Alberta

After several years of toil as ATA Delegate, Western Zone secretary and assistant to the Central Handicap Committee, Garry Hill stepped down this summer and will now be able to put shooting, instead of working, at the head of his to-do list. On behalf of all Alberta shooters, I thank Garry for his efforts, and I personally offer my thanks for the information and direction he gave me to ensure a smooth transition into my new role as Alberta’s ATA Delegate.

August offered plenty of opportunities for Alberta shooters to register targets. Eleven attended the Grand American, and they brought back some hardware too. During Preliminary Week, Hill took veteran honors in the Hodgdon Powder Singles and the MEC Outdoor Singles, with 100s in both events, and Art Peyton’s 99 won him the sub-vet title in the Kolar Doubles. In Grand Week events, yours truly managed a win in veteran with 100 in the Wendell August Champion of Champions, and Shawn McNeil recorded his 100,000th combined ATA target. Those who did not go to the Grand could blast targets in Edmonton at their City Championships shoot, and a couple dozen took the opportunity.

Barely home from Sparta, it was time to head to Calgary for the annual Rose Bowl shoot. The highlight for me was presenting ATA Past President Allan Radway his Half Million Club pin after he put an X on the scoresheet for his 500,000th combined ATA target. We helped him celebrate the milestone with a cake, and we even got him to smile for the picture! Congratulations, Allan.

Shooters closed out August at the aptly named and well attended End of Summer Shoot at Wainwright.

As I write this, it is mid September, and ATA shooting in the province has pretty much ground to a halt. But the Nevada State, Autumn Grand and Arizona Chain shoots are just around the corner. Hopefully you will be putting some of them on your calendar. Cheers.

Jim Thomson

ATA Delegate

Arizona

The days are getting shorter, and there is a nip in the air. If you cock your ear to the north, you can hear the RVs and fifth wheels revving up for their southern migration. Just last night I got a whiff of Federal papers and Hoppe’s No. 9. That can only mean one thing: it’s getting to be prime time for Arizona trapshooting.

Between mid November and the end of March, we have 59 shoots, including the Arizona Chain (look for some announcements regarding that); the Hall of Fame Classic; the Spring Grand American; our own state shoot, this year at Ben Avery; and many, many local events. We are the North American headquarters for wintertime shooting with more birds thrown during the cooler months than anywhere else. Maybe it’s because of our beautiful state, our world-class facilities or our friendly people, or just maybe because it’s a lot warmer here than where our winter visitors and honorary Arizonians are coming from. What does it matter, come on down! A complete schedule can be found at aztraps.com.

The Western Zone Big 50 is booming. In addition to all members of the Western Zone, the Southwestern Zone has now jumped on board. It begins on the first day of each month and ends on the last day. Clubs can participate as many times as they wish, not to exceed one time per calendar day. Shooters may shoot at different clubs; however, each option paid will go into one option purse, which will be paid out within 30 days of the end of each month. So if a shooter participates five times in one particular month, they will have five chances to win. Each day’s events are 50 singles, 50 handicap and 25 pair of doubles. Casa Grande is a Western Zone Big 50 regular, and others are talking about joining in. Try it out! Show Arizona supremacy, and it’s a lot of fun.

Please mark down Jan. 15-19; that is the date of out Hall of Fame Classic, and it will be held at Ben Avery. Every year the Hall of Fame attracts more and more shooters and now pushes 200. It is five continuous days of competition and camaraderie, culminating in the annual dinner and the induction of the newest Hall of Fame member. We have something special here; come help celebrate those who have made all of this possible.

Around the state: 23 shooters kicked off Pleasant Valley’s August shoot, and Jay Alderman proved once more why the senior veteran category should be called the seasoned veterans. His 99 led the singles field, while Jim Dremler and Dusty McWilliams were not too far behind at 97, taking veteran. Our ASTA prez Mark Williams topped all in Class A with 96. Another seasoned veteran, Gerald Meyer, was high gun in the ’caps at 96. David Landwerlen’s 95 took mid-yardage; Kyle Dennis won long-yardage; Gerald Schiffmacher, short-yardage; and Doug Sims, veteran. Doug then turned things around and was high gun and veteran champ in the doubles, and Jay won you know what. Jay continued his rampage on Sunday, duplicating Saturday’s singles score of 99. This time he had company, however. Dusty McWilliams also came in with 99 and bested the vets. Next up was the handicap, and all of the winners scored in the “9s.” Fred Frazier notched his gazillionth long-yardage win; David Landwerlen, mid-yardage; Mike Stewart took short-yardage; Roger Combs, veteran; and finally Jay had a little competition in Jake Gatschet. Their 95s tied for the seasoned veteran crown. The last event was the doubles. Jay Alderman was high gun, nosing out David Landwerlen.

We have 12 registered shoots in December, including ones at Double Adobe, Lake Havasu and Tri-State. See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

Idaho

Are you ready for fall? It seems to have come upon us really fast, and some areas of Idaho are even experiencing winter type conditions, especially in the higher elevations. The farmers are clamoring to get their crops harvested with this sudden onslaught of cooler temperatures, and they are working around the clock in order to get food on the table for the rest of the country. The farmer next door to me just harvested 160 acres of russet potatoes, and out of nowhere Gleaners showed up and picked up free potatoes. They looked like a swarm of bees searching for missed potatoes that fell through the cracks of the harvester—free food! That benefit won’t happen in our big cities. What a great sight to see these farmers reap the rewards of their year of hard work. Great job, guys!

