Illinois

We are in a new target year, and shooting is picking up in Illinois again. Over the Labor Day weekend, Brittany SP held the Illini Indian/Silver Dollar Shoot. On Saturday Steven Margherio won doubles, Logan Hawkins won singles and Stephen Chen topped the handicap. On Sunday Landon Sievers paced the doubles, Leland Hassler singles, and Hawkins handicap. On Monday Brandy Cox won doubles, Randy Miller singles and Ty Leach the handicap.

The following weekend Downers Grove hosted the Illinois northern zone shoot. On Saturday, in miserable weather, Chase Horton won the in-zone singles, and Mike Westjohn won the out-of-zone award. In much better weather on Sunday, Frank Bentley Jr. won the in-zone doubles, and Brad Bomkamp won the handicap. Randy Miller won the out-of-zone doubles, and Steve Carver won the handicap. Bentley won the in-zone HAA, and Miller won the out-of-zone HAA. Good shooting, all of you! Keep it up to show the quality of Illinois shooting.

Brenda Dennis, wife of All-American and Illinois board member Mike Dennis, has shot 25,000 handicap targets. Keep it up, Brenda, and kick Mike’s butt in the future. Chase Horton achieved his ATA Grand Slam at the Kentucky State Shoot with a 100 in the handicap. Chase never fails to impress. Great shooting!

Sadly, Illinois has lost three of our own lately. Karen Vanderveen was a longtime trapshooter and secretary of the Illini Indians. Alan Portzen was a fixture at the Illinois State Shoot for years and a wonderful woodworker. You have a treasure if you have a stock he worked on. I did not know Jim Fish, but I’m sorry to hear that he has passed. Condolences to the family and friends of these three people. Your passing has diminished us all.

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to two random acts of kindness I have seen lately. Judy Wegner, Illinois ATA Hall of Famer, graciously gave a leather bag she won to a young lady who came in second to her. Landon Sievers gave money he had won to the Illinois Hall of Fame. Thanks, Judy and Landon. People like you are the reason I enjoy this sport so much.

Let’s get out and shoot some nice fall weather targets before winter sets in.

Bill Duncan

ATA Delegate

Indiana

Greetings, Indiana shooters! The summer shooting season has come and gone quickly, as always, and as we now settle in for the winter months, I hope everyone is staying healthy.

Congratulations to each of the Indiana shooters who made the ATA All-American teams, based on their 2020 target year performance! These include Chrissy Byrd on the Lady I first team; Tank Lunsford, sub-vet first team; Garl Gresley, veteran second team; and Bobby Hubble and John Roussel, both on the senior vet second team.

Make sure your calendars are marked for the 2021 Indiana State Shoot, to be held at our Indiana GC homegrounds July 6-11.

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 MTA Board of Directors held an annual meeting on Aug. 30 to review the financial data and elect board members and the ATA Delegate and Alternate Delegates. Don Hoffman sent out postcards to the membership, which greatly improved attendance. Thanks, Don! The directors, whose terms were expiring, were Jamie Stilianos, Steve Olvitt and J. B. Lewis. There was also a vacancy. The new MTA Board of Directors: Ken Sims, president; Doug Trierweiler, VP; Jamie Stilianos, secretary; Dr. Jerry DeHondt; Mike Wilson; and Mark Wilson. J. B. Lewis was the only nominee for Delegate, and Doug Trierweiler and Don Hoffman the only nominees for the Alternate Delegate positions.

The new board is facing a daunting task. With this year’s shooting called off by government orders, the MTA’s income came from leasing some land for farming. That’s not enough income to pay the utilities, insurance and taxes and to buy targets for next year. So their most important task is to solve this big problem. I’m sure they are able to meet the challenge.

The regular meeting of all the clubs in Michigan wanting to shoot registered targets to coordinate and select shooting dates was held Sept. 12.

Shooting at many local clubs continues. At least we can get out and register some fine targets in the 2021 target year.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Spring Team Shoot at our homegrounds April 29-May 2, 2021. I hope and pray that by then, we will be able to once again hold shoots at Mason.

1. B. Lewis

ATA Delegate

Ohio

We started the new target year strong in Ohio with the postponed Buckeye Open at the Cardinal Center and the Fall Festival at Middletown SC. Both had great turnouts with beautiful weather, except for a little wind. Congratulations to all the trophy winners at both the shoots. Now it’s time to clean up the guns, get those annual services done, and get ready for next year. There are a lot of you who head for warmer weather for the winter, so I say safe travel and shoot well. Please remember your local clubs this winter—to shoot a little practice on a good winter day or to pick up some reloading components to get ready for next spring.

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

Dennis had a call coming in from “Less than One” as the contact. I asked him what was up with that because I was thinking there has to be a good story behind this one. Shooters were shooting handicap, and the scorekeeper who was about 12 years old called out the scores after that round—five, four, three, four then there was a short silence . . . he said, “Less than one!” So his name is “Less than One” in his phone in place of Bill.

Being able to shoot with new shooters has its blessings. I am lucky to have shot on a great squad at the Missouri Fall Handicap/U.S. Open. I was not in the correct mindset for the Handicap Championship and started out with a 19. As we were walking off that trap, Mike Dennis said to me, “You can do this; get in the game.” I said that I have an issue on my mind. He then told me, “You have to focus for only about 35 more minutes, so put it out of your mind.” With that said, I shot 24, 23, 22 to finish out. I thanked Mike for the encouragement when we were done. This is what great shooters do—encourage each other. How we choose to react is up to us, but how we help others is a great gift to give.

