Indiana

Hello, Indiana shooters! May is upon us; the trap clubs in Indiana are all busy throwing targets, and hopefully many, if not most of you, have had more than a few chances to get out and break a bunch.

Make sure you check out the Indiana trap website www.indianatrap.com for a full listing of all of the ATA shoots being held this spring. It is vital that we trapshooters support our local clubs as much as possible. Many clubs will be hosting Big 50 shoots during the week this season, and these are a great way to get more shooting in and support the clubs.

The following three clubs will be hosting the Indiana zone shoots this month; make sure you have these marked on your calendars. Fulton Co. GC, northern zone May 10-12; Kingen GC, central zone May 17-19; and Evansville GC, southern zone May 24-26. Certain to be three great weekends to shoot.

Make sure you have your calendars marked for the 125th Indiana State Shoot July 16-21. I look forward to seeing you there! The ITA Board of Directors have been busy preparing for a great shoot this year. If you need additional info, especially pertaining to camping, let me know.

Speaking of the Indiana State Shoot, I received an update on an exciting event that will be taking place for all the non-shooters there as a part of the ITA Spectator Experience, organized by Roxie Antczak. From Roxie: “Our paint-by-number ‘selfie’ event is scheduled for Friday, July 19 at 9:30 a.m. Sheri from Studio 309 will be our instructor again this year and will provide everything from your pre-printed 16×20″ canvas to paints, paintbrushes and guidance to help you create your own personalized masterpiece. Your ‘selfie’ doesn’t have to include you! We recommend no more than three subjects, but you are welcome to paint your pets, your kids or even your grandpets/grandkids. Your paint-by-number work of art would make a great wedding or anniversary gift for a special couple, or hang it in your own home to show off your creativity. The class is scheduled for two to three hours and costs just $45. Pre-registration is required, and you must provide your original photo in advance in order to participate. Walk-ins for this event are not allowed due to the personalization required. You must pre-register by June 1 in order to reserve your seat and receive the link for payment and submission of your photo. (Payment/photo must be submitted by June 8 to allow time for printing.) Stay tuned to the ITA Spectator Experience Facebook page for details on all the fabulous family fun in store at the 2019 Indiana State Shoot. E-mail us at [email protected] with questions or to get more information.”

A big thanks goes out to Roxie for all of the hard work she puts in year-round making the ITA Spectator Experience possible.

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

It’s been a long winter this year—more snow than we have seen in a while, but in Iowa we are all used to weather changing a few times in a few hours. May is finally here, and I look forward to seeing many of my fellow shooters down in Missouri at their state shoot. This will be the month we install trap machines back in the homegrounds in Cedar Falls as well as start to get the chairs, garbage cans and all the many things out that are put away for winter. The guys who are your zone directors and the alternate do a lot of work, as do the secretary and president along with some spouses. Many thanks to you all for all the hours and time you volunteer. Everyone needs to remember these folks when you see them. Tell them thanks for what they do. If you look around, you will see the same people at the high school shoot as well as the Iowa State Shoot doing all the work year after year. Many times we only tell these folks what’s wrong, so try to tell them thanks, as it’s often a very thankless job. Let’s all spread the word and try to bring one person new to the state shoot this year, July 16-21. Thanks for all the shooters, gun clubs and club owners who support the ATA and the organization. Enjoy some good May weather, and I hope to see everyone very soon.

Thank you all. I can be reached at 712-830-2612 or [email protected].

Heath Kasperbauer

ATA Delegate

Michigan

I must start this month’s article off with some sad news, the unfortunate passing of 2017 MTA Hall of Fame inductee Richard Burkett. His trapshooting legacy includes trophies won at the Grand American, Michigan State Shoot and Great Lakes Grand, along with many other awards, and he is a several-time Michigan all-state team member. Please keep his wife Karen, daughters Melissa and Amber, and grandchildren Gunner, Michael and Olivia in your thoughts and prayers, and please convey to them as often as you can that as his trapshooting family, we are there for them.

As the season is in full swing, I hope you are finding your way to one of the many gun clubs around the state to enjoy some shooting. An event to put on your calendar is the 32nd annual Great Lakes Grand May 21-26, held at the MTA Homegrounds in Mason. There will be 1,700 program targets thrown, with competitors from across the U.S. and Canada competing. Additionally, we will have vendors as well as gunsmiths on the grounds during the shoot. Krieghoff International will be sending a factory team out to do annuals and service. There will also be three special races during Saturday’s Event 13 Lake Michigan Great Lakes Grand Singles Championship that I urge you to sign up for if you fall in the categories: husband-wife, parent-child, and sibling. Awards will be based on the 400 combined targets between the two-person teams.

Come out, support, and have some fun. As always, if you have something going on at your club that you’d like to share with the trapshooting community, please e-mail me at [email protected] so I can get it in this article. Until next time, shoot well!

1. Darryl Hayes

ATA Central Zone Vice President

Minnesota

Greetings from the North Star State! Winter is slowly losing its grip on Minnesota, and we are all thankful for that. The slow thaw and freeze cycle has certainly been beneficial to all of our residents who live near rivers that are prone to flooding.

Our shooting is between the winter jackpots and the spring and summer leagues, although the high school shooters are set to start their season this weekend, and so hopefully the weather will cooperate.

At the Arizona State Shoot in March, Durand Wagner broke his first-ever 200 straight and ended with the non-resident sub-vet trophy. Steve Schmidt and Peter Walker also were Minnesota trophy winners in Arizona.

When you are reading this, we should be getting ready for our first registered shoots of the year, and the high school season will be in full swing. After a long, snowy and cold winter like we had this year, most of us will be anxious to get to the range and blow the dust out of the barrel.

As I write this, I am nearly four weeks removed from hip replacement and am doing very well and will be leaving for San Antonio later today. I’ll have a full report from the Southwestern Grand in next month’s column.

Most of our shooting snowbirds are on the way home or will have arrived when you get this issue of Trap & Field. As always, you can contact me at 507-456-2000 or [email protected].

Paul T. Cyr

for ATA Delegate Dean Walker

Ohio

The shooting season is in full swing. I would like to congratulate all who traveled in search of warm weather and brought trophies back home with them. Ohio had 52 shooters for the Southern Grand and 43 for the Florida State Shoot—that was over 7.5% of the attendance.

The shot curtain at Cardinal Center is under construction and should be complete by the Karen’s Cup. The Board Of Directors are working hard on sponsorship for the Ohio State Shoot. Again there will be a golf cart raffle, daily 50/50 drawings and gun giveaways. The board is working hard to make the 2019 Ohio State Shoot another great one.

I encourage all shooters to get out and support your local clubs.

