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.
Eastern Zone
Massachusetts
As I put this article together on July 4 (Independence Day), I think of how fortunate we are to live in this great country and am very thankful to all the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way so we can be free.
Our state shoot went very well. I would like to thank Minute Man SC for putting on a fine shoot. We had about the same number of juniors and sub-juniors as last year. It’s good to see these new shooters coming along.
At our meeting held during the state shoot, David Russell was reelected Delegate (I thank everyone for your support). Also reelected was Carl Kazen, First Alternate, and Roy Smith, Second Alternate.
Congratulations to the following for winning the main events: Alan Harrington, singles; Robert Nihtila Jr., doubles, all-around and HOA; and Jim Gillespie, handicap. A full listing of winners can be seen on the MATA website and in this issue.
Please keep in mind that our annual meeting and banquet this year will be Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Singletary R&GC. The meeting will offer insight on what is happening in the MATA, new business, old business, election of officers, etc., along with a very fine meal and prize drawings.
We will be inducting two members into the MATA Hall of Fame: Linda Brodeur and Robert Nihtila Jr.
This will be a great night out for everyone. This is your meeting, so please try to attend. You can get tickets from myself or any of the MATA officers.
I would like to recognize some of our shooters who did well at other shoots this year. Dixie Grand: Paul Kaknes, Event 10 handicap, runnerup. Southern Grand: Emanuel Skotis, place trophies in five handicaps, including high gun Wednesday; Ralph Dixon, prelim handicap, veteran; Gregory Schneider, Event 10 handicap, fifth place, and Event 12 handicap, junior runnerup; Kaknes, Event 11 D runnerup. Florida State Shoot: Paul Pescatore, Event 2 handicap, open third place, and Event 5 handicap, non-resident veteran; Schneider, Event 8 handicap, non-resident runnerup; David Jewell, Event 8 handicap, non-resident fifth place. Pennsylvania State Shoot: John Troisi, Event 13 singles, non-resident B; Walter Bristol, Singles Class Championship, non-resident, B runnerup; Evelyn Kazen, Doubles Championship, non-resident Lady II runnerup; Matthew Cartisser, Singles Championship, non-resident sub-junior runnerup, and Handicap Championship, non-resident sub-junior; and Michelle Archambeault, Singles Championship, non-resident Lady I. Keystone Open: Archambeault, Singles Championship, Lady I.
I will update everyone on the Labor Day Shoot and the annual banquet in a future article.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns that I can help with, please let me know. I can be reached at 413-586-0428 or [email protected].
Remember to make it fun.
Dave Russell
ATA Delegate
New Jersey
The 2017 Garden State Grand ended on the second Sunday of July. The entire program was revised: instead of 500 handicap targets, we lowered it to 300; instead of 200 singles, we changed it to 400; and doubles remained at 50 pair. Michael Morgado led Saturday’s singles championship with the lone 198. John Martin, a new shooter, was high in Sunday’s handicap with a lone 96. Thomas Green Sr. led the doubles with 94. All the event scores can be found on Trapshooters.com and our website at njsta.com.
The following week was the New York State Shoot in Bridgeport. Sorry to say the weather wasn’t very accommodating. Fifteen New Jersey shooters ventured north. Angelina Moir broke her first 25 and won a trophy in one of the events; congratulations! Leading the trophy winners were Chris Cusamano with four; Duncan Stevenson with three; Joe Sissano, George Wright, Justin Malone and Bob Malmstedt with two; and Moir, Ed Taylor, Ean Taylor, John Zultanky and Michael Stevenson with one.
The week before, Bryan Romanow attended the New Hampshire State Shoot at the Minute Man SC in Massachusetts and was punched to the 27-yard line for the first time. Congrats, Bryan.
According to Steve Ottrando, the Mallard TC will be holding their 12th annual Singles Championship Sept. 16. Trophies will include 20-oz. Yeti tumblers, and there will be a free barbecue for all shooters. The club will be having the Big 50 Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27 then a Shooter Appreciation Day Oct. 1 with free food for all and club members shooting free. On Oct. 8 they’ll be having National Trapshooting Day at the club.
Back to September, the 2018 New Jersey northern zone will be at the North Jersey CTC Sept. 22-24. A satellite shoot will be held at Pine Valley and Howell TC, just on Saturday and Sunday, to accommodate shooters from the southern part of the state, so come on out and accumulate targets for the 2018 target year.
On a sad note, Frank Caso, a lifelong resident of Jersey City, passed away at the Hoboken University Medical Center; he was 78. He was owner of Caso’s Gun-A-Rama on Danforth Avenue for over 50 years. Frank is survived by his wife Camille, daughters Virginia and Lisa, son-in-law Nilo, two granddaughters, and nieces and nephews. Frank was a member of the ATA since 1967. During his shooting career he shot at 184,100 singles, 70,850 handicap and 1,000 doubles targets.
David Robbins passed away July 11; he was 80 years old. Dave was raised in Port Norris and followed in the family oyster business. He captained the schooner David Robbins Sr. for 30 years, passing it on to his son Bob. Dave enjoyed music, woodworking, traveling and trapshooting. He won his first New Jersey singles championship back in 1972 and his second in 1994. He was inducted into the New Jersey Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 2010. Dave was a member of Quinton SC, Pine Belt, Pine Valley, the Cavaliers and the Atlantic Indians, where he ruled in his heyday.
During his shooting career, he shot at 108,625 singles, 68,900 handicap and 38,100 doubles targets. He was honored as a 2013 Living Legend by the Port Norris Historical Society for his outstanding contributions to the community. Dave is survived by his wife of 56 years, Joan; sons David, Robert and Donald; daughters-in law Patricia, Lisa and Dana, respectively; daughter Suzanne and son-in-law Scott; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
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.
The 2017 New York central zone shoot was held at Pathfinder June 24-25. Len Kallfelz was singles champion with 197, and Brian Luther took runnerup, also with 197. Tim Wilcox was doubles champion with 92, and Ron Falkowski was handicap winner with 92. In the all-around, Wilcox won with 371×400, and Travis Dann was runnerup with 364. Thanks to everyone who attended, and good shooting!
The 2017 New York State Shoot is now history. Attendance was on par with 2016. The state shoot ended as a Competion Factor 4 for All-American points. Chris Vendel, in his last shoot as a New York resident, performed an excellent display of shooting. He won the singles championship with the lone 200 straight and the doubles title with the lone 100 straight. Chris broke 96 in the handicap for a 396 to take the all-around. James Dries was handicap champion with 98, and Justin Slater took the high-over-all with 971×1,000. This was excellent shooting by everyone. All trophy winners can be found on our webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.
On July 15 after the singles had been completed and before the shootoffs, the awards ceremony took place. Dennis Hart, eastern zone vice president, gave a check of over $4,000 to a representative of the Ronald McDonald charity from receipts from the Ronald McDonald Shoot on the previous Friday. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Ronald McDonald option.
Jenna Coyne, Alexcis Coningsby and Caleb Lindstrom were each given a check for $1,000 from the Christopher J. Vendel Jr. Memorial Scholarship.
High average awards for 2016 were presented. Chris Vendel was high for singles with .9912; ladies’ singles high was Heidi Womer with .9608. High handicap was Michael Fox Jr. with .9303, and Bradley Heath took the doubles with .9596. The state teams were introduced plus New York’s ATA All-Americans.
Inducted into the New York state ATA Hall of Fame were Donald Dauer, Daniel Tartick and Frank Benvenuto. These three gentlemen are very deserving of this honor. The New York State officers and board of directors were also introduced.
A presentation of a Shamrock Leathers shooting bag was given to retiring New York State ATA Delegate Brian Whalen for his 12 years of service as Delegate and two years as Alternate Delegate. My pal Brian is a wonderful man and dear friend. In my opinion, he performed an excellent job as Delegate. Brian always had a great sense of humor, even during the difficult times of his health issues. It was a great joy working with him. God bless you, pal.