I was not able to attend the Fall Shoot at the homegrounds but heard it was successful, with 152 singles participants and family attending for the two days. Thank you to all shooters who supported the tournament and to the volunteers who make the shoot happen, from setting the targets every morning very early (while you might still be asleep and dreaming about the perfect targets they will have ready for you), the staff classifying, and the students who load and score for you. How do you think the grounds are kept neat? Well, that also takes volunteers.

The targets at the Heartland Grand were flying really well for the following shooters who collected trophies. John, (aka Jack or even Henry) Duwe, three wins to include B class HOA; Sandra Jo Jack, seven wins; Roger Taylor, two; George Hass, five; Matt Riffe, a singles win; Dennis Kozlowski took home two trophies; three trophies were awarded to Mark Sacia; the famous Pump ’em Doubles was won by Joseph Schepper, and he won Handicap Championship seventh; Pete Rustad won two events; Cheryl Demulling, Kevin Doerring and Peter Lantvit also won trophies; Gerald Tenor, two trophies to include HAA class A; Jay Nigbor won two events; and John Jason took home three trophies. The complete Heartland Grand will be covered in detail by Trap & Field. Wisconsin is represented by such good shooters, I am proud to be a part of the WTA. Keep the wins coming in 2021. Dale, Matt and staff, thank you for putting on a fun, great shoot with no rain this year.

When you read this article, it will be hunting season for some of you. Please be safe in the woods and enjoy the scenery that nature gives you. Remember to help out at your local club. Wintertime means that some of the clubs need to be cleaned up. Maybe a painting fresh up, new chairs, new artwork, etc. is in need to bring new life to your club. Have a new look for the 2021 year. Send me a photo or tell me of the projects done at your club.

As most of you probably know, in the morning hours of July 15, the Muscoda SC clubhouse/kitchen was completely destroyed by a fire started by an overnight lightning strike. As rebuilding plans begin, preliminary cost estimates to meet state requirements for the new building show that the club will be incurring a considerable expense in the coming months. While the club has insurance to cover part of the building and some of its contents, the money falls short of what is needed to rebuild.

We have set up a GoFundMe fundraiser, which can be accessed from this link: www.gofundme.com/f/muscoda-sportsman039s-clubhouse-rebuild.

Keep smiling, because I am. Pass the smile I am giving to you right now on to your friends. See you on the trapline.

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces. The 2020 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot was held Sept. 5-6 at the Highland GC, Petitcodiac SC, Stephenville SC and the St. John’s R&GC. The decision to host this year’s annual shoot in a satellite format was made to help clubs and shooters deal with COVID-19 restrictions and provincial health guidelines. It wasn’t our preferred format, but it allowed us to hold our annual ATA provincial shoot.

Organizers at each site were responsible for cashiering and classifying shooters at their site. Scores were entered into a cloud-based spreadsheet, which provided real time score reporting and enabled the shoot committee to quickly sort results, declare winners, and coordinate shootoffs. It was certainly a team effort. The satellite format also allowed the smaller Petitcodiac and Stephenville clubs an opportunity to host our annual shoot.

Congratulations to 2020 singles champion Doug Blades, doubles champion Troy Coldwell and handicap champion Ken d’Eon. Eight new ATA members signed up for this year’s shoot, including father and son Ward and Cole Nickerson. Sub-junior Cole shot his first 25 straight and collected two sub-junior trophies. Well done, Cole! Congratulations also go out to Kevin Healey for his first 50 straight and a personal best score in the second half of the Singles Championship. Complete results and photos are available on shootatlantic.com and in T&F. Our 2021 shoot will return to the Highland GC in Yarmouth, NS, on the Labour Day weekend.

Trapshooters at the St. John’s R&GC completed Phase 2 of their trap improvement project just in time for this year’s ATA provincial. The concrete block walls of the club’s oldest traphouse (circa 1975) had deteriorated beyond repair and were replaced with a new concrete traphouse. The cracked and crumbling walkways were also replaced with wider concrete walkways. The St. John’s R&GC was a 2020 recipient of the ATA Gun Club Fund and used the grant to partially fund the project. The club thanks the ATA for making these grants available to gun clubs working on projects focused on improving trapshooting. A special thank you also goes out to the club volunteers who made this work possible.

Phases 3 and 4 of the club’s improvement project will continue next year with the three remaining trapfield walkways being replaced, along with more landscape improvements that were started in 2019. The club’s goal is to have the project completed for when they next host the Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot in 2022.

The APTA website will undergo a design change this fall. We will have the same great content but with a new look and feel. Look us up and tell us what you think.

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

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

Massachusetts

Our Massachusetts State Shoot was changed from our normal date in June to Sept. 3-6 at Minute Man SC, and the shoot was very well attended. The club and its personnel did a fine job with the guidelines set forth to deal with this unprecedented year. Weather was great, and there were some good scores shot. There were about 225 shooters from eight states. We had 32 juniors and sub-juniors at the shoot. The club threw 135,400 targets over the four days. I would like to congratulate the winners of the main events: singles and all-around, Nancy Patterson; doubles, Jacob Pappas; handicap, Matt Kanavos; and high-over-all, Robert Nihtila Jr. All the winners can be found on the MATA website and in T&F.

