Around The ATA – June 2018

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

Illinois

Hello, shooters. It’s state shoot time! Last year we had several shooters make it to the 27 for the first time, gave out several 100-straight pins for the first time someone broke 100 at our state shoot, and numerous people were telling me they had shot the best scores they had for a while. Let’s keep that tradition going! I’ve checked trophy lists from a few of the bigger shoots this year, and some of you have been on fire. Thanks again for representing the state of Illinois across the map and reminding them that we have some of the toughest shooters!

If you haven’t gotten a chance yet, be sure to check out the improved website (illinoistrapshooters.org). The board has been working on tweaking and finding the best way to disseminate information. Look for some changes in the near future. You can find the monthly Delegate report on there as well. If you haven’t yet, you can “like” the ISTA page on Facebook with the tag @IllinoisTrapshooters and get some more information.

Also, the Illinois Hall of Fame is now a 501(c)3. They are still looking for funds to help construct the building. It will be built onto the west side of the ISTA building. If you would like to make a donation, contact any of the directors. Every bit helps!

I hope to write your name in the next article when I mention the state champions. Good luck, shooters!

Lauren Mueller

ATA Delegate

Indiana

Hello, Indiana shooters! June has arrived, and hopefully everyone has been busy shooting a lot of targets. It’s tough to believe that the 2018 Indiana State Shoot is so close to happening July 17-22 at our homegrounds, Indiana GC. The ITA Board of Directors has had a busy year preparing for the state shoot. We will have four new LED-lighted fields for shootoffs this year. A special thanks goes out to director Mike Williams for his work to make this happen.

Congratulations to our 2018 Indiana Hall of Fame inductees, Dave Cates and John Fry. Make sure you join us Friday at the state shoot when we honor these gentlemen at the induction ceremony between events.

Roxie Antczak, our ITA Spectator Experience coordinator, has been busy. Here is an update from Roxie: “The 2018 Spectator Experience has something for everyone. We’ve added some new events and will keep our Facebook page up to date with all the fabulous fun in store. You can find our link by visiting IndianaTrap.com and clicking on News/Updates.

“Every single day at the Indiana State Shoot will be special! From games, crafts and face painting on Tuesday; coffee & craft and our welcome party on Wednesday; Ladies’ Day Out and evening Bunco on Thursday; paint party and kids’ crafts on Friday; and cookie decorating with Sunshine Bakery and a super cool kids’ tie-dye activity on Saturday, there’ll be an event to suit all interests. Plus there’s bingo with Carol on Friday and Saturday afternoons. We’ve even corralled some great live entertainment for the welcome party and Saturday night’s chicken dinner! We’ll finish out the week with coffee & craft Sunday morning. Don’t forget to enter our campsite decorating contest for a chance to win a free campsite for next year’s shoot. Thanks to the independent businesses of Fortville and the ITA Board of Directors for their support and generosity in making every event unique. Contact [email protected] for details.”

Don’t forget to join me at the Evansville site of the ATA Central Zone Shoot July 27-29. Be sure to check out our newly renovated website www.indianatrap.com for all the registered shoot dates around Indiana.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything or would like to have anything included in this article for Indiana. My e-mail is [email protected].

Jason Barnett

ATA Delegate

Iowa

Hello, shooters. What a long winter we have experienced this year. Let’s hope for warm temperatures and low wind from here on out.

Congratulations to all the Iowa shooters who made the All-American team: Dean Bright and Larry Bumsted, senior vet second; Shelly Heitner, Lady II first; Evan Ingalls, junior second; Dale Stockdale, sub-vet first; and Bryce Wade, sub-junior second.

Also, congratulations to all the shooters who made the state teams: Elite—Dale Stockdale, Terry Palmer, Tommy Keeshan, Kenneth Brandt, Edwin Schlotfeldt, Gary Lynn Stille, Evan Ingalls, Monte Kloubec, Kevin Hartwig, Danny Meyne, Larry Bumsted, Jeff Walters. Women’s—Kassi Salsbery, Shelly Heitner, Alyssa Smith, Lori Glasgow, Elizabeth Birchfield, Beverly Dominacki. Sub-junior—Drew Baxter, Wyatt Lindstrom, Christofer Gardner, Bryce Wade, Levi Mills. Junior—Kyle Coomer, Sara Simon, Carson Feeney, Victoria Fox, Brandon Nelson. Veteran—John Hughes, David Bessine, Jon Halford, Louis Segebart, Hal Myers. Senior vet—Dean Bright, Jerry Pierce, Steve Maltzahn, Clarence Bahmler, Jim Pemble.

Don’t miss our Iowa State Shoot July 17-22 in Cedar Falls. We also have the Heartland Grand American Aug. 28-Sept. 3 in Ackley. Both are amazing places to compete.

I look forward to seeing everyone on the line. I can be reached at 712-830-2612 or [email protected].

Heath Kasperbauer

           ATA Delegate

North Dakota

My last article started, “By the time this article gets published, a long cold winter will be winding down,” but that hasn’t happened. Winter just won’t give up. As I’m writing, Mother Nature is providing much-needed moisture in the form of snow. The diehard ice fishermen are still driving on the local lakes and using extensions on their ice augers. But one thing has changed: most of the gun clubs are open for business, mainly due to the start of the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League on April 1. There are over 1,400 high school students (boys and girls) from 50 schools competing this year. The league will be complete with the state tournament June 16-17 at the Shooting Park in Horace.

Six North Dakota shooters made it to the Arizona State Shoot. Brian Larson had the high Class B doubles score (92) on Tuesday. Dennis Bredahl shot a very good handicap score (95) on a windy Thursday. On Friday Orrin Johnson came in with a 96 in handicap. Bob Munson had a good day on Sunday, shooting a 98 in doubles and following it up with a 97 in handicap.

Seven North Dakota shooters made it to the Southwestern Grand in San Antonio, and it was the first trip for Jeff Iverson and Todd Wendel. Perry Weiner shot very good singles with three 99s and collected one Class AAA trophy. Bob Munson had another good tournament, shooting 100s in singles and doubles. He won the senior vet category in the championship singles and two event champions in doubles events.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar to attend the North Dakota State Shoot July 18-22 at Minot GC. We will again be offering a full trophy package for residents and non-residents.

Break ’em all.