Idaho shooters need to buckle down and show way more support by shooting more ATA targets, as it will make our state ATA shoot better with more money and better trophies. The last thing we need to do is not support all of our shooting organizations, as it is the way we keep trapshooting strong as one of our preferred sports. We now have the Big 50 in the Western Zone, 18 shoot sites, and we have joined with the Southwestern Zone, adding an additional eight states for a grand total of 26 shooting sites. Payouts look to be very big, and you can shoot the event as much as you want each month (except for August because of the Grand American). If you want or need help, have your club contact me, and we will get you going. This is a great way to get registered ATA targets, so when you attend big shoots, you may be able to avoid penalty classification. Plus it’s a great option to simply shoot practice targets; you can get paid for shooting!

Bob Clement

ATA Delegate

Utah

The Grand is over, but shooting is still available at some Utah clubs.

Weather at the Grand American was very nice this year—no major heat waves, wind or rain. Utah had a small contingent of about 15 shooters who were classified to shoot. I am not sure how many trophies we brought home, but we did okay.

Bobby Street (this was the first Grand for him) and Grayson Stuart both shot in the Champion of Champions. Bobby broke the hundred but lost out in the carryover. He did break 199 in the Clay Target Championship. Very good shooting, Bobby! Grayson won the sub-junior Doubles title with 98 and overtime targets.

Sharred Oaks and Sean Hawley had some very good doubles scores (100), with both bringing home some awards during the tournament. Picking up some Lady I trophies in doubles was our own Elizabeth Ternes. Elizabeth moved to Utah last year from Ohio to work for Browning and is currently on the Lady I All-American team. I am sure we will be seeing more of her in the coming year.

Attendance at the Grand was up a little from last year overall. Some events were up, while some were down. I have a feeling that some people stayed away because of the extreme heat that was predicted. The AIM Grand Championship once again did very well. As far as the ATA goes, we had another profitable year last year, and I am sure we will again this year.

The grounds at Sparta are in good shape, and our current contract is good through 2026. We, the Executive Committee, met with the head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, as well as the director of the Complex. All meetings were productive, and by all appearances, the state of Illinois is very pleased with our presence. The local communities around the Complex appreciate the fact that we are there and welcome us with open arms. The economic impact to the surrounding area is very significant.

No major rules changes are forthcoming (just some clarifications/housekeeping issues). Next year’s Grand dates are back to the more traditional dates, Aug. 5-15. Mark it on your calendar and start planning for next year now!

August and September both are nice times to attend local shoots in Utah. Golden Spike, Cedar City, Helper and Spanish Fork all held shoots in August and produced some excellent scores. Tooele, Spanish Fork, Golden Spike, Cedar City and Vernal all had shoots for the month of September.

Now comes the part of writing these articles that I do not enjoy, mentioning those who we have recently lost. On Aug. 7, we lost longtime Utah shooter Earnie Shepherd. Earnie has been a shooter in Utah since 1968 and has one of the largest target totals in the state. He amassed 157,775 singles, 166,375 handicap and 108,750 doubles for a grand total of 432,900 targets.

Next, we lost our Utah State Association secretary and friend Delana Leshko on Aug. 16.

Both of these people will be dearly missed. I send my condolences to their family and friends.

Shoot results and trophy reports pale in comparison to losing friends and family, but next month I will again write about shoot results.

Ed Wehking

 ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

Well, here we are, deep into fall and approaching another holiday season. I hope this finds you preparing for a great Thanksgiving with friends and family. It is also my wish that you are finding some time to spend with your favorite shotgun, getting in some practice or even some registered targets on your 2020 average card.

In my last correspondence I mentioned that clubs could hold Western Zone Big 50 programs during the third week monthly. Well, I was mistaken! Your club can now hold these programs any day of the month year-round, with the exception of August, as the ATA offices are busy with the happenings at the Grand American. Each shooter can partake in as many of these as they want monthly, and with all the clubs close by to the shotgunners in Washington, this is a convenient way to get into some ATA fun. With our busy lives not always allowing for whole weekends devoted to shooting, we are afforded another option to achieve target totals and milestones. New shooters may find this a good way to get involved in our game. The Southwestern Zone has taken notice and decided to join in the fun as well, which just includes more chances to get some added bonus in the form of the Lewis purse options offered. We may put some restrictions on it here in Washington, so as not to interfere with the state program and other registered shoots during summer months. I’ll have more to share about the details in my next letter with news from the WSTA directors meeting. Please contact our secretary, Bruce Skelton, to schedule Western Zone Big 50 programs or other registered shoots your club would like to host.

A few of us are heading to warmer climates this winter to shoot in the sun. I’ll have returned from Tucson and the Autumn Grand when you read this, and I hope to have some stories about Washington shooters. If you have anything to share about your or others’ shooting exploits, please do so. The WSTA Facebook page has a lot of room, and we love to see how our residents are doing as they compete all over the country. Look for us at the Washington State Trapshooters Facebook page and check out news and schedules on shootwsta.com.

You may be finding your freezers filling up with turkeys, ham, bacon or homemade sausage from our many fun and games shoots here in Washington as well. I find a buddy backer is a good way to practice trigger control and maintaining sight picture, and it’s a lot of fun. Remember, these and registered shoots held by our clubs keep them strong and able to support the WSTA. I hope to see you at many of the clubs in our state in the upcoming weeks and months. I’ll be happy to help share word of your club’s events, so let me know, and we’ll get the word out.

There will be more news from the WSTA next month, so watch for the next issue of Trap & Field to hit your mailbox. Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate

Wyoming

At the time of this writing, the 2020 All-American teams had just been released. Wyoming shooters making the team are Linda Gibson Gudahl, Lady II second; Hunter Howe, junior first; John E. Kelly, veteran first; and Nico Elardi, junior gold second. I would like to congratulate all of the shooters who made the team.

With the good fall weather, many clubs hosted shoots, including Gillette, Casper, Laramie, Sheridan, Cheyenne, Lusk, Rawlins and Torrington. Some notable achievements were Chad Frericks shooting at his 100,000th ATA target at Casper and Don Washburn making the 27-yard line in Rawlins. For those traveling south for the winter, I hope you shoot well, and I look forward to seeing everyone in the spring.