Patterson made history by being the first woman to win the Massachusetts state singles championship, and she backed that up by winning the all-around title as well. She also took home three Lady I trophies during preliminary days. Nancy works very hard at her game; this was great shooting and well deserved. Congratulations.

During the state shoot, elections for officers and Delegates were held. Reelected were Paul Donovan, president; Robert Scott, vice president; Jackie Heller, secretary; Tom Sirois, treasurer; Dave Russell, ATA Delegate; Carl Kazen, First Alternate; and Roy Smith, Second Alternate.

I would like to recognize Carl and Evelyn Kazen, this year’s state shoot honorees. Carl joined the ATA in 1987. His first Grand American trophy was in 1992. Evelyn also joined the ATA in 1987, but raising children took precedence. She joined Carl’s squad in Vandalia, OH, in 1999, where she won a shootoff for class championship. In 2007 Evelyn had the distinct honor of winning the coveted ladies’ Clay Target Championship at the Grand American in Sparta, IL. She is the only woman in New England to have ever won that event. In the last 20 years Carl and Evelyn have won many trophies throughout New England and around the country. They have probably won more trophies collectively than most married couples in New England. These two very special people are always there to lend a helping hand and have contributed many, many hours to the MATA. Congratulations, well deserved. Another shooter to be congratulated is Robert Nihtila Jr. for making the 2020 All-American open second team for the fifth straight time.

I am very sorry to report the passing of four of our Massachusetts shooters. Paul H. Murphy, 91-year-old from Oxford, passed away Feb. 29. Mr. Murphy was a trooper with the Massachusetts State Police for 20 years, retiring in 1974. He shot from 1973 to 2012 and had registered 119,900 singles, 76,050 handicap and 5,600 doubles for a total of 201,550 targets. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his six sons and their families.

Robert R. MacMaster from Townsend passed away March 5. He was 76 years old. Bob served his country in the Air Force, retiring in 1982. He then worked for 12 years at Ft. Devens for the Department of Defense. Bob enjoyed shooting trap and skeet, was a past president of North Leominster R&GC, and had shot 6,600 singles, 5,125 handicap and 2,700 doubles for a total of 14,425 targets. Our prayers go out to his sons Thomas, Brian and David; his brother James; and their families.

Richard Allard Sr. passed away March 24; he was 82. A lifelong resident of Millbury, Mr. Allard started his shooting career in the 1970s at the Auburn SC, where he became trap chairman. He was also on the Singletary trap committee. Dick was an active member from 1971 to 1990. During that time he served as vice president in 1985 and president from 1986 to 1989 and again as vice president in 1990. Dick also served as Second Alternate Delegate from 2005 to 2012. He was the Massachusetts State Shoot honoree in 1996 and inducted into the MATA Hall of Fame in 2011. He along with Mary, his wife of 63 years, have given unselfish dedication to the MATA, and he will be missed. Mr. Allard was a life member of both the ATA and the MATA. He shot from 1975 to 2010, firing at 40,325 singles, 29,750 handicap and 6,800 doubles for a total 76,875 targets. Our hearts go out to Mary, and their five children, 10 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

Robert D. Fratus Sr., 78 years old from Brewster, passed away Oct. 3. Bob was the owner of Robert Fratus Plumbing and Heating. From 1999 to 2019, Mr. Fratus registered 39,550 singles, 29,150 handicap and 11,500 doubles for a total of 80,200 targets. Our prayers go out to Suzanne, his wife of 57 years, plus his son Robert Jr. and family.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns that I can help with, I can be reached at 413-586-0428 (cell), 413-687-7703 or [email protected]. Remember to have fun.

Dave Russell

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Well, it is November, and on the 26th it will be Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. Besides the election and the pandemic, hopefully we all have something to be thankful for here at home. It has been a trying time throughout the U.S., and hopefully we will be returning to normal shortly.

Pine Valley held their club shoot on the first weekend of September. This year’s honoree was Lew Walters for his service to the club over the years. Scott Kalnas secured the singles, and Robert Cucunato won the handicap after a shootoff with Tony Pietrofitta. Tony did not mind too much since the tie pushed him back to the 27-yard line for the first time. Nice going, Tony! Eduardo Bulaong landed the doubles title.

The following day, Labor Day, at Pine Valley was the Toots Tindall Lady Bird Shoot. Kimberly Armstrong led the ladies in singles, with Kolleen Adams in second, Rachel Osterhoudt in third, Lori McClure in fourth, Elizabeth Corson in fifth, Carisa Cucunato in sixth, and Marianne Ruffini in seventh. Dan Biggs won A class in the singles, Tom Wolf earned B, Robert Jarvis took C, and Bud Lawton D. Kim again led the ladies in the handicap, with Lori McClure in second, Carisa in third, Rachel Osterhoudt in fourth and Maribeth Cain in fifth. In the men’s division, Bud Lawton won the 19-21 group, Bob Brown 22-24, and Dan Biggs 25-27. The doubles were led by Robert Jarvis, John Tierno came in second, Jimmy Pagliughi third, Thomas Johnson fourth, and Abdulhayy Hudhaifah fifth.