Tim Kaffar

ATA Delegate

Ohio

The BOD met in April and finalized the Ohio state program. It is now at the printers, and you will be receiving yours in the mail very soon. The golf cart and trailer 50/50 tickets will again be on sale. Please read your program carefully when it arrives for all the rules and regulations pertaining to the state shoot as well as all the items being offered this year. We would like for you to give a big thanks to all the vendors participating in this year’s state shoot. Without them, our state shoot would not be one of the most successful tournaments in the country. I think the state shoot this year will have a Comp Factor of 7 under the new ATA guidelines. I hope everyone will come and join us.

The OSTA Foundation awarded 13 scholarships this year to high school seniors who are going to attend college this coming year. The Foundation does a wonderful job of supporting students by offering these scholarships. The proceeds received from the seven guns which will be offered this year is one of the ways the Foundation builds its funds in order to help all the young shooters in our state. You do not have to shoot to participate in this gun raffle. You may purchase tickets at the OSTA Museum. There is a $10 option on every event, or you can save money by paying for all events at one time. This is also available to non-shooters at the OSTA Museum. Please help us support these young adults by supporting the Foundation. The Foundation is also funded by donations. If you wish to make any type of donation to help young shooters in Ohio, please see any of the BOD.

The Cardinal Center is getting ready for the 2018 shooting season. Luke and Jake are doing a great job at the Cardinal Center. The OSTA has begun replacing the traps at the Cardinal Center as per the contractual agreement. The OSTA purchased five traps this year and will do the same in the next few years until all are replaced. If you are interested in purchasing one of our used traps for your club or know someone who is looking to purchase a Pat-Trap, please contact one of the board members. The five for this year have already been sold, but there will be five more next year. They have been maintained and are pretty good traps and will save your club several dollars.

I will leave you with the words of my good friend, who always states before taking the line, “Keep your head down, follow through, and bust ’em.”

Roger McNamer

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

My inspirational note to all you readers today: I went to a local coffee shop to write this, and a lady complimented me on my shoes. They are Sketchers BOBS for dogs, and they also have BOBS for cats shoes. A portion of the sales goes to help animals in need. She said she would like to get a pair. Not only did she compliment me on my shoes but also my colorful outfit. Michelle, a random stranger, you made my day; you can also make someone’s day today.

Chops called me as I am writing this to give me an update on the homegrounds building. The building is coming together day by day and is being constructed now. Chops is working his gluteus maximus off to put this building together. Please thank him with a handshake or a big hug when you see him.

To win at a major trapshoot is awesome enough, but if you are a husband and wife who both win at a major shoot, that is more awesome. Cheryl and Gerald Demulling are one heck of a shooting combination. At the Southwestern Grand, they both took home trophies. Cheryl collected three, and Gerald collected four. Congrats to you two. Let’s not forget about John Duwe and Donald LaBarge, who also took home trophies. From what I heard, the weather was not that great, so nice shooting.

I would like to remind you who the champions were at the 2017 Wisconsin State Shoot. Time goes fast, and here we are one month away from our state shoot. Dreams are to be made real, and personal records will be broken. We all are champions as far as I am concerned, but these shooters took home the trophies: Ho-Chunk Gaming Doubles Championship, Glen Grabski; Kolar Arms Singles Championship, Kurt VanRens; and Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop Handicap Championship, David Studnicka.

Fritz Thistle, Wisconsin Trapshooting Association president, has added to my article about the youth shooters here in Wisconsin. If only some of us older shooters would have had the opportunity like the youth shooters have now, our dreams would also have been met (at least, that was my dream). Anyway, thank you Fritz, for noticing what they have done:

“Regularly since early December, junior shooters, their coaches and parents have traveled from around Wisconsin to our WTA Homegrounds to practice International trap on our Olympic bunker. This group, organized by Bruce Nelson from Richfield, first plowed snow and shoveled around the bunker before practicing in challenging winter weather. In late March, eight of these young athletes traveled to Tucson for the USA Shooting Spring Selection Match. After competing and a 50-bird shootoff, Maddie Bernau placed second, qualifying as one of three junior ladies to compete at the World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, later this summer. A total of 12 athletes make the team—six men and six women, of which three men and three ladies are juniors. Congrats to Maddie and the other young athletes who competed.”

           Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring

Eastern Zone

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces. A final update on the status of spring in Newfoundland: I have come to the realization that it will arrive when Mother Nature decides. The weather hasn’t been much better in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick either, but hopefully we’re getting close. Perhaps the few crocuses starting to show on our lawn is a good sign (keep in mind it’s late April when I’m writing this).

It’s great to see local gun clubs are gearing up for the 2018 trapshooting season. At my home club, the St. John’s R&GC, we remove our traps for the winter months to avoid damage from the winter elements. We have just reinstalled our traps and have had our first shoot of the year. Turnout was good, with shooters eager to get trapshooting again. The Highland GC in Nova Scotia is in full swing and had handicap and doubles marathons in April. The Petitcodiac SC in New Brunswick’s final shoot in their winter trap league was May 5. Results are available on shootatlantic.com.

The Dartmouth Clay Target Shooting Association (DCTA) in Cole Harbour, NS, (hometown of NHL superstar Sydney Crosby) has had their share of troubles lately. If the winter tidal surges and flooding weren’t bad enough, a recent range inspection by the Chief Firearms Office has resulted in the suspension of all range operations. In Canada, one of the requirements to operate a gun club or shooting range is a valid Range Operating Certificate issued by the CFO. This office falls under the jurisdiction of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and enforces various aspects of the Canadian Firearms Program. Range approval is subject to compliance with a national Range Design and Construction Guidelines document and other government approvals and regulations. DCTA club representative Barry Turner informs me that they are exploring their current options, with relocating being one of them. Unfortunately, this seems to be a case where historic activity takes second priority to encroaching neighbors.

As founder of DCTA in 2001, Barry played a key role in the club’s development. Most notably, he led the initiative to convert the club into a not-for-profit association, revitalized membership, organized a Harlan Campbell shooting clinic in 2012, and was instrumental in bringing back the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Championships to the DCTA in 2012 and 2015. Prior to that, the DCTA last hosted our ATA shoot in 1999. I have fond memories of the DCTA and am disappointed to see things go this way. The DCTA board of directors has done their best to comply with all rules and regulations, but it seems their efforts may not be enough to keep the club operational.

