Around the ATA
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.
Central Zone
Indiana
Greetings, shooters! As I write this, we are just a few days away from the Indiana State Shoot, and the ITA directors and volunteers are in high gear getting ready. When you are likely reading this report from Indiana, many of you will be at the Grand American, and the Indiana State Shoot as well as the ATA Central Zone Shoot in Evansville will be complete. My wish is we are all at the Grand talking about how great everything went at Indiana and the Central Zone. I know everyone involved with putting on these shoots will have done everything in their power to make it a success . . . I just hope Mother Nature cooperated with us this year!
I hope everyone has had a safe and successful spring and early summer. Many have been busy attending shoots at local clubs as well as traveling to big shoots in other states. Between the Great Lakes Grand in Michigan, to the Illinois and Tennessee State Shoots, then to the Ohio State Shoot, then to either Michigan or the Kentucky State Shoot, it’s a hectic time of year for trapshooters.
Speaking of the Great Lakes Grand, congratulations go to Tom Neal on winning the Singles Championship. Tom won the handicap in 2016, so he has quite an impressive run of success going there.
It’s always nice to go through the Ohio State Shoot trophy list and see so many Indiana shooters bringing home trophies. This year’s winners in Ohio include Debbie Thompson, Thomas Rhoads, Devon Harris, Bobby Hubble, Ronette Brumfield, Garl Gresley, Tom Neal, Kenneth Heathcoate, Michael Gooch, Tim Bitter, Tank Lunsford, Tim Miller, Ginny Matthews, Linda Lovell, Adam Hart, John Roussel, Rhett Wierenga, Vern Brown, Bo Redd, Roger Thompson and Gene Schneck.
As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything. My e-mail is [email protected].
Jason Barnett
ATA Delegate
Iowa
By the time you read this, the Iowa State Shoot will have come and gone. Now it’s time for the Grand American. I hope to see many Iowa shooters every night shooting off under the lights. I will follow up on winners in later articles from the state shoot as well as the Heartland Grand. Everyone, please make sure to save a few days to shoot at Stockdale GC. This is a lot of shooters’ favorite shoot of the year. It’s a great way to get a lot of targets for the 2018 shooting year. The food, hospitality and people are the best in the game.
Thank you to everyone who made the state shoot a successful tournament, as well as to all who support our state shoot from all over the country. If you have any concerns, please let us know, as we want to make the Iowa State Shoot the very best.
Congratulations to Bill Nelson, who shot at his 25,000th handicap target. Thank you for your dedication to the ATA.
I can be reached at 712-830-2611.
Heath Kasperbauer
ATA Delegate
Andy Suda is to be inducted into the Michigan Hall of Fame in 2018.
Michigan
For the 2017 state shoot, we had sunny but windy weather despite dire forecasts of several days of thundershowers. Each of the last three years we had 15 events.
In 2015 we had 627 shooters and threw 336,100 registered targets. In 2016 we had 632 shooters and threw 316,900 registered targets, and in 2017 we had 656 shooters and threw 308,400 registered targets.
In 2017 participation was up the first day and even with last year on the second day. On the third, fourth and fifth day, participation was down 40 to 50 shooters per event. It’s possible that the very bad weather forecasts kept shooters at home. On Saturday and Sunday participation was up about 20 shooters per event.
As always at the Michigan State Shoot, there were several fun events. Leland Hassler won the shootoff for a golf cart, and the “Shells for a Year” were split for the second year in a row—this time between Bill Grill and Victoria Ternes. Ending up with 26 flats of shells each is not bad.
The MTA Hall of Fame had a very successful silent auction, raising funds for building improvements. Additionally, the MTA Hall of Fame Board is pleased to announce that Andy Suda and Jim Doolittle will be the inductees into the Michigan Hall of Fame for the 2018 class. Congratulations for such an amazing legacy!
Until next time, shoot well!
- B. Lewis, Darryl Hayes
MTA president, ATA Delegate
Minnesota
It is warm and sunny as I write this—we have had our fair share of storms and weather, and perhaps soon it will settle down.
Friday evening we had an awards banquet to honor all Minnesota shooters’ accomplishments over the past year. We also inducted Steve and Kathy Shane (Fairmont) and Tom Townsend (Alexandria) into the MTA Hall of Fame.
Owatonna will be a host site for the ATA Central Zone July 28-30. This is an awesome location for this shoot—plenty of traps and parking, and the people are outstanding. Come and join us. The Minnesota zone shoots are done, and the high school shoots are over for the spring. Congrats go out to the hundreds of coaches and thousands of youth shooters on another safe and fun season. Please join us for registered ATA shoots at your local clubs.
The Grand American starts on Aug. 2. This is an event for all ATA shooters, and I will be there for the entire tournament. Look me up when you get there. Remember that the Grand is all about the experience. You can compete with shooters from the U.S., Canada and all around the world at one venue! It is eye opening to shoot with an Australian and a Brazilian on your squad. The colors, the sights and the sounds are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I would be so happy to show you around.
We from Minnesota would love to see you on the line for our state shoot. Good luck in all your shooting adventures.
Once again, hug your family and friends, and make sure they know how you feel. We are not promised tomorrow. Today is what counts! Family first. If you have any questions or comments, contact me at 612-703-6155 or [email protected]. Thanks for your confidence in me as your ATA Delegate; I am humbled.
Mark Stevens
ATA Delegate
North Dakota
It’s been a windy spring this year, but that didn’t stop over 900 high school athletes, both male and female from 38 schools, from competing in the Spring Clay Target League. In North Dakota the State High School Clay Target League started in 2014 with 90 participants from four schools. The individual shooters are divided into three categories, depending on ability: novice with an average of less the 15, junior varsity with an average of 15 and less than 19, and varsity with an average greater than 19. The league started April 2 and concluded with the state tournament at The Shooting Park in Horace June 17. The High Average Award for the league went to Kyle Kempel from Oak Grove Lutheran High School in Fargo with an average of 24.2. The High Average Award for a female was awarded to Gabby Fischer from Central High School in Grand Forks with 22.5. The team event at the state tournament was won by Sheyenne High School (361×375), followed by Grand Forks Central (356) and Devils Lake (352).
Other noteworthy achievements include Brian Mohler shooting 100 straight in doubles June 10. This was Brian’s second. His first was when he was a junior . . . now he is a sub-vet! Bob Reis made it back to the 27-yard line after a pair of 96s in Spokane, WA. Using his “backup” gun, Chad Gerloff also made it back to the 27-yard line at the Roughrider in Minot.
I hope to see you at the Grand!
Tim Kaffar
ATA Delegate
Ohio
The Buckeye Open, which ran May 31-June 4, was another success this year. Total entries were 5,252 for the five-day shoot. The Open had a total of 1,832 entries in the championship events, which gave us a Competition Factor of 5. The Open had a few additional events which qualified for All-American points. Luke and Jake Spengler did an excellent job of preparing for and running the shoot.
Weather at the Buckeye Open was great, and the targets were some of the best I have seen come from a traphouse. Bob Stuart did an excellent job keeping everything posted and up to date as the shoot progressed. This shoot was run like a well-oiled machine, as are practically all shoots held at the Cardinal Center. The third vendor building was open with new vendors, but the locker room is not quite ready yet for shooters. The Cardinal Center is presently in the process of building more campsites to accommodate the increase in shooters each year.
Winners and runnerups for the championship events are as follows: singles, Jacob Austin and Ian Darroch; handicap, Michael Wengerd and Jason Galata; doubles, David Shaeffer and Michael Blair; and all-around and HOA, Wengerd.
I hope to see everyone who attended the Open turn out for the state shoot, along with several more, which would indicate the Cardinal Center is growing every year. Mr. Fishburn is doing everything possible to make the Cardinal Center one of the finest facilities available. They are currently working on a third sporting clays course. Mr. Fishburn indicated that he is contemplating putting up a shot curtain the length of the trap range, which would be high enough for the targets and would eliminate the problem of visibility on some banks. He indicated the expense of the material alone would be in excess of a quarter-million dollars, not including everything else to get it installed. As far as I know, this would be the first facility of this magnitude east of the Mississippi to have this kind of background. As the song says, “I can only imagine.” That tidbit of information will give you shooters something to chew the fat over.
I will leave you all with the words of wisdom from my good friend: keep your head down, follow through, and “bust ’em.”
Roger McNamer
ATA Delegate
Craig and Sharon Hart donated 33 gold coins to be awarded during the Western Grand at Vernal R&GC.