If you have any concerns or questions, you can reach me at [email protected] or 937-416-3979. Have fun and break ’em all.

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

Thank goodness, shooters from the Midwest had Florida to go to and escape the snow and cold. This was one of the coldest winters that I can remember, with the most snow. I fed Tater Tot (he liked cooked Tater Tots) and his many squirrel friends during the snowstorms. I would sit and watch them through my patio door learning the different personalities they had. Just like humans, they can be awful to each other, but the difference is they would still be in the same area eating (tolerance of one another, even when there was not much food available). Let’s all be tolerant of one another in this struggling world of such indifference. You never know what the other person sitting next to you is going through. Welcome new and old friends into your life.

From what I heard from friends shooting in Florida at the Southern Grand, weather was good. Congratulations to our fellow Wisconsin shooters. I am sure you had to suffer through the warm weather shooting.

Silver Dollar Open had one winner from here, Gary Reynolds. Congrats to you, Gary. Congratulations to these shooters who won trophies at the Southern Grand American: Thomas Felts, Rich Weisensel, Thomas Hoppe, James Gurkowski and Bryon Fenning, who took home five trophies, including Singles Championship A class runnerup and A class all-around. Very good shooting, Bryon.

We are selling raffle tickets to win a Kolar shotgun valued at over $20,000. Only 400 will be sold, and profits benefit the Friends of the WTA that help out the WTA. If you are interested, please e-mail me at [email protected].

Here is my usual speech: help out by volunteering at your local club or help pick up shells, empty garbage cans, and put equipment away at a shoot. There are so many ways you can help out. Wisconsin State Shoot will be here soon, and if you go to the WTA site, you will see we are in need of volunteers for the state shoot. I love to see new faces, and you can make new friends helping out.

Reminder: the Gateway May shoot will still be held, so come join the fun.

WTA president Fritz Thistle sent the following: Wisconsin shooters attended the 2019 USA Shooting Spring Selection Meet in Tucson, AZ, Feb. 27-March 3.

Ten youth bunker shooters from Wisconsin attended the USA Shooting Spring Selection International bunker trap match, where USA Shooting determines who will attend the different 2019 International bunker competitions throughout the world and represent Team USA. Practice started on Feb. 25, with the structured practice day of Feb. 27, and competition running the next four days. The following were the attending shooters: Cameron Kumbier, 201×250, junior; Reed Meyer, 213, junior; Josh Nelson, 206, collegiate; Tyler Thiede, 171, junior and collegiate; Matt Wells, 223, junior and collegiate; Madelynn Bernau, 220, collegiate; Meredith Bernau, 185, junior and collegiate; Monica Dale, 176, collegiate; Alicia Gough (Dale), 217, open (just starting with the Army team); Holly Haigh, 185, open; Sydney Krieger (MN), 198, junior (trains at the Wisconsin bunker).

Matt Wells finished third in the finals round and placed fourth in points at this event in the junior men’s class and missed third place by one bird to travel to Barcelona, Italy, for the 2019 Junior World Cup. Madelynn finished as high collegiate woman for the tournament and fourth in open class women. Alicia Gough finished fifth in open class women. Sydney finished sixth in the junior class women.

In addition to the scores listed above, three of our young ladies shot for the mixed doubles competition: Meredith Bernau, Alicia Gough and Sydney Krieger. Scores were not available at the time this was written.

At the time of this going to print, we have a sad note to add. Dennis Gale Taylor has joined his friends in his passing. Dennis was a volunteer for the WTA. Please remember his family in your prayers. Quoted by Rhino Lehmann, “RIP, Denny, you will be deeply missed and forever my friend.”

Taylor started trapshooting in 1970 at the Muscoda SC. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1972, he won Class A at the ACUI National Collegiate Trapshooting Championships and was asked to participate in the Olympic trapshooting tryouts. In 1973 Denny made his first trip to the Grand American (Vandalia, OH) and won the Grand American Handicap with 99. Over the course of his shooting career, Denny was a very active member of the Muscoda SC, serving as its president from 1975 to 1985. Denny was also very passionate about the WTA and served on its board of directors off and on over five decades. He was instrumental in helping make the new WTA homegrounds in Rome a reality. In addition to being a great shooter and ambassador for the sport, Denny with his enthusiasm and love of life was a joy to be around. He will truly be missed. There will be more information regarding Denny in a future edition of Trap & Field under the Completed Careers section.

If you have information you would like for me to submit, please e-mail me at [email protected].

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring

Atlantic Provinces

The trapshooting season in the Atlantic Provinces is under way. Registered shoots are scheduled for May at the Charlottetown T&SC, Petitcodiac SC, Pennfield T&SC and St. John’s R&GC. Regular weekly shooting at most of our clubs should also be under way by the time shooters receive this edition of Trap & Field. Visit shootatlantic.com for a complete shoot calendar and list of shooting clubs and contacts. If your club’s shoots are not listed, contact me with details, and I’ll update our shoot calendar. If your club hasn’t submitted your 2019 registered shoot dates yet, get your application in to our Atlantic Provinces secretary, Janaya Nickerson.

February and March are popular months for shooters in the Atlantic Provinces to escape the cold and snow for some warmth and sun. Herbie Nickerson and daughter Janaya have been making Tucson and the Spring Grand an annual winter break for the last few years. Congratulations to Herbie for shooting his first 50 straight in doubles during this year’s Spring Grand and to both shooters for their class and category wins. You can read more about Herbie on shootatlantic.com under the Shooter Profile section, where he was the subject of the March 2019 profile.

Newfoundland shooters Peter Tucker, John Tucker and Monty Petipas joined Jim Price from Maryland for their annual winter break and the Southern Grand at the Silver Dollar SC. The guys met Jim a number of years ago, stayed in touch, and now regularly squad together for the Southern Grand. Nova Scotia’s Barry Turner was also in attendance. Congratulations to all for shooting well and winning several class and category trophies.

You can read more about our traveling shooters in the APTA Abroad section of our website. If you’ve been on a recent shoot trip and would like to have it included on the APTA Abroad pages, contact me with the details. Your fellow Atlantic Provinces shooters always enjoy reading what others are up to.

Preparations for this year’s Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot Aug. 29-Sept. 1 continue at the St. John’s R&GC in St. John’s, NF and Labrador. Canada’s most eastern province is a beautiful place to visit and has lots to offer visitors—history, art, culture, picturesque scenery and cuisine from local fare to gourmet. Escapes from everyday hectic lives can be easily found at the many small rural inns located throughout our province. If you’re interested in attending our shoot, I would strongly encourage making it a holiday and take time to explore our province. Please be aware that flights, hotels and car rentals can get limited, so book. Just a reminder to shooters that this shoot will have minimum target requirements, so be sure you have enough to avoid being assigned a penalty classification or yardage.