Sept. 12-13 was the Pine Belt Club Championships. John Pettibone secured the singles championship, Bud Lawton was victorious in the handicap, and Tony Pietrofitta was high in the doubles. Free lunch was supplied for all Saturday.

The same weekend up in Elysburg was the annual Westy Hogans. Seventy-eight Garden Staters were in attendance. Leading off Friday’s handicap was Bob Malmstedt, with a very respectable 98. Others winning a trophy in the various events were Bernie Fleming, Marc Invidiato, Gene Moir, Tom Wolf, David E. Brown Jr., Thomas Green Sr., Susan Emma, Ray Padovani and James Lavelle.

Mallard TC held their Club Championship Sept. 19, with 48 taking part. Steve Ottrando was club champion and John Homan open champion. Leading Class A was Rich Pappas; runnerup, Steven Siegert; B winner, Neil Downing; runnerup, Dan Fishman; C winner, John Messeroll; runnerup, Tom Smith; D winner, Paul Grundling; and runnerup, Fortunato Orlando. There were free barbecue and refreshments.

The Northeastern Grand was again held at the New York State homegrounds in Cicero Sept. 15-20. Ten New Jersey shooters made the trip this year. David E. Brown Jr. led the field with seven trophies, followed by Robert Jarvis with five and Robert Malmstedt with three.

Turkey shoots are scheduled at Pine Valley on Nov. 7, North Jersey CTC Nov. 8, and Pine Belt Nov. 15.

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

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

I am wishing everyone health and wellness during these times of the COVID-19 issue. Hopefully we will get some good news in the future concerning it.

Our deepest sympathies must be expressed to past New York State ATA President Jim Davis on the sudden passing of his wife Tammy on Aug. 10. Tammy was only 42 years of age. They had just celebrated their third wedding anniversary. This was a terrible shock to everyone. We are all very sorry.

Past New York State ATA Central Zone director Robert Lindley passed away July 19 at the age of 68. During his career, Bob registered 23,750 singles, 16,800 handicap and 22,300 doubles targets. Bob started registering targets in 1990. Our deepest sympathies must be expressed to Bob’s entire family on his passing.

Former New York state singles champion Alan Gutchess passed away Aug. 8 at the age of 80. Alan started registering targets in 1968. During his career, he fired at 68,175 singles, 26,150 handicap and 17,550 doubles targets. Our deepest sympathies must be expressed to Alan’s entire family on his passing.

During the week of July 20, two major shoots were hosted by the New York State ATA at the homegrounds in Cicero. The Empire Grand American had been postponed from May and was held July 20-22. It was reduced from a five-day shoot to three days because of the rescheduling issue caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Luke Cowart was the singles champion with 200. Cody Davis took the doubles title with 99, and Joseph Sacco was the handicap champion with 96. Michael Fox Jr. won the all-around with 386×400, and Ian Darroch took the high-over-all with 671×700. All trophy winners can be viewed on our webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

The ATA Eastern Zone Shoot was held at the homegrounds in Cicero July 23-26. John Kirksey was the singles champion with 200. Cowart took the doubles crown with 98, and Alan Morse was the handicap winner with 96. Bob Edwards was the all-around champion with 392×400, and Cody Davis was the high-over-all victor with 965×1,000. All trophy winners can be viewed in Trap & Field Magazine.

Congratulations to New York eastern zone vice president Dennis Hart for shooting at and breaking his 500,000th ATA target at Elysburg July 31. Dennis is one of a very few shooters to register 500,000 targets. Good going, Dennis!

I would like to thank everyone for congratulating me on shooting my 200,000th registered singles target July 30 at Elysburg. It has been a lot of fun over the years shooting all of those targets.

Congratulations to Hayden Congdon for shooting his first 100 straight at the New York State Shoot July 10. Excellent shooting, Hayden.

All of us from New York would like to congratulate Chase Wojtanik for winning the sub-junior doubles championship at the Grand American at Linn Creek, MO. That was excellent shooting, Chase!

The New York western zone shoot was held Aug. 15-16 at Hamburg R&GC. The singles champion was Robert Rockwood with 197, and Mike Kazmark was runnerup with 195. Dan Tartick was doubles champion with 94, and Caleb Lindstrom was runnerup with 93. Don Rada was the handicap champion with 95, and Charlie Winchell was runnerup with 93. The all-around champion was Dan Tartick with 381, and Robert Johnston was runnerup with 371. A total of 25,000 targets were thrown.

The New York central zone shoot was held Aug. 22-23 at DeWitt F&GC. The singles champion was Richard Kenyon with 200, and Terry Zimmer was runnerup with 198. Eddie Cotton was doubles champion with 96, and David Corrente was runnerup with 92. Richard Kenyon was the handicap champion with 97, and Donald Flanagan was runnerup with 95. The all-around champion was Richard Kenyon with 389, and Cliff Haaf was runnerup with 381. A total of 27,200 targets were thrown for the shoot.

The New York eastern zone shoot was held Aug. 29-30 at Whortlekill GC and Peconic River SC. The shoot was conducted as a telephonic event. The singles champion was Robert Oswald with 196, and Keith Miranda was runnerup with the same score. Carlos Rui was doubles champion with 94, and Keith Miranda was runnerup with the same score. Joe Gordano was the handicap champion with 95, and Vincent Barranco was runnerup with 90. The all-around champion was Miranda with 371, and Barranco was runnerup with 369. A total of 28,000 targets were thrown.