Nico Elardi

WSTA director

Illinois

Hello, shooters! I’ve had a lot of people contacting me about the state shoot dates for next year. The High School League state shoot will be May 30 (and possibly the 31st). The AIM state shoot will be June 13-14. The Illinois State Shoot will be June 15-21. I will put out more information about them as it gets closer.

We are still looking for donations for the ISTA Hall of Fame building. We are going to add it to the registration building at Brittany SP. We are trying to get more donations before we break ground. The board members are working on getting a final blueprint ready and are very close.

I would now like to announce the 2019 Illinois state team. Just a reminder, there are three requirements for making the team: shoot the HAA at the Illinois State Shoot, shoot all 400 targets at one of the three state zone shoots, and meet target requirements that vary by category (you can find them on the all-state team page of the state shoot program). The category you declare at the state shoot determines which team you are on.

Men’s—captain (and highest combined average in the state of Illinois) Chase Horton, .9676; Randy Miller, .9605; Jeremiah Schultz, .9442; Mike Dennis, .9373; Brad Bomkamp, .9307; Kevin Wunder, .9250; Michael Hathaway, .9225; Mark Fielder, .9220; Brian Cox, .9161; Mark Chiodini, .8885. Lady I—captain Lauren Mueller, .9416; Chloe Turasky, .8998. Lady II—captain Janice Rigler, .8942; Anita Knearem, .8772; Sue Staker, .8395; Lora Murphy, .8212. Sub-junior—captain Steven Margherio, .9330; Landon Dent, .9302; Samuel Gilman, .9178; Logan Hawkins, .9108; Braxton Dent, .8834. Junior—captain Hayden Hemrich, .9291; Cole Gordon, .9159; Kameron Martin, .8975; Blake Harnetiaux, .8971; Blaine Jennings, .8838. Sub-vet—captain Frank Haynes, .9454; Brian Hezel, .9438; Dan Staker, .9379; Harvey Schultz, .9303; Dave Dressler, .9297. Veteran—captain Tim Marucco, .9405; Frank Payne, .9343; Ron Wolf, .9252; Alan Maly, .9033; Jim Lyons, .9026. Senior vet—captain Mike Westjohn, .9372; Charles Bickle, .9327; Mike Jordan, .9309; Michael Obert, .9078; Terry Miller, .9051. Chairshooter—captain Ziggy Tkaczenko, .8945; Larry Norton, .8931. (There were no junior gold shooters who qualified this year.) Congratulations, everyone!

Lauren Mueller

ATA Delegate

Indiana

Greetings, Indiana shooters! I hope everyone is having a nice autumn in Indiana and was able to get the new target year off to a good start, thanks to the great weather we had in September and October.

Congratulations goes out to our Indiana shooters who made the 2020 ATA All-American team: Chrissy Byrd, Lady I second; Tank Lunsford, sub-vet first; and Garl Gresley and Tom Neal, veteran first. This is certainly a great accomplishment.

Make sure you check out www.indianatrap.com for a full listing of all the registered ATA shoots being held this fall at clubs all over Indiana. Please never forget that without all of these clubs, this sport wouldn’t exist; get out and support them! Shoots for 2020 will be added as soon as possible to the website.

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

Michigan

The 45th annual Fall Team Shoot was Sept. 5-8 at our homegrounds in Mason. One hundred nine teams took part on Sunday. It was a tournament that featured both high points and sadness. Congratulations to Dan Cook, who shot at and broke his 100,000th registered target. Well done to Scott Randall, who broke his first 100 straight. Russ O’Brien, who recently moved to Michigan, broke his first 100 straight in his first registered shoot in Michigan. The champion team was Mikey’s Last Ride, and the individual champion in the team event was Ken Smith. HAA was Vern Stalter with 385, and Carl Chadwell’s 1,085 took the HOA. We threw a few hundred more targets than last year, 169,800 vs. 169,100.

We usually announce next year’s inductees to the Michigan Trapshooting Hall of Fame at this shoot. It was my pleasure to announce that Larry and Sally Telfer will be the 2020 inductees. It was really hard keeping this a secret, as Sally chairs the Hall of Fame Committee.

The very sad note was the passing of Keith Heeg on Sept. 1. Keith had served on the board of directors, was a member of the Michigan Trapshooting Hall of Fame, and a great long-term supporter of the MTA. His Keith Heeg Stock Works RV was a fixture at our shoots and the Grand for many years. The Keith Heeg Stock Works team, a very frequent champion or AA first belt buckle winning team, was, like usual, Squad 100. They shot with a four-person squad, with Keith’s regular post empty. RIP, Keith.

1. B. Lewis

ATA Delegate

Minnesota

Greetings from the North Star State. I am writing this the day after the opening of duck season here in Minnesota. Weather this year was more summer like, as thunderstorms curtailed hunting on the opener for many. By the time you read this, many of you will have a coat of heavy oil on your trap guns, and a number of you will turn your attention to hunting.

You will be getting this in your November Trap & Field, and jackpot shooting is in full swing in Minnesota, namely at the Minneapolis GC, Buffalo GC, Del-Tone Luth in St. Cloud, and the Minnesota SC in Zimmerman. Minneapolis shoots their jackpot on Saturdays, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m., with a 50-bird program. For more information, contact the club at 952-469-4386.

Jackpot shooting at Buffalo is held on Sunday, beginning at noon. The club is also interested in hiring trap help who are age 16 and older. For information about a job or other information, call 612-483-6388 and talk to Wally Shelstad.

At Zimmerman, jackpots are held on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., $18 entry fee for a 50-bird event, one round at the 16-yard line, the other at 25 or your ATA yardage, whichever is greater. They pay back $6 per entry and escrow $2/entry to be paid back at the end of the season. Contact the club for more information.