South Dakota
The SD State High School Clay Target League just finished their state tournament in Aberdeen this June. There were 306 shooters from 21 SD schools who attended—quite an increase from the inaugural shoot last year, when 123 youngsters from seven schools participated. Shooters compete in a nine-week league in the spring that finishes with conference champions. After that, shooting ends with the state tournament. In all, there were 515 young men and women who shot the league this year. Already there is talk of more schools joining the fun in 2018. All these new shooters are keeping their local clubs very busy, and many thanks go out to all the volunteers who help to keep things running smoothly!
At the Izaak Walton club in Pierre, they expanded from two traps to four to handle all of the extra kids shooting, and they are starting to hold some registered shoots—something that hasn’t been seen in the area for a while. Great news!
The White Tree TC in Aberdeen (located at Todd Hanson’s farm) held its first registered shoot in June. It’s nice to have more gun clubs in South Dakota to visit.
I had the opportunity to visit the Vernal R&GC when the Western Grand was held earlier this summer and had a great time. Sean and Stacy put on a great shoot. Don’t pass up a chance to give it a try; lots of good scores are shot there. Plus, there aren’t many places any more where you can shoot for gold coins, but thanks to Craig Hart and wife Sharon, there were 33 of them to be won at this shoot. Thank you!
Remember to take someone new to the gun club next time you go shooting.
If you have any info you would like to see in this column, let me know. As always, I can be reached at 605-940-4578 or [email protected].
Bob Felber
ATA Delegate
Wisconsin
I am at the SCTP shoot at Wisconsin’s WTA Homegrounds working the Kolar trailer and looking at the trapline seeing 1,294 youth shooters with their parents today. Even the family dogs watched. Thank you to coaches and parents who take the time to spend countless hours with their kids just so they can shoot. I would like to thank a fine young man named Jackson who was a big help to me in the Kolar trailer helping with customers. We are blessed to have such fine young shooters who will step up to help.
Wisconsin zone shoots are long over, but the winners are still proud of their winnings. The north east zone shoot was held at Fox Valley GC, and winners included George Hass, handicap; Stefan Jankowski, doubles and HOA; and Dwight Paulin, singles. Congratulations to these fine shooters.
The southeast zone was at Beaver Dam GC with hot and windy conditions. Congratulations to the winners: Travis Mantz, singles and HOA; Steve Ebsen, handicap; and Michael Thomas, doubles. Ken Beutler shot at his 25,000th doubles target and hit it.
Great shooters to win the southwest zone were Cathy Wehinger with the lone 200 in the singles; Dave Studnika, handicap; and Jon Denman, doubles and HOA.
The northwest zone was held at Eau Claire R&G with not-so-good weather. Targets did what targets do on windy days. Congratulations to the winners: Randy Bolton, singles; Gerald Demulling, handicap and HOA; and Geoff Gorres, doubles.
Congratutions to all zone winners, and thank you to those who attended.
Don Chrapla, Kevin Doerring and Fritz Thistle, I would like to thank you for giving me information about the shoots to put into my article. If you have any information about shoots, shooters who are doing a great job helping, or clubs, please e-mail me at sandrajjack @yahoo.com.
Thank you for all of the volunteers at the clubs we all get to shoot at. Please ask at your next shoot if there is anything you can help with.
Remember to keep smiling; I am.
Sandra Jo Jack
for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring
Eastern Zone
Connecticut
Greetings to all. We have just wrapped up our 102nd Connecticut State Shoot, and I would like to thank everyone for their attendance and hope all enjoyed the weekend. I would also like to thank the CTA officers and Delegates who contributed their time and efforts to preparing and working over the weekend in an effort to make the shoot a success; Hartford GC, who hosted our annual shoot (the grounds and facility were in top condition); Joe Cimino and Fran MacDonald, our trophy committee; and Joyce Morris and her fantastic team cashiering and helping out above and beyond the call of duty! Congratulations to all the winners. Visit our website www.cttrap.com for the complete list.
Rich Latouf
ATA Delegate
Delaware
The DTA is excited to announce that the 114th Delaware Trapshooting Championships were a success. We were up 11,000 targets over last year’s total of 117,000. We owe thanks to Jeff and Patty Slimm, Jeff Whalen and all the crew at Pine Belt SC who had the grounds looking great and kept the line running smoothly. Jeff was also busy with the tractor, pulling campers out after the rain had left the grounds a little slippery. Also thank you to Merlynn and Cindy Wegter and Fred and Paula Branscome for the great job squadding and cashiering the shoot. From my viewpoint, everything ran exceptionally smoothly. We can’t forget all the shooters who traveled from near and far to compete. Shooters came from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama and Florida and even one from Ireland. Also a big thank you to Sig Sauer and my Alternate Delegate Bud Fini for providing us with a beautiful raffle gun. Congratulations to our winner Lisa Long. Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket.
At our state meeting, all board of directors members were reelected, with Ed Meeks filling a vacant director at large seat left by Allan Bennett. Thanks for your service, Allan. Welcome aboard, Ed; we’re looking forward to working with you. Jerry Burkert will serve as our Kent Co. director as of the untimely passing of Ron Vincent.
Congratulations to our event champions: Kie Kababik, singles and doubles, and Fritz Carlsten, handicap.
Our next DTA scheduled shoot will be Oct. 8, National Trapshooting Day, at Wilmington TA. The program will be 100 singles, 100 handicap and 50 pair of doubles. We hope to see you there.
Finally, I would like to wish all our shooters who will be attending the Grand American good luck. I know you will represent us well.
Until the next time, shoot well and shoot often.
John Patchell
ATA Delegate
New Jersey
Our 2017 state shoot is history. Youth reigned supreme in the Singles Championship; two juniors led resident scoring with 198s. Bryan Romanow bested Duncan Stevenson for the title, and Duncan fell back to capture the junior trophy. Keith Guinn led the handicap with 97. Robert Malmstedt captured another doubles championship, and Mark Wade took the all-around award. All winners can be found on www.njsta.com.
Elections were held Saturday night of the state shoot. Craig Gasparine was elected to fill the remaining one-year term of the past president, who resigned due to relocating out of state. Jeff Slimm was elected to fill the remaining one-year term of the first vice president’s position, and Joe Sissano and Craig Gasparine were reelected to fill the ATA Delegate and Alternate Delegate positions, respectively.
State bragging rights went to the team from the south, defeating the north team 975 to 968. The south team members were Romanow, Daniel Brandreth, Doug Bracher, Patty Slimm and Thomas Green Sr.; congratulations!
I’d like to thank Tom Wolf for again helping me distribute the trophies to the winners this year; also a special thank you to Len Fennimore, who stepped up Sunday afternoon to help me determine the winners in the doubles, handicap, all-around and HOA. Also, I’d like to thank Richard Batesko, Vinny Ranelli and Merlynn Wegter for taking turns helping me at classification.
One hundred ten New Jersey shooters traveled to the Pennsylvania State Shoot in Elysburg the following two weekends, and 23 were successful in capturing 34 awards. Malmstedt led the trophy winners with seven; Gene Moir Jr., Sue Emma, Romanow, Jack Rodgers, and George Wright had two apiece; and Tom Clarke, Joseph Clarke, Raymond Dirisio, Terry Shaffer, John Homan, Peter Frederiks, Kolleen Adams, Gil Dinallo, Art Colabella, Patty Slimm, Ryan Moore, Tom Wolf, Justin Malone, Diniz Cordeiro, Marc Invidiato, Sam Osterhoudt and Green each earned one.
The following weekend, Mallard TC held their Hot Dog Shoot. Steve Ottrando reported that 36 shooters turned out. Carlos Gomes led the field with 95, and Sam Osterhoudt was runnerup with 94. Windy conditions held scoring down. Greg Menshoff was the A victor, John Marini B, Steve Lokos C and Tom Ocasio D.
The Poor Man’s Grand is Aug. 12-13. Usually held at the Groundswiper’s GC in Lacey Township, it is being moved this year to the Pine Belt SC in Shamong. An expanded version is as follows: 200 singles on Saturday then 50 pair doubles, 100 handicap and 100 singles on Sunday. See Page 65 of the 2017 state program for details.
Pine Valley is holding their club shoot Sept. 2-3, followed by the annual Lady Bird Shoot Sept. 4 (Labor Day). The 2018 northern zone shoot is scheduled for NJCTC in Fairfield Sept. 22-24, with satellite shoots at Pine Valley and Howell TC just on the 23rd and 24th.