If anyone would like to have something written in one of these articles, please contact me at [email protected] or 585-519-9543.

Please stay brave, healthy and in good spirits. Please be strong. May God bless you all.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada. The All-American teams have been selected based on shooting results for the target year ending Aug. 31, 2020. Only one Ontario shooter made a team—Lloyd Beecraft. Lloyd made the veteran second team with only three point shoots given the closure of the Canada-U.S. border.

Currently the border remains closed to November—thereafter, who knows? Every Canadian I know who usually attends competitions south of the border can hardly wait to travel but wants to do so safely.

This will continue to be a challenging year for our Executive Committee, our ATA staff, volunteers, clubs, associations and members. Thank heavens for Zoom, FaceTime and WhatsApp. We do a lot of meetings and business remotely. We will continue to get the job done. But a vaccine can’t come soon enough.

Hang in there, folks. We’ll get through this.

Paul Shaw

ATA President

Pennsylvania

September brings with it a new target year and the Westy Hogans at the PSSA Homegrounds in Elysburg. This year’s event was a mixed bag of attendance, with some events up and some down, but with total entries at 1,504 in the championship events producing an All-American Competition Factor of 5. Congratulations go out to the championship event winners: David Shaeffer earned titles in the Handicap Championship and the HAA and was the Westy Hogans Challenge Cup winner, while Debra Hunter earned the Lady of America title. Nicholas Wertz earned the doubles championship, Ian Fleming captured the singles title, and Ben Snyder won the HOA. Look for the full write-up in Trap & Field.

The following week, PA shooters headed north to Cicero, NY, for the Northeastern Grand and west to the Buckeye Classic in Ohio. The Buckeye saw 77 PA shooters win 27 awards. Edward Bayer was Event 8 handicap champion with the lone 96 from 23.5 yards, while Ian Darroch (four) added runnerup in the HAA and Doubles Championship. Nicholas Wertz (four) took category HAA, Marcy Plunkett (three) earned category HAA, and Brandon Deal (four) and Hailley Ruhl (four) added class HOA titles. Other winners included William Natcher, Ron Gustafson, Alan Deal, Bill Plunkett, Richard Stefanacci, Paul King and Nikki Ward. Congratulations to all shooters!

At the same time as the Buckeye, another contingent of PA shooters were working on winning 89 trophies at the Northeastern Grand, with Chris Vendel (eight) leading the way, winning the Singles Championship, Doubles Championship, HAA and HOA. Zeke Raub (16) earned category HAA and HOA titles, Deborah Ohye-Neilson (14) category HAA and HOA, and Ron Ostrowski Jr. (nine) category HAA and HOA titles. Donald Neilson Jr. (four) added the Event 3 doubles champion, Donald Schaffer Jr. (seven) won class HAA, Sheldon Hostetter (seven) earned category HOA, Jonathan Hannahoe (three) added class HOA, and Genevieve Davis (two) took class HAA. Other PA winners included Frank Pascoe, Richard Baker, Criona Doorly (five), David Darrough, Brendan Doorly, Daniel Schaffer (two), William Ross (six), Earl Raub Jr. and Leroy Cook. Congratulations on a great start to the new target year.

I’m always happy to report on shooter accomplishments, and this month I was aware of Doug Worrell attaining 25,000 doubles on Sept. 7 at Bradford GC. That same day saw David Snyder break his 75,000th handicap target at North End R&GC. At the Westy Hogans the following weekend, Sue Dunkle broke her first 100 straight during the second half of the Singles Championship on Sept. 12. Elmer Ebling earned his final increase to the 27-yard line with a 97 from 26.5 during the Handicap Championship on Sept. 13. He made 26.5 the prior day with a 95 from the 26. Congratulations to all four on their recent personal accomplishments.

Carlette Proukou provided an update on the Save-A-Pair for Breast Cancer Awareness event hosted at the PSSA and coordinated with her husband Spear Proukou. This year’s event raised $30,000, thanks to the generosity of 17 event sponsors, donors, volunteers and participants. To date, the event has raised a grand total of $225,468 for Susan G. Komen, Pennsylvania. The event started with 185 shooters taking aim at 50 pink targets with a chance to win trophies as well as a gun option to win a Ruger 10/22 pink frame rifle. During the event, a food stand was set up for shooters to partake, thanks to generous donations. Dave Bicknell provided his entertaining services for a live auction prior to the fun-filled final event of the day: the highly anticipated Mr. Pink Pageant. This year’s Mr. Pink title went to “Luscious Lulu,” a.k.a. Keith Hill. A silent auction was held from Thursday through Saturday that allowed bids on more than 200 items donated for the cause. Without the generosity of everyone involved, this event could not take place. I lack the room in this column to give full credit to all the sponsors, donors and volunteers, but you can follow the event on Facebook at SaveAPairPSSA or at PSSAShotgunning.

I have been informed of the passing of Jim Nye of Wiconisco. Jim was a well-known and well-traveled shooter in the Elysburg and Schuylkill County area. He shot trap, skeet and sporting clays at many of the area clubs and regularly would shoot multiple clubs in the same day. Always a gentleman and ready for clay target action, Jim will be missed by many. Our condolences go out to Jim’s family and friends.