At St. Cloud the jackpots are held on Sunday. Please contact the Del-Tone Luth club for more information. All this information is on the MTA website Minnesotatrap.com.

Speaking of Del-Tone Luth, the annual Steer and Calf Shoot was held Sept. 7-8. Saturday’s winners were as follows: steer, John Vee, 192; calf, Glen Linden, 192. On Sunday, Jodi Olson broke 189 for the steer and Brian Anderson had 188 for the calf.

Congratulations to our Minnesota ATA All-Americans for 2019: open second team—Peter Walker, Eric Munson; sub-junior second—Anthony Klassen; junior gold first—Ben Dietz; sub-veteran first—Scott Gens, Dean Neumann, Troy Haverly; veteran second—William Van Nieuwenhuyzen, Randy Cook, Curtis Peterson; senior vet second—Scott Messenger.

Weather was much drier for this year’s Heartland Grand at the Stockdale GC. I will try to put together a list of some of the Minnesota winners for next month’s column. I can tell you that next year’s Heartland Grand will begin a week earlier, and barring a change in the end of the target year, will also be a 2020 shoot. I personally feel that the target year should end at the conclusion of the Grand (like the World Series ends the baseball season, etc.). If you have an opinion, you may contact Randall (our ATA Delegate), and he can pass that along to Central Zone Vice President Darryl Hayes. The dates of the next Heartland Grand are Aug. 24-30.

By the time you read this, I will have ventured off to our northern neighbors in search of some waterfowl, primarily mallard ducks. If you are a hunter, I hope you have a safe and successful season. If you are gearing up for the weekly jackpots, let’s hope for some big scores. If you are taking a break from any form of shooting, I hope you enjoy the downtime.

Good luck to all who are headed for the Autumn Grand. I can be reached at 507-456-2000 or [email protected]. Until next time, keep your head down. Randall Jones’ contact information is available on the MTA website.

Paul T. Cyr

for ATA Delagate Randy Jones

Ohio

The target year has ended, and the All-American team is out. I would like to congratulate all the team members on some great shooting. I would like to recognize the team members from Ohio: open first, Joseph Charnigo; open second, J. Michael Wengerd; Lady I first, Summer Gobrecht; Lady I second, Elaina McCarthy, Jennifer Hedrick, Beverly Scott; Lady II first, Mary C. Thompson, Betty Peterson; sub-junior first, Ryan Denes; sub-junior second, Tuff Hutchins; junior first, Andrew Bush, Adam Bush; junior gold first, Austin Jacob; sub-vet second, Dean Townsend, Kevin Dawson; veteran first, Steve Corwin; veteran second, Ronald Charniga; senior vet first, Louie Morgan, Mike Dehabey; senior vet second, Craig Blank. Great shooting, everyone; Ohio is very well represented.

If you have any comments or questions, text me at 937-416-3979 or e-mail me at [email protected]. Have fun and bust ’em.

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

Walking up to the gun rack, I placed my shotgun in the stand, and the words, “Son of a gun,” came out of my mouth as I felt a sting on my right hand fourth finger crease. I said to the official that I needed to get ice before I could shoot off for Lady II handicap. Apparently I got stung by a wasp. I shot off with my hand getting a bit stiff, but thinking to myself, “You are tough; you can do this.” I won my shootoff. This is not the first time I have been stung at a shoot. Just goes to show it is possible to overcome pain or mind issues when stepping up to the line.

The 81st annual Fall Trapshooting Championship was held at the Gateway GC in September. If you have never been to this club, then you should experience it at least once. Alan and Laura McCord held a fantastic shoot. E-mail Alan at [email protected] for information about National Trapshooting Day, the spring and fall shoot in 2020. There were 81 shooters shooting singles, doubles and handicap into trees right in front of you and the most beautiful pond. Fun to watch the missed targets hit the water.

The Heartland Grand at Stockdale GC was well attended by Wisconsin shooters, who were winning trophies also. Congrats to the following hotdog shooters from up north. Paul Becker and Mike Bradley had three wins apiece; Mark Sacia, Dan Bloesl and Carol Keeley each took two trophies home; John Duwe had a handicap win; Joe Schepper had two wins, including A class HOA; George Hass, Jerry Kaszyinski, Jay Nigbor, Jerry Vanderwerf, Charles Noel and Roger Taylor had one win; Kevin Doerring and Bryan Pierce had 100s in singles. Congrats to Robert Gropp for his two trophies. Championship AA singles was won by Peter Lantvit. Great shooting, everyone.

Eau Claire R&G and the Geezers’ Club held its Elderado Trapshoot, with 103 shooters over the age of 60 attending. The first shoot was held in 1991, with 41 shooters, after R. J. Loeffler asked Bob Webber to hold the shoot. Mark on your calendar to attend next year in Eau Claire; just remember you have to be above 60.

Once again the WTA hosted a great ATA Fall Classic at the homegrounds. Weather was iffy with rain and wind, but that did not stop the trapshooters from attending and starting the 2020 year with good scores. Class and yardage trophies were handed out, along with added money generously donated by Don Chrapla, Bob Hittle, YZ’s Body Shop, Ron Rousseau and the WTA Shooting and Learning Complex. A silver coin was donated by our WTA president Fritz Thistle. Our state is blessed to have members who step up to the plate with donations. Thank you so much!

Shooting in Missouri this time of year is such a nice time; weather was nice. The shoot was run very well by staff, volunteers and hired workers. Congratulations to the following Wisconsin shooters: John Halambeck took three veteran trophies home; Sandra Jo Jack won nine trophies, including Lady II championship in singles, handicap, doubles and all-around after a tie for overall HAA winner. Congrats to Brent Heikkinen; he earned his first trip to the 27-yard line with a 96 in handicap and took home three trophies.

Winter is approaching fast, and hopefully you will be able to attend the Autumn Grand in Tucson. I am praying for warmer weather than we have had in Wisconsin lately.