Susan Gullotta and Travis Dann are our Alternate Delegates, and I am the new Delegate. Thanks from all three of us for your support and faith in us. We will do our best for you.
Congratulations to Andy Warren for his first 100 straight during the state shoot. He ran the 100, along with his dad Ron Warren on the same squad. This was great shooting by father and son.
Thank you to all who attended the state shoot. Without you, the tournament would not be a success. Thanks must be given to all the officers and directors of the NYSATA, scorers and setters, kitchen staff, cashering staff, Bonnie Whalen for handling the trophies, past ATA President Wayne Morris and wife Joyce Morris, and everyone else for all their hard work. Without you, the state shoot could not be run.
Congratulations to Bob (Sully) Sullivan. Bob won the K-80 Trap Combo in the Krieghoff Shootoff at the Pennsylvania State Shoot in June, and he continues to shoot well. At Mumford GC, Sully posted a 99 in handicap, and on the Fourth of July, he posted his first 100 straight in singles at Springwater. Bob is having an excellent summer shooting.
Brian Euscher is the New York State AIM director. Special thanks must be given to Brian for taking over the program, especially on such short notice. You can e-mail him at [email protected].
Remember that the 2017 Northeastern Grand American will be Sept. 12-17. We all hope you plan to attend.
If anyone wants something written in this column, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I am always looking for good stories. See you all soon, and good shooting. God bless.
Dave Cichelli
ATA Delegate
Ontario
Greetings from Ontario, Canada. By the time you read this article, the new target year will have started. Hopefully your accomplishments in 2017 met your expectations and in the new shooting year, you can build on your successes.
For many of you, I need not remind you that there is a drug dependency/addiction epidemic both in Canada and the U.S. In the Eastern Zone, we have tragically lost two young shooters within the past year. How deep and wide this problem goes in the ATA is unknown (to me, at least). I don’t know what, if anything, the ATA can do to help, and I am open to constructive suggestions. The lives of our young people are too precious for us to do nothing if there is something we can do.
My own son Drew has been emotionally devastated by the loss of our young people. He is now 29 years old and told me that when he was younger, he would like to think he would not take drugs. Alcohol was cheaper than it is now and (apparently) readily accessible. But he tells me that peer pressure is a huge contributor to young people these days with drugs. The reason he believes he would not have yielded to the temptation of drugs is that he wanted to and did make the Canadian (International) trapshooting team and represented Canada in many high-profile competitions over the years. He had to be drug free. Drug testing and drug-free compliance was a given. Sometimes vulnerable people just need a good reason to say no.
In late June I reached out to OPTA volunteers and others to help run a trap clinic for adult businessmen who had never had an opportunity to try any type of shooting. Our volunteers outnumbered the 15 participants. They had a fabulous experience. Whether they shoot ATA targets in the future or not, we made some positive outreach. Thanks to all our volunteers.
The Ontario Provincial Trapshooting championships concluded July 23. It was a three-point shoot. We had 18 out-of-province participants: Pennsylvania, one; New York, three; Ohio, three; Quebec, nine; and Atlantic Provinces, two. There were a lot of personal firsts, including senior vet Bill Wylie, who ran all of the program singles targets and finished second to Frank Bonaiuto in the championship event.
Pete Tsementzis won four championship trophies (handicap; doubles, outlasting myself and two others; all-around; and HOA). Frank Bonaiuto’s son Vince shot his first ever 100 straight and won junior with 199. There were other milestones, too many to include in this article (see official results).
Senior vet Charlie Boggis won the Canadian Handicap Championship in Edmonton, using his trusty (and old) Model 12 (we don’t laugh at his shotgun anymore). Lloyd Beecraft won numerous events recently in Michigan (one with 100 straight from 27 yards). We have some great shooters in Ontario and developing ones on their way.
On a lighter note, here are “5 Rules for Men to Follow for a Happy Life” that Russel J. Larsen is said to have inscribed on his headstone in Logan, UT. He died not knowing that he would win a “Coolest Headstone” contest.
Rule 1: It is important to have a woman who helps at home, cooks from time to time, cleans up, and has a job.
Rule 2: It is important to have a woman who can make you laugh.
Rule 3: It is important to have a woman who you can trust and doesn’t lie to you.
Rule 4: It is important to have a woman who is a good lover and likes to be with you.
Rule 5: It is very, very important that these four women do not know each other, or you could end up dead like me.
Good shooting.
Paul Shaw
ATA Delegate
Pennsylvania
The 118th Grand American is in the books. Labor Day signals the end of summer, and schools are back in session. That also means the end of the 2017 target year and the beginning of the 2018 target year. Several clubs in the state have two- or three-day shoots over the Labor Day weekend, which is a great way to get a jump on the new season. There is also the last hurrah at the PSSA homegrounds that culminates with the Westy Hogans on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Labor Day. Fall/winter leagues will be gearing up, and there’s a good number of clubs that shoot registered targets throughout the year. Just because the leaves are changing doesn’t mean the opportunities disappear.
The Pennsylvania Grand wrapped up at the beginning of July, and the singles title was won by Luke Cowart after a 350-target marathon shootoff with Brandon Deal and Justin Slater that carried into the next day. All three finished with 200 in the program. The Doubles Championship was won by Cowart with the lone 100. Bethany Breighner brought home the handicap championship with a field-high 98. Luke carried those titles forward to win the all-around by two targets with 393, and Ian Darroch took the HOA by three targets with a 777×800. Total attendance for the shoot was 2,645, down 131 shooters from last year but down only nine in the championship events. Congratulations to Jeffrey Traver for earning his first trip to the 27-yard line.
We had 19 Pennsylvania shooters hauling hardware back from Cicero from the New York State Shoot. In all, 77 laurels were won, including four of the five major non-resident titles. Cowart added 11 awards, including the singles and HOA championships. Deborah Ohye-Neilson also added 11 awards, including the all-around title, and Evan Mood added the doubles championship to his haul of six awards. Other Pennsylvania shooters winning in New York included Don Feeg (three), Zeke Raub (eight), Frank Pascoe (seven), Bert Schoonover, Donald Schaffer Jr. (three), Sam Goll, Carl Breidegam, Sheldon Hostetter (three), Ron Ostrowski Jr. (four), Joe Mizikowski (three), Stephen MacNeal (two), Brendan Doorly (four), Genevieve Davis (three), Phyllis Rought and Cody Davis. Congratulations to all. New York shooters held their elections for officers and Delegates during their state shoot, and I’d like to congratulate Dave Cichelli on being named the new Delegate for New York as well as say thank you to Brian Whalen for his years of dedication.
As always, if you have any noteworthy accomplishments or events, please let me know. I can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Steve Ross
ATA Alternate Delegate
Southern Zone
Georgia
I just returned from the Southern Zone in Bostic, NC, which was a wonderfully conducted shoot and a thoroughly enjoyable event . . . except for the heat and humidity. I hear that the Silver Dollar and Berea events were likewise memorable. It was hot, but that is July in the South; the scores didn’t seem to suffer despite that heat.
Georgia shooters who garnered multiple site trophies were Gary Blair, Colby Watkins, Emily Rankin and Kenneth Mears. Blair had a particularly strong shoot, winning the chair category in all but one event.
The Crystal Bolling Shoot held at South River GC prior to the Zone was well attended. Mike Reed and junior Patrick Colwell had a shootoff for singles, with Mike prevailing 25 to 24. Good shooting, guys! John Harris fired a career-best 97 in doubles to win that event. Boone Butler took the all-around.