If you have an idea for an article or just a question, I can be reached at 732-546-7910 or [email protected].
Joe Sissano
ATA Delegate
New York
Greetings to all my friends from New York and the other states and provinces. I hope all is well with everyone and you are doing much trapshooting.
The 2017 New York State western zone was held at Tonawandas SC on June 3-4. The singles champion was Jim Flint, and runnerup was Dan Tartick. Each posted a 198. During Sunday’s doubles, it was Flint and Tartick again, with 94 and 93, respectively. Andy Warren won the handicap with 97, and Larry Quirk was runnerup with 93. The all-around winner was Flint with 381×400, and Tartick was runnerup with 380. Thanks to all who attended.
During the Pennsylvania State Shoot in Elysburg, New York shooters won a number of trophies. In the Colonial Classic, in the Deborah Ohye-Neilson Handicap, eighth place was taken by Brad Heath, 10th place was won by Bob Edwards, and Eddie Giza was the senior veteran winner; in the Deborah Ohye-Neilson Doubles, Justin Slater was champion, Flint was AA winner, Class A runnerup was Eddie Cotton, sub-veteran winner was Chris Vendel, and Lady I runnerup was Cathy Barney Giza. In the Colonial Classic singles Events 1 and 4, Class AA winner was Flint, junior runnerup was Alexcis Coningsby, Justin Slater was the junior gold runnerup, and Vendel was the sub-veteran winner. In the Larry Shade Handicap, William Wallis was veteran winner, and Lady I winner was Heidi Womer. In the Evan Mood Doubles, AAA winner was Heath, junior gold winner was Slater, and sub-veteran winner was Urban Womer. In the all-around, Slater was the junior gold winner.
In the state shoot itself, in the Hall of Fame Handicap, junior gold winner was Slater, and Heidi Womer was the Lady I victor. In the Hall of Fame Singles, Class A winner was Donald Grossman, and junior gold winner was Slater. In the Media Handicap, Aguila Singles, and Aguila Doubles, Slater was the junior gold winner. In the Aguila Handicap, Grossman took third place, and Slater was junior gold high. In the Rio Ammunition Singles, Vendel was non-resident sub-veteran winner, and non-resident Lady I winner was Tiffany Decker. In the Rio Ammunition Handicap, John Kaysa was non-resident champion, Heath took fourth, and Sam Astuto was sub-veteran. In the Rio Ammunition Doubles, non-resident trophy winners were AA, Curt Robbins; B, Michael Mincel; junior gold, Slater; sub-veteran, Vendel; veteran, Keith Welch; and Lady I, Decker. The non-resident winners in the Singles Class Championship were AAA, Heath; AA, Curt Robbins; B, Henry Dawes; junior gold, Slater; veteran, Barney Knoeferl; Lady I, Decker; Lady II, Peggy Lotz; and senior veteran runnerup, James Noyes. In the Federal Handicap, the non-resident winners were high gun, Vendel; fifth, Heath; junior, Coningsby; junior gold, Slater; and sub-veteran, Richard Mastin. In the Doubles Class Championship, the non-resident winners were B runnerup, Richard Sauer; junior runnerup, Coningsby; junior gold runnerup, Slater; sub-veteran runnerup; Vendel; and senior veteran runnerup, Mike Latocha.
In the Kreighoff Handicap, the non-resident winners were high gun, Slater; fourth, William Compton; fifth, Henry Dawes; veteran, Howard Dailey; senior veteran, Frank Benvenuto; Lady II, Patricia Card; and chair, James Reinhart. In the Doubles Championship, the non-resident winners were AAA, Heath; A runnerup, Todd Hosbach; B, Thom Gebler; D, Sam Astuto; junior gold runnerup, Slater; senior veteran runnerup, Mike Mincel. In the Singles Championship, non-resident winners were high gun, Keith Miranda; AAA, Dave Proper; AA runnerup, Greg Tartick; junior gold, Slater; sub-veteran, Dan Tartick; veteran, Dave Clary; veteran runnerup, Rich Burden; senior veteran, Latocha; senior veteran runnerup, James S. Wright; Lady II, Lotz; and Lady II runnerup, Patricia Card. In the Handicap Championship, non-resident winners were third, Heath; fifth, William Boldt; eighth, Tom Horenburg; junior gold, Slater; sub-veteran, Vendel; sub-veteran runnerup, George Panarisi; veteran runnerup, Daniel Slater; Lady I runnerup, Mary Dries; and Lady II, Card. In the all-around, non-resident winners were high gun, Heath; C, Cotton; D, John Preto; junior gold, Slater; and senior veteran, Latocha. In the non-resident high-over-all: high gun, Slater, AAA, Heath; AA, Robbins; and B, Mincel. All trophy winners can be viewed on Bob Stuart’s webpage www.rjstuart.com and in this issue.
Congratulations to Bob (Sully) Sullivan of Mt. Morris, NY, for winning the K-80 Trap Combo in the Krieghoff shootoff on Friday. Sully went seven rounds to win the gun. Great going, Sully!
If anyone wants something written in this column, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I am always looking for good stories to put here.
See you soon, and good shooting. God bless you all.
Dave Cichelli
ATA Alternate Delegate
Ontario
Greetings from Ontario, Canada. On behalf of all Ontario shooters, we wish all competitors at Sparta the very best. And as Eastern Zone Vice President, on behalf of our many sharpshooters from the East, have a great competition.
Keep in mind that it takes a great deal of effort, planning and troubleshooting by a great many people to successfully run a competition of the magnitude of our Grand American. If you get an opportunity, thank the ATA personnel, and don’t forget the many volunteers. There are likely to be a few glitches here and there—there usually are. But overall, our August event is the showcase of our shooting talent, the place where everyone wants to perform at a level that exceeds our wildest dreams. For many, winning a trophy at the Grand is a lifelong accomplishment.
Take pride in the fact that the ATA is in charge of virtually all aspects of our tournaments. It has been in recent years, at least from the numbers I have reviewed, financially and functionally efficient.
My point here is, be grateful the ATA is in charge of its own destiny. With the checks and balances, oversight and strategic planning and delivery of programs, events and services, it is one of the best “bangs for your buck” available.
Have a great Grand.
Paul Shaw
ATA Eastern Zone Vice President
Pennsylvania
Hello, Pennsylvania shooters! It’s Grand month, and I hope everyone has safe travels to and from Sparta and posts great scores in pursuit of Grand trophies! June is always a busy month with our own state shoot in Elysburg. This year was no different. The state shoot hosts the state championship for both the SCTP and AIM shooters during the Colonial Classic at the beginning of the week. Saturday saw 256 youth shooters competing for the SCTP awards, and Sunday hosted 270 entrants for the AIM championships. State coordinator for SCTP and AIM, Sherry Anderson, did a fantastic job in coordinating the events this year, and I offer my thanks for all the hard work she puts into both organizations as well as her own teams from Warren County. A big thank you goes out to the youth shooters and their families for their participation and dedication to our sport. It is always great to see the family atmosphere during that first weekend.
This year’s state shoot had 1,871 shooters take the line in anticipation of breaking a winning score during at least one of the 22 events held. Total entries for the week were 11,102, with 2,475 total championship event entries. For those chasing All-American points, this enabled the shoot to have a point value of 6. In looking at the attendance this year, 65% of the shooters are PA residents and 35% are visitors, as trophies are offered for both.
With a full write-up being in Trap & Field this month, I wanted to congratulate those winning the major titles at this year’s shoot. Friday’s Doubles Championship was contested in overtime between junior gold shooter Evan Mood and junior Luke Cowart with in-state high scores of 99. Evan won the state title and Luke took age-group honors.
Saturday’s Singles Championship had five PA shooters cleaning the 200 program targets: Juniors Stephen MacNeal and Christian Koerbler, junior golds Cody Rahn and Ian Fleming, and past state champion Adam Krzyanowski. After battling down to the last target, Fleming ended as this year’s champion, with Krzyanowski taking runnerup. MacNeal and Koerbler ended as junior champ and runnerup, respectively, and Rahn claimed the junior gold crown.
The Handicap Championship had two shooters with 98s vying for the title, James Gontar and Freeman Kline Jr. After the smoke cleared, Kline added to his state championship resume by claiming the title, while Gontar settled into the runnerup spot.