I would like to thank all shooters who supported the WTA and ATA in the 2019 shooting calendar year. We all made it through safely. Be mindful of safety for the 2020 year. We have a lot of work ahead of us to make the state shoot happen, and if you would like to help out, contact a board member. Remember to thank your local board members and volunteers for everything they do for you to be able to shoot. It takes a lot of time out of their daily lives to make the shoots happen. Please help out if you can—pick up trash or shells, clean up inside the clubhouse, etc., at the end of a shoot, or donate to the club if you can.

If you have any information you would like for me to report, e-mail me at [email protected]. Keep smiling; I am. See you on the line for the 2020 year.

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces. The 2019 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot was hosted Labour Day weekend by the St. John’s R&GC in Newfoundland and Labrador. Shooters were treated to a well-run shoot and the very best in East Coast hospitality. The champions include Newfoundland’s Troy Coldwell (singles, doubles, HAA, HOA) and Nova Scotia’s Janaya Nickerson, handicap champion. At this year’s shoot Liam Porter, Jack Hoddinott and Keegan Bartlett joined the ATA and entered their first registered competition. The three sub-junior shooters from the St. John’s R&GC volunteered to score for the shoot and were able to take in Saturday’s Singles Championship while other shooters took over their scoring duties. You can read all about this year’s shoot and the trio of sub-juniors on shootatlantic.com.

New for this year was the Atlantic Provinces Club Points Challenge—a friendly competition between members of the St. John’s R&GC and the Highland GC. Each club was awarded points for the top two class scores during the Atlantic Provinces Singles Championship. The club with the most points got their name on the trophy, while the losing club has the privilege of displaying the trophy at their home club until next year. St. John’s edged Highland by one point to win the award. Thanks to Troy Coldwell for crafting the unique trophy.

The Atlantic Provinces Board of Directors was voted in for another term by all those in attendance at our association’s annual general meeting held Sept. 1. Coldwell, Doug Blades and Nickerson will continue with me in our current roles. To help with association duties, new provincial delegate positions have been created. I would like to welcome Kevin Healey (NL), Steven d’Entremont (NS) and Terry LeBlanc (NB) to the Atlantic Provinces Board. The role of these provincial delegates will be to provide news and updates from local clubs and to assist with shooter classification and related duties during our annual ATA provincial shoot.

The 2020 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot will return to the Highland Gun Club in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Sept. 3-6, 2020. Stay tuned to shootatlantic.com for complete details in the coming months.

This year’s APTA-PSC Gun Lottery was a success, thanks to the efforts of our ticket sellers, those who supported us with the purchase of a ticket, The Gun Dealer out of McAdam, NB, and Blaser Canada. The winner of the Blaser F3 SuperTrap was New Brunswick’s Terry LeBlanc. Congratulations, Terry.

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

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

As I write this article, summer has come and gone! The leaves are changing color and falling to the ground, and the beaches in NJ are again free to enjoy the surf. Fortunately Hurricane Dorian just skirted the Jersey coast. Going into the winter months, our gun clubs need all your support to help carry the built-in costs of operating a facility, so try to bring a friend shooting.

Pine Valley started off the 2020 ATA target year with their Club Championships Aug. 31-Sept. 1. This year’s Pine Valley club honoree was Ed Polini of Sicklerville. Club president Paul Dimeglio jokingly presented Ed with the tail of a pig that we were going to have for lunch, saying that the shell bag from Shamrock Leathers was lost in the mail. Paul then presented Ed with a beautiful sculptured leather shell bag. Ed has worked very hard with the ceiling and light renovation in the clubhouse and the total renovation of both bathrooms. He also helps with loading the traphouses and scoring during the shoots; thank you, Ed!

Carlos Gomes defended his title as 16-yard club singles champion with 196, and Dan Biggs was right behind him with 195 to take the runnerup trophy. Club handicap champion was Robert McClure, and Bill Campbell was club runnerup. Scott Kalnas was the club doubles champ. Carlos Gomes led Sunday’s singles with 100. On Saturday, as usual, Stella Farms, down the road from the club, donated fresh Jersey tomatoes and white corn, which were both delicious. A barbecued pig and pulled pork were the main course with salads, water, soda and cake. Thanks, Pine Valley, for feeding us shooters.

The annual Lady Bird Shoot was held the following day, Labor Day, which honors the lady shooters in our sport. Leading the singles was Meher Downing, second was Kolleen Adams, third was Lori McClure, fourth Audrey Trinkle, fifth Rachel Osterhoudt, sixth Elizabeth Corson, seventh Carisa Cucunato, eighth Shannon Leigh and Danielle Defalco ninth. Dan Biggs led the men with 99. The lady handicap champion was Adams, second Osterhoudt, third McClure, fourth Corson and fifth Trinkle. Ed Shea led men in the handicap with 98.

The Westy Hogans at Elysburg, PA, started on the following Friday. Eighty-seven Garden Staters made the journey up the mountains for the three-day shoot. Our trophy winners were Kimberly Armstrong, Steve Burick, Christopher Burn, Sue Emma and John Martin. Rjstuart.com has the complete list of trophy winners and individual shooters’ scores for the event.

The week following the Hogans was the Northeastern Grand in New York Sept. 9-15. Nine shooters from the Garden State made the trip. Robert Malmstedt led the trophy winners with three, followed by Gene Moir Jr. and daughter Angelina with one each. At this writing, that is what’s showing on www.nysata.com. Winners are listed there.

Pine Belt held their Club Championship Sept. 14-15. Kurt Willman took the singles crown, the open junior trophy in handicap, and the doubles championship along with the HOA trophy. It is rumored that Pine Belt is giving his membership money back, so he can’t come back next year (just kidding)! Steve Armstrong secured the handicap championship, and his wife Kimberly earned the ladies’ award in the handicap.