Richard Griffith
ATA Delegate
Kentucky
After shooting was over Friday evening of the state shoot, many took time to honor two outstanding men and trapshooters by inducting them into the Kentucky Trap League Hall of Fame. The first was Gerard Hoots. “Hoots,” as many know him, is an outstanding trap mechanic as well as a consistent performer in all aspects of trapshooting. He is an integral part of every Kentucky state shoot.
The other inductee, Kenny Knott, has been a pillar in Kentucky trapshooting for decades. Kenny served a term as KTL president as well as several terms as league director. He now serves as ATA Alternate Delegate. His shooting achievements are many and speak for themselves.
Keith Ditto won the HOA at the state shoot, with Kevin (Tank) Polson following one target behind with 1,268. Aaron Willoughby was third with 1,261, and Connor Richardson won sub-junior and fourth with 1,257. Lucas Schmedeke, an Illinois junior gold shooter, led all with 1,273. Polson and Connor Richardson tied for the all-around with 394. Dan Ryan followed closely with 393 and Willoughby with 392.
Following the Kentucky State Shoot, a couple guys hit the road for more shooting. Tank went to the Texas State Shoot, where he finished with a 1,064 HOA. Nick Kingrey went to the Minnesota State Shoot and did very well. Ditto and Joe Neyer went to the Indiana State Shoot, where Keith led the entire HOA field with 1,166. Neyer followed closely with 1,129. Jenna Knott shot a great all-around with 390 followed closely by Keith Parrott and Robert Dyer.
One of the three sites for the Southern Zone was the Central Kentucky GC at Berea. The site hosted 209 of the 478 participants. Shooters at the Kentucky site claimed 176 of the 222 trophies awarded. There were several notable shooting experiences by participants at Berea. One of those was in the Dixie Handicap, where Hannah Simpson, a Lady I shooter, carded her first-time century from the 25-yard line. It was the only 100 in the event from all sites. Our Delegate Terry Dean also showed out with his runnerup performance of 99.
Trey Wilburn and Garrett Sweeney carded 100s in the class doubles. In the Singles Championship on Saturday, Kevin Parrott and Dillon Tosh each scored a perfect 200, with Dillon prevailing for champion in shootoff. Kevin was runnerup. Trey Wilburn and Kevin’s brother Keith took third and fourth, respectively.
In Sunday’s Doubles Championship, Ryan and Tosh both finished with perfect centuries, with Dillon winning the flip. Polson took third with 99 and Michael Senters fourth with 99 on reverse score. Donnie Sherrard, Garrett Sweeney, Matthew DeBord and Kay Ohye also broke 99s and took champion or runnerup in their respective categories.
David Riddle won the championship handicap on Sunday with 99 and shootoff with John Zeigler, the junior gold champion.
Tosh shot a 396 to take the all-around, with Parrott close behind at 394. Ryan and Hannah Simpson followed closely with 391s. The shooters were blessed with good weather, much like they were at the state shoot. We really appreciate all the support and great shooting experienced at Berea this summer.
Vernon Anderson
KTL Director
North Carolina
July has been an interesting and exciting month in North Carolina. The North Carolina Homegrounds was host to one of the satellite locations of the Southern Zone Shoot. Attendance was up a little bit, and we saw some new faces from other states. I suspect they were checking things out, as the Dixie Grand American will be hosted by the NC Homegrounds in the beginning of October. Plan on joining us for a week of nice weather and great shooting for the first Grand shoot in the mid-Atlantic states. We are a day’s drive from most of the states on the East Coast. We are limited to 85 squads, so make your plans and pre-squad early!
One of the highlights of the Zone Shoot was North Carolina’s junior All-American Noah Gouge breaking his first 100 from the 27-yard line and completing his ATA Grand Slam! Noah is also the first North Carolina shooter to break 100 from 27 yards in state. Quite an accomplishment for a very nice young man.
Check shootata.com for more local shoots around the state; there is a shoot most every weekend somewhere in NC. October is absolutely a beautiful time to visit us here in the Tar Heel State. The leaves start turning during the second week in the mountains, and there are lots of cool things to do on the days you’re not shooting at one of the great clubs here.
Bob Schultz
ATA Delegate
South Carolina
Let’s start with the awards list. We have three SC shooters who have run their first 100 straight in 16s: Carl Schultz at our state shoot and Ron Thompson and Ralph Chaffin at the Zone Shoot. Good shooting; do it again.
Mike Harrelson reached 75,000 handicap, Jerry Tuten 50,000 handicap and Gary Ferguson 25,000 handicap targets.
Seven shooters from SC went up I-75 to the Kentucky State Shoot, and five came home with trophies: Sid Tate, Teresa Knight, Randy Knight, Doug Stenback and myself.
South Carolina had a huge contingent of shooters at Bostic, NC, for the Zone Shoot. Winners were Neil Alexander, Ron Thompson, Ralph Chaffin, Gary Olson, Randy Knight, Jerry Tuten, Rodney Raines, Frank Ketron, Jim Holcomb, Todd Wutrick, Doug Stenback, Tammie Wilkins, Jenn Willson, Kevin Stevens and Jan Slough. Some were site winners, and some were also Zone winners.
It’s great to see Ronnie Burdick back shooting; prayers do work. Please put Bob Schultz’s wife and Connie Bell on your prayer list.
Keep supporting your local monthly and Big 50 shoots.
I can be reached at [email protected].
Jim Faber
ATA Delegate
Tennessee
Tennessee shooters did well at the Zone Shoot. Those winning trophies were Dillon Tosh, Hayden Jacobs, Garrett Sweeney, Katie Barnett, Hunter Satterfield, Robert Pierce, Caleb Clayton, Hayden Zeigler, Maynard Brooks, Mark Bess, Savanna Brock, Richie Bolin, Wally Lowry, George A. Reese, Garrett Morrison, Brayden Morris and Taylor Bolin. Garrett Sweeney won the Zone Doubles Class Championship with 100, Dillon Tosh won the Zone Singles Championship with 200 on Saturday and then the doubles title with 100 on Sunday.
The team of Zeigler, Tosh, Sweeney, Bolin and Clayton won the Zone singles team race with 995×1,000. On Sunday the same team won the all-around with 1,955×2,000. Anytime you can outshoot our neighbor to the north, you have done well, and to win both team races in the same year does not usually happen. Congratulations to all the above.
Congratulations to David Beesinger for his score of 99 at the Kentucky State Shoot for a first-time move to the 27-yard line.
Hog Heaven GC’s Fall Festival is Sept. 14-17. The Dixie Grand will be Oct. 3-8 at the North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic.
Read the Rulebook, please, and check out our website at Shootatatn.com. For questions or further information, contact me at [email protected] or 731-217-9957.
Billy Cook
ATA Delegate
Virginia
It was good seeing everyone at the state shoot at the beginning of July. Turnout was a bit lighter than we had hoped for, but was good nonetheless. As a result of the elections held during the shoot, the VTA officers remain unchanged for next year, except that Craig Depiazzy will replace Mike Thompson as vice president.
I’d like to congratulate all those who won at the shoot. There will be an article next month with all the winners, but I’d like to mention Randy Kelly, winner of the singles championship; Rance Boyd, handicap champ; and Steve Hawkins, doubles titlist. Earl Pinkard won the all-around, and Glen Funkhouser the high-over-all. I’d also like to congratulate Noah Gouge, who managed to break the 100 doubles targets during the championship after running 200 singles targets earlier in the week.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Old Dominion in September.
George Hafkemeyer
ATA Delegate
Southwestern Zone
Colorado
I would like to thank our outgoing Colorado ATA Delegate Mike Herman for all the hard and thankless work he has done for Colorado trapshooting and congratulate him on his position as Southwestern Zone VP. I know you will represent the Zone well, as you have the state the last three years.