Shooters at Highland GC in Yarmouth Co., NS, have also been ramping up preparations for this year’s Atlantic Provinces ATA shoot, and it’s shaping up to be well attended. Shoot dates are Aug. 30-Sept. 2, and the shoot program is available for download on shootatlantic.com. If you would prefer a printed program, feel free to contact us. If you need accommodations, check out the program for the shooters’ rate at a local hotel.

On the Canadian trapshooting scene, the Brandon (MB) GC will be hosting the 2018 Canadian Trapshooting Championships June 27-July 1. This shoot is an ATA All-American points shoot and will have $5,000 in added money. For more information and a shoot program, visit the Canadian Trapshooting Association’s website shootcanada.ca.

For more information on the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or visit shootatlantic.com.

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

So far there hasn’t been much of a spring here in the Garden State. It’s April 25 as I write this month’s article; it’s 53° and foggy outside today and it rained all night, so I guess that’ll help the plants if the sun ever comes out and the ground warms up!

By the time you receive this month’s Trap & Field, the New Jersey State Shoot has just finished up, and hopefully you have one of the 2018 U.S. silver dollars (and a check) in its display box labeled with the event you won. Elections were held, and hopefully I’ll be back here writing about your exploits in trapshooting.

Shooting was canceled at Pine Belt, Howell and Pine Valley April 15 due to the cold, rain and windy conditions in the state. Steve Siegert was high on Saturday at the Quarter Grand Shoot at Pine Valley April 14 with a very respectable 197. You can see all the winners at the Pine Valley website www.pinevalleytrapclub.com.

Pine Valley held their annual Youth Shoot April 21. Shooters from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey participated. There were close to 50 shooters competing in the singles. Shane Biser was high with 99. Twenty-seven youths participated in the handicap, with Kyle Kanuha leading the field with 93. There were 18 doubles shooters, with Bryan Romanow in first place with 94. Shane won the HOA with 277×300. Please visit the Pine Valley website for a complete list of class winners. Congratulations to all.

Each year the members of Pine Valley donate money to support this shoot, which includes trophies, shirts, hats (supplied by Krieghoff International), two boxes of shells and all the hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, soda, water and Philadelphia-style pretzels they can eat. Krieghoff had a pop-up tent with their trap guns available for the shooters to try out. Hopefully the number of young shooters will be larger next year. A shout-out must go to Paul Dimeglio and all the other club member volunteers who donate their time and money to hold this event each year. Thank you!

The New Jersey Trapshooting Association will be hosting the 19th Garden State Grand July 6-8 at the Pine Belt SC, so make plans to attend. As I’m writing this article, Vince Valois is finishing up installing 14 new Pat-Traps at the Pine Belt facility. The new traps were used at the past state shoot.

Lastly, the ATA Eastern Zone will be held in Cicero, NY, July 19-22, so please try to attend. Some great trophies will be awarded to the winners.

Joe Sissano

           ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada! As I write this (April 23), southern Ontario is finally shedding its recent snow blanket. There will be traces of snow well into May. This has impacted early spring trapshooting, but my suspicion is that there is so much TDS (Trapshooting Deprivation Syndrome) that warm weather will be a sure cure.

Many of our Ontario shooters plan on competing outside Ontario this year, and I wish them the very best. If you can attend the Grand American, it would be great. For non-residents, keep our provincial tournament in mind. It will be held in St. Thomas July 26-29. St. Thomas is just off the 401 highway and about two hours east of the Detroit/Windsor border.

A cautionary note: if you participate in social media, be very careful what you say, even in jest. A well-regarded Ontario firearm owner (not a trapshooter) found out the hard way. He was tired of the ranting of anti-firearmers who posted that all semi-automatic firearms should be prohibited because with one pull of the trigger, hundreds of rounds can be fired, which would kill everyone in a building. In a sarcastic response, this individual retorted, “Yeah, I am going to get one of those semi-automatic firearms that will fire 4,000 shots with one pull of the trigger, which can kill everyone in the building. By the way, I already have clips that hold 5,000 bullets each.”

For those who understand the nuances, this retort is sarcasm, but the public is so naive about firearms that they believe this fiction to be the truth. Result: guns seized and a court appearance. You may think that your communications are private; not so. You may never know who the “anonymous” informant is, and remember: the emerging culture is that if you see or hear something that concerns you, notify the authorities. If they don’t act and something bad happens, they will be in hot water. I tend to avoid social media myself, but if you are involved, be careful.

On a lighter note, a lady recently was arrested for shoplifting and appeared in court. “What did you steal?” the judge asked.

“A box of 12-gauge shotgun shells,” the woman replied.

“How many shells were in the box?” the judge inquired.

“Twenty-five, I think,” the woman said.

“Then I will give you 25 days in jail,” the judge told her.

Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment; however, the woman’s husband asked if he could say something. The judge allowed it.

Said the husband, “She also stole a bag of lead shot!”

Good shooting.

Paul Shaw

ATA Eastern Zone Vice President

Pennsylvania

As you read this column, most of you will be attending our Pennsylvania State Shoot at the PSSA homegrounds in Elysburg. It’s hard to believe we made it through a never-ending winter and a short, wet, soggy spring to make it to this point. Good luck to everyone in their quest for one of the coveted state titles!

Several of our colleagues spent time down south for a few weeks to participate in the Southern Grand and Florida State Shoot. The Southern Grand was well represented by 82 Pennsylvanians, with 22 bringing home 69 trophies. Luke Cowart started his junior campaign off with 12 placements, including all-around and HOA. Deborah Ohye-Neilson and Ken Darroch tallied nine wins each, including Deborah’s all-around and HOA for Lady II and Ken with all-around runnerup in sub-vet. Dennis Carney shot well enough all week to win two trophies, including his class HOA. Other winners include Frank Pascoe (four), Don Schaffer Jr. (four), Clare Schaffer (three), Sheldon Hostetter (three), Kim Bateman (three), Bruce Schmidt (three), Thomas Beck, Fred Olinick, Don Neilson Jr. (two), Peggy Carney (two), John Spangler (two), Dana Hammersley (two), Joyce Marsh, Tommy Hensel (two), Criona Doorly (two), Steven Miller, Sheldon Cope and Rob Calcavecchia. Congratulations on a fine shoot and a fine representation of our state.