Cumulative awards after Sunday’s events saw Deborah Ohye-Neilson win the HOA title by four targets over the PA field with 1,066. The all-around had to be settled with a three-way shootoff of 392s. Donald Schaffer Jr, Jim Lechleitner and Fleming took to the line. Schaffer ended up as champion, relegating Lechleitner to AA and Fleming to junior gold. Congratulations to all of the above shooters for your accomplishments, and to all the other winners that time and space do not permit me to mention.
I would also like to recognize some personal accomplishments that I was made aware of at this year’s event. Breaking 100 straights for the first time were Joseph Breck IV (13 days after turning 11) and Micah Fmura. Breck’s century came in Thursday’s class singles, and Fmura’s came during Saturday’s Singles Championship. I also learned of two individuals reaching the 27-yard line for the first time: Ryan Ramsay on the first Saturday with a 95 from 26.5 yards, and Wayne Kreisl finished the week with a 96 from 26.5. Congratulations to all four.
The PSSA held their annual meeting Friday morning to discuss new and old business, update the membership on current endeavors, and elect officers of the PSSA plus ATA Delegates. Plans were unveiled for the vision of a shooting complex at the PSSA homegrounds with concepts of vendor buildings, sporting clays ranges and skeet fields that will help transform the PSSA from a trapshooting facility to a shotgunning facility. Elections for officers of the PSSA: Mike Schuler, president; Tom Burkey, vice president; Bert Schoonover, treasurer; and Ken Darroch, secretary. Delegate elections ended with Skip Klinger being voted in as Pennsylvania’s ATA Delegate, with Don Neilson Jr. as First Alternate and Steve Ross Jr. Second Alternate.
I would like to thank the membership for keeping me on the Delegate team. I look forward to continuing working with Don and working with Skip, in his new capacity, to help represent Pennsylvania shooters.
Steve Ross
ATA Alternate Delegate
Southern Zone
Alabama
Well, the state shoot is over for 2017, and what a shoot we had! Even with some heavy downpours Thursday and Friday, we still maintained a good crowd. We were down about 15 shooters overall, but we threw our second-highest number of targets ever. I want to extend congratulations to singles and doubles champion John White IV, who just keeps getting stronger and stronger in the sport. I can’t leave out Kolton Robinson, our handicap champion and one of our AIM shooters. Emily Rankin of Georgia won the combined Alabama-Georgia handicap belt buckle with 97s in both events. Fantastic job by all these folks; it shows our young shooters are really getting after it.
I want to thank all our sponsors. Without your support, we could not do what we have done, and all the worker bees, you all did an excellent job keeping everything moving. It helps make for a smooth-running shoot. It was great to have Elissa Cronk from Trap & Field on site. I can’t wait to read her coverage of the shoot in this issue. She is a great asset to T&F and a wonderful young lady to talk to.
We had shooters at Tennessee and North Carolina representing Alabama, and from the looks of the scoreboards, they all did very well. John White just keeps knocking them out of the box, and Tim Hall and Wayne Sartwell also showed out.
Don’t forget the Rebel Yell will be the third weekend in October at Dixie Trap—an effective way to gain 600 targets early in the target year. Weather will be cool, and the targets will be pretty. Make your reservations early; we hope to see you there.
Read the Rulebook. We all need to learn it. See you at the Grand. 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
Georgia
This is my first report as the newly elected Delegate for the state of Georgia. Serving as such is an honor that I do not take lightly, and I pledge to represent my state and its shooters to the best of my ability.
My thanks go out to my good friend Russ Wright for his outstanding service as Delegate and his help during the transition. Russ is truly one of the good guys and always brought a keen sense of fairness to the job. I’ve noticed that lately Russ is shooting better and better—coincidence?
Well, we are now in the heart of the trapshooting season, and while our numbers may be down slightly, the quality has rarely been better. State singles champion Mike (the Colonel) Bolling has had an outstanding series of state shoots, including a 200 straight in Missouri. State handicap champion Emily Rankin also won the Alabama non-resident handicap with a 97 as well as the North Carolina non-resident Lady I handicap and all-around. Jerry (JT) Osborne III, our state doubles champion, has won multiple trophies in Missouri, Michigan, Alabama and North Carolina.
William Hale has returned to his old shooting form, posting a 197 at the Alabama State Shoot for second-best non-resident. At the Georgia Champions Honor Shoot, junior Gavin Cosper fired his first 100 straight, which tied him with Boone Butler. Boone won the shootoff 25 to 24. Congratulations to you both.
I apologize for all the deserving shooting performances that I have omitted. There were so many that it was very difficult deciding where to draw the line.
I hope to see most of you at our local shoots. Keep up the good shooting.
Rich Griffith
ATA Delegate
Kentucky
The 114th Kentucky State Trapshoot concluded July 2 on several high notes. The shoot was blessed with remarkable weather. Participant numbers were up around 10%, and the remarkable accomplishments of trapshooters from all over the country were numerous.
On Saturday we had 19 200s in the championship singles. Sub-junior Drew Wyatt broke his first 200; he also broke every singles target for the entire shoot, including 100 in the AIM event on Tuesday, for a total of 600 without a loss. Connor Richardson, also a sub-junior, broke all 500 of the singles. Drew won the shootoff when Connor dropped a target on the second box. This is the first time all 500 singles were broken at the Kentucky State Shoot that anyone I talked to can remember. Drew lost the Singles Championship shootoff to champion Tony Willoughby. Donnie Sherrod was the doubles winner following an extensive shootoff on Sunday. The 2017 handicap champion is Clark Hammons.
New this year was the Kentucky High School Challenge. High school trapshooting is relatively new in Kentucky. A junior high school shooter, Blake Williams, broke his first 200 straight in Saturday’s championship singles. The first year of the event attracted eight school teams, with Todd Co. claiming first place. Hart Co. was runnerup. On June 10 the Kentucky High School Clay Target League held its second state tournament, with 16 teams participating. Green Co. placed first, and Hart Co. was runnerup.
This was written on a one-day deadline, as I had just gotten the job. Please be patient with a lot of omissions of deserving winners. Please keep me informed of all trapshooting news around the state at my e-mail [email protected]. This is wishing everyone a great Grand American.
Vernon R. Anderson
KTL board member
Mississippi
As I write this morning, Tropical Storm Cindy is bearing down on the Louisiana-Texas coast. Here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we are experiencing a lot of heavy rain and tornadic winds. We express our concern and prayers for those affected by this storm. Hopefully we will be clearing enough around here to shoot this weekend.
Coast R&PC on the Mississippi Gulf Coast had planned a Mid-Sourth Shoot Oct. 14-15. We are hving to cancel this shoot. The regular August shoot will also be canceled, as it conflicts with the Grand American.
Coast R&PC has changed dates for its regular monthly shoots starting in September. Those revised dates are Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. We are making these changes so we do not conflict with our state clubs and to promote larger attendance at all shoots.
At our state shoot, the Mississippi Trap Association voted to hold the state shoot May 24-27 at Coast R&PC.
The Mississippi TA elected a board of directors: Jim Porter, Montgomery McGee, Jerry Tharp, John Oren, Larry Rickman, Will McCarty, Fred Rogers and Brian Harmon. Officers elected are Oren, president; Harmon, vice president; and Rogers, secretary-treasurer.
Jerry Tharp of Capital GC has been running a very successful Big 50 event each month. Hopefully next month Jerry will give us some tips on running a successful one.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the Grand American in Sparta. Good shooting.
Lenny Sawyer
ATA Delegate
North Carolina
The North Carolina State Trapshoot was an enormous success! Record numbers during the early events helped make it the best-attended one ever. Kudos to Marty Hill, NCTA president, and the board of directors as well as the Hall of Fame Committee for hosting and running this great event. Scores and winners can be found on www.shootscoreboard.com.
The Dixie Grand American will be hosted by the NC Homegrounds this October. Camping is currently sold out (80 spots), but there is a great campground about 15 to 20 minutes away that has full hookups and a wonderful restaurant on the grounds. Contact Joy Duncan for information on alternative camping at [email protected].
As the new North Carolina ATA Delegate, I would like to welcome all of you to come to North Carolina and visit us. We have four great shoots at our homegrounds from April to October. There are lots of other clubs in the state which host registered ATA shoots virtually year-round. Check shootata.com or the ncta.com websites for more information. If you are planning a visit to NC and have any trapshooting-oriented questions, please e-mail me at [email protected]. I’ll be happy to help you find a place to shoot!