My name is Dan Treat, and I am your new ATA Delegate. One of my missions this year is to work with our members and clubs to promote camaraderie in the state as well as the surrounding areas. Since I have started my new position, I have sought out new shooters to our association and inquired some of their thoughts through new eyes. It has been very enlightening. I will include some of their ideas in upcoming articles.
I would like to congratulate Stan Welton on making his ATA Grand Slam at the Texas State Shoot last month. Good shooting, Stan. I’m so proud you are a part of our shooting family.
I would like to give a big thumbs up to all the Colorado shooters for the good shooting at the ATA Southwestern Zone Shoot. Congratulations to Riley Stevens for making the 27-yard line with a 98 in the handicap on Thursday. He also got AA winner in the class singles. Sierra Wasserburger won her class singles and had a pair of 96s in both handicaps. Way to go, Sierra. Don Volz got vet class singles and doubles, and Harvey Martinez got A class singles champion. Janessa Beaman was on her doubles game with a pair of 99s and Lady I runnerup singles plus 96 in the handicap. Colorado came away with 38 trophies with only 95 shooters. Paul Dible, Mel Hensley, Dolores Samsack, Nikki Herman, Mike Herman, Marilyn Walker, Adam Rehor, Sharron Boller, Chad Smith, Denis Bringelson and I all came way with prizes. Even our deserter Darrell Farr (moved to Missouri) did well with runnerup in the class doubles. Great job, Colorado!
“We want to give a huge shout-out to Jerry Steigerwald with the Berthoud club for a great ‘ladies only’ shooting event for our Chamber members and friends. We also thank Nikki Herman, who came up from the Pikes Peak GC in Colorado Springs and taught us the Eight Golden Rules about guns as well as helped as one of our many coaches. We also want to thank all of our other coaches. You were all so patient and amazing.
“We had 19 ladies who came out to try their skill at shooting shotguns. What a great experience! Here are the Eight Golden Rules:
“1. Always assume a gun is loaded. Treat it as if it were loaded and always point the gun in a safe direction to check to see if it’s loaded.
“2. Always point the gun in a safe direction. That means not at people or structures (sometimes the ammo can ricochet back at you).
“3. Always keep your finger off the trigger unless you are ready to shoot.
“4. Keep it unloaded at all times, unless you are ready to shoot.
“5. Know your gun. Where’s the safety? (Does it have one?)
“6. Misfires happen. (This is when you pull the trigger and nothing happens.) Take out that bullet/shell and don’t use.
“7. Don’t rely on the ‘safety.’
“8. Always wear eye and ear protection.
“She also shared that you should not shoot at what you don’t want destroyed, don’t shoot if drinking or under the influence of marijuana (or certain prescriptions).
“Here’s a great acronym to remember:
“A: Assume the firearm is loaded.
“C: Control the muzzle.
“T: Trigger finger off.
“S: Safety—keep firearm unloaded.
“We also learned that we might have a dominant eye, and that makes a difference in shooting. We found out that our targets were set to come out straight to make it easier (although most of us were still definitely challenged).
“Although this wasn’t a competition, we want to congratulate Holly Anderson and Cathy Burr for shooting nines on eight traps in a row! Way to go, ladies!
“The Berthoud Rod & Gun Club then provided pizza for us after we were finished.”
Please let me know of any concerns you may have and about the positive goings-on in the state.
Dan Treat
ATA Delegate
Missouri
I am not sure where this summer has gone, as it seems like only a few days ago we wrapped up the Missouri State Shoot. They say that the older you get, the faster time passes. Somewhere I lost a month or more, and I apologize for not keeping up on what is happening in the trapshooting world in Missouri. Now I will attempt to get caught up.
I won’t even try to recognize all the shooters who won trophies at the various state shoots, as I know I will forget some. There is one sub-junior shooter I will mention who achieved a major milestone. On Wednesday of the Illinois State Shoot, Cody Crabtree broke 100 from the 27-yard line. I have had the opportunity to watch Cody grow as a person and a shooter. Congratulations, Cody, now go get that 100 in the doubles. [He did that Aug. 6 at the Grand American—Ed.] Having been active in the AIM program for the last five years, I have watched numerous youth shooters blossom into very tough competitors. Oh, to have young eyes and reflexes again!
The Missouri AIM State Shoot was held June 30-July 1 at MTA in Linn Creek. There were 75 who shot the handicap and 62 who shot doubles on Friday. On Saturday there were 246 shooters who competed in the Singles Championship for a total of 383 entries, same as last year. Tony Shockley did an excellent job putting together all of the youth shoots this year. Thanks, Tony, and all of the MTA staff who worked very hard making it all happen. Look for complete results in T&F.
Since I had business to attend to in Arkansas, this year I attended the Southwestern Zone Shoot at Jacksonville. What a great bunch of folks who run the shoots there! If you have not had a chance to shoot there, you surely need to put it on your bucket list. This was my second time shooting at Jacksonville, as I attended the first state shoot that was held there. I thought that shoot was run pretty well, but they continue to improve on the way they operate. Out of the 119 shooters at Jacksonville, there were 38 trophies collected. There are a lot of very fine gun clubs around the country, and the one thing that I find they have in common is outstanding personnel. Most are volunteers who have a love for this sport or shooting in general. Please take a moment and thank them for the work they do, as it may be the only compensation they receive. I had one such person who does get compensation for his position tell me that he actually gets to go to work every day. Needless to say, that club is a well-run place to shoot.
As you read this report, the 2017 Grand American will be in the history books, and for just a little while, everyone involved can rest before getting ready for the next one. Although I have not had a hand in prepping for the Grand American, I have been involved in getting ready for shoots like the Missouri State Shoot and the Fall Handicap. Speaking of the Fall Handicap, it will be here before you know it. Look for some changes to the program this year. If you do not get a program, give me or the folks at MTA a call, and they will get one to you, or you can download the program from the motraps.com website. If you have not been to the Missouri Fall Handicap, please come and shoot with us Sept. 24-Oct. 1.
If anyone has anything to report or has any questions or concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003. Best of luck and travel safe.
Stephen Ricketts
ATA Delegate
Oklahoma
Arkansas had the unfortunate experience of Tropical Storm Cindy coming up and over during the state shoot. At times it seemed like we had a tropical storm during the Oklahoma State Shoot. These conditions make it challenging for everyone. The Arkansas State Shoot was run very well, despite the trying conditions. They had record attendance again, with 632 shooting the championship events. Fourteen Oklahoma shooters braved the conditions and did very well. Brayden Bliss broke his first 100 straight in Friday’s singles. Shelby Skaggs and Pat Stacey also broke 100 in the same event. Look to Trap & Field for complete results.
Congratulations to Ken Isenberg for reaching 25,000 singles and Joe Anglin for reaching 25,000 handicap.
Shawnee Twin Lakes TR’s July 2 shoot had everything in weather—dark overcast skies, a little rain and a little lightning and sunshine at times. Attendance was good despite the weather. Robert Rimer won the doubles with 92, and Mike Grove’s 91 was next. Mike ran 100 straight in the singles. Terry Johnson’s 99 and Charles Rollins’ 98 were next. Kevin Nanke led the handicap with 95. Tim Mount and O. J. Lindly’s 92s were next, and Rex McComb’s 91 was third. We just got the cords rolled up in time. The sky turned a very dark blue, and more rain was on the way. We had more rain in the two days (over three inches) than we had had in the last two months.
When the Oklahoma State Shoot was held over the Fourth of July weekend, you could always count on it being hot and dry. It was good for shooting; the targets turned into black balls of smoke.
Amarillo experienced some of the best weather I can remember for the Texas State Shoot. The flags must have been broken; they hung straight down most of the time. The club and grounds looked great. It was evident they were well prepared for the shoot. We had ice-cold bottles of water to drink each day. The trap help were courteous and did their jobs well, helping each other. Jerry O’Connor said it was the largest state shoot since 2009. The championship events were shot by 768 entries. The shoot was well attended by in-state and out-of-state shooters. I think I counted 47 of us from Oklahoma, and most won one or more trophies. Through the Singles Championship on Saturday, Oklahoma shooters had won 70+ trophies. Sunday’s handicap added to this total considerably. Charles LeadingFox broke 98, Ken Isenberg broke 97, Kameron Wilson and Shay Skaggs broke 96s, and Josh Stacey broke 95. Also involved in shootoffs were Pat Stacey, Daniel Shoaf, Vickie and Randy Farmer, Ron Bliss, Brayden Bliss and others. Trap & Field will have the complete write-up. Pat won non-resident in the Singles Championship with 200 and had 100 in two other singles events, 100 and 99 in doubles, and an all-around score of 394. Chance Fleming’s 198 won out-state runnerup. Shelby Skaggs broke 99 in Event 1 singles, 100 in another, along with 95, 96 and 94 in doubles, winning several trophies. Shay Skaggs’ 96 in handicap earned her one-half yard and sub-junior. Vickie Farmer missed the first target and ran 99 in Saturday’s singles, also had 94 and 95 in handicap, winning trophies. Randy had 98 in singles and 96 in handicap for trophies. Clay Galbreath broke 97 in handicap and had a string of 93s. Josh Stacey broke 97 and 95 in handicap and 197 in singles, winning trophies all week long. Ron Bliss had a good shoot, winning sub-vet doubles and singles trophies. I shot with Steve Barnett when he broke 96 in handicap. Robert Rimer broke 97 in handicap and won several trophies. Clay Laughlin won sub-junior with 97 in handicap and won all-around third.
A lot of shooters who normally attend the Ada S&TC July 9 shoot were in Amarillo for the Texas State Shoot. They still had a good turnout in the singles event. Zane Arnold broke 99, John Lowery 98, and junior Colton Ables 97 for the high scores. In the handicap, Preston Lynch broke 90 and 24 for first place over Mike Grove’s 90 and 21 for second. Tim Mount was third with 89. Mike won the doubles with 94. Ashton Huffstutlar’s 93 was second. Terry Johnson and Zane Arnold tied for third with 92s.
Due to another great-grandson being born on Friday, I shot only Saturday and Sunday of the Southwestern Zone Shoot at KTA. My grandson Tyler and his wife Shyla now have three boys for me to spoil. Oklahoma shooters excelled in several events of the Southwestern Zone Shoot. Pat Stacey was the Zone singles champion with 200 and 100 straight shootoff targets. Shelby Skaggs broke 199 singles, 99 doubles and 97 in Sunday’s handicap. Some shooters breaking 100 straight were Chance Fleming, Josh Casteel, Jeffrey Trayer, Rose Shaffer, Shelby and Pat. I think Shelby was looking for a big truck to haul home all the shells she won. Weather was perfect, and the targets were great. It looks like a lot of shooters are peaking at the right time for the Grand American. If you haven’t experienced the Grand, I recommend you try it. You just have to see it to believe it! Lynn and crew work all year long to make the two weeks memorable for everyone.
Ditch Witch of Perry, OK, was recognized in the Made in America showcase at the White House July 17.
Two Oklahoma law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty during June, and three of our soldiers were killed overseas. Please keep the men and women of law enforcement and our military in your prayers.
Tim Deister
ATA Delegate
Texas
We just finished another Texas State Shoot, and the weather could not have been better. Very, very little wind in Amarillo; that is unheard of. The folks there put on a great state shoot. This year’s was the largest since 2009. Thanks to all who attended and to all the volunteers who worked so hard.
I would like to say congratulations to Matt Nicol, who made the 27-yard line with a 97 at Amarillo GC. Also, Billy Hopson ran his first 100 straight at Amarillo. Keith Bailey recorded his 100,000th singles target at the Spring Grand and his 75,000th handicap target at the Kansas State Shoot. These are three really good guys. Give them an “attaboy” when you see them.
I will leave the reporting of the winners at the Texas State Shoot to the people at Trap & Field. If you don’t subscribe to this fine magazine, then shame on you. You are really missing a lot of news about our sport.
These are some of the things that I mention in nearly every column. Please, if you have pre-squadded and can’t be there, call and release your squads. It’s just common courtesy to the other shooters. If you are an 18- or 19-yard line shooter and are having difficulty squadding, you can request a yardage increase. Just give me a call or send me an e-mail, and I will get it taken care of for you. Please remember, if you receive a requested yardage increase, you will not be eligible for a 1,000-target review for two years.
This next problem deserves a paragraph of its own. The Rulebook (“There he goes on that Rulebook again” is what you are thinking) states that you must have an up-to-date average card to present to the people classifying. The key words here are “up-to-date.” Don’t hand me your phone with your average card from the ATA website. This may or may not be up to date. The ATA staff does a fantastic job of getting scores posted when they receive them, but it all depends on how quick the gun clubs get their reports sent in. Lynn and his staff have done a wonderful job of making it much easier for shooters to get information, but that does not take away your responsibility as a shooter to have an “up-to-date” average card. I keep warning shooters here in Texas that I am going to start penalizing repeat violators. I think warnings are going to end. You just reelected me, so you have a full year to put up with me. By the way, thanks for your confidence in me and allowing me to represent you for another year.
The doubles misfire rule is still an issue with lots of shooters. I have copies of the simplified version of that rule, so please just ask, and I’ll get you one. I will also check with ATA and see if they will repost it to their website.
Most of the things I have discussed above are in the Rulebook—that little 4×6-inch book with the ATA logo and “ATA Rules, By Laws, Policies And Other Shooter Information” on the cover. Please take a little time and look at it. You might try putting it under your pillow at night and see if you can absorb any of the information. I think that might be as close to reading it as some of you will ever get.
If you have news, please let Princess or me know. Till next time, y’all shoot well, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.
Jerry O’Connor
ATA Delegate
Western Zone
Arizona
I love the Western Zone in Tucson. Yup, it’s kind of hot, but we started and ended early, no one had sunstroke or heat poisoning, and there were some pretty good scores. We had 82 shooters, third in the Zone out of nine locations, and we finished third in All-American points. The shoot has an interesting dichotomy—it is one of the more important events of the year, but there is an informality about it. Perhaps that is due to only a portion of Tucson’s vast facility being used, but more likely everyone was just having fun. It was a great way to spend extra time with friends and get to know some others a little better. To my mind, that’s what trapshooting is all about.
The results: we did pretty well across the board. Joe Henderson got us off on the right foot with a 100 in the opening singles. A new junior then emerged, Laine Barnes from Kingman. He won the class handicap outright with a sparkling 99. This was no fluke; Laine had a terrific shoot. I spent some time talking with him and his grandfather, and you can add Laine to our group of outstanding junior shooters and young men. My wife Karen also had a good day, winning the Lady II handicap and doubles. Gerry Williams, shooting in Montana, tied for the veteran title in the ’caps but was reverse-scored down to runnerup. Ed Hutchison won the chair category, and Canyon Ferris was junior runnerup. Opening day finished with the class doubles, and Dennis Kyle took Class D, while Don Jensen became the sub-vet runnerup on a carryover.
We had a bunch of thirds in the Singles Championship until Charlie Wachtel came along. His strong 199 earned the Zone junior crown in a tough category, and Hutchison lost the chair title by reverse score. Vince Bianco was the sole Arizona winner in the Doubles Championship, taking the sub-vet category. Karen Bergman and Canyon Ferris finished as runnerups in Lady II and junior.
The Zone Handicap Championship wrapped things up, and Tiger Volz wrapped up Lady II. Everyone knows Tiger and Don from Casa Grande; not only is she a great competitor, but behind the scenes Tiger contributes much to Arizona trapshooting. Next down the list was Bob Mlynarz with a 97, tops in the tough senior vet category, and Jay Alderman finished one behind for runnerup. Finally there was Wachtel once more. His 98 gave him the junior crown and a hard-earned punch to the 27-yard line.
In the all-around, Karen squeaked by Vickie Larkin by one bird for Lady II; Vince Bianco won sub-vet, beating Richard Goerlich on reverse scoring; and Wachtel topped all juniors. Karen triumphed in the high-over-all, as did Richard, and Canyon Ferris lost out on junior by one target.
I must note that there were many out-of-state winners and “honorary citizens” who choose to shoot in Arizona for the winter. Among them were Garry Hill (AB), Vickie Larkin (CA), Brent Epperson (UT) and Robert Brumwell (AB).
Besides competing for Zone titles, everyone was shooting for Tucson bragging rights. There were some outstanding scores that never quite made it to the Zone list. Ken Mlynarz’s 100 in the opening singles then followed by another hundred in the first leg of the Singles Championship were two. Not to be outdone, Bob Mlynarz finished off the singles with a 100 and shot a 98 in the opening event, along with Bob Dobbs and Barnes. Rick Durkee, Jim Sharp, Tim Robb, Wachtel, Ferris and Colton Hartley all had 99s in the first event. Charlie also had an outstanding 99 in the class doubles, and Canyon shot a 198 in the Singles Championship. Jim Sharp was Tucson high gun in the championship doubles, Tim and Charlie tied for the all-around title, and Tim swept the field in the HOA.
Everything started at 8 a.m. and finished before one. Many thanks to Char, Clyde, Don Jensen and everyone in the office and on the line. Good show!
Around the state: Pleasant Valley continued their summer series June 24-25, and it looks like they may bar Scott Skaggs from the premises. He topped all in the opening singles, won long-yardage in the day’s ’caps, and took the doubles. Sunday he won the singles with 99 and was high in long-yardage and in the doubles. Dennis Kyle picked up a yard in Saturday’s handicap with a nice 97. Daniel Skaggs, possibly related to Scott, was second in Saturday’s singles and junior champ. Robert Will Pike just missed a punch in the ’caps and became the junior winner in that event. Paul Jacobs was high gun in Sunday’s handicap.
The 2018 season kicks off in September with shoots at Tucson, Tri-State, Rio Salado (two), and Flagstaff. See you on the line.
John Bergman
ATA Delegate
Twelve-year-old Grayson Stuart was congratulated by ATA Delegate Ed Wehking on reaching the 27-yard line at the Utah State Shoot.
Scott Doran received his 27-yard pin from Ed Wehking. Scott earned a first-time punch to the back fence during the Utah State Shoot.
Justin Sloan and Jarin Hone both made their way to the 27-yard line for the first time during the Utah State Shoot.
Utah
There was a lot of shooting action the past month, starting with Magna and Last Resort gun clubs, the Western Grand in Vernal, and then the Utah State Shoot at Spanish Fork. Magna and Last Resort each had very nice attendance and produced some great scores in all three disciplines. There were three 100s in singles each day, with Steve Johnson being the only one to break 100 both days. Scores of 97 were high in the ’caps both days from Sharred Oaks, Scott McKinnon (both days), Craig Hart and Scott Doran. In doubles Doran had a career-high 98 on Saturday to lead the pack, and McKinnon had a lone 100 Sunday under very breezy conditions. You can check out all the scores on the USTA website.
Sean and Stacy Hawley once again put on another memorable Western Grand. The shoot went very well with great trap help and accommodations. There were shooters from 22 states and two Canadian provinces. Weather was good the first three days, and then the wind picked up more than a little bit the last two. Each day started with a very gentle breeze that was just enough to let Old Glory show off her stars and stripes in almost picture-perfect fashion during the national anthem.
Utah shooters had a clean sweep of the major championships, with Jason Holman winning the singles with 198 and extras. Sharred Oaks had the lone 100 in the twin-bird event, and Tanner Fisher had the only 99 in the Handicap Championship. Scott McKinnon took both the all-around and high-over-all, both uncontested. Scott also managed his fourth career 100 in handicap and his second in six events! Congratulations to Scott and all other trophy winners from Utah. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Wyoming brother-and-sister act of Hardy and Haley Musselman and the tremendous show they put on all week.
Next came the always anticipated Utah State Shoot at Spanish Fork. Weather was agreeable (maybe a little hot the first day) with clear skies and only the morning down-canyon winds.
The Utah association, Jerry Batley, Brad Spencer, Justin Sloan, and Glenn and Sharon Brown did a great job of running a nearly flawless shoot. Club manager Deb Johnson and club president Vic Layton, along with their directors, did their best to make shooters feel welcome. The grounds were in their usual perfect shape and stayed that way the entire shoot. The behind-the-scenes help also did an admirable job. People such as Delana Leshko, Vickie Skelton and Jenny and Michael McGowan really went out of their way to help out.
Joe Sudbury captured the singles title over Brian Gooch with 200 straight and extras. Great shooting, Joe and Brian. Not only did Joe break the 200 championship targets, but he also broke all 500 singles targets during the week. Lady I was won by Leslie Bodily, and Lady II was won by Lori Martin.
Oaks, Quint Sudbury and Justin Bodily had field-high 99s in doubles, with Sharred prevailing as the twin-bird champ after one round. Lady I was won by Leslie Bodily and Lady II by Pam Wright.
In the Handicap Championship, once again only one round was needed for Sean Hawley to best Robert Green and Grayson Stuart after 98s. Lady I was won by Leslie Bodily (making a clean sweep) and Lady II by Carolyn Southerlin.
Oaks won the all-around and high-over-all, both uncontested. Congratulations to all our champions. Be sure to check out all the scores on the website.
A bunch of “firsts” took place during the shoot, beginning with Sharred completing his ATA Grand Slam on Friday by carding a perfect score from the 27-yard line, but he didn’t stop there. He went on to have a perfect day and put up a 300×300. Outstanding!
More kudos on the “firsts” list go to Jarin Hone, Justin Sloan, Scott Doran and Grayson Stuart for making the 27-yard line. Welcome to the fence, guys.
And the quote of the month has to go to Grayson. After being congratulated by Jim Copsey (New Mexico) for shooting a 98 in the championship handicap, Grayson replied, “Thanks, the best thing about it is that I finally . . . finally made the 27-yard line.” I forgot to mention that Grayson is the ripe old age of 12!
Ed Wehking
ATA Delegate
Washington
Summer seems to be flying by as harvest is upon us in Washington. With the state and Western Zone shoots behind us, ATA competition slows down a bit here, but a lot of us will be looking to take a break and shoot some targets once crops are in the bin.
I last wrote during the state shoot, and we think it was a success. Spokane has a huge event called Hoopfest that brings thousands of people from all over and has been on the same weekend the last several times the shoot has been held at the Spokane GC. We are happy to have learned that the event has been scheduled a week later through 2020, which will help the WSTA, as motel rooms should be easier to book and rates a little less steep. It should be a win-win for ATA shooters and Hoopfest basketball fans alike.
Garrett Schlimmer has kept up his hot shooting, and I’d like to congratulate the young man for winning the state handicap. Some familiar names to the shooting world are on the trophy list, as usual, and we hope you’ll check out the results here in Trap & Field. You can also see information regarding the happenings in our state at www.shootwsta.com and learn about upcoming events and see some photos on the WSTA Facebook page.
We were pleased to have been complimented on our state shoot by many out-of-state shooters. It is great to have shooters from Canada, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and beyond, and we hope they spread the word about the fun had at our shoot. I was especially pleased with the number of sub-junior and junior shooters taking part. I really enjoy having young shooters, many new to the state shoot experience, walking up to me with a big smile to tell me they’ve shot their best score in an event and had their picture taken for a trophy. With stories like that, trapshooting’s future is bright here in our region. Family participation with two or three kids, Mom and Dad, and in some cases grandparents . . . we know we are setting a good example to the rest of the world about our game and can attract more to it.
For those able to attend the Grand American, I look forward to reading some Washington names in the results. Austin Warne has been a hot sub-junior this year, so I’m hoping by the time you read this, he’ll have some good stories to tell about the Grand and some trophies to show off.
We’d like to welcome Margie Kinzel, Andrea Bergstresser and Erin Bauer to the WSTA Board of Directors. Thank you, ladies, for running and being willing to help out. All good shooters, I know their perspective will be useful as well.
Until next time, I hope you are breaking some targets in the summer sun. Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.
Sean Lewis
ATA Alternate Delegate
Wyoming
The 2017 Wyoming State Shoot is in the books. We would like to thank all the shooters who came to Sheridan to shoot with us. Over half of this year’s shooters were from places other than Wyoming, and we really appreciate the fact that shooters were willing to travel to attend our shoot.
Gerry Mack was presented an embossed Shamrock Leathers bag as thanks for his service the past two years as WSTA president. He turned the gavel over to Gary Wilson, who will lead the organization for the next two years.
The WSTA fall meeting will be Sept. 9 at the Rocky Mountain GC. Future state shoots will be a major topic of conversation. The WSTA board is committed to making the Wyoming State Shoot one that everyone puts on their calendar in eager anticipation because it is one of the best and most fun shoots they can attend.
The target-setting committee is to be commended for doing a great job under less-than-ideal circumstances. Jim Butler was chairman this year and was assisted by John Kelly, Chad Frericks, Buddy Heiling, Brian Thompson, Steve Bannister, Stan Looney, Lyle Brice and Rod Devorak. Every effort is made to ensure targets are equal across all banks and traps, and that will be their goal next year.
Teri Turner did a great job as trophy chair once again this year, and we are proud that our trophy package included non-resident awards that were once again available in every event and category.
This year state team members received a pin and additionally a state team shirt noting the accomplishment monogrammed with the year and shooter’s name.
Planning is already under way for the 2018 state shoot, with particular consideration to areas that needed improvement this year. Thanks to everyone who came, and we look forward to seeing you next year in Torrington.
Phil Kiner
ATA Delegate
Central Zone
Indiana
Greetings, shooters. As of Sept. 1, 2018, welcome to the new target year! I hope the 2017 target year was a success for you, and best of luck to you as the new year begins.
I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who attended the 2017 Indiana State Shoot. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with how this year’s shoot went. Attendance was great; we were up 209 total entries over last year, with a total of 3,090. This is the first time since 2013 that we broke the 3,000 entry mark, and this was our largest shoot since 2009! We had our struggles with the weather on Friday afternoon, which caused postponement of that day’s doubles to Sunday morning and the cancellation of our annual miss-and-out shootoff, which I know caused a lot of disappointment. I have been advised by those involved with the miss-and-out, namely Tom Matthews, Devon Harris, Adam Hart, Baker Farms and Indiana Gun Club, that the event will definitely be back next year, bigger and better than ever!
A special congratulations goes out to our championship winners. We had four Indiana shooters turn in 199s for Saturday’s Singles Championship. Michael Gooch was crowned our singles champion, outlasting C. W. Arnett, Devon Harris and Tom Neal in the shootoff. In Sunday’s Doubles Championship, 98s shot off for champ, with Jason Seitz prevailing over Albert White, Eric Shroyer and Adam Hart. Scores of 97 were high for Indiana residents in the Handicap Championship, with Michael Huffman winning in a shootoff with Arnett. C. W.’s 393 in the championship events secured the all-around title, and he also took home the HOA with 1,159.
The Indiana Trapshooting Hall of Fame saw the induction of two very deserving members this year: Harold Bowers and Don Barker. Congrats goes to both of these gentlemen. Also, congrats to our 2016 Indiana all-state team members, who were awarded plaques on Friday at the state shoot. Plaques were also awarded to recognize contributions to the sport by Jennifer Buck, Amanda Baker and Roxie Antczak.
The 2017 ITA president Bob Reynolds wrapped up his tenure on the BOD, and much gratitude should be extended to Bob for all he has done on behalf of the ITA. The new board of directors for this year are president Dave Cates; vice president Keith Weller; directors Jason Barnett, Bill Mager, Dave Wade, Don Barker, Larry Schauss, Mike Williams, Ron Dicke; and newly elected director Jason Seitz. Bill Radwan will continue as secretary-treasurer, and Bob Reynolds will move into the ex-officio position. Jay Hammond is our new AIM director. I will once again be your ATA Delegate, with John Harden and Roland King as Alternate Delegates.
As you are likely aware, the Indiana State Shoot would not exist if it wasn’t for our volunteers. So much goes on before, during and after the shoot that a far majority of shooters never see. I encourage everyone to thank the people who make things happen, like Sal DeSantis, Dave Wright, Mike Williams, Bill Mager, Rick Dillon and Don Barker. These guys were at IGC the week before the shoot, hooking up the new LED shootoff lights and getting all of the trap machines ready to go. Guys like Bobby Hubble and Tom Neal, who worked on the machines and setting targets. Don Carlton and Dave Wade worked on the campground layout and directed campers to their spots. Dan Fesler always bailed us out in the plumbing department, while Desira Fesler attended to all EMT services. Bill Kranenburg and Rick Dillon constantly called on the radio for target resets and speaker issues. Lee Van Duyn listened to me complain about trashcan locations. Mike and Diana Powell, Roger Thompson, Paul Fisher and James Fisher were always willing to lend a hand and do whatever needed done. Keith Weller rehabbed the on-the-line display, and did his usual job for the AIM program. Lowell Thomas and his crew at the practice traps. Roxie Antczak for everything she has done to create the ITA Spectator Experience, which really was outstanding this year. Dave Cates and Dianna Simkins for all they do with our trophies. Dianna does about 25 others things for us: squadding, help desk, my shootoff assistant, all with a smile. Now she can even add national anthem singer to her list of duties. This is just a small sample of what our volunteers do for the Indiana State Shoot. I know I missed many, many names, but please be aware that you are appreciated for everything you do!
Speaking of the national anthem, one of the many highlights for me this year was that each morning we had a soloist pay tribute to our nation by singing it. I had received an e-mail prior to the shoot from one of our AIM shooters, Miss Riley Winstead, asking if it would be okay if she sang it on AIM day, which was also Independence Day. She did an amazing job, and it led to her, Dianna Simkins and a young man named Riley, who is one of our scorers, taking turns the rest of the week singing each morning. What a great way to start the day!
As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything or would like to have anything included in this monthly report for Indiana. My e-mail is [email protected].
Jason Barnett
ATA Delegate
Iowa
I had the pleasure to chat with quite a few Iowa shooters at Missouri state and saw some had been shooting quite well. Some days the weather was tough, but the whole crew went out of their way to make sure we had good target-setting, and the trophy package looked absolutely awesome!
I look forward to seeing everyone at the Heartland Grand and talking with you all. In the next months’ articles, I will have some results from the Nebraska State Shoot, which is normally very well attended by Iowa shooters. Then I will have results from Minnesota, Iowa and the Grand. So by switching the way I write my article, I should have plenty of shoot results to write about through most of the winter. This time of year is a struggle to find things to discuss, but if any clubs want to get some advertising out in a Trap & Field article, please let me know. I’d be glad to write about what your club has to offer.
Heath Kasperbauer
ATA Delegate
John Roussel was congratulated by Dean Townsend on reaching the 100,000 handicap milestone during the Ohio State Shoot.
Ohio
The Ohio State Shoot was a huge success again this year. I would like to thank the OSTA directors for having another great shoot. A lot of preparation went into making this one of the best shoots in the country. If you did not attend, you should make an effort to attend next year. The shoot had 8,762 entries over the six days and a Competition Factor of six. This number could have been higher except for the rain on Friday, which caused some shooters to scratch. There were 2,659 entries in the championship events.
I would like to congratulate all the winners throughout the shoot and the winners of the championship events: singles champion, John Thomas; runnerup, Ronald Smith; handicap champion, Kenneth Rosenbluh; runnerup, Britt Havenar; doubles champion, Michael Wengerd; runnerup, Joseph Charnigo; all-around and HOA champion, Wengerd. Bert Scalia won the shootoff for the Kubota RTV 400, and Harvey Bechtel was the lucky winner of the golf cart and trailer.
I would also like for everyone to give a shout-out to all the sponsors who donate prizes and money to make this one of the top-rated shoots in the country. If you see the people, please tell them just how much you appreciate the donations. Without these sponsors, our state shoot would not be what it is today. Also, give a big thanks to Mr. Fishburn for providing such a wonderful facility, and to Luke and Jake for keeping the shoot running great.
I had a lot of shooters talk to me about the shoot and had first-time attendees tell me how they were going to go back home and tell their friends what a great place it is. Several shooters said they were going to make sure they put Ohio on their schedules for next year. Thanks to everyone who participated, and we grow by word of mouth. When you tell other people what a wonderful experience you had, they will want to give us a try.
The 2017 SCTP and SASP National Championships were held at the Cardinal Center July 8-15. A total of 2,687 shooters ages eight to 23 from 32 states competed during the eight-day event. There were 2,251 participants in the SCTP portion of all the events.
Over 1,000 shooters competed in the Last Competitor Standing event. This is an Annie Oakley-style event, held over two evenings with over 500 competitors each day. They place 30 shooters per trap, and the object is to eliminate each other by breaking the previous competitor’s target if it is missed. They have men’s and ladies’ winners taking home guns and other prizes. Anyone who wishes may compete, and they have competitions just for 2017 graduating seniors, who shoot for $1,000 scholarships presented by the NRA.
Congratulations to all the young shooters who took home prizes. I would like to send a special congratulations to Austin Jacob on winning the Last Competitor Standing Competition, a gun and the $1,000 scholarship. Austin has been so hot this year, I am surprised his stock doesn’t catch on fire when he mounts his gun. I think the grasshopper has learned well from Jeff and Dave. Use the scholarship for a quality education, so you will be able to continue in this sport in your future.
I would also like to thank all parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles who travel to this national competition in support of your children. I know it is not always an easy task to plan for these events and put everything on hold, but I always feel after 39 years of teaching, the parents who do things with their children and support them will be the big winners in the end.
I will leave you with the words of one of my good friends: keep your head down, follow through, and “bust ’em.”
Roger McNamer
ATA Delegate
Wisconsin
I would like to thank Jerry (Dewey) Farnsworth, our Wisconsin TA president, for working so hard for all the trapshooters in this state. We are blessed to have you for another term.
The 118th Wisconsin State Shoot is over, but all of the memories that happened are still fresh in my mind, so I figured I better start writing. As I was shooting Sunday’s handicap, I mounted my gun, getting ready to pull the trigger, when I had to put my gun down because out of nowhere a spider the size of a softball was decending from my cap. I swooshed it away then shot at my target and hit it. We all have been there with some critter that gets in our vision—fly, butterfly, bee, etc. Trapshooters’ excuses!
We held the third-largest state shoot in the U.S., with over 800 shooters competing. Camping and every vending spot were full.
I am going to dive in and list some shooters who shot amazingly, and a big thank you to all of the event sponsors:
Event 1, Crazy Quail Singles, first 100 shot to win the 100 straight buckle in Event 1, Randy Bolton; Event 10 doubles, Ho-Chunk Gaming Championship, high gun was Glen Grabski with 99; Event 11 singles, Kolar Arms Championship, winner with a fantastic lone 200, Kurt VanRens; Event 12 handicap, Erbert and Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop, with the only 100 straight, David Studnicka for the day between resident and non-resident and all-around champion; Event 2 Red Wing Kennels Handicap, winner with a 98, Tate Barwald; Event 3, Bill’s Top Notch Tree Service Doubles, high score was posted from AA Gerald Tenor, 198; Event 4, Eau Claire Rod and Gun Club Doubles, winner was A Brent Heikkinen, 99; Event 5 Federal Premium Ammunition Handicap, champion, Demaine Milbach, 98; Event 6, Direct Drive Express Singles, 100s from George Hass, AAA; Tim Aukofer, AA; Cathy Wehinger, Lady II; Gerald Demulling, sub-veteran; and Mark Sacia, veteran; Event 7, MEC Shooting Sports Handicap, high gun and runnerup with 97s, John Hansen and Gary Cook; Event 8, White Flyer Singles, Mike May broke the only 200; .Event 9, Log Home Doctors Handicap, champion and runnerup with 98s, Gerald Demulling and Geoff Gorres; Event 13, Recob’s Target Shop all-around, champion and runnerup with 391s, David Studnicka and Steve Ebsen; Event 14, Jim Fuller Memorial HOA, winner, Demulling, 1,073. There are so many good scores, which will be covered in the upcoming Trap & Field report.
A big hug and thank you to all our board members who worked hard to make this shoot happen. They devote so much time to preparing for this shoot and many more during the year. Thank you, volunteers who fill in to make all the special fun events happen—Paul Becker fish fry, Dave Dressler auctioneer, Glenn Hamerly for the bar. Thank you to all the worker students and their teachers for keeping them on track—very polite and hard working. One young man prided himself on loading the traps in less than 60 seconds. The camping was full and a handful for Amy, but as organized as she is, everyone was happy and slept well at night. Dennis Minks and I ran the trophy pod with the help of Dennis Gruetzmacher and Jeff Davis. Handing out trophies is a full-time job, and I could not do it without them. Thank you to Sterling Cut Glass, Tilden belt buckles, gift card company (anonymous) American Express cards, Federal Ammunition shells, Red Kennel (various trophies), Shamrock and the ATA for your trophies. This might be a first, but we had every event paid for by sponsors.
A big thank you to John Coniff for stepping up and donating money for water and food to make sure the trap help had good lunches. We have some real caring hearts in the WTA. Thanks to Kolar and Jeff Mainland for donating the Kolar custom gun to be raffled off and sponsoring the 2016 all-state team trophies.
We raised approximatly $150,000 to build a building. Chops is heading this project up. If you would like to help out, contact him at [email protected]. Wow, did we have some major donors: Bill Martin, silent auction and money donation; Hunter Farm Brothers, money donation; Kolar Arms, gun donation; and money raised from the shooters bidding on silent and live auction items. We also have a $16,000 donation from the DNR for lights.
Shooters, we are in need of a secretary. Please, if you would like to do this, let me know. Out of all the shooters in our state, there has to be someone who would like to help Amy out. She has her hands full with the camping. Step up to the plate! We need more than the same people doing multiple jobs.
If you would like to donate to the Dennis Taylor Fund, please e-mail Don Larson at [email protected].
At the board meeting (look at our website for minutes) there was lots to discuss, but I would like to share words from our president, Dewey Farnsworth: “Thank you to everyone, so that I don’t miss anyone. Without your help and generosity, we would not be here.”
My squadmates and I had a scene from the movie “The Birds.” At least 100 birds came out of the grass in front of the traphouse and flew right over our heads while we were on the 16-yard line. We had to stop for about five minutes for them to finally exit the field. (And, yes, we were shooting on Lucky 13, Ray Moser Trap.)
Congratulations to the shooters who won trophies at our neighboring Minnesota and Iowa state shoots.
Thank you to all who came up to me and thanked me for my babbling articles. I love to make you smile.
Sandra Jo Jack
for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring