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

Out with the old, and in with the new! The 2021 shooting year has started, and more and more clubs are starting to shoot trap again. It is about time. I encourage everyone to get out and support your local clubs.

COVID-19 is still around, and everyone should be wearing a mask (when needed) and make sure you are washing your hands and using hand sanitizer.

Some Alabama shooters are traveling to other states to shoot, so I wish them the best of luck. Let me know how you shoot, and bring home the bling!

I’d just finished writing this month’s article when I heard about the death of Bill Gregg. Bill had a passion for shooting trap, was a hell of a nice guy, and he loved the Corvettes! During this difficult time please keep Bill’s family in your thoughts and prayers. More to come later on Bill.

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].

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Florida

Greetings, shooters! It appears things are starting to get back to normal in many parts of the country. Here in Florida we are into “Phase 3,” which lifts most government-mandated restrictions. From what I can tell, businesses are largely taking a conservative approach and still requesting that you wear a mask and practice social distancing. I am looking forward to the day when all of this is far behind us, that is for sure!

There are a few people I would like to congratulate for accomplishments they have achieved over the last few months. Two Florida shooters made the 2021 ATA All-American teams: Kay Ohye and Mark Zauhar both made the senior vet first team. The next person up is Kenny Sippel because he shot his 100,000th handicap target. We also had several shooters win trophies at the Grand this year: John Farina, Jerry Bryant, Ohye, Zauhar and Jake Jacobs. If you see any of these guys at the range, make sure to give them a pat on the back.

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

Thomas Harrington

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

Immediately following the Grand American, the Cardinal Classic kicked off in Ohio, with 16 Kentucky shooters winning trophies. Keith Ditto won in five events, placing third in HOA with 1,262 and second in HAA with 394. Taylor Whitley was Class B winner in the HOA with 1,210 and in the HAA with 385. Andrew Collins was sub-junior HAA winner with 387.

Five Kentucky trapshooters participated in the North Carolina State Shoot, with Tristen Miles, Martha Humphrey, Donald Isham and Bobby Bilbrey winning their respective categories. As I write this today, the Missouri Fall Handicap/U.S. Open is in progress, with Ditto leading the HOA, while Kevin Polson, Clayborn Hunter and David Riddle are near the top of their categories. Several other Kentucky shooters are doing very well also.

The ATA announced their All-American teams, and the following are the Kentucky shooters who are included: Keith Ditto is captain of the open team, with Aaron Willoughby No. 7 on the open first team. Melissa Tracy Marr is No. 5 on the Lady I first team. Martha Humphrey is No. 4 on the Lady II first team. Linda Cox is No. 10 on the Lady II second team. Drake Reynolds is No. 10 on the sub-junior first team. Jack Holland (No. 10) and Andrew Collins (No. 12) made the sub-junior second team. Drew Wyatt and Tristen Miles are No. 1 and 2 on the junior second team. Bobby Fowler (No. 2) and James Malin (No. 13) are included on the junior gold second team. Donnie Sherrard (No. 8) and Kevin (Tank) Polson (No. 10) both made the sub-veteran first team. John Kerr and Tony Willoughby both are included on the sub-veteran second team. Donald Isham made the veteran first team at No. 10. Joe Neyer is included on the veteran second team. Robert Dyer is No. 3 on the senior veteran team. Bobby Bilbrey (No. 3) and Mitchell Miller (No. 7) both made the chairshooter team. Wow, what a group. Such an honor for each trapshooter and Kentucky as well. Congratulations to one and all. Also, a special shout-out to Captain Keith.

As we start a new year, we hope and pray for better circumstances for 2021 but are certainly thankful for what was accomplished this year under such adverse circumstances. Please shoot as often as possible and support your local clubs and youth teams, and we will again be honored by your efforts. If you have any news that needs to be shared with our fellow trapshooters, please e-mail to [email protected] or call 270-227-2262. Until next month, wishing everyone a COVID-free fall and many smoked targets.

Vernon R. Anderson

KTL Board Member

North Carolina

What an interesting year . . . I went to the Grand in Missouri and came home to our NC State Shoot at the end of August! The year 2020 has been upside down and backwards, for sure. The North Carolina State Shoot was, by any measure, a success. Attendance was good despite the COVID-19 restrictions of limited clubhouse use and social distancing. Folks were very good about abiding by the rules. The weather was very cooperative, and as usual, our targets were set exceptionally well. I can’t praise enough Marty Hill and all the NCTA members who pitched in and made the shoot a success. Thank you! Scores and winners are listed on the web at www.ncta.com and in T&F.

The Dixie Grand American will be over by the time you read this. We lucked out with trap help, as a crew from New York is coming to work. With over 350 pre-squadded, it looks like we will have a houseful! I’ll fill in the details next month.

All of us are looking forward to 2021 and getting back to some semblance of normalcy. If there is anything I can help you with regarding the ATA, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you all at shoots and gun clubs. Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob Schultz

 ATA Delegate

South Carolina

The North Carolina State Shoot was a success in spite of problems securing trap help. The North Carolina board members and others filled in the voids to keep the shoot moving. Great job by all. We sure miss Drew’s crew. The number of South Carolina shooters in attendance was second only to North Carolina shooters. Many trophies came back to our state.

Weather was hot, hot, hot, as expected in August. The unavailability of the air-conditioned clubhouse made it tougher. There were many small battery-operated fans in use.