The 2020 New Jersey northern zone was held at the North Jersey CTC in Fairfield Sept. 20-22. A satellite shoot was held at Pine Valley Sept. 21-22 to accommodate our southern zone shooters who didn’t want to make the trek up north. The big winners were Michael Morgado, who didn’t miss a singles target in the program, running the hundred introductory event on Friday and posting the only 200 on Saturday to capture the singles crown. Marc Invidiato was runnerup in the singles with 197, Joe Sissano took the non-resident top trophy with 197, and Sal Papasidero was non-zone runnerup with 196. Ray Padovani edged out Jim Lavelle on the last squad with 97, beating Jim’s 96 in the handicap. The non-zone handicap winner was John Godwin. In the Doubles Championship, Ray was edged out by Invidiato, 94 to 93. The non-zone champion in the doubles was Tony Pietrofitta. Michael also won the HAA in AA and the HOA for the three-day event. A full list of trophy winners can be found at the North Jersey Clays website, and a list of all the scores can be found on trapshooters.com. Joan Bono broke her first 25 straight during Friday’s singles. Congratulations, Joan!

Ed Shea reached 25,000 registered handicap targets, and Ken Hassis reached 75,000 registered singles targets. Congrats!

On a sad note, Jack Hildebrant of Forked River passed away peacefully Sept. 2; he was 84. Jack was born in Rahway and lived in Scotch Plains and Fanwood before moving to Forked River in 1976. He was a sergeant in the Fanwood Police Department. Following retirement, he worked 20 years for Southern-Regional School District. He was a life member of the NJ State PBA-Local 123, charter and life member of the Lacey Elks Club, and life member of Ground Swipers R&GC. Jack joined the ATA in 1973, and in 1996, at the New Jersey State Shoot, he shot a 95 to win the Handicap Championship. During his career, he registered 14,650 singles, 10,100 handicap and 3,450 doubles targets. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marjorie, daughter Kristen and son-in-law Jermaine of Florida, son Jason of Forked River, four grandchildren, sister Janet Lewis of Katy, TX, and nieces and nephews.

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

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

Greetings from New York State. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween and is looking forward to Thanksgiving.

All of us from New York are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Keith Heeg. Keith attended many of our shoots at our homegrounds in Cicero. He participated in events and conducted his business on the grounds. Our deepest sympathies must be extended to his wife, Terry Heeg, and all of the family members. Keith will be missed.

The 34th annual Northeastern Grand American is now history. We had a very enjoyable tournament and threw nearly 300,000 targets. Weather was very good. With a total of 785 shooters during the championship events, the tournament was a Competition Factor 4 for All-American points.

Greg Smith from Rhode Island won the Singles Championship with the lone 200 straight. Debbie Ohye-Neilson won the Doubles Championship with 98. Jeffrey Frasier was the handicap champion with 96. All-around champion was Dan Gris with 386×400, and Lloyd Beecraft took the high-over-all with 962×1,000. This was excellent shooting by these fine competitors. All trophy winners can be viewed on our webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

On Sept. 12 the annual meeting of the New York State ATA was held at the homegrounds. Elections were held for state officers and directors. James F. Wright was elected as president, Cathy Flint state secretary, Sam Bonetto state treasurer, and Jonathan Karp was appointed legal counsel. Vice presidents and directors elected were as follows: from the eastern zone, Dennis Hart is vice president, and directors are Mike Waschitz, Robert Oswald and Tom Horenburg. In the central zone, elected were Joe Macewicz as vice president, and as directors, Jeff Bell, Jack Macilroy and George Hart. In the western zone, elected were Larry Daigler as vice president and directors Mike Manzo, Dan Tartick and Gary McKeown. Elected in July at the state shoot were Alternate Delegates Travis Dann and Todd Hosbach. My congratulations to everyone. I remain as state ATA Delegate.

Thanks must be given to John Fassbaugh for all his hard work over the years. John is retiring as western zone director. John was instrumental in repairing and upgrading the voice activation system. Thankfully, John will still be at the homegrounds during our shoots helping with the voice calls.

Special thanks must be given to Dave Proper for donating three picnic tables for the homegrounds. Also, thanks to Tom Horenburg, Vijay Puran and Dave Clary for their contribution to the NYSATA Hall of Fame.

Thanks must be given for making the Northeastern Grand American a success. Thanks to all the officers and directors of the New York State ATA, other State Delegates and Alternate Delegates who refereed, Don Rada and his cashiering staff, the kitchen help, Dale Dupre and all the scorers and setters, Ken Davis, Bridgeport R&GC, Brian and Jenna Euscher and Connie Tartick for handling trophies. Special thanks to Paul Shaw, ATA Eastern Zone Vice President; Central Handicap Committee member Ray Greb, and Past ATA President Wayne Morris and Joyce Morris for all their help, as always. You are really appreciated. Most importantly, thanks to all the shooters who attended.

I am pleased to announce that four shooters will be inducted into the NYSATA Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the 2020 New York State Shoot: Tom Trembath, Jim Flint, Jeff Philipbar and Rick Kenyon. Congratulations to these fine New York shooters.

Eastern zone vice president Dennis Hart had quite a milestone Aug. 24. Dennis shot at and broke his 250,000th ATA singles target during the Jersey Devil shoot at Pine Belt SC. Dennis has also registered 142,500 handicap and 98,000 doubles targets. Good going, Dennis.

Shoots that are scheduled at the New York State ATA Homegrounds in Cicero in 2020 are the Empire Grand American, May 6-10; New York State Shoot, July 7-12; Eastern Zone Shoot, July 22-26; and Northeastern Grand American, Sept. 15-20. We all hope you plan to attend these shoots.

If you are going out in the field to do some hunting, please be careful. Follow safe hunting rules and be sure that you are a true sportsman.