The following week we had 48 PA shotgunners attend the Florida State Shoot, with 12 shooters carting back 31 trophies. Ohye-Neilson and Frank Pascoe earned nine and six awards, respectively, including all-around and HOA for their categories. Peggy and Dennis Carney added five more between them, with each picking up HOA honors for their respective classes. Scott Holdren and Terry Rishel each won a pair of trophies, with Scott taking class all-around and Terry winning the non-resident Handicap Championship (brother Bob and uncle Tom couldn’t be happier). Other PA shooters bringing back hardware were Helen Siemianowski, James Blevins, Neilson (two), John Manetta, Bruce Rex and Calcavecchia.

Finally, a trip to San Antonio, TX, was in the cards for Ohye-Neilson, Cowart and Neilson. Debbie continued her rampage, picking up 12 trophies, including category all-around and HOA. Luke earned seven awards, including category HOA, as Don added two more trophies to the bus.

I look forward to seeing everybody back in Elysburg!

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Southern Zone

Georgia

We had excellent attendance at the sixth annual L. L. Evans Memorial at South River. Boone Butler and his crew put on a quality trapshoot. Mike Reed won the Saturday singles and Edwin Wolfe took Saturday’s handicap, collecting a half-yard punch. Kevin Demichiel prevailed in Sunday’s singles, Shirley Duong earned the day’s handicap and a half yard, while Mike Wasielewski won the doubles and high-over-all.

The Atlanta Spring Shoot was held at Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds April 14. Shirley Duong continued her excellent spring shooting, taking the championship by two birds over Stephen Williams. Great job, as always, by David Witt putting on the shoot.

Rumors have it that Col. Mike Bolling’s new car smell is fading. I guess Boone needs to get to work at the state. I hope to see you all there.

           Richard Griffith

           ATA Delegate

Kentucky

Trapshooting is again in full swing here in Kentucky. Several Satellite Grands and a few state shoots have already been held. The first thing that needs to be reported is the way Bobby Fowler took the Florida State Shoot pretty much by storm. On the preliminary day he won the singles and doubles outright and the junior gold handicap. He continued all week, winning in 14 of the 15 events as well as HOA and all-around in the junior gold category. Ty V. Moore of Benton either won or placed in five of the doubles events in the sub-junior category. In the preliminary handicap, Clayborn Hunter and Don Cottrell came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Southwestern Grand in San Antonio was attended by several Kentucky trapshooters. Dwayne Wilson and sub-junior son Elijah were there, with both winning or placing in several early events. Thomas Crossland won a class trophy in a doubles event. Nathan Hartsell, a junior shooter, shot well and won B class HOA. Vaughn Helton shot very well all week, finishing high in AA HOA. Sub-junior Drew Wyatt shot well enough to win multiple events and his category in the class singles Friday as well as runnerup in sub-junior HOA. Kevin (Tank) Polson won Event 5 handicap champion with a 92 under very, very challenging weather conditions. Kevin continued his winning ways in several events and finished fourth in HOA in a very talented national cast of trapshooters. I must say the real star of the shoot from Kentucky was Melissa Tracy. She won or placed in several Lady I events, won AA HOA honors and was winner of the Lady I all-around. The real drama of the Event 11 handicap was when after qualifying with a 95, she shot off from the 27 for eight boxes to eventually win Lady I honors. Kevin won a shootoff to take third in the same event. Aaron Willoughby took fifth in the championship handicap.

In other news, The Kentucky TL has announced the members of the state teams on their website. Please take the time to check out these prestigious distinctions earned by these outstanding trapshooters.

Members of the ATA All-American teams from Kentucky are as follows: men’s first, Kevin Polson and Keith Ditto; Lady I first, Hannah Simpson; Lady II first, Martha Humphrey; sub-junior second, Connor Richardson, Drew Wyatt and Tristen Miles; junior second, Justin Johnson; junior gold first, Bobby Fowler; junior gold second, Nick Kingrey; sub-vet second, Donnie Sherrard; veteran first, Robert Dyer; and senior vet second, David Riddle. Congratulations!

The season has begun for the Kentucky High School Trap League. There are 290 student athletes registered in 16 school systems across Kentucky. This is again a record, and we believe this is just the beginning for this great new extracurricular activity in Kentucky.

Plans continue to evolve for the Kentucky State Shoot July 4-8. The Kentucky TL is honored to announce that Robert Dyer and Linda Cox will be inducted into the Kentucky Trapshooting Hall Of Fame at this year’s state shoot. Please come join us at Berea. Programs will be in the mail soon. The La Quinta Inn in Richmond has been chosen as the host inn for this year’s shoot, with a great discounted rate of $65 per night. Kentucky TL president John Kerr is back home continuing to recover from a serious injury suffered earlier this spring.

As always, if you have news about trapshooting which should be shared, please contact me at 270-227-2262 or at [email protected]. This is wishing everyone good health and many, many smoked targets.

           Vernon R. Anderson

           KTL board memeber

Mississippi

By the time you are reading this, the Mississippi State Shoot has come and gone, and I hope everyone who attended had a great time.

I am happy to announce that two of our six trapfields are lighted. This will open a lot of doors for us to build our program bigger and better with nighttime shooting. We are talking about forming a trap league and a Big 50s program.

I want to thank John Oren and Randy Dearman for making our AIM program bigger and better this year. I would like to spotlight the Capital GC shoot that was held March 3 and congratulate the winners; David Huber, singles and doubles, and Bill Burke, handicap.

Coast R&PC held their regular shoot on March 24 and had 20 shooters. The singles and doubles were won by Kim Wilson and the handicap by Neal Campbell.

Christian Dearman was named to the AIM all-state trapshooting team and was elected captain. Way to go, Christian! Mississippi’s Larry Rickman, longtime ATA board member, was named to the ATA All-American chairshooter team. Larry logged a total of 828 points for a fourth-place finish. Congratulations, Larry!

I’m happy to announce that Pine Ridge SC is in Smithdale, which is just west of McComb. If you’d like more information about their upcoming shoots, please contact Milt Burris at 601-567-9921. His e-mail address is [email protected].

Please feel free to contact me. We would love to have you visit our Mississippi clubs. I can be reached at 228-861-1313 or [email protected].