The All-American results were just posted. Congratulations to Teresa Knight, first team Lady II, and to Randy Knight, second team senior vet. Quite an accomplishment in a year with rescheduled shoots and cancellations.

Next week starts the Dixie Grand. Weather forecasts look great: low 50s at night, 70s during the day and a low to no rain percentage. Over 300 shooters have pre-squadded, so it looks like a great shoot. The North Carolina board has found 35 scorers and loaders, so this should run smoothly as normal. I hope you were able to attend.

Kevin Stephens was inducted at our Hall of Fame Shoot in October, rescheduled from the spring due to the bug. Congratulations, Kevin. I hope you all were able to attend.

All clubs are back in business after the shutdowns with monthly and Big 50 shoots plus state shoots. Support your local clubs, get your targets in to prevent penalties, and burn some powder.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Arkansas

Congratulations to Chandler Brown, Kayla Workman, Katie Pryor, Logan Applegate, Braydon Smith, Jayden Dalton, Wren Washburn, Landon Chandler, Aidan Master, Luke Yagos and Logan Henry for making the 2021 ATA All-American teams!

Arkansas is blessed to have the AYSSP shooting program for young shooters just starting out. Many of these shooters move on to the ATA AIM program. Jimmy Self is the director of both programs in Arkansas. If you ever have any questions about either program, Jimmy will be more than happy to help you out. It seems that each year both programs grow. I encourage you to support both organizations any chance you get. Let us not forget that the youth shooters are the future of our shooting sport. I would also encourage you to support your local gun club. Arkansas is lucky to have clubs that host ATA shoots in almost all four corners of the state. You can get more information about these clubs on the ASTF website.

I am excited to say that the 2021 ASTF Board of Directors and I would like to invite you to the 2021 Arkansas State Shoot June 22-27. We are excited about the 2021 shooting year, and our first meeting will already have taken place by the time you read this article.

Colossians 3:15 KJV—And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

See you on the line. Good shooting, and God bless everyone!

Robby Pennock

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

Greetings from the Land of Enchantment. What a crazy year this has been. We were finally able to host our 2020 New Mexico State Shoot. After rescheduling twice due to the COVID-19 virus, we finally have the 2020 state shoot scores in the books. We were down this year in total numbers about 12% from our New Mexico shooters and about 54% from our out-of-state shooters. The virus, along with all of our state virus recommendations, for sure scared off a lot of our out-of-state shooters, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time! We also had some great shooting from all the warriors who made the trip to the NRA Whittington Center and endured everything that was thrown at them. I want to personally thank each of you for coming and shooting New Mexico.

Now on to the highlights from the state shoot. Congratulations to the following champions. Jerrod Lies was fresh off of his 2020 Southwestern Zone singles title, where he posted a perfect 200 plus extras. Jerrod decided he would just keep the hammer down, and he did just that at the New Mexico State Shoot. Jerrod won the Singles Championship with 197 and the Handicap Championship with 98 plus extras. At 79 years young, Mr. Jim Powers, after back surgery and still having to shoot from a stool, made the long trip from Silver City to the state shoot to win the Doubles Championship with 98. This was Jim’s third doubles title over the past nine years. Yours truly shot just well enough to win the all-around and HOA with 384×400 and HOA with 945×1,000.

Kaden Westfall from Colorado shot the only perfect score of the day to win the out-of-state Singles Championship. Dalton (Wayne) Jennings from Texas did what he does best, and that is break targets. Wayne won three of the four championship events, starting with his perfect 100 in the Doubles Championship, a 99 in the Handicap Championship (missing one in his last box—ouch), and finishing it off with 396 in the HAA. Stacy Rehor from Colorado took home our last out-of-state title, the HOA with 958. Please take a look at all 2020 New Mexico State Shoot winners on the NMSTA’s website at nmtrap.com and in T&F. Congratulations to you all.

Three years ago the NMSTA started awarding a traveling trophy that would be given at each New Mexico State Shoot. This is awarded from a total score of 1,000 from the Singles Championship. The club director from each New Mexico club turns in a team of five shooters, with a maximum of two open shooters and three or more category shooters. Each club can turn in as many teams as possible. The high score wins. Over the past three years, we have had new clubs with new members win this trophy. The first was the Albuquerque TC, last year was the San Juan WF (Farmington), and this year the Southwestern Shotgunners (Silver City). Congratulations to the Silver City team.

The NMSTA was finally able to hold their annual state meeting at the state shoot in August. The following officers were elected: Joel Schram, president; Shawn Perkins, vice president; Penny Weber, secretary-treasurer; Cory Dalton, ATA Delegate; and Rex Crook, ATA Alternate Delegate. All contact info can be found on the ATA or NMSTA websites.

I’m happy to report that most all New Mexico clubs are back to shooting ATA shoots. For the most up-to-date schedule and shoot programs, please look at the NMSTA website at nmtrap.com.

I would like to highlight a few items in my reports each month, and I will try to do this each and every month going forward. This will be news from around New Mexico. I will do my best to stay on top of all that is going on within the state, but I know I will miss important events, achievements and photos from our outstanding ATA members. As we all enjoy New Mexico shooting, I am asking for your help in achieving this. If anyone happens to be at a shoot or activity and you see something that needs to be highlighted, please phone or e-mail me at my contact information listed below.