The 1,000-target review system explained in brief: The ATA handicap system includes a yardage review (known as the 1,000-target review) and is based on the last 1,000 handicap targets shot in the current and previous target year. If your purified average is below the zone break point (90% for the Eastern Zone), you are entitled to receive a reduction. If you do receive a 1,000-target review reduction notice from the ATA, please help out the ATA and your Delegate by responding accordingly. It’s quick and easy to do. You can accept the new yardage assignment or refuse the yardage reduction if you feel you are capable of remaining competitive at your current yardage. Check the latest ATA Rulebook for complete details on how the 1,000-target review works.

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

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

Delaware

Well, I hope everyone has all the kinks worked out, practice rounds in, and shooting skills honed to perfection because the state shoot season is upon us in the Eastern Zone.

Again this year we are holding our state shoot at the Pine Belt SC in Shamong, NJ, May 24-27. There is a one-day break, and the New Jersey State Shoot begins. What an opportunity to enjoy nine days of shooting at one venue early in the season!

Thanks to Bud Fini and our friends at Sig Sauer, we will be raffling off a one-of-a-kind P320 M17 pistol. This is a beautiful piece for your collection. Tickets will be on sale at the shoot, or please contact me or any DTA board member for tickets.

After the Handicap Championship on Monday, there will be a lucky-number draw shootoff for $1,000 paid out 50/30/20. This is an effort to show shooters that the DTA appreciates your attendance.

All three events on Friday’s competition are in memory of shooters: Dirk Harrington, Fred Carlsten and Charlie Austin have all passed away within the year. We have lost not only competitors and sportsmen but good friends and the kind of people you were glad to be around. Please read their Completed Careers in the program and in Trap & Field Magazine. If you see their family members at the shoot, take time to talk and share a moment with them.

Our program is available online at www.dtatrap.org. Hard copies will be available at the shoot, or give me a call, and I’ll make sure you get one.

More recently I have learned of the passing of T. C. Marshall Jr. He was 94 years old and had not shot for many years. He was the son of the 1939 ATA President by the same name. He lived in Yorklyn, home of the oldest club in the state. In the early years, shooters traveled from across the country to shoot at the Yorklyn GC. His father ran the club, and they both competed there. He had a passion for Stanley Steamers and was said to have the world’s definitive collection. He served the shooters of Delaware locally and nationally.

As I was writing this, I was made aware of yet another shooter’s passing. George (Danny) Daniels passed away March 17. Danny was a gentleman and a sportsman in the greatest sense of the word. His quick wit and sense of humor will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Please read their Completed Careers in Trap & Field.

As always, I can be reached at [email protected] or 302-690-3462. Shoot well and shoot often.

John Patchell

ATA Delegate

Massachusetts

As I put this article together on March 21, spring is finally here. Shooting is well under way, and I hope you all shoot well this year.

I would like to recognize and congratulate our shooters who have made the 2019 All-American team: Robert Nihtila Jr., open second team; Nancy Patterson, Lady I second; and Michelle Archambeault, Lady I second. Great job; well done.

Now I would like to remind everyone that our Massachusetts State Shoot will be June 6-9 at Minute Man SC. There will be 1,100 targets available, and all fields that will be used for the championship events will have Pat-Traps and White Flyer targets. You will be able to pre-squad May 1 through June 1 using www.presquad.com.

Our annual meeting and banquet will be held in October at Singletary R&GC. I will have more on this in a future article.

We have lost another member of our shooting community: Richard J. Ricciuti of Townsend. Richard was a life member of both the ATA and MATA. He was also a life member and former treasurer of North Leominster R&GC. Richard started shooting registered targets in 1992 and to date has 7,100 singles, 4,700 handicap and 3,000 doubles targets. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his son Antonio, brother James and sister Lisa, family and friends.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns that I can help with, I can be reached at 413-586-0428 or [email protected]. Remember to have FUN.

Dave Russell

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Well, weather in New Jersey continues to be unpredictable. Fortunately, snow hasn’t been much of an issue, except for the continued trek to the carwash to get the salt off our pride and joy.

Pine Valley hosted a lunch for a longtime club benefactor, Garnett (Arnie) Arnold, on March 9 at the club. A large turnout of friends of Arnie and shooters were in attendance. Arnie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013. He joined the ATA back in 1997 and to date has registered over 172,200 targets. During this time he has helped fund many badly needed infrastructure projects, and Pine Valley members and shooters are grateful. Club president Paul Dimeglio presented a plaque to Arnie commemorating his contributions.

Eleven New Jersey shooters made the trek down to the Silver Dollar in Florida for the Southern Grand American March 11-17. Robert Battista won two awards, and Dan Brandreth won one. The following week was the Florida State Shoot, March 19-24. Twelve NJ shooters took part, and Craig Gasparine and Robert Long each won an award. Go to rjstuart.com and see this issue for a complete list of who won what, and who shot what, at these two events.

Pine Valley held their Early Bird Shoot March 23-24. Marc Invidiato won the 200-bird event on the 23rd; Michael Wilson led the main handicap, and Tom Wolf won the doubles the following day. For shoot results and happenings at the club during the year, Pine Valley is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PineValleyTrapClub.

The ATA Eastern Zone Shoot will be extended one day from a four-day shoot to a five-day shoot, July 17-21. The PSSA will be supplying trophies for Wednesday. That’s not all; I talked to Skip Klinger, the Pennsylvania ATA Delegate, and he has obtained a Kolar Combo from Elite Shotguns, which will be given away following Friday’s handicap. Two numbers will be pulled out of a hat after completion of the event. Shooters who took part in that event, with their score ending in either number, will be in a shootoff for the Kolar Combo. So set the date on your calendar for a chance to win a great prize.

A shout-out to Joe Marsala and wife Linda, Dennis Sharp and Craig Gasparine for coming to my aid when my golf cart ran out of gas during the Southern Grand at the Silver Dollar. Fortunately I had a tow rope, and Craig was able to tow me home.

Pine Valley will be holding the New Jersey southern zone May 3-5. There will not be a satellite shoot this year at NJCTC; all interested parties must compete at Pine Valley for zone and non-zone awards.

Pine Belt is having a state shoot warm-up May 19, and the following week, May 24-27, will be holding the Delaware State Shoot. May 29 starts our New Jersey State Shoot at Pine Belt through June 2, so please make plans to attend your state shoot.

Please remember, to avoid being bumped to a higher class or handicap yardage, you must have on your paper card 500 singles, 500 handicap and 500 doubles targets registered this year, and a total of 1,000 of each discipline on your 2018-2019 card. All target requirements for the New Jersey State Shoot must be completed by May 29 to avoid being bumped up a class or yardage.