Bob Schultz
ATA Delegate
South Carolina
Wow, have South Carolina shooters been supporting our neighboring state shoots! We had 46 shooters in Georgia and 75 in North Carolina. I want to thank the 13 shooters from Georgia and 38 from North Carolina who supported our shoot.
South Carolina winners at North Carolina were Keith Dixon, Jenn Willson, Teresa Knight, Michall Szotkiewicz, Tammie Wilkins, Gary Olson, Frank Ketron, Neil Alexander, James Vickery, George Kopf, Joe Rogers, Wayne Franz, Jay Willson, Kevin Stevens, Peg Crockett, Chad Taylor, Ed Clarke, Jerry Tuten, Russ Middleton, Sid Tate, Richard Middleton, Tyler Morris, Robert Wunder and Jim Faber. There were a number of our shooters who were multiple winners.
I’m packed and leaving for the Kentucky State Shoot tomorrow, hope we have a number of our shooters there and that the weather is good. I see Teresa Knight won some hardware in Tennessee, and Dave Shaeffer had wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Good shooting.
If you are going to the Grand, please let me know so we can have a state team. The next column should have a good list of South Carolina winners at the Zone Shoot. Our Hall of Fame Shoot to induct Teresa Knight will be held at Spartanburg GC Nov. 4-5; plan to attend.
Shoot well and shoot often. I can be reached at [email protected].
Jim Faber
ATA Delegate
Tennessee
It’s August, so that means only one thing—it is time for the Grand American. The AIM Grand Championships are July 27-Aug. 1. Then Aug. 2-6 is Preliminary Week. Grand Week is Aug. 7-12.
Tennessee shooters have been racking up the trophies at various state shoots this summer. Eighteen Tennesseans traveled to Mississippi, with the following shooters winning trophies: Caleb Clayton, Savanna Brock, Bill Hardison, Tom Freeman, Chandler Brown, Amy Dement, Seth Cooper, John Cima, Bill Clayton, Joe Dement and Howard McCaleb.
The following week, six shooters traveled to Alabama. Those winning were Caleb Clayton, Brock, Lauren Galey, Steve Rice, Mark Davis and Robert Terry.
Next up was the U.S. Open. Winners included James Scheidhauer, Dillon Tosh, Ivan Scheidhauer, Dave Gabbard, Wyatt Cooper, Richie Bolin, Hunter Morton, Brown, Ainsley Harrington, Cooper, Katie Barnett and Taylor Bolin.
Fifty-six shooters traveled east to North Carolina. The list of winners include both Hunter Satterfield and Garrett Morrison, winning 13 trophies each. Other winners were Ronald Biggs, James Tidrick, Hayden Jacobs, Steve Williams, Will Morrison, Herman Chandley, George Reese, James Callahan, Cooper, Sandra Smith, Robert Bariletti, Mark Bess and George Reese Jr. Cooper and Brown both won trophies at the Kansas State Shoot.
On June 3 Bill Clayton broke his first 100 straight at the Henderson GC. June 16 Cooper received the final punch for a first-time move to the 27-yard line.
Congratulations to all the above.
The Dixie Grand will be Oct. 3-8 at the North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic.
I’ll see you in Sparta. 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
Virginia
As I write this, we have just completed the Hall of Fame Shoot. We had good turnouts both days, but particularly on Sunday when the AIM state championships were held in an event shot concurrently with the Hall of Fame. This year we had 78 juniors participate, which is almost a 50% increase over last year. High-over-all was won by Brian Davis, with Audrey Sharp taking the ladies’ award, Glen Funkhouser the sub-vet and Earl Pinkard the vet. Andrea Smith’s induction into the Virginia Hall of Fall was Sunday. It’s an honor richly deserved for all of her work over the years.
George Hafkemeyer
ATA Delegate
Southwestern Zone
Colorado
Unbelievable! It is already June, and the Grand is just a few weeks away. This year’s weather has been so odd; it seems like winter just ended and yet the season is over half gone. The Colorado State just ended and was a great shoot. Those who didn’t make it missed a good one. I’d like to congratulate this year’s state champions on a great performance: singles, Mike Wasserburger; doubles, Stan Welton; handicap, Dan Treat; all-around, Ben Larson; and HOA, Scott Obenchain.
During the state shoot, we officially announce the state team (based on 2016 year-end averages):
Men’s—Scott Obenchain, .9691; Darrell Farr, .9643; Adam Rehor, .9618; Mike Herman, .9503; Gregory Kayl, .9499; Stanley Welton, .9494; Steven Urich, .9402; Marshall McKinney, .9227; Michael Wasserburger, .9212; Michael Stevens, .9010. Lady I—Stacy Rehor, .9606; Briana Huff, .9078; Nikki Herman, .9068. Lady II—Diane Dible, .8815; Marilyn Walker, .8780; Kathleen Starr, .8670. Junior—Brett Campbell, .9353; Riley Stevens, .9214; Sierra Wasserburger, .8992. Sub-junior—Benjamin Keller, .8971; Clayton Walters, .8103. Sub-veteran—Lee Kastle, .9343; Terry Findley, .9338; Paul Dible, .9266; Dan Treat, .9264; Dave Petrouske, .9054; Duane Nicholson, .9050; Glenn Zimmerman, .9033; Daryl Kindvall, .8899; Gary Fiscus, .8782; Jeff West, .8667. Veteran—Mel Hensley, .9509; Don Volz, .8825; Jack Brackett, 8811. Senior vet—Cliff Haycock, .9290; Ron Walker, .8987; Jeff Bailey, .8779. Congratulations to everyone, and keep up the great work.
Kendall Kroeger is our Rookie of the Year with .9004.
Colorado shooters who made the 2017 All-American team include Darrell Farr and Denis Bringelson, men’s; Stacy Rehor and Janessa Beaman, Lady I; and Ray Stafford, veteran.
This is my last Delegate article, as I’ve decided not to continue as Delegate. Dan Treat was elected as ATA Delegate, with Scott McIntire as his Alternate. They’ll do a great job, and I won’t be far away if they need help. I’ll continue as the ATA Southwestern Zone Vice President, and I traded the Delegate hat for the CSTA president’s hat.
I want to thank Chuck Cross for two fantastic years under his leadership as CSTA president. I can only hope to equal his outstanding performance. We also need to welcome David Liam as the new metro zone vice president. David helped out tremendously at the state shoot. Anything we needed, David was right there to help.
There are many unheralded volunteers at every state shoot. I want to thank all of them for all their hard work and dedication. Without them, no state shoot is possible. Whether it is Dan Treat managing the shoot, Richard (Jonsie) Jones working on our traps, Mike Stevens working on the computer systems, Christina Stevens running the shoot software, Carla Lindley taking care of trophies, Mike Peterson working on classification and the HVAC system, Steve Bachechi hauling water and working classification, or the AIM kids and parents cooking the evening meals, they are all dedicated and worked unbelievably hard. The group that was hired to perform scoring duties was less than reliable, and AIM parents, kids and shooters jumped in to fill the gaps. I just can’t say enough about all the help from these fine folks. They work endless hours and did it all with a smile. Thank you!
I do want to mention three other volunteers who take on the duty of figuring shootoffs every year, regardless of shoot location. It takes a lot of time to calculate shootoffs, including all the carryovers. These three never hesitate to jump in, and they do a fantastic job. Leon Rose, Paul Dible and Scott McIntire are those three individuals who give up their time to make sure we all have a great shoot. If you see them on the trapline, please take a few minutes and thank them for their hard work.
At the end of many state shoots, folks are heading out of town in a hurry. That usually means many trophies aren’t picked up. If you want your trophy, please give Pikes Peak GC a call (719-683-4420) to arrange either picking them up or shipping if you’re willing to pay the costs.
Make plans for your zone qualifier and then the state zone shoot at Grand Junction. Grand Junction is hosting the 2018 state shoot, so it is a great opportunity to get some time on the range.
Your ATA Delegate is there for you. If you have any questions or concerns or need help resolving an issue, please contact Dan Treat at [email protected].
Mike Herman
ATA Southwestern Zone Vice President
Louisiana
By the time this makes it to print, I am sure everyone’s thoughts are centered around the 118th Grand American World Trapshooting Championships, and I hope everyone had the opportunity to attend this truly “Grand” event.