If anyone would like to have something written in one of these articles, please contact me at [email protected] or 585-519-9543. See you all soon, and good shooting. May God bless.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada. Ontario has five shooters who were named to the 2020 All-American team(s), based upon their accomplishments during the 2019 shooting season. Dan Gris and Lloyd Beecraft made the sub-vet first team. Paul Shaw made the veteran second team, and Keith Saunders and Terry Jordan both made the senior vet second team. Congratulations. There are many Ontario shooters who earned a lot of All-American points and will probably make a team down the line.

As many of you know, in Ontario we recognize shooters who have won ATA events. Depending on modest minimum event participation numbers, there is an open champion, and if there are at least five category shooters (of any of the categories combined), there is also a category champion. At the end of the target year, all event victories are tabulated, and a Delegate open team is declared as well as a Delegate category team.

When we first started this initiative in 2011/12, there were only five ATA categories. We now have eight, and the participation demographics have changed. Now, there are more category shooters at the majority of our competitions than open. We have recognized this trend, so in the target year that started Sept. 1, 2019, we will have a 10-member category team and a five-member open team. OPTA director Dominic Gitto will be assisting me in tabulating the results. As always, thanks to our Ontario ATA clubs who record and submit these shoot results. Our shooters appreciate this recognition. Averages don’t matter, and only Ontario competitions count. It is challenging, competitive and, above all, fun.

On a lighter note: NASA was interviewing prospects for a mission to Mars. Only one person could go, and could never return to Earth.

The first applicant was an engineer. When asked how much he wanted to be paid for going, he answered, “$1 million. I want to donate it to M.I.T.”

The next applicant, a proficient trapshooter, was asked the same question. He asked for $2 million dollars. “I want to give one million to my family and donate $1 million to the ATA for promoting intergalactic trapshooting.”

The last applicant was a member of my own profession—a lawyer. He wanted $3 million. “Why so much more than the others?” asked the interviewer. The lawyer leaned over and whispered in the interviewer’s ear, “If you give me $3 million, I’ll give you one million, I’ll keep a million, and we’ll send the engineer to Mars.”

Have a good fall.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Pennsylvania

As a follow-up to last month’s column regarding our Grand American winners, I’d like to acknowledge and congratulate the winners from the individual events during their stay in Sparta. Pennsylvania had 123 shooters make the trip to Illinois this year, and 31 of those shooters earned awards for their performances in at least one of the 24 events. Deborah Ohye-Neilson paced our shotgunners with wins in 14 of the events, while Evan Mood counted Event 12 Rio Ammo Doubles event champion as one of his three awards. Cody Davis and Steven Huber earned five each, while Genevieve Davis and James Singer added four more to their accolades. Other Keystone shotgunners with multiple wins included Donna Natcher, Chris Vendel, Sheldon Hostetter, Clare Schaffer and Kim Bateman with three wins each; and Ian Darroch, Frank Pascoe, Ken Darroch, Stephen MacNeal, Robyn Bird, Wesley Beaver and Joseph Breck IV each with two. Other PA shooters bringing home event awards included David Dubble, Bill Natcher, Ruger Supensky, Devin Dunkle, Steven Miller, Bethany Breighner, Criona Doorly, Lisa Long, Robert McClelland, Jeremy Missimer, Robert Baer, Brendan Doorly and Paul Hartigan. Again, congratulations to all those who attended the 2019 Grand American and those who were successful in attaining Grand hardware!

The new target year brought with it the Westy Hogans shoot at PSSA Sept. 6-8. As in the past, Friday presented its challenges with having enough help to score and load traps. Unfortunately, the issue was much larger this year than in the past as only a single event was held on the first day over a reduced number of traps. There are many moving parts to the issues, and some additional options have been prepared for next year to avoid any recurrences. I would like to thank all those who helped over the weekend at the Westy Hogans.

Attendance was up 620 shooters overall and up by 61 in the championship events, allowing for an All-American points factor of 5. Congratulations to the event winners: singles, Larry Shade; doubles, Joel Etchen; handicap, George Panarisi; HOA, Ken Darroch; HAA, Nicholas Wertz; and Lady of America, Deborah Ohye-Neilson. Look for the full results in Trap & Field.

The following week, PA shooters headed north to Cicero, NY, for the Northeastern Grand. We had 20 shooters who earned 65 trophies during the week, spearheaded by Ohye-Neilson with 17 awards that included category HOA and HAA as well as event champion in Events 5, 6, 7 and 14! Frank Pascoe added seven more, including Event 11 champion and category HOA, while William Ross and Nicholas Wertz earned HAA awards to go with their respective seven and three awards. Other PA winners included Donald Neilson Jr. (four), Peggy Carney (three), David Darrough, Louis Toth Jr., Donald Schaffer Jr. (three), Jared Hanna (four), Timothy Burnett, Jonathan Hannahoe, Taylor Hansen (three), Michelle Major (two), Ryan Ramsay (two), Brian Zick, Leroy Cook, Genevieve Davis (two), Wesley Beaver and Sheldon Hostetter. Congratulations to all our PA winners!

The 2020 All-American teams have been announced, and PA shooters have 24 representatives this year, including two team captains, sub-vet Chris Vendel and Lady II Ohye-Neilson. Other team members: open first, Donald Schaffer Jr.; open second, Ian Darroch; Lady I first, Bethany Breighner; Lady I second, Robyn Bird; Lady II first, Kim Bateman; Lady II second, Lisa Long and Donna Natcher; sub-junior second, Zach Missimer, Joseph Breck IV, Nicholas Wertz, Clare Schaffer and Kyle Kanuha; junior first, Wesley Beaver; junior second, Kurt Willman and Zeke Raub; junior gold second, Stephen MacNeal; sub-vet first, Kenneth Darroch and Frank Pascoe; sub-vet second, Donald Neilson Jr.; veteran first, Steven Huber; veteran first, Sheldon Hostetter; and chairshooter, William Ross. Congratulations on your season-long accomplishments, and look for the team member write-ups in Trap & Field.