In order to be classified correctly, your paper card with all scores entered, and singles and doubles scores averaged out to one decimal point, will be expected from all shooters. All your current scores and averages can be obtained from the ATA website. So take a look and print out your shoot scores, average them, and bring them to get classified.

Bruce Osgood reported that a longtime member of the North Jersey CTC passed away. Dominick Minichini of Newark died March 7 at age 86. Dom was a World War II veteran and a member of the Bellville/Nutley Disabled Veterans Club, Chapter 22, plus various hunting clubs, and a lifetime member of the ATA and the NJCTC. Dominick was a contractor prior to retirement. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Genevieve; a sister, Ernestine; two brothers, Frank and Louis; and many nieces and nephews.

If you have an idea for an article or a question for me, I can be reached at 732-546-7910 or [email protected].

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

Greetings to everyone from New York State. I hope everyone is doing well and shooting plenty of registered targets.

It seems like all I am doing is writing obituaries for these articles. Since my last article, we have lost four more New York shooters. Those passing are Sandy Morgan, Robert Gandolph, Richard Burden and Christopher Snyder.

New York State ATA Hall of Fame member Sandy Morgan passed away in Florida March 1. Sandy was 68 years of age. She started registering targets in 1983. During her career, She registered 67,450 singles, 47,300 handicap and 100 doubles targets and was on the 23-yard line. Sandy’s last targets were shot at in 2008, when she was struck by illness, which she fought with strength and fortitude. Even though she could no longer shoot, she always accompanied husband Alan to tournaments when he competed. Sandy’s heart was always in the game. She was a dear friend of mine, and I will miss her. We wish to express our deepest sympathies to her Alan, son Jason (also a trapshooter) and her entire family.

Robert Gandolph of Cheektowaga passed away March 5. Bob was 76 years of age. He started competing in the ATA in 1986. A longtime member of Tonawandas SC, Bob registered 111,875 singles, 51,300 handicap and 30,350 doubles targets during his career and was at 24.5 yards. Our deepest sympathies to Bob’s family on his passing.

Christopher E. Snyder of Walworth passed away March 9 from complications from knee surgery. Christopher was 63 years of age. He joined the ATA in 2005 and registered 5,350 singles and 1,350 handicap targets and was standing on the 19-yard line. Christopher was a member of many clubs. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Deborah and his entire family on his passing.

Richard Burden of Mattituck passed away from a heart attack on March 10. Rich was 67 years of age. Rich was at his home gun club when he was stricken. A longtime shooter since joining the ATA in 1965, he started shooting with his dad. During his career, Rich registered 140,600 singles, 84,450 handicap and 59,500 doubles targets. He had made the 27-yard line but was standing on the 26 when he passed. Our deepest sympathies to Rich’s wife Lori and his entire family on his passing.

On a happier note, I am glad to say that 59 New York shooters traveled to Florida to attend the Southern Grand American, held at the Silver Dollar SC March 11-17. The only state that sent more shooters to the Southern Grand was Florida itself, with 135. Trophy winners from New York were: Monday’s Preliminary Singles, Michael Fox Jr., AAA; William Wallis, AA runnerup; and Heidi Womer, Lady I runnerup; Lloyd C. Beecraft Singles, Heidi Womer, Lady I runnerup; Tuesday’s Preliminary Doubles, Urban Womer, sub-vet runnerup; Wednesday’s Preliminary Handicap, Dexter Pratt, fourth, and Fox, sixth; Peter Tucker Handicap, Curtis Robbins, fifth, and Fox, sixth; Doubles Class Championship, Mike Manzo, veteran; Caesar Guerini Handicap, James Decker, sub-vet; Doubles Championship, James Flint, AA runnerup; all-around, Cliff Haaf, B, and Mincel, C runnerup.

This was good shooting by these fine individuals. All trophy winners can be viewed on Bob Stuart’s webpage www.rjstuart.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

Remember that for shoots at the homegrounds in Cicero, first up is the Empire Grand American May 8-12. We hope you all plan to attend. We plan on giving you a fine tournament.

If you would like to have anything written in these Trap & Field articles, please contact me at [email protected] or 585-519-9543. Thanks.

If you are doing any traveling, please proceed safely. See you all soon, and good shooting. May God bless.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada. I write this article shortly after the conclusion of the Southern Grand at the Silver Dollar club in Florida.

We had 22 Ontario shooters in attendance. In some cases, two or more Ontario shooters shared expenses by carpooling, sharing accommodations, etc. Others brought a spouse and/or family members.

Some shot premier ammunition throughout, others shot non-premier loads for part or all of the competition. Some shot a lot of practice rounds, some few or none. If in shootoffs, there would be additional ammunition used.

So what is the approximate cost of an Ontario shooter attending the Southern Grand? I have made some basic assumptions, including:

• Driving from Ontario (not flying).
• Using premium loads only for handicap events.
• No allowance for cost of practice or shootoff.
• ~2400 km from Ontario to the club, ~400 km driving around during the week plus ~2400 km return trip.
• All events shot (1,600 targets).
• Modest average food allowance $75/day for all 11 days (from leaving Ontario to return).
• Two days of travel going south and another two return.
• All 11 days hotel/motel accommodation at an average cost of $120 (U.S.) per night.
• Gas at $2.75 U.S./gallon average and assume 30 miles/gallon fuel consumption.
• Miscellaneous expenses (tolls, sundries, etc.) — allowed $220 Canadian.
• All is converted to Canadian dollars at a conversion rate of $1 U.S. = $1.33 Canadian.

Here are the results:

• Event entries (no options): $556 U.S.; $766 Canadian
• Ammunition: Premier $78 plus tax U.S.; non-premier $52 plus tax U.S.; $532.00 Can.

(no practice, no shoot-off)

• Accommodation, 11 nights total including travel nights: $1,320 U.S., $1755.60 Canandian
• Gas, $399 Canadian
• Food per person at $75/day Canadian (at least), $825 Canadian
• Miscellaneous $220 Canadian
• Total: $3,731.60 Canadian
• Add $50/day per spouse/child if applicable, increases cost to $4,281.60

The foregoing may explain a number of things.

Attending shooting competitions is very expensive. A lot of the expenses I have identified can be reduced if multiple people can pool driving and accommodation. If one lives close enough to drive each day to the event from their home, expenses can be reduced. For those chasing All-American team points, a maximum of seven competitions are counted. Most want a few “throwaway” shoots, but even if only seven competitions are taken in, most will be outside reasonable driving range to and from one’s home each day. This gets very expensive.