At the regular annual meeting for the Louisiana Trapshooting Association held during the recent state trapshooting championships, elections were held and several new LTA Executive Board members were elected: Matt McPhate, president; Mona McPhate, vice president; Jim Jenkins, secretary-treasurer; Doyle Brooks, ATA Delegate; Robert LaBorde, First Alternate ATA Delegate; Mitch Killingsworth, northwest director; Tommy Smith, northeast director; Keith Crissman, southwest director; Johnny Pollard, southeast director; and Donny Sanders, director at large.
A very special thanks goes to Chuck Labanics for serving the LTA as secretary-treasurer for the past 12 years. Chuck has been the man behind the scenes for a very long time. Jim Jenkins surely has his work cut out for him as he transitions into his new role. Thank you, Chuck, for all you have done and accomplished and for the assistance provided to make this a very smooth transition.
Louisiana had 15 trapshooters in attendance for the 103rd Mississippi State Trapshooting Tournament recently held at the Coast R&PC, and several came back with trophies. For the Warm-up Singles, Jenkins was runnerup with a perfect 100. Bill Corvers took Class B with a very respectable 98, and Neil Campbell took C, also with 98. Don Cain won Class D Prelim Doubles, Thad Bellow won the singles chair category. Jenkins again hit the leader board with a Class C win in the Doubles Championship. The Handicap Championship had Campbell runnerup with 97, Matt McPhate fifth with 94 and John Cody Pollard veteran with 89. Congratulations to all winners.
Only one LA shooter found his way to the Alabama State Shoot, but he made us all very proud. Jenkins dominated the singles events by crushing 399×400 targets. Jim’s awards were Thursday’s singles, high gun; Arlie Griffus Singles, AA; Singles Championship, non-resident winner; and Doubles Championship, non-resident B. Congratulations, Jim.
Each month I plan to focus on a different gun club in Louisiana. This time it is Bridgeview GC (formerly Hunter’s Run GC). The club has two trap ranges configured to throw registered singles and handicap targets. We invite you to join us for a round and test your skills! The club has trapshoots on the second Saturday of the month. This may change in the future, but you can always check the website calendar for upcoming events. Location: Bridgeview GC, 1365 Northwest Dr., Port Allen, LA 70767. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Website is bridgeviewgunclub.com, and e-mail is [email protected].
For shoot schedules and contact information for any of the Louisiana gun clubs, please visit the Louisiana Trapshooting Association website www.louisianatrapshootingassociation.org/index.htm.
Doyle Brooks
ATA Delegate
Forty young competitors took part in the Oklahoma state AIM shoot. It turned out to be the only day of the state tournament that was spared from rain.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s 118th state shoot turned out to be a wet one. Only the AIM state shoot on Tuesday was spared, and 40 AIM shooters competed. Colt Quisenberry broke 99 to win the singles and a 97 to win the doubles. Brayden Bliss broke 97 to win the handicap. A special fun event was held after the awards ceremony. A miss-and-out 1-2-3 gave everybody three chances to win. If you missed on Trap 1, you went to Trap 2; if you missed there, you went to Trap 3; if you missed on Trap 3, you were out. Brayden Bliss, Colton Ables and Gary Bacon III each won two flats of shells by winning one of the three traps. Shells were donated for this event by Ron Bliss, Tim Deister, Rick Bliss, John Ewing, Lyndon Shumaker and Al Haws. Everyone seemed to enjoy this so much. We are already working on a plan for next year.
Wednesday was the start of wet weather with rain off and on through Sunday. Sunday there was water and mud everywhere. Despite the adverse weather, scores were very high on every event. This is a testament to the good target-setting by Charles LeadingFox and Ron Bliss. Event 1, the Corbin Grybowski Singles, was won by Corbin with 100. Event 2, the Carol Brown Handicap, was won by Abigail Colton with 97, the same score Carol won with last year. Carol was not able to defend her title due to losing everything in the tornadoes that blew through western Oklahoma. Event 3, the Pat Stacey Doubles, was won by Pat with 99. Top scores were Event 4, Pat, 200; Event 5, Chance Fleming, 96; Event 6, Pat, 96; Event 7, Pat, 99; Event 8, Corbin, 95; Event 9, Pat, 199; Event 10, Pat, 98; and Event 11, Jared Marshall, 97. On Saturday’s singles 17 ran 100 straight, and three went on to run 200. On Thursday’s singles, Curtis Myers from New Mexico shot his 100,000th target. Curtis and Joe Max Walker have shot the Oklahoma State Shoot for many years. Joe Max was not able to attend this year due to suffering a stroke, but I saw him at Wichita Falls, and he is doing okay. Texas was well represented by 41 shooters, with Dalton Jennings leading the way.
Arkansas was next, with 10 attending. Shooters from 12 states competed. We were well on our way to a big state shoot with all camper spaces full, and six more put on vendor row. Many of the 57 new shooters from last year signed up, but as the week wore on, some shooters could not contend with the adverse weather. On Event 5, numbers zero and four were drawn for the Henry Golden Boy rifle shootoff, and Dagen Voigtman from Nebraska won. Due to the weather, the Oklahoma All-American Shootoff had to be put off until Saturday evening. New All-American Rick Bliss ran 25 handicap to beat everyone by one target. On Sunday morning OTSA president Brian Northup called the meeting to order and presented the state of our organization. He discussed the new storage building and concrete improvement paid for by the lead mining revenue. State teams were presented their belt buckles, and new HofF inductees Paula Koper and Brian Northup received certificates. The BOD will remain the same for one more year, and I will remain Oklahoma ATA Delegate for another year, with Pat Stacey as Alternate Delegate. When Liz and I left Sunday night at 11:51 p.m., everything was done, and I took two boxes of trophies to distribute at the Kansas State Shoot. Dalton Jennings helped me pass out trophies to Texas shooters. Kansas had a great shoot and were up in shooters. I visited with Jim Moody and gave him his Oklahoma HofF pins. I also congratulated him on his induction into the Kansas Hall of Fame. He said weather was beautiful with very light winds, maybe 5 mph up until Saturday and Sunday. The wind cranked up, and blew 45 to 50 mph both days. It blew the speakers over, along with chairs, tables and dirt. There were still some very high scores. Denis Bringelson from Colorado somehow managed to break 100 from the 27-yard line. Through the week Oklahoma shooters broke some good scores. Shelby Skaggs is always smiling when you see her. When I got there on Saturday, she seemed to have a bigger, brighter smile than usual. Shelby broke her first 200 straight and also is now the second Oklahoma lady to shoot from the 27-yard line. I think I saw her wearing a T-shirt that said something about, “I can get it done!” She has me convinced. Good going, Shelby.
On a sad note, Rod and Ryan Savely lost their wife and mother in May from an illness that started in June. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them in this trying time.
It looks like trapshooting in the Tulsa/Bartlesville area is picking up. Tulsa GC has reopened. Big 50s are being shot, and Oil Capital held a registered shoot May 21. Jim Waite won the singles with 97, Pete Wedelin won the handicap with 91, and Chris Johnson’s 92 won the doubles. Wedelin also broke 50 straight in the Big 50 singles and 50 straight in the Big 50 handicap. New shooter Stuart Hall won the doubles with 48.
The Nebraska State Shoot was well attended but had some very strong north winds at times. Oklahoman Mike Whitaker broke 99 to win out-state A class. This moved him to AA, where he won non-resident class runnerup with 198. He also broke 99 in the Event 5 handicap to win out-state high gun. He came home with a very nice leather shoulder bag. Mike is back shooting after taking time off to raise his family.
In June 150 Oklahoma Army National Guard engineers were deployed to the Middle East. Support our miltary and law enforcement who keep us safe.
Tim Deister
ATA Delegate
Texas
I hope to see many of our “once-a-year” friends at the Grand this year. If you have never been to Sparta, you need to put it on your bucket list. The facility is next to none, and the people of southern Illinois are great. They have a real appreciation for the shooters who come and help their economy. Of course, a fat man has to mention that there are many wonderful places to eat. It’s usually about a gain of 15 pounds, give or take about 10.
These are the things I mention in most columns, but I think they are worth mentioning again:
- Release squads. If you have pre-squadded and are not going to use the post you squadded for, please release it so someone else may use it. It will also keep the squad from being short.
- Ask for a yardage increase. If you are having problems squadding because you are on the 18- or 19-yard line, you can ask for a yardage increase. Just remember that you will not be eligible for a 1,000-target review for two years.
- Doubles misfire rule. Probably the most misunderstood rule in our Rulebook (which you would already know if you read it). I have some copies of the simplified version I will gladly give you. Just ask.