Lenny Sawyer

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Trap season is here as of this writing. North Carolina Hall of Fame started today, Georgia State Shoot starts next week then our shoot two weeks later. I hope you got to shoot all of them. In next month’s column there should be a long list of South Carolina shooters’ names as winners in these shoots.

It’s time to announce our state team. There are some changes from last year and some new names. Congratulations to all.

First team—captain Rodney Raines, Gary Olson, Randy Knight, Jay Willson, Russ Middleton. Second team—Bill Ward, Doug Stenback, Tyler Morris, Wayne Franz, Frank Ketron. Category—Jenn Willson, Lady I; Teresa Knight, Lady II; Gary Ferguson, sub-vet; Donnie Pigg, vet; Jim Faber, senior vet.

We also need to recognize Teresa Knight for her Lady II All-American award for the third year in a row.

I can be reached at [email protected].

Jim Faber

           ATA Delegate

Tennessee

I know it is hard to believe, but it’s time for the 105th Tennessee State Shoot. This year we have 12 new Pat-Traps and 12 new E-Rad voice release systems. At the Tennessee CTC, Nashville: Tuesday, June 12, 9 a.m., first 100 targets of the AIM Singles Championship followed by AIM Handicap Championship, 100 total targets; Wednesday, June 13, 9 a.m., AIM Doubles Championship, 100 targets followed by the second 100 of the AIM Singles Championship; Thursday, June 14, 9 a.m., Event 1, opening singles, Event 2, opening handicap, which we are calling the Steve Williams Handicap because on this exact date in 1968, he was punched to the 27 and has remained there for the past 50 years; Event 3, opening doubles; Friday, June 15, 9 a.m., Event 4, Singles Class Championship, Event 5, Hall of Fame Handicap, Event 6 Doubles Class Championship; Saturday, June 16, 9 a.m., Event 7, Tennessee Singles Championship, 200 Targets; Sunday, June 17, 10 a.m., Event 8, Tennessee Doubles Championship; Event 9, Tennessee Handicap Championship.

Congratulations to the following shooters who won trophies at the recent Southwestern Grand: Amy Dement, Chase Kobeck and Joe Dement.

The Alabama State Shoot is May 31-June 3 at Dixie T&S, Mathews. North Carolina State Shoot is June 6-10 at North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic.

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 you read this, we should be beginning this year’s Hall of Fame Shoot in Winchester. Again this year, the state AIM program will be holding their state championships concurrently. If the weather cooperates, that should give us a pretty reasonable turnout. It’ll be wonderful to see everyone again after a long winter, and I wish all competitors the best of luck.

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gary Funkhouser on his induction into the Virginia Hall of Fame. Gary has worked behind the scenes for many years to make our shoots successes. As president, manager, and board member of the Winchester GC, he’s been one of the keys to a successful club. His dedication and hard work have made our jobs easier.

I’d like to remind you that this is one of the years we don’t have a major competing shoot at the same time as our state shoot. Additionally, Winchester will be the venue for this year’s West Virginia State Shoot the week after ours. We are expecting a larger-than-average crowd. If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to contact Kip at WGC about reserving a camper spot and go to presquad.com to register.

           George Hafkemeyer

           ATA Delegate

Southwestern Zone

Arkansas

By the time this article reaches everyone, here in Arkansas the shooting will have become pretty intense at all our local clubs. The AYSSP state program is in full swing with qualifying matches, and state championship winners will be decided the first week of June at Jacksonville. Although this youth program is not a part of the ATA, there are many youth shooters in the program who shoot ATA targets. Many young ATA shooters in Arkansas got their start with AYSSP. What a boost these young shooters add to our local ATA shoots, benefiting local clubs and our state association.

I encourage all shooters to get out of their comfort zone and travel to other clubs in the state. This helps you see different target presentations, and your attendance will be greatly appreciated.

The ASTF Board of Directors has worked hard to make the 2018 Arkansas State Shoot another one to be remembered. Our main goal is for everyone to have a great time and promote trapshooting in Arkansas. I believe after you attend our state shoot, you will be impressed.

The Arkansas State Shoot program can be found on our website arkansastrapshooting.org. I also recommend you pre-squad at presquad.com; this will get you through the sign-up line more quickly and help everyone. Most shooters on our mailing list should have received a printed program by now, and what a fine program book it is. Many thanks go out to Eddy Kinslow.

The 2018 Arkansas State Shoot is June 19-24 at Jacksonville. We are hoping for good weather and looking for a great turnout. We always have a great program for our shooters with plenty of added money and trophies. For all of the All-American point chasers, our state shoot is unually a Competition Factor 3, so come

and get you some. The Jacksonville G&F facility is very nice and staffed by great people ready to make our state shoot as enjoyable as possible. I don’t want to forget to mention to please be courteous and patient with all the scorekeepers and staff. Remember, we all make mistakes at times, and we shooters just need to be patient and remember that our game is supposed to be fun.

Several Arkansas shooters traveled to the Louisiana State Shoot and did quite well, but Caleb Coody was a standout. He won several trophies and was the non-resident HOA. Way to go, Caleb!

I look forward to seeing everyone at our state shoot and sincerely hope you have a great time.

Please feel free to e-mail at [email protected] or call my cell with questions at 479-739-1697.

Woody Barnes

ATA Alternate Delegate 

Colorado

Welcome, summertime! As this goes to print, we will be on our way to the Colorado State Shoot in Grand Junction. Good luck and good shooting.

In case you have not noticed, we have added 50 cents to the previous Colorado daily fee. This additional money is earmarked for the state zone shoot. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for it in September.

Shoots taking place in July are the following: Leadville (June 30) July 1; Pawnee, July 1; Golden, July 6-8; Cactus Flats, July 8; Grand Junction, Berthoud, July 15; Eagle, July 21; Aurora, Pikes Peak, Yuma July 22; and Buena Vista, Delta July 29.

One of the sites for the ATA Southwestern Zone will be Raton, NM, July 13-15. The NRA Whittington Center is a wonderful and beautiful place to shoot and not a bad drive down I-25 to New Mexico. It is always fun to compete with other states, with the shooting conditions different in each location.

The Grand will be here before we know it. Check out some of your local shoots and get tuned up and ready for August.

If you have concerns or want to share something about your club or special event, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or if you happen to see me at any of the many events, feel free to come have a conversation.