For a shooter alone: 7x$3,731.60=$26,121.20; with a companion: 7x$4,281.60=$29,971.20.

Whether or not chasing All-American team points, merely attending registered shoots costs a lot of money.

Cost is a significant factor that limits or reduces access to our sport. We often wonder why we lose a lot of our young shooters. Put yourself in a young person’s position—job responsibilities, a young family, all the usual financial commitments . . . even one major shoot is a luxury that is, for most, simply unaffordable.

The numbers I have used are a little flexible, depending upon the distance one travels and the cost-sharing undertaken, but for the most part, the cost of taking in major tournaments is prohibitive. Is it fixable? Are there practical alternatives? Maybe local gun clubs can play a larger role? I am open for suggestions.

Paul Shaw

ATA Eastern Zone Vice President

Florida

Hello from the beautiful Sunshine State! I’d like to introduce myself to the shooters who may have missed the 2019 Florida State Shoot. My name is Thomas Harrington, and I am your newly elected Delegate to the ATA. My shooting career began in the late 1990s, with me joining the ATA in the year 2000. Some of my favorite memories are from traveling the Florida Chain Shoots with my father. After all, that is where I met my future wife. I look forward to working alongside the other Delegates to ensure the prosperity of the ATA for years to come.

Scores from the 2019 Florida State Shoot can be viewed at rjstuart.com and results in this issue of T&F. Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to all who attended!

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or 321-501-7606. Until then, shoot straight!

Thomas Harrington

ATA Delegate

Georgia

Springtime is upon us, and it’s time to shake off the winter blues and warm up our barrels as we take the line. The Southern Grand has just wound down, and J. T. Osborne made sure he filled his trunk with trophies before leaving, shooting his way to 10 junior and junior runnerup awards in singles, doubles and ’caps.

Congratulations to J. T., Max Owen and Colby Watkins! J. T. has just signed with the University of Alabama clay target team, while both Max and Colby have signed with the Emmanuel College clay target team. All will represent their respective colleges this fall. Our young guns continue to make us proud. J. T. has also been recognized by the ATA as a Mega Target Member for registering over 30,000 targets this past season—that’s a lot of dedicated road and airport time.

Georgia has another shooter who is bringing national attention to our state. Shirley Duong of Marietta was recently named Trap & Field women’s Rookie of the Year. That is a great way to start your shooting career, and we expect even greater things from her and her fiance Stephen Williams, who is also quietly collecting a substantial amount of trophies as they travel the Southern shooting circuit. For GATA trivia notes, this is the second time a Rookie of the Year title has come out of Georgia since Trap & Field started recognizing first-year shooters; our first was William Clay in 1983.

Shoot well and often. If you have any news, let me know. If I don’t hear it, I can’t report it.

Darren Warden

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

The KTL officers and directors met at Bill Hahn’s trap club Feb. 3 to plan and organize the 2019 Kentucky State Shoot. The state shoot will start on July 2 and end July 7 at the KTL Homegrounds near Berea. Programs will go to print shortly and be available shortly thereafter. The board of directors approved a youth trap “Shoot to Own” program to encourage establishment of new trap ranges to help support high school, AIM, 4-H and SCTP shooting programs. Details can be found on the KTL web page.

Spring seems to have sprung, and trapshooting is heating up in those of us with a passion for the sport. Four of us traveled to the Tucson T&SC to participate in the Spring Grand American. Aaron Willoughby, Vaughn Helton, Dean Hamby and I bravely competed in some challenging weather conditions and had a great time with fellow trapshooters but failed to claim any hardware.

Several Kentuckians traveled south to the Silver Dollar SC in sometimes sunny Florida for the Southern Grand. Aaron Willoughby was the first to break into the winner’s column with a 95 in the Event 2 ’caps. In Event 5 ’caps, Aaron “Steady Eddie” came in third with 93, and Jeff Conley won eighth place with 92. In the preliminary doubles, Aaron came in third, and Bradley Jones was fifth with 95. Aaron was the outright champion in the Preliminary Handicap with 98. Martha Humphrey won Lady II with 92. Aaron again placed eighth in the Event 8 handicap with 93. In the Doubles Class Championship, Kentucky’s ATA Delegate Dan Ryan was the Class A winner, and John Kerr, our KTL president, was sub-vet winner with 98. In the Event 12 ’caps, Jones placed ninth with 94. In the Doubles Championship we saw Bobby Bilbrey break into the winner’s column in the chair category. In the Singles Championship, Aaron prevailed as the AAA winner with 198, and Colin Howard was junior gold runnerup with 198. The Handicap Championship saw Dustin Rich take sixth place with 94, and Bilbrey took home chair honors. Bobby also took both HOA and HAA in the chair category, and Aaron claimed AAA runnerup.

The Florida State Shoot immediately followed the Southern Grand, and Event 1 saw Drake Reynolds take Class C honors as well as sub-junior in Event 2. Bobby Fowler was the Events 2 and 3 champion. Event 5 saw Willoughby take event runnerup, and Fowler won junior gold in Events 5 and 6. Reynolds was C winner in Event 7 singles and sub-junior winner in the Event 8 handicap. Aaron was Event 8 runnerup, and Bilbrey won the Event 8 non-resident senior vet. Event 9 saw Reynolds win Class D doubles and Fowler junior gold honors and again in the Event 10 singles. Event 11 ’caps saw Aaron take non-resident champion; Bobby junior gold and Mitchell Miller chair. Event 12 doubles saw Bobby the only Kentucky winner and again in the Singles Championship with 198. Two Fowlers placed in the Doubles Championship, with Mike winning B and Bobby junior gold. In the championship handicap, Aaron was event runnerup, Fowler won junior gold, and Bilbrey chairshooter. Aaron won both the non-resident HOA and HAA, with Fowler and Bilbrey doing the same in the junior gold and chair categories. Reynolds won C HOA. Congratulations to all.

As will happen occasionally, I will miss something extremely relevant, as I did recently when I listed the 2018 state men’s team members. I unintentionally omitted the No. 4 member of that team, Kevin (Tank) Polson. Tank has a .9526 average in all three disciplines. As a sad note, Kevin’s father Stanley recently passed. The KTL passes on our sincere sympathies to Tank.

I’m sure all of us trapshooters are glad that the 2019 season is here, and we will have many opportunities to enjoy our sport at venues of our choice. The high school season is starting, and we wish each team a fun and productive season. Linda Cox and Kenny Knott recently hosted a display promoting the high school opportunities at the state archery competition in Louisville. I wish to sincerely thank Linda and Kenny for their efforts on behalf of the great sport of trapshooting.

Kenny, Fourth District Fish & Wildlife commissioner, recently informed me that the Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Foundation will be funding the high school teams that participate in the Commissioners High School Challenge. The Commissioners Challenge will be shot as part of the 200-target Singles Championship July 6. The funding covers at least the first 30 teams to register. The Foundation will also cover the ATA membership of any participants who are not already ATA members.

As always, if you have news you wish to share with fellow trapshooters, please e-mail me at [email protected] or call 270-227-2262. Wishing everyone a healthy and productive season with many, many smoked targets.

Vernon R. Anderson

KTL Board member

Mississippi

It’s state shoot time down here in the sunny South. Mississippi holds its state shoot over Memorial Day weekend. For those of you who want to attend and have not done so, pre-squadding is open until May 15. Better hurry if you want to join us. The Mississippi State Trapshoot is May 23-26 and offers 1,000 registered ATA targets over the four-day program. Capitol GC in Jackson is the venue, and we are looking forward to another outstanding event. If you need assistance, information or directions, please call 601-362-0653 and leave a message. Capitol’s manager will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also go to the club’s website at capitolgunclub.com.

Coming right behind our Mississippi State Shoot in June, the Mississippi State AIM Trapshoot will also be hosted by Capitol GC. This year our AIM shoot is a stand-alone shoot and will not be held in conjunction with another shoot as we have done in the past. This one is for our young shooters, the future of our sport. The date is June 29. Make sure it is on your calendar.

One of our oldest trapshoots in Mississippi is the Rebel Trapshoot, traditionally held in mid July each year. This year the dates are July 13-14, again at Capitol GC. If you have never attended a Rebel, there is no time like the present to join the long-standing tradition of Mississippi trap at its finest. We hope to see you there.

We Mississippi trappers are also proud to offer an ATA Southern Zone site this year. It will be July 16-21 down on the Mississippi Gulf Coast at Biloxi’s Coast R&PC. Our Mississippi brethren beside the sea put on an excellent shoot and take Southern hospitality to a new level. Our Southern Zone Delegates have placed their faith in us to deliver a Zone site that will be worthy of their selection. We owe it to our Southern Zone shooters to do just that. Coast R&PC will make us proud of their selection as host. It is now up to us, the shooters, to support this effort on our own behalf. Come on down and enjoy some of the Gulf Coast’s many attractions, and get in some excellent trapshooting at its best.

If you enjoy the Southern Zone site at Coast R&PC, you’ll most definitely want to come back in the fall to the inaugural Gulf States Championships. It will be offered in October (2020 target year) after the Grand American and after summer heat begins to subside.

As you can tell, we have plenty to offer our trappers, and we always welcome our trapper friends from beyond our borders. Our shooting program contains weekly Big 50s and monthly shoots as well as our larger trapshooting events. We shoot year-round and have plenty of events for your trapshooting pleasure. Come join us.

Happy trappin’!

Jerry Tharp

ATA Delegate

North Carolina

The monthly shoots are now in full swing! Clubs across North Carolina are having them and Big 50 shoots as well. Check the shoot schedule in this magazine and www.nctrap.com for dates and times. For those of you in the Charlotte area, Charlotte R&P is hosting Big 50s every month, and they are also hosting a Nora Ross clinic in June. Good time to tune up for the NC State Shoot June 6-9 at the Bostic NCTA Hall of Fame Homegrounds.

North Carolina had a good representation at the Southern Grand in Florida this March. Our NCTA president Marty Hill, Brad Barnett, Tiffany Decker, Greg High, Noah Gouge, Dennis Taylor, ATA Secretary Hunter Galloway, his son Jeff Galloway, and Bob and Carolyn Keever, among others I’ll no doubt omit. There were some good scores as well, with our resident junior gold All-American Noah Gouge winning a bunch of trophies and points.

The South Carolina State Shoot is coming up in mid May, and there usually are a bunch of NC shooters there. Spartanburg GC has really stepped up their game. The targets are great, and the clubhouse has undergone some updates to make it really nice. Camping is limited, so call in early if you want a spot.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you need help with ATA questions at [email protected].

Bob Schultz

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

The trap guns are starting to boom. South Carolina had 14 shooters at the Southern Grand in Florida. Overall the weather was nice—some fog and the ever-present wind with good temperatures. We dodged the rains forecast for Saturday and Sunday. SC trophy winners were Doug Stenback and Todd Wurtrick. We also had three shooters at the Florida State Shoot but no trophy winners.

I just received this year’s state team trophies with some of the state shoot trophies. By the time you read this, we may be passing them out. Just in case, please try to attend, nice trophies with resident and non-resident separated, so we can award the maximum All-American points available, along with our famous free fish dinner.

Next month’s column should have the names of a lot of our shooters as winners at the Georgia State Shoot. We always have a big showing there. I hope the Georgia folks reciprocate at our shoot.

The Big 50s program is rocking in SC; just take a look at the listing of club scores in your Trap & Field. Mid Carolina is by far the leader, with Greenville and Belton hosting shoots as well.

I’m looking forward to seeing you at our shoot as well as the North Carolina State Shoot then the Zone Shoot.

You can reach me at [email protected].

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

The ATA Southern Zone has four state shoots this month. Georgia is May 2-5 at South River GC, Covington; South Carolina, May 15-19, Spartanburg GC, Pacolet; Mississippi, May 23-26, Capitol GC, Jackson; and Alabama, May 30-June 2, Dixie T&S, Mathews.

Also Nashville is having the Music City Shoot May 18-19. Saturday is 200 singles and 100 handicap. Sunday is 100 singles, 100 handicap and 100 doubles.

Memphis is having the Mid South Open May 18-19. Saturday will be 200 singles. Sunday is 200 handicap and 100 doubles. Trophies will be Tilden belt buckles, and all participants will receive a commemorative coin in recognition of 100 years of trapshooting in Memphis.

Next month the 106th annual Tennessee State Shoot will be hosted by the TCTC at Nashville. The AIM shoot will be June 11-12 followed by the state shoot June 13-16.

Tennessee shooters represented the state well at the Southern Grand. Those winning trophies were Amy Dement, Seth Cooper, Mitchel Loveless, Emma Mathews, Joe Dement, Hunter Morton, Logan Meadows, Chandler Hinson and Landon Meadows.

The following week was the Florida State Shoot. Winners were Landon Meadows, Chandler Hinson, Emma Mathews, Gage Jarnagin, Joe Dement, Amy Dement, Logan Meadows, Hayden Jacobs, Chase Kobeck and Hunter Morton. Congratulations to all the above winners.

Read the Rulebook, please.

Check out our website at Shootattn.com for more info. For questions or further information, contact me at [email protected] or 731-217-9957.

Billy Cook

ATA Delegate

Arkansas

Congratulations to those who made the 2019 state team:

Men’s first—captain J. C. Tune, .9482; Woody Barnes, .9442; Taylor Woods, .9350; Robert Pennock, .9302; Kurt Armstrong, .9248. Men’s second—Steve Mathis, .9228; Caleb Coody, .9213; Dustin Robertson, .9210; Jim Cooper, .9187; Alan Julian, .9151. Women’s—Haley Miller, .9129; Wendy Pennock, .8827. Sub-junior—captain Clayton Walters, .9045; Coby Hollis, .9021; Henry Mahan, .9012; Maddox Tarvin, .9003; Garrett Hensley, .8854. Junior—captain Logan Henry, .9641; Hunter (Chase) Martin, .9514; Dylan Watters, .9395; Jase Hambrick, .9273; Caleb Broeker, .9244; Rhet Braxley, .9230; Ryan Bowen, .9180; Chandler Conyers, .9154. Veteran—Alan (Chuck) Sharp, .9451. Senior vet—Larry Hicks, .8565.

Alan (Chuck) Sharp

ATA Delegate

Colorado

March, a special treat for an old curmudgeon or unsung heroes. I was waiting to shoot a doubles derby when I received a call from Dale Royer, new president of the Pikes Peak GC. Dale invited me to fill one of the short sporting clays squads they had for that afternoon. After meeting and talking to Dale, it soon became apparent that he has many changes in mind for PPGC. It was also apparent that he is dedicated to helping Pikes Peak GC move forward. Dale is part of a USA Shooting world that I, like many of us, know little of, only what we read about or what we glimpse on TV.

I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Sharee Waldron, USA Shooting’s shotgun team manager, and it didn’t take long to see that this special lady has the right job. As we were getting ready to shoot, I could only watch in amazement as Sharee took control of the disarray that formed around her, as many young adults started asking her last-minute questions such as how do I get a cart, how do I get my gun, what team am I on, where are my shells, who do I ride with. Sharee answered all these questions with a smile and patience that even Mother Teresa would have envied. What a positive effect this special lady has on these young, talented shooters, as well as everyone else around her. Sharee Waldron is a true unsung hero.

When Sharee, Aeriel Skinner and I arrived at green course No. 3, our appointed starting station, I received my second surprise of the day. I was surrounded by shooters representing the past, present and future of the USA World Shooting community; to name just a few, Jay Waldron (national shotgun coach, Colorado Springs), Derrick Mein (world champion, sporting clays), Aeriel (multiple World Cup medals, bunker), Eli Ellis (top junior skeet shooter), Lance Bade (assistant coach, bunker/double trap, three-time Olympic medalist), Amber English (skeet, multiple medalist), Joe Buffa (assistant coach, past world skeet competitor), Grayson Davey (bunker, mixed team gold medalist) and last but certainly not least, Kim Rhode (six-time Olympic medalist). While Kim didn’t actually shoot in this fun shoot, she was there lending her support to those who did.

It was gratifying to me to see so many past Olympic champions take time out from their busy lives to help these very gifted and talented young Olympic hopefuls. If you ever get the opportunity to meet Sharee or her husband Jay or any of the USA coaching staff, do yourself a favor: be quiet and listen; you just might learn something. I know I did.

With dedicated people like Sharee and Jay, along with all the other topnotch coaches, plus help from all the unselfish past and current Olympic champions, we can all rest assured that the USA Shooting sports will be well represented far into the future. Most ATA shooters, myself included, never come close to understanding what it takes to compete at a world level. What an eye opener for this old ATA curmudgeon.

I contacted a number of clubs this month asking for information so I could highlight them in this month’s letter. I chose Pikes Peak GC because, after talking to Dale Royer and Mike Peterson, it was apparent they are both trying to help their club move forward from the past into the future. To accomplish this goal and lead their club to a bright and profitable future, they will need much help.

PPGC sits at 6,035 feet, just over a mile high. To the west is Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet. If you haven’t been to the top of Pikes Peak, you should do so the next time you have the chance.

Many of us have shot at PPGC in the past and are familiar with the club and grounds. What you may not be familiar with is the new management team. Mike Peterson informed that PPGC had 25 winter league teams as well as one high school and one club junior team. They are finishing up the winter league and are ready to start a larger spring league. It looks like PPGC is headed in the right direction, and I am looking forward to shooting there again.

P.S., I received a text from Sue Hall stating that Bob had just received his ATA certificate for shooting 250,000 career ATA targets. As we all know, this is no small achievement. It represents a large expenditure of time as well as money, so next time you see Bob Hall, be sure to congratulate him. Well done, Bob.

Ruby Darling would like to leave you with this: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”—Will Durant in The Story of Philosophy (summarizing the words of Aristotle)

Irv Effinger

ATA Delegate

Louisiana

By the time you are reading this, the 2019 Louisiana State Shoot will be in the books, and the crew of the Toby Bancroft Memorial GC, West Monroe, would like to thank everyone who showed and passed a good time with us. I will have more information next month.

A special congratulations goes out to Monroe shooter Jim Jenkins, who you will see at several of the Satellite Grands as well as the neighboring state championships. Jim has just returned from the Southern Grand in Florida with several trophies in his possession. He posted a 99 in the Monday singles to become Class A winner and followed up the next day with another 99 to secure AA runnerup in the Lloyd Beecraft Singles. Later in the week he posted a 94 to secure B runnerup in the Doubles Class Championship. Congrats, Jim; you made us proud.

Well, spring has arrived, and shoot attendance has picked up throughout the state. Please take advantage of this wonderful weather and shooting conditions and join us at one or several of our clubs.

For additional shoot schedules and contact information for any of the Louisiana gun clubs, please visit the LTA website www.louisianatrapshootingassociation.org/index.htm.

Just a reminder that tickets are still available for 2019 Gun Club Raffle for a chance to win a Perazzi High Tech Trap RS Combo. Tickets are $20 each, and a limited number are available. To purchase tickets, contact your ATA Delegate, state secretary or the ATA office: [email protected] or 618-449-2224, ext. 104. The raffle ends Aug. 9 at noon, and the drawing will be held that night at Closing Ceremonies of the 2019 Grand American.

Shoot well and shoot often.

Doyle Brooks

ATA Delegate

Missouri

It looks like Old Man Winter may have finally given up, but not after one last major blast. With the aftermath of storms in the Midwest, we now have flooding to deal with. Keep in your thoughts and prayers those who lost so much during the storms and flooding in the Midwest states that were hardest hit.

In Missouri, the official start of the registered shoots usually begins with the annual team shoot and March registered shoot at Missouri TA, Linn Creek. While the weather was about as good as I can remember, it was still cool and a little windy out of the north, consequently keeping the scores down. There were 25 teams that showed up to claim the top prizes and money. Congratulations to the following teams: Division I champions were the KC Shooters (Hughie Coleman, Mark Moser, Stephen Ricketts, Kent Frost and Randy Stitt). Division I runnerup was the Old Guys (Jesse Hamblen, John White, Rick Arnett, Lyndle Pruett and John Kravanek). In Division II, the champion team was Maple Leaf GC (Gerald Goudey, Brian Boyd, Bruce Robert, Darrell Ostertag and Dan Alspach). Division II runnerup was Team Rick Fuller (Randall Crawford, Rick Fuller, Dave Stogsdill, Fred Naugle and Steven J. Fuller). This year’s Division III champion was Webster Plumbing (Robert Rush, Mac McNeeley, James Webster, Guy Hawkins and Stanley Harris). The Division III runnerup team, M&M (Matthew Scott, Tom Heyl, Janis Goudey, Kathy Robert and Melissa Boyd). Thanks to Tom Rombach, Lyndle Pruett and the MTA staff for putting on a great shoot.

If you haven’t visited the motraps.com website recently, it is going through a much-needed overhaul. It is still a work in progress, and you may see some different versions if you visit frequently. Please bear with us until we have completed the process; we hope to have everything in place before the state shoot. Speaking of the state shoot, it will be here before you know it. I hope you have made plans to attend. While this year’s will not be packed with as many side events as last year’s 50th Anniversary at Linn Creek, we still plan on having a great time. I hope to see you there!

If anyone has anything they want to have reported on or has any questions/concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003.

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

Hobbs had a shoot March 1 with 17 shooters. The weather was decent. Alamogordo had a shoot March 15-17. They had a real good turnout, so shooting looks good so far. The wind finally let up; it’s just 10 to 20 mph now. I hope to see y’all down the road somewhere. Shoot well.

Bob Leibel

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Just as it should have been getting warmer, we had the coldest weather of the winter. The first few days of March ushered in some polar weather with freezing rain, ice, snow and winds, causing wind chills of ‑9º. A March 3 shoot at Shawnee GC had to be canceled due to this weather. The average temp this time of year is 58º.

At our Jan. 5 board meeting, it was decided since the AIM State Shoot was rolled into the championship events as a trial, Tuesday would be 100 singles, 100 handicap and 100 doubles and will not be part of the HOA. This should help the shooters who may need the targets for handicapping.

Mikie Hooper has offered to set up a new website for us and maintain it with up-to-date information. She will need help from all the gun clubs with shoot info, results, etc. She will not have time to run down info, so please get the info to her if you want it to be shared on the website. You will get out of it what we furnish her to be put into it. We all wish her well, and please thank her when you see her.This is a big undertaking and is appreciated by all of us.

OTSA’s first registered shoot of 2019 was held March 9-10 with good attendance. Weather was very challenging with a 30- to 40-mph crosswind on Saturday, and Sunday there was a north wind and cool. These conditions kept scores low. Nathan Lemke was high in the first 100 singles with 92, second 100 singles with 95, and first 100 handicap with 90. The second 100 handicap was won by Kevin Nanke with 91. On Sunday’s 100 singles, Colt Quisenberry’s 99 was high. Kya Funkhouser and Samuel Wagar were high in the handicap with 92s. Ron Bliss won the doubles with 98. For those of you who have driven Jensen Road to the OTA SP, you will be surprised to know it has been completely demolished and rebuilt. It got so bad with asphalt patches and large potholes, you could drive only 15 to 20 mph, and your vehicle took a beating. It is now like a superhighway, twice as wide and super smooth.

Somehow Duncan GC and Ada S&TC had shoots on the same March 17 date. These clubs pull from a lot of shooters in the same area, so it affects both clubs. The saving grace for both clubs was the perfect weather, light winds and a large number of young shooters. Duncan GC had three squads, good targets and high scores. Dennis Patrick asked Mike Grove who set the targets on the first trap, and Mike (thinking he was going to complain) said he didn’t know, but Dennis said they were perfect targets and ran 50 straight. Blake Channel broke 99 to win the first singles event. Kya Funkhouser broke 99 to win the second 100 singles. Patrick won the handicap with 92.

Ada had a good tournout of 32 shooters and the same great weather. Zane Arnold broke 97 to win the singles. Colton Ables’ 92 from 25 yards won the handicap. Josh Casteel’s 95 won the doubles. All three were AIM shooters. Lowell said a shooter came within one target of winning a 50s purse, now up to $800 again. Zane also won the Tuesday fun shoot with 49. Lowell and Grove were co-winners of the week-before shoot. Lowell said Ada and Shawnee have shoots scheduled on top of one another for July 7, so he’s moving the Ada shoot to July 21.

Jack Murphy furnished the results of the winter Big 50s at Bartlesville. Billy Pierce won the HOA, Jack was the singles champion, A class was Pete Wedelin, B was Jim Waite, C was Jack Long, and D was Billy Mike Friend. Short-yardage handicap was Robert Martin, and long-yardage was Terry Piguet. A doubles was David Bacon Jr. and B was won by Jeannine Stevens. They held a big fish fry, where all winners were awarded belt buckles again this year.

Big 50 events are becoming more popular and can now be shot any day of the week. They are great for new young shooters who may struggle to shoot 300 targets a day. A lot of shooters who shoot practice anyway may want to shoot Big 50s and make it count. Wintertime 50-bird derby shoots could become Big 50 events.

Shawnee Twin Lakes TR’s March 24 shoot replaced the March 3 shoot canceled due to weather. It was warm, but they had a north wind when 16 attended. Woody Barnes from Arkansas broke 100 straight to win singles champion and 92 to top the handicap. Short-yardage was won by Terry Sims with 89, mid-yardage was won by John Wise with 87, and Colton Ables was long-yardage with 84. Josh Casteel headed the doubles with 92.

Iowa Park GC also held a March 24 shoot, with 32 attending, and 15 were from Oklahoma. Marvin Allbright won the doubles with 189. Joe Altom’s 99 was high in the singles. Oklahoma shooters who fared well in the singles were Austin Palmer, 97, running his first 50 straight, and winning D class. With 96s were Collin Rindal; Bill Dean, who won vet; Emma Tennell, who won B; and Kelly Thacker. With 95s were Randy Farmer and Jacob Diller, who won sub-junior. Gary Young topped the handicap with 97. Diller’s 96 was next, and Lemke broke 95. Iowa Park draws Oklahoma shooters, and Duncan GC draws Texas shooters.

We have a lot of men and women out there protecting our freedom. Let them know they are appreciated when you see them.

Tim Deister

ATA Delegate