- Average card. We still have people who don’t think this rule applies to them. If you just hand your iPhone or iPad to the classifier, they have no way of knowing how up to date the ATA website is. There can be a three-week lag sometimes, depending on how fast local clubs get their information to the ATA. The ATA has done a great job of making it very easy to print your average card online. It is the shooter’s responsibility to see that each score shot is on that average card. Because of the time lag, it may be necessary for you to write in any scores that you have shot since the website was updated.
I even have some shooting news to report this time. Tom Nations shot his 50,000th handicap target. After talking with some of the people Tom shot with, they said the estimated distance was 80 yards before Tom was able to pull the trigger. Some of the other people on the squad said the target was nearly to Topeka when Tom broke it. Tom was at the Kansas State Shoot, and Topeka is in Kansas, so I’m saying he broke it in Kansas.
There were two milestones at the TTA Zone I Shoot in Amarillo. First, Matt Nicol reached the 27-yard line for the first time. Matt shot a 97 to gain the yard he needed. Congratulations, Matt. Second, Billy Hopson ran his first 100 straight in singles. Billy told me his son Patrick called him and told him he had just broken 98. Billy told him, “I beat you today.” Billy didn’t mention if this was the first time ever. I’m glad this father-and-son duo call Texas home. They are great people.
I have called the Amarillo GC my home club for 41 years, and to the best of my knowledge (I know, my knowledge is very limited), we had an absolute first at AGC. We had our first streaker. For those of you who don’t understand, that is someone who is totally nude, no clothes, in the buff, or whatever you want to call it. To get all the details, you will have to ask Stephanie or Jon Hataway.
I guess I’m a lot like Si Robinson. My stories are at least 98% true. You’ll have to pick out the 2%. I will never, never, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
If you have time to spend reading the ramblings of a fat man from Texas, then you have more than enough time to read the Rulebook.
Stick a fork in me, ’cause I’m done. 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
We had good representation at the Western Grand in Vernal, with six Alberta shooters attending. Art Peyton won three of the four handicaps in sub-vet; Diane also did well, picking up three trophies. Both are in the hunt to make their All-American first teams this year. Bert Brumwell, as usual, dominated the chairshooter category in Vernal, and after a gun adjustment, Heather got into the winner’s circle, winning the Lady II handicap championship.
Weather has not been kind this spring to our club shoots. Most have had a least one day of wind and/or rain that has made shooting difficult or impossible. At the Medicine Hat shoot, Harold Schwandt arranged a short tribute to honor the passing of longtime club member and well-known Alberta shooter Bev Dick. Bev’s family and friends were present and appreciated this fine gesture.
We are pleased to announce that Canada now has two shooters who have attained the 500K target level. Ron McConnell hit this milestone during the doubles at the Calgary FC June 9. Ron has been a tireless supporter of our sport, both financially and with his dedication of time and energy, especially to youth shooting. Congratulations, Ron, and thanks again for all you and Darlene have done for us in Alberta.
I look forward to seeing many old friends and new faces over the next month! Let me know if there are things you would like published about your Alberta gun club.
Garry Hill
ATA Delegate
Arizona
When the temperature climbs, most of the action shifts north. The focus was on two Utah shoots, the Western Grand American in Vernal and the Utah State Shoot at Spanish Fork. The competition is pretty tough; 98s and 99s usually earn a “thanks for coming,” and a 100 is no guarantee of winning. However, Arizona’s presence was definitely felt. Our juniors are apparently not satisfied with their demolition of us more seasoned folks at our state shoot; they put on quite a show in Utah. The junior category at both shoots was probably the most competitive. That augurs well for trapshooting.
The Western Grand was somewhat challenging. It was not always windy, but when it was, there was no mistaking. Gerry Williams and Karen Bergman got things started right. Gerry’s 99 tied for top vet, and Karen’s 98 bested all Lady IIs in the opening singles. Next was the ’caps, and that Lake Havasu flash, Gary Palese, was one of three senior vets with 96. Karen ended the day by taking the Lady II doubles. Wednesday started as Tuesday finished, with Karen again winning the doubles in Lady II, and Gerry’s 97 in handicap was tops in veteran. Tim Robb shot a 99 in singles, taking the vet crown, and Karen with 99 was Lady II high. Tim nosed out Williams by one at 97 in the handicap.
The class championship doubles took place Friday, and Canyon Ferris’ fine 97 was one bird short of the junior title, while Karen tied but lost in a carryover. In the Singles Championship, but Canyon’s 198 tied for high gun and earned the junior crown. To give you an idea of the competition, Williams and Robb were two of three shooters on top of the always tough vet category at 195. The Western Grand ended on Sunday with doubles and handicap. No Arizona victories here, but Karen won the Lady II all-around in a shootoff with Diane Peyton.
Ten days later, the Utah State Shoot took place under near-perfect conditions. Doubles was first up, and Charlie Wachtel tied for the junior title, while Karen won Lady II. Danny Treanor then took sub-vet in the handicap. Opening day ended with junior Ferris shooting a 100 in the singles—his closest competitor was Charlie Wachtel. Thursday’s doubles started with Canyon tying for junior at 98, Treanor winning sub-vet at 97 and Karen taking Lady II. Another one of our hotshot juniors, Colton Hartley, shot a stellar 99 in ’caps, besting all others in his category and gaining a yard. Canyon and Charlie closed out the day with 99s in singles.
Wachtel, Ferris and Bergman came in with the top out-of-state scores in Friday’s Doubles Class Championship. Then in the following handicap, a different three moved to the forefront. Larry Tinkey, a recent transplant from Pennsylvania, tied for vet, and Colton picked up more yardage, as did Jake Gatschet. Now this being a day of threes, three 100s highlighted the singles: Canyon and Charlie, naturally, and Jim Sharp, who apparently had been watching Colton. Sherry Schatz also finished with a nice 98 and runnerup in Lady II.
Junior Sharred Oaks of Utah shot 100 in all three events Friday, one of the truly rare accomplishments in trapshooting. Sharred is a frequent competitor in Arizona and is known by all for his ability and his sportsmanship.
Saturday was the Singles Championship, and Wachtel came in with a super 199 to win the junior non-resident title, and our Rookie of the Year Bob Sawyer showed why by winning the out-of-state Class B crown. Sunday belonged to Karen Bergman and Jay Alderman. Karen won both the Lady II doubles and handicap, shooting a 98 in the ’caps and earning a yard, and Jay took the always hard-fought senior vet title in handicap. Now to put a little icing on things, Karen became the non-resident HOA and all-around champ in Lady II, and Jay was the top all-around senior vet.
Many thanks to our good friends and neighbors in Utah. They run great shoots and go out of their way to make all feel welcome.
Around the state: Pleasant Valley’s long-awaited season opener took place May 27-28. Don Jensen led all in the singles on Saturday with 99, and four vets were next: Tom Strunk, Sam Carter, Bob Dobbs and Paul Jacobs. Tom prevailed in the shootoff. ’Caps were next, and Steve Haynes turned in a sparkling 99, gaining one yard, and Doug Sims and Robert Mikeworth each earned half a yard. Doubles closed out the day, and Robert Barker topped the field with 95. Sunday was on the hot side, and Richard Lane’s 97 was high gun in the singles. Kyle Dennis then shot a 98 in ’caps, picking up a yard, and Scott Skaggs came in with a 95 to take the doubles.
Arizona will be home to 87 registered shoots in the 2018 target year, starting Sept. 1. Participating clubs are Ben Avery, Casa Grande, Cochise, Double Adobe, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu, Mohave, Pleasant Valley, Rio Salado, Tri-State and Tucson. Aztraps.com has the complete list. Of particular note is the Hall of Fame Shoot. It has been moved from October to Jan. 10-14 at Ben Avery. Still remaining in the 2017 year are shoots at Tucson, Flagstaff and Pleasant Valley. See you on the line!
John Bergman
ATA Delegate
Jim Duke is known for helping out whenever he can at gun clubs throughout Utah.
Utah
Trap season is in full swing, with Nephi, Heber and Helper all holding one-day shoots and Spanish Fork holding its annual Memorial Day Shoot. All were well attended, with about 40 shooters at the first three and about 60 at Spanish Fork. Some very good scores still came in at Nephi despite the wind. Joe Sudbury managed his usual 100 in singles, and Scott McKinnon had his usual 97 in handicap, along with Steve Johnson. Scott also topped doubles ranks with the lone 97. Shooting was halted for about 20 minutes because of a severe dust storm. Heber’s annual shoot was marred by wind as well but still produced some good scores.