A couple of items have popped out at me as I write this article. On Aug. 8 Jamie Anderson broke his first 200 straight in singles while shooting at the Albuquerque TC. The year before, on July 23, Jamie broke his first 100 straight in doubles. Jamie has completed two-thirds of his ATA Grand Slam. Good luck, Jamie, on your ’caps!

I know that I have already written about the great shooting by Jerrod Lies winning the New Mexico state Singles and Handicap Championships and the Southwestern Zone Singles Championships, but most of you don’t know that Jerrod is also the shotgun director at the NRA Whittington Center. Jerrod has done an amazing job dealing with the mess of the COVID-19 virus. By the time you all read this, he will have two major accomplishments completed: hosting the 2020 New Mexico State Shoot and Southwestern Grand. I want to thank you and the NRA Whittington Center for moving us forward during these difficult year.

Last but not least, I want to thank the New Mexico shooters for trusting in me to be your ATA Delegate. You may contact me at 575-538-1016 or at [email protected].

As my squadmates always say before each events starts, “Keep your head on the stock, your eye on the rock, and shoot a little bit in front of each target.”

Cory Dalton

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is experiencing some of the best weather for shooting we have seen in some time. We average 13 days over 100º each year, and so far OKC has not recorded one day. Altus has seen a couple 100º days, but they are normally the hot spot in the state.

A record five squads shot Ada’s Aug. 25 shoot that was won by Johnny Wilson with 47.

Oklahoma shooters reaching milestones are Jim Waite, 25,000 handicap; Jon Guy, 75,000 handicap; and Tim Mount, 50,000 singles.

Iowa Park GC held their Aug. 30 shoot in near-perfect weather. Pat Stacey won the doubles with 98. Jeff Webb won the singles with 100 straight, and Troy Collier broke 97 to win the handicap. There were 11 of us from Oklahoma. Vickie Farmer ran the middle 50 in singles but was not able to run 50 in the handicap. Two shooters were able to break 50 in the handicap. Allison Allbright ran the middle 50, and Troy ran the last 50.

Oil Capital had high scores at their Big 50 shoot. Jeff Trayer and Jack Murphy ran 50 in the singles. Terry Piguet broke 49 to win the handicap. Jeff, David Bacon III and Justin Cavett all broke 47 in the doubles.

Labor Day weekend had perfect weather. OTSA held a Big 50 shoot on Saturday, where attendance was light due to the Don Mount Memorial at Shawnee. In the singles on Saturday, Robert Rimer’s 195 won champion. On Sunday’s singles, Woody Barnes and Nathan Lemke broke 98s, with Woody champion and Nathan winning AA. Woody also won champion in the handicap with 94. Melvin Pospisil won short-yardage with 90, Paul Hooper won mid-yardage with 91, and in long-yardage, Ron Bliss and Billy Pierce had 91s, with Ron winning. In the doubles, four tied with 92s. Woody, Ron, Justin Cavett and Jeff Trayer all had 92s, with Jeff winning the coin toss.

On Labor Day Ada held their first Hull Pickers Shoot, with 45 attending. There were four Hull Pickers buckles and many prizes to be won. Between the 50 singles and 50 handicap, names were drawn for door prizes. Randy Farmer put together the shoot and collected a lot of prizes. Almost every shooter won something. Randy and Clay Laughlin broke 50 in singles. Randy went on to break 48 in the handicap for the winning combined score of 98. Zane Arnold, Collin Rindel and new OTSA president Dennis Patrick all had 95s. Randy Farmer, Clay Laughlin, Collin Rindel and Creede Booth won the Hull Pickers buckles. There were several new shooters who participated. Randy, Vickie and Steve Blackburn did a great job of running the shoot. Lowell Leach stopped by and visited with everyone from his pickup. Lowell is going through some health problems and is due to have a heart valve replaced in the near future. We all wish him well.

Near-perfect weather greeted shooters at the Red Earth Handicap Sept. 12-13. On Saturday 30 shooters shot 500 doubles. Pat Stacey won champion with 489. There were four Texas shooters, two Kansas and one Arkansas. One of the Texas shooters was George Dieterich, who shot the 500 to complete his 75,000 doubles. George also told me this is his 50th year of shooting. He was OTA president in 1997 and inducted into the OTA Hall of Fame in 2012.

Sunday’s 200 singles produced two 198s, with Nathan Lemke champion and Pat Stacey AA winner. Young Cashlin Smith shot all 500 doubles then the 200 singles and 100 handicap, winning sub-junior in all events. Doubles are Cashlin’s favorite.

I am sad to report that John Harbaugh passed away unexpectedly on July 4. John built the Cimarron TC in Boise City last year. He was able to hold only one shoot at the club before his passing. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife Marylin and family.

There were a number of shoots scheduled for the Sept. 19-20 weekend. Oil Capital held their two-day Fall Handicap. Ada held their Big 50 shoot on Saturday. There was also two Roger Finkle Memorial fundraiser shoots, one on Saturday at OTSA and one on Sunday at the Anadarko GC. These were fun and game shoots, where the flyer said, “Bring your Finkle loads.” Approximately 25 shooters had a great time. Tom Batt came by the Anadarko shoot to visit, and he shot 25 targets. He says he is still weak from the treatments. Carol had a five-gallon bucket of Finkle’s shells that everyone used