nctrap.com and www.tarheeltrap.com for NC shooting information. If you have information you would like to see in this article, please contact me at [email protected] or 919-357-6859.
Jeff Galloway
ATA Delegate
South Carolina
South Carolina had a good representation at the Dogwood shoot in Bostic, NC. South Carolina trophy winners were Gary Olson, Wayne Franz, Bill Ward, Frank Ketron and Tammie Wilkins. The Bostic facility has been awarded the Dixie Satellite Grand American, to be held the first week in October. This is a great move for area shooters. Since that was the same date we had for our Hall of Fame Shoot, we will have a meeting at the Georgia State Shoot to determine a new date. Check next month’s column for the date; it will be published on trapshooters.com as well.
Speaking of the Georgia State Shoot, I am packed and leave tomorrow. Hope to have a huge list of SC shooters’ names as winners in next month’s column.
I’m sorry to report the death of Lee Roberts, a Mid Carolina shooter. To quote Rodney Raines, the club’s trap director, “It is with much sadness that I must report our fellow Mid Carolina member, trapshooter, 5-stand shooter, skeet shooter and sporting clays shooter, Lee Roberts, passed last night in his sleep. We shot with him as a regular Tuesday Big 50 shooter just yesterday. He always had the fields set up and the gate opened for me every Tuesday.” Thanks, Rodney, for your info on Lee. Please keep Lee and his family in your prayers.
Two of our South Carolina shooters, Teresa Knight and Gary Olson, have their names in TRAP & FIELD as being among the shooters in their categories who shot the most doubles targets during the 2016 target year.
This week starts our trap season full bore with Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, zone and Grand with a few more in between. Hope to see you at the shoots and that you shoot well. I can be reached at [email protected].
Jim Faber
ATA Delegate
Tennessee
If you like state shoots, then June is your kind of month: Alabama, June 1-4, Dixie T&S, Mathews; North Carolina, June 7-11, North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic; Tennessee, June 13-14, AIM State Shoot, June 15-18, state shoot, TCTC, Nashville; Arkansas, June 21-25, Arkansas G&FF SSC, Jacksonville; Kentucky, June 27-July 2, Central Kentucky GC, Berea; Virginia, June 28-July 2, VA Homegrounds-Winchester GC, Stephenson.
Once again this year at Tennessee state, we will be giving resident as well as non-resident trophies and All-American points pins for second and third place in all categories.
This year we will be trying the two-bank system. We will start six squads at a time on the odd-numbered traps, shoot 50 targets, and then move to the adjoining even trap to shoot the final 50 targets.
Read the Rulebook, please.
Check out our website at Shootatatn.com for more info. For questions or further information, contact me at [email protected] or 731-217-9957.
Billy Cook
ATA Delegate
West Virginia
Every year during the annual WVATA winter meeting, the board of directors vote on nominations for the West Virginia Trapshooting Hall of Fame. This year the board decided to award Douglas Damron with this honor. During the West Virginia Hall of Fame Shoot, which is held June 10-11 at the Marshall Co. H&FC in Moundsville, Doug will be inducted. If you’re at a shoot and see Doug, be sure to congratulate him.
West Virginia shooters in Florida have been putting up some impressive scores and have the trophies to show for it. Tammy Jackson started it off when she broke 94 in the Federal Handicap during the Dixie Grand. After a shootoff with three others, Tammy was victorious, bringing that title home to wild and wonderful West Virginia. Then on Sunday during the Dixie Grand, Tammy broke 93, becoming the Dixie Grand Lady I champion as well.
During the Florida State Shoot, Doug Damron won the Preliminary Handicap with 97. The next day during the Sunshine State Handicap, he broke another 97 and took non-resident senior vet. Doug also took senior vet high-over-all with 1,220. Morgan Lough broke his first 100 straight during the Florida State Shoot, and Mark Isner surpassed 100,000 registered doubles.
Five West Virginia shooters made the trek to the Southern Grand. Damron started off on the right foot, breaking the first 100 singles. During the Preliminary Doubles, Mark Isner and West Virginia ATA president Scott Ross broke 96s. Ross ended up Class A runnerup after a carryover. Damron broke 93 during the Caesar Guerini Handicap, which tied with four others. He decided to forgo the shootoff and ended up ninth.
I would like to congratulate all of the West Virginia shooters who have started the year off well.
Be sure to check the WVATA website, as the 2017 West Virginia state team has been updated.
If you have any newsworthy information, please write to me. I can be reached at [email protected]. For further information concerning the happenings of the West Virginia ATA, please visit our website www.wvata.com.
Nicholas Harden
ATA Delegate