Helper GC had the best weather to date, and scores were quite good, with Doug Devries and Steve Ottesen both breaking 100s in the singles while Wynn Isom was high in handicap with 98.
Spanish Fork’s Memorial Day Shoot featured Sudbury missing a pair of doubles for a field-high 98. There were a lot of hundreds in singles over the course of the three days from the likes of Sudbury (two), Mike Hilton, Jarin Hone, Dalton Van, Bob Green, Brad Spencer, Craig Jones, Jayme Anderson, Steve Johnson and Chad Frericks of Wyoming. ’Caps were won by Hone (96), Hayden Christensen, Johnson and Mark Dick with 95s, and the final ’caps saw Johnson again with a 96.
All of scores can be found on the USTA website.
Idaho held its state shoot in Pocatello, and club manager Randy Adams and his staff, along with the Idaho Board of Directors, did a great job of putting good targets in the air. Utah had a strong presence at the shoot, along with some of the top scores overall. Most all Utah shooters came away with some form of trophy. In singles Jeremie Summers had the lone out-of-state 200, while McKinnon punched the full note in the Handicap Championship. Justin Bodily had back-to-back 98s in early handicap events. Twelve-year-old Grayson Stuart shot 199 in the singles and a 98 from the 25-yard line in the Handicap Championship. The really impressive thing about Grayson’s shooting accomplishments at this shoot was the fact that his right arm was in a cast. The hand portion of the cast was a “soft” cast, but he somehow could still grip the stock well enough to shoot great scores.
I see that Sean Hawley made the trek to Michigan to attend the Great Lakes Grand and take top honors in the high-over-all. Good job, Sean!
Now on to a feature on one of the people who make our sport really great: Jim Duke from Heber City. Jimmy is one of those guys who always seems to be around, smiling and happy to be wherever he is at the time.
Jimmy Duke began his trapshooting career in the late 1950s when he shot fun shoots at various locations. He began registering targets in 1973, and he’s still doing so. As of today, Jimmy has 101,950 singles, 109,300 handicap and 20,650 doubles for a total of 231,900 targets. But his legacy really lies in his unending and tireless efforts to create and support trapshooting in Utah.
At almost every shoot in Utah, you will not only see Jimmy, but his wife Pat as well. She has been very instrumental in supporting his shooting.
Jimmy is one of the finest gentlemen in Utah trapshooting. He is friendly, generous, and considerate of others. He supports other trapshooters in every way possible and is truly happier with others’ successes than with his own. He is humble about his shooting skill and more than willing to help new shooters to become adept at the sport.
He was instrumental in the organization and building of the Heber Valley GC and has served in many capacities in the club. He was vice president and served on the board of directors for 26 years. He also represented the Heber Valley GC as representative to the USTA. He jumps in and selflessly helps whenever it is needed.
Jimmy has competed in ATA shoots at almost all the Utah gun clubs and at clubs in surrounding states. He has attended the Grand American several times. He enjoys trapshooting, whether he is winning an event or congratulating a friend for shooting well. His main enjoyment comes from interacting with people.
Along with winning trophies in all three trapshooting disciplines at local club tournaments, Jimmy has the following to his credit: 1987 Utah State Shoot, singles, AA; 1994 Utah State Shoot, handicap, long yardage; 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 veteran state team member; 1997 Utah State Shoot, all-around and handicap, veteran; 1999 Utah State Shoot, handicap, veteran; 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, senior veteran state team member; 2001, 2003, 2004 Utah senior veteran singles champion; 2001 Utah State Shoot, handicap, senior veteran; 2004 Western Zone Shoot, senior veteran singles champion; and 2005 Western Zone, senior veteran singles club champion.
During his 2007 induction into the USTA Hall of Fame, it was said that without Jimmy there, it wouldn’t be trapshooting in the Heber Valley.
Investigation bears this out. In the 1950s, a younger Jim Duke organized a group of shooters and set up a trap at the Midway Fish Hatchery. They used one mechanical trap, which had to be cocked for each shot with a long pipe. The traphouse was so small that a person had to crawl into it and set traps bent over. Old-time Heber shooters report that Jim was the first to volunteer to “get in the hole” and keep the machine loaded, even on freezing winter days.
Through Jim’s efforts, with the help of a few others, the club moved to an area near the current Heber Airport. Duke and fellow supporters negotiated a deal with the Utah Department of Fish and Game (now called Wildlife Resources), to place the club at its current location. They secured a bank loan in their own names, and construction began.
Shooters who remember the early days of the Heber club in the 1970s say that Jim was a tireless worker, even donating material and money to keep the project going. His wife Pat was and is a great supporter of the club, even though she doesn’t shoot.
During all the time that Jim and four or five other founding members of Heber GC were building the club, Jim found time to support every other gun club in the state.
Some longtime shooters estimate Jim has donated over 10,000 hours to the Heber club, and to other shoots.
Even through battles with heart trouble and other serious illnesses, Jim could always be counted on to be at your shoot, whether a weekend ham shoot or the state tournament.
Jim has served in all the offices of the Heber GC over the years and continues to support new efforts to encourage new shooters. Jimmy turns 87 this year, and he constantly outshoots his age!
Past club president Dewey Mair said once that “If the Hall of Fame is for great shooters who have given their lives to the sport of trapshooting, then Jim Duke belongs at the top of the candidate list.”
It is easy to find others who echo that sentiment, but if you ask Jimmy Duke what he has done over the years for trapshooting, he is likely to smile, shrug his shoulders, and say, “I just did what everybody does.”
Many others would disagree. Just ask any shooter at just about any club what they think of Jimmy Duke. “The greatest,” they’ll say, and they mean not only as a shooter, but as a person as well. Most couldn’t ask for a better legacy.
Be sure to check in next month when I highlight Vicki Skelton.
Ed Wehking
ATA Delegate
Washington
Greetings from the Washington State Shoot. As I write this, the preliminary day and class championships are in the books, and we await the start of the all-around tomorrow, June 24. Weather has been great, with temperatures in the 85 to 90° range. With shooters from as far away as Illinois attending, we think the word is getting out that Washington is a great place for ATA competition.
I am really looking forward to news from our state shoot in Trap & Field, as we’ve had several milestones reached by many shooters, and youth participation may be larger than I can remember in recent years. Not only juniors and sub-juniors, but adults as well, are joining the ATA for their first crack at registered targets this year. Taking kids and their folks to the range for the first time is how we get them started, and it’s a great sign for the WSTA and ATA.
The Spokane GC will get a short breather before the Western Zone next month, and I hope to be delivering the same kind of positive news that I share now. The Malden-Pine City GC will have their registered shoot completed by the next correspondence also. Small clubs like Malden-Pine “in the middle of nowhere” are an important part of the fabric that makes up our association, so their support of the WSTA by throwing registered shoots and the patronage of these clubs in doing so is greatly appreciated.
My contribution is a little less long-winded than previous letters this time, but I’m looking forward to getting to sleep early and taking my best shot for some trophies during the rest of the state shoot. So until next time, shoot straight and keep your powder dry.
Sean Lewis
ATA Alternate Delegate
Wyoming
By the time you read this, the Wyoming State Shoot and Western Zone Shoot (Laramie was the Wyoming site this year) will be history. Once again WSTA members give our thanks to David Banks for his donation of another one of his phenomenal Custom Damascus Blade knives. David has made this donation for the past six years, and every year we think that it doesn’t get any better, and the next year it does.
Planning is already under way for the 2018 state shoot in Torrington. Most details will not be available until after the WSTA directors’ fall meeting in Casper in September. But we do know that for 2018, we will give resident and non-resident trophies in all events, including the HOA and all-around. There will be category trophies, and we will also award medallions and runnerup pins for all events. This allows shooters to know that they will be competing for the maximum All-American points in class and category, resident and non-resident. So plan now for the 2018 Wyoming State Shoot. Also, Wyoming’s 2018 Western Zone site will be Cheyenne, two weekends after the Wyoming State Shoot, so start planning now.
The Sheridan SC hosted the fifth annual Cancer Shoot-out June 24-25. Shooters competed for $2,500 added money, and trophies for all events were cash. Luke Sherman of 5 Star Builders donated $500 to the 600-target HOA champion.
Phil Kiner
ATA Delegate