Dan Treat

ATA Delegate

Missouri

I was beginning to think that winter was never going to end, but it has finally moved on, and springtime is here. With that, trapshooting is in full swing here in Missouri. By now most clubs that throw registered targets have had at least one shoot, and most have had more than one. The Missouri central zone shoot was held at MTA April 14-15. Attendance was good for the championship singles on Saturday and not so good on Sunday due to the third Sunday in a row that it snowed.

On a more somber note, Missouri lost a great ambassador to the sport of trapshooting and a longtime contributor to MTA. Bob Graf, the 2016 MTA Hall of Fame inductee, passed away April 2 at the age of 84. Bob registered a total of 289,350 targets during his shooting career.

The annual Paul Larsen Memorial High School Shoot was held April 28 at MTA in Linn Creek with 940 shooters from throughout the state. A big thanks to Tony Shockley and all the MTA staff for their hard work organizing and running this shoot. Also a big thanks to MO Dept. of Conservation for their contributions and the 40 conservation agents who assisted. Two shooters tied with perfect scores, with Grant Boswell taking the champion trophy over runnerup Nathan Davis after shootoff. Third place went to Logan Lucas after a four-way shootoff of 99s. In the ladies’ division, champion, Lacey Williams, 99; runnerup, Catterah Carringer, 97; and third place, Ella Kurrus over Rae Woods with 96. In the junior high division, champion, Andrew Stone, 98; and Austin Stoner over Nickolas Estes with 96s for runnerup and third place. In the freshman division, champion, Hayden Miller, 98; runnerup, Kyle Grier, 97; and third, Kelan Kinion, 96. In the sophomore division, champion, James Daniles, 99; Dylan Hale over Kyle Rybak, 98s, for runnerup and third place. In the junior division, champion, Caleb Johnson, 99; Robert Thompson over Garrett Cramer, 98s, runnerup and third. In the senior division, champion, Jared Wyatt over runnerup Caleb Wood, 98; and third, Caleb Cohen, 97. Trophies also went to the top three teams in each division. I have said it before, and I will say it again, some of these youngsters really know how to point a shotgun. We older guys and gals better watch out.

I hope to see everyone somewhere at a shoot this year. If you have anything you would like to have reported or have any concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003.

God bless and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

Well, here it is the end of April already as I write this. Before we know, it will be time for the Grand.

Silver City will be having their annual shoot June 28-July. I hope y’all can make it. Our ATA Southwestern Zone site is NRA Whittington Center, Raton, July 13-15.

Shoot well and often.

Bob Leibel

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Ada S&TC held an AIM shoot March 17. It was cool with a strong north wind all day. Attendance was good, with 19 shooters competing, and scores were high for the conditions. Robert Ernsting from Connors University had several firsts—first he joined the ATA, and he broke his first 100 straight in singles. Collin Rindal broke 94 to win the handicap. Colton Ables broke 92 and won the doubles. Lowell said the shoot went well, and they are looking forward to the next one.

Ada’s Tuesday evening March 20 fun shoot was won by Mike Grove with 25 in singles and 24 in handicap for 49.

Vickie Farmer was ecstatic after bringing home several non-resident trophies from the Arizona State Shoot: non-resident Lady I handicap, runnerup doubles, Class D doubles, HOA and all-around.

OTSA held an AIM shoot March 24, and 24 shooters competed. Weather was cool, and they had a north wind all day. Scores were high in spite of the conditions. Colt Quisenberry broke 99 to lead the singles, and Jared Marshall’s 97 was next. Klayton McGee broke 98 to win the handicap and one yard. Colt’s 92 was next. Klayton won the doubles with 94, and Colt’s 93 was second.

Ada held a registered shoot March 25, and weather was the same. Twenty-seven shooters faced the trying conditions. Zane Arnold and Justin Cavett broke 97s in the singles, and Zane won the shootoff. Rindal broke 93 to win the handicap and a half-yard punch. Ernsting won the doubles with 92.

Iowa Park held a shoot March 25. The same cool weather and north wind prevailed. Ron Bliss told me several Oklahoma shooters had good scores. Pat Stacey had 96 and 98 in doubles, and Chance Fleming broke 98 and 95. Pat, Ron, Klayton and Brayden Bliss all had 99s in the singles. Josh Stacey had 94 in the handicap.

Ron spent several weeks working on our state shoot program. On March 27 we met at French’s Printing to finalize and proof the program. By getting the program done early, we can trade state shoot ads with our neighbors Kansas, Arkansas and Texas. We also took about 50 with us to the Southwestern Grand in San Antonio. When you see Ron, you might want to thank him for the many hours he spends on the state shoot program each year.

Shawnee Twin Lakes TR had a good turnout for their March 31 shoot, but extreme south winds played with the targets all day, keeping scores low. Grove won the doubles with 86, and Mike Meeks’ 85 was next. Mike also won the singles with 96, and Nathan Lemke’s 95 was next. Cavett won the handicap with 95, and Paul Hooper’s 93 was next. This was a two-day shoot for Shawnee, but Sunday had to be canceled due to weather. This is why I have always supported two-day shoots. Ninety percent of my shoots at Shawnee from 1981 to 1989 were two-day shoots. One of the Fall Merchandise Shoots had 46 shooters on Saturday. Heavy rains were forecast for Sunday, and 11 shooters showed up where a Remington 1100 gun and other guaranteed merchandise were given away. This didn’t balance things out, but it was sure helpful. Another prime example of two-day shoots was OTSA SP’s most recent shoot. Saturday was a perfect day, and 56 shooters showed up. Abagail Colten’s 100 in singles and Paul Hooper’s 99 in handicap were the results. The weather turned bad on Sunday, and 13 shooters shot. Ada has started to have two-day shoots with good results. Their Big 50s on Saturday have turned out well. The Big 50s are becoming more popular, probably because they are half the cost. You will spend close to $200 to shoot a 300-target program. On a good note, trap is still less expensive than skeet or sporting clays.