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

It’s November, and we are in the first couple of months of a new trapshooting year. Many clubs are having local shoots, and some trapshooters are traveling to out-of-state shoots. Dixie Trap will have had its Rebel Yell shoot, and I will be reporting on it, as well as others, next month.

As you sit down with family and friends for your Thanksgiving meal, let us remember to be grateful for the country we live in and the many freedoms we share.

Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Without the men and women of our armed forces protecting this great country, we would not be able to enjoy this great sport. When you see a soldier, thank him or her for their service.

If you have any news to report or need my help, contact me at [email protected]. Keep loading ’em up and shooting well!

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Florida

Greetings, shooters! We got our first official cold front last weekend, which dropped the temperature from the mid to high 90s into the low 80s for a few days. While it might not seem like much to be excited about, it means our shooting season is rapidly approaching! Registered shoots will become more and more prevalent as our northern friends return for the winter. The full menu of shoots around the state can be viewed at www.floridatrap.com. I hope to see everyone on the range.

I would like to recognize and congratulate the following 2020 ATA All-American team members: Ruth Flayderman, Lady II second; Matthew DeBord, junior gold second; Lewis Knack Jr., sub-vet second; Mark Zauhar, veteran second; Kay Ohye, senior vet first; Jack Schumpert, senior vet second.

Ruth Flayderman has also reached several target attainment milestones recently. She has registered 150K singles, 150K handicap and 125K doubles targets. While at the Grand, Delia Sippel reached 75K singles. Thank you for your dedication and investment in our sport. You are the masts that keep our ship sailing. If you see these shooters out and about, make sure to give them a pat on the back!

Looking ahead, our next FTA shoot will be Nov. 7-10. The Silver Dollar SC will be hosting the FTA Fall Championship in Odessa. The program, scores and information about the area, can found on Silver Dollar’s newly updated website www.silverdollartrap.com.

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

Thomas Harrington

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

The new target year has started, and hopefully you have been able to take advantage of the weather. Congratulations to Terry Dean on his presidential year and thanks to him for his nearly 30 years of service to Kentucky shooters and the ATA. Don’t forget to support your local clubs and have fun shooting registered or non-registered targets.

Check the ATA website and pull up the 2020 All-American teams, as several Kentucky shooters are there; congratulations to all.

Keep up with updates on the Kentucky Trapshooters League through Facebook and keep an eye out for some changes to the KTL website. Good luck in the new shooting year.

Dan Ryan

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

It’s still summer here in the Southeast, very warm to hot. You have to remember that June this year was cool and wet, so it seems the weather shifted one month. The warm weather means good shooting; the forecast for the Dixie Grand was more of the same, so we should dodge raindrops. I hope to have a long list of South Carolina shooters’ names as winners in next month’s column.

In the attainment department, Doug Stenback reached 75,000 handicap targets.

ATA has provided the year-end target averages. I have forwarded them to Gary Olson and Gary Ferguson for compilation. Gary Olson had the teams figured before the report, but we have to double-check. Anyway, next month’s column should have the teams listed.

Football season is upon us, as well as hunting season, so some of our monthly shoots are a little thin. Remember, your local club needs your support, and shooting trap will help your wingshooting.

One of the rule changes enacted at our last Grand meeting is that any scheduled shoot must be completed within a 24-hour period. This can work two ways. Rodney Raines posed the question: if we have a Big 50 shoot that starts in the morning, can we keep it open through the afternoon, so some of our other shooters can participate? The rule would say, yes. Basically it’s just like having an extended lunch break. Everything is to be completed within the 24-hour window.

I hope to have your name as a Dixie Grand winner.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

Hey, Tennessee shooters! It’s Rob Mathis again filling in for Mr. Cook as he gets a much-deserved fall break. Last month I mentioned that I wanted to discuss the success of Tennessee shooters at the 2019 Grand American. Like the AIM Grand that I discussed in detail last month, the regular ATA Grand was well attended by Tennessee shooters. For most of the state, the distance to Sparta, IL, is very manageable in a day’s drive. Some of us have even driven to Sparta and then driven home the same day. (I don’t recommend it, but it is doable with some caffeine or some extra drivers.) This convenience attracts Tennessee shooters as the growth of the sport continues in the state.

Tennessee classified a total of 159 shooters, which makes it No. 8 in the ranking for the 58 states, countries and provinces who participated.

The total from Tennessee was up 16 from the 2018 number of 143 and ranks as the third-largest shooter increase behind Kentucky with an increase of 28 shooters and barely behind Pennsylvania, which brought 17 additional shooters.

Tennessee shooters shot 175,200 registered targets at the Grand American, which ranks fifth of all the states, countries, etc. The state with the second-highest number of targets shot was Kentucky with 202,000, so we were only about 27,000 targets out of second place. Illinois led the way, not surprisingly, with over 524,000 targets shot, which is more than twice the amount of the No. 2 state, but Tennessee can be proud that we have a very active participation relative to the rest of the world.

Determining the number of Tennessee shooters who won awards is more difficult, but I want to highlight junior gold shooter Dillon Tosh for winning the ATA World Doubles Championship for the second time. Also, sub-junior Landon Meadows led all Tennessee shooters by breaking a total of 2,564 targets of the 2,700 possible during the entire Grand.

There are many different ways to quantify the success and growth of Tennessee trapshooters, but I believe that the number of AIM participants, ATA Grand participants, and the overall success of the youth shooters in Tennessee make a good case that Tennessee is moving in the right direction.

Until next time, find a local ATA shoot by visiting the Tennessee ATA website at www.shootatatn.com. Oh, and as Mr. Cook says . . . read your Rulebook!

Rob Mathis

Tennessee AIM Director