Fifteen Oklahoma shooters ventured down to San Antonio for the Southwestern Grand, and 13 won awards. Weather kept attendance and scores low. Some of the Oklahoma shooters winning one or more trophies were McGee, Quisenberry, William Dayton, Rod Savely, Farmer, Pat Stacey, Josh Stacey, Joe Anglin, Jeff Trayer, Gary Nichols, Clay Laughlin and myself. Savely stayed with his daughter and visited with the grandkids. Colt broke 100 singles and 95 handicap to win trophies. Klayton won five trophies in singles and handicap, Vickie ran 25 in her shootoff for a yardage trophy. Josh won four, and Pat won five. Pat broke 100 in the Doubles Championship along with Eric Munson. Pat won the doubles in 2017, but Eric edged him out this time, and Pat was runnerup.

Klayton got his picture on the cover of the April Trap & Field for his sub-junior handicap win at the Spring Grand. Colt, Ron and Gary were pictured in the magazine with their wins. Fleming also won a couple trophies. Everyone needs to see the AIM News on Page 50. It featured a very moving story about the Oklahoma AIM shooters, where Josh Casteel took the shirt off his back and presented it to Garrett Cox of Illinois, who has autism. Jim and Michelle Cox wrote a letter commending Josh and the team for the compassion and caring they showed their son.

Ada’s April 14 AIM shoot had cold and windy weather, like most shoots so far this year. Colton Ables won the singles with 95, and Marshall’s 93 was next. Jared won the handicap with 86, and Laughlin and Galbreath’s 84s were next. Laughlin and Ables broke 87s in doubles, with Laughlin ending the winner.

Ada’s Tuesday evening shoot was won by Grove with 46. Mike and Collin Rindal were the only two to break 25s in singles.

Roger Finkle was involved in a serious auto accident on icy roads that left him battered and bruised. All this only one week after surgery to install a pacemaker. After several days in the hospital, he is now home recuperating. Roger, we all wish you well on your recovery.

Over the last month we have lost a number of law enforcement and military personnel defending our freedom. Please support these people and keep the families in our prayers.

           Tim Deister

           ATA Delegate

Texas

I thought winter was over, but, boy, was I wrong. Today is April 25, and here where I live, the temperature is 36° with a wind chill of 28°. Summer will be here soon, I hope.

The Texas State Shoot will be July 3-8 at the National SC in San Antonio this year. The NSC is a fantastic facility with a very professional staff. If you haven’t made your plans to attend, you need to “git ’er done.” I hope to see you there. Also, don’t forget the Zone I shoot that will be held at the Amarillo GC June 15-17.

I had the privilege of attending the first shoot held at the Hereford GC. (There is a newspaper dated 1923 that has a story about an ATA shoot in Hereford.) It’s a four-trap club in, you guessed it, Hereford, TX. That just happens to be where Princess and I live. It was a very good shoot. They had 36 entries and signed up five new ATA shooters. I think that was fantastic for a new club. I hope they will continue with registered shooting.

Now we are getting to the part of the column you are most excited about: of course, my talking about the rulebook. Do you understand the doubles misfire rule? Many people don’t. It’s in the rulebook, but the best explanation is on the ATA website. I try to always have some copies of that with me. Just ask, and I’ll be more than happy to give you one. Do you know the rule about someone shooting out of turn? Do you know the rule if someone shoots on the wrong yardage? What if they shoot only one post on the wrong yardage? What happens if a scorer marks a target lost and then corrects it to dead and initials the correction? If you don’t have the answers for these questions, check the rulebook. If you don’t want to do that then call me, and I can give you the answer. Please remember that the rulebook is a book of rules and not suggestions. I’ve seen more upset shooters over targets that were scored lost and then corrected to dead than any other rule. I probably don’t know all the rules, but I’m not embarrassed to say, “Wait just a minute while I check the rulebook.” Okay, the ranting is over, and I’ll shut up (at least for now).

Hey, if you have news, please let Princess or me know. I can’t include what I don’t know about. Feel free to call me at 806-679-6889 or e-mail me at [email protected].

Till next time, y’all shoot well, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Western Zone

Arizona

Our winter visitors have gone home, and it’s just us natives left. The upcoming biggie is the Western Zone July 13-15; our site is Tucson. I know some are a little wary about shooting in midsummer here—there are always those who head for northern climes—however, 70+ hardy souls bucked up and had a great time last year. We start at 8 a.m. and end usually around 1, so most of the midday heat is missed. It’s just a nice, old-fashioned trapshoot; not too large, not too small. It is kind of fun waiting to hear the scores from other clubs in the Zone. Arizona has been near or at the top for the last few years. Come on down; you will like it.

Around the state: On April 14 the scheduling meeting for the 2018 season was held at Ben Avery, and by my count, 81 shoots were set up. There may be a few more added. Clubs participating are Rio Salado, Ben Avery, Tri-State, Mohave, Tucson, Pleasant Valley, Flagstaff, Double Adobe, Casa Grande and Lake Havasu. Also discussed by the board was rotating banks between hundreds of the state Singles Championship (all were in agreement), and daily ASTA fees were lowered to $2 for a one-year trial.

The numbers are in, and if anyone doubts how important Arizona is to trapshooting, get a load of this: we are ranked fourth in the country behind Illinois (they have the Grand American), Ohio, and Pennsylvania in number of targets thrown.

This is a good chance to give thanks to some of the guys and gals behind the scenes; that includes Bob Dobbs, Gary Olson and Jim Grider at Ben Avery, Don Jensen at Tucson, Robbie Love for the work he does at all the clubs in the western part of our state, Bob Sawyer for bucking the tide and reviving trapshooting at Lake Havasu, and Mary Long and Jerrie Finfrock at Tucson for the many hours spent behind the trophy table. All of those folks and many others help keep Arizona trapshooting at the top.

Casa Grande held their Easter Shoot March 29-April 1. Mother Nature did not always cooperate, but there was some mighty fancy shooting. Dan Forbes (you are going to see that name more and more), started things off with the only 100 straight in the singles, Charles Chapman was high in veteran, and Bob Dobbs took senior vet. Next was the ’caps, and it was not a great Arizona show, but Cliff Patten’s 92 was high in the 18-21 group. The day finished on a high note, John Kelly of Wyoming came in with a 100 in the doubles (he shot “only” a 99 the next day in the opening doubles), while Forbes won B and Phil Vasquez topped all senior vets. In Friday’s singles, 100s were the order of the day. Wayne Thompson ran ’em all for senior veteran, and Art Peyton from Alberta, a familiar face during the winter and an honorary Arizonian, shot the first of his three 100s. Tim Mc Donald was not too shabby and won B. Then a couple of new names popped up in the handicap: Ron Schroer took 25-27, Tim Landwerlen won 22-24, and Charles Chapman was high once more in veteran. Saturday was a great day for Arizona shooters. Ken Mlynarz broke all 100 birds in the singles, as did Peyton. Tim McDonald won B, Art Hammer C, and Bob Mlynarz tied for senior vet. Tim then kept up his winning ways, taking 22-24 in the ’caps, Dana Erway bested all vets, and Kaitlin Quan was just getting started. Her 96 tied for high gun and swept all of the ladies. In the concluding doubles, Greg Cobb was high at 97, Schroer’s nice 96 won senior vet, and Kaitlin topped the ladies.

On Easter Sunday Dana Erway beat all comers in B class as did Don Carlson in senior vet in the doubles. The super hot Art Peyton then came in with his third consecutive 100 in singles, but Kaitlin won the event on a forfeit. Things then wrapped up with the handicap, and my shooting buddy George Miller won the 25-27 group, while John Hardman tied with Quan for the top score of 94 under some trying conditions. Kaitlin gained a yard at the shoot and saw her name go up on Casa Grande’s “Wall of Fame.”

It’s now off to the Western Grand in Vernal and the Utah State Shoot at Spanish Fork. See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

Our shoot in February was the memorial for Ross Card, who got ATA shooting started in New Zealand. He passed 11 years ago, and his wife Mary has supported the shoot each year with cash donations to the prize pool and a really nice cup that the winner gets their name engraved on. This is one of our prestige annual shoots. This year Mary donated $500 and the NZ ATA added $1,000. It’s a 200-bird singles shoot with 100 targets in the morning, then one of our amazing voluntary chefs in the kitchen, Nola (a very much-deserved life member of the club), preparing a county cafe lunch that can take your mind off shooting (making the back half always a challenge). One of our signature sponsors, Ron Thomassen, won it this year after a one-round shootoff.

Our March shoot was one of our regular programs with 100 singles, 100 handicap and 50 pair of doubles. March is a busy shooting month here with the New Zealand National Championships in early March, closely followed by the Australian National Championships then the DTL World Championships, which were held in Australia this year.

April was our memorial shoot for Charles Hartley, one of New Zealand’s best doubles shooters. Unfortunately the ATA started here after he had almost completed his shooting career, so he didn’t manage to participate in the ATA, but he would have liked the volume of shooting the association offers. The Hartley family very kindly donated $400 to the prize pool, and the NZ ATA added $600, which was split percentage-wise based on the number of competitors in each class. Jarrod Mudford, a regular ATA shooter, won it outright.

We’ve had a very windy but hotter-than-usual summer. Autumn has arrived with the end of Daylight Savings and a 6° Celsius temperature drop in one day.

Thanks again to our signature sponsors, Ron Thomassen Logging and www.newzealandhuntingadventures.com.

I can be reached at [email protected]. Good shooting.

Paul Basten

ATA Delegate

Utah

March saw a little more ATA action and a lot of league, Round Robin and USAYESS action. Ogden and Purgatory gun clubs both held registered shoots. Considering Utah’s spring weather, shooter turnout was good.

The AIM shoot at Ogden and the USAYESS shoot at Lee Kay both had a good turnout of young shooters.

I would guess that approximately 400 shooters participated in the Round Robin statewide. Unfortunately two of the three weeks during the Round Robin had winter-like conditions. I applaud everyone who participated.

The Arizona State Shoot came and went with only four or five Utahans in attendance. Those from Utah who I spoke with shot well and said it was a well-run shoot. You can check out the scores at http://shootscoreboard.com.

Registration for the Huntsman Senior Games is now open. The shotgun sports section is held the week of Oct. 15 at Purgatory SS. Events fill up in a hurry, so if you are over 50 and want to shoot, register as soon as possible. The same goes for lodging.

Our Utah state officers are beginning to work on the state shoot program, so stay tuned for more information.

I want to remind all our gun clubs that will be hosting shoots, please send an electronic copy of your program to the USTA or myself so it can be posted on our website.

During these rather slow times, I encourage all shooters (AAA through D) to read the rulebook. Not just once, but three or four times. Each time, I assure you, you will pick up things that did not sink in the first time. The rules can be found online at www.shootata.com.

If anyone has topics they would like covered or someone they feel should be recognized, please let me know.

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Delegate

Washington

Greetings once again from Washington. Time seems to fly when we’re having fun, doesn’t it? Since my last installment, we’ve had the Northwest Grand at Spokane GC, and the Odessa GC has had their shoot. Spokane had wind and rain, but turnout was still pretty good. There was a good showing from junior and sub-junior shooters. Two youth shooters came away with ATA life memberships, one sub-junior for high gun in singles and one from a random draw of those who shot all singles and handicap events. A big thanks is in order to George and Karma Seubert for making this possible. Another big thank you goes out to Larry Bunch for all his hard work on the program.

I missed Odessa’s shoot for the first time in over a decade, but it was warm and sunny, so I’m sure it was great. I did get a chance to hop over the Oregon border and shoot some ATA targets at Hermiston GC. The Hermiston club has put in a lot of time and elbow grease in recent years to turn it into a topnotch facility. We are privileged to have so many active trap clubs close to us in Oregon and Idaho as well as in our own state, so if you get a chance, visit one of the clubs there and register some targets. We are glad to see shooters from other states here in Washington as well.

We were recently saddened to hear of the passing of Oregon Hall of Famer Cecil Churchill and Idaho Hall of Fame member Mike Rinard. Both were familiar faces at WSTA clubs and all over the ATA world, and they will be missed.

By the time you read this, we will be gearing up for the WSTA Championships. We are looking forward to a great state shoot in June. Silent auction contributions are already adding up, and we are offering a great program with 1,100 targets. We will just get a chance to catch our breath before the Colton GC hosts as a Western Zone site for the first time, then the Malden Pine City GC will offer registered targets the following weekend. Now you know why I mention all the time I spend at the reloading bench during the winter months! We cordially invite you to come share in the fun.

Look for results from the Almira and Marlin gun club shoots in the meantime. I hope you attended so you can see your name on the trophy list. Don’t forget to take a new shooter to one of the events near you and introduce them to our great game. Until next time, shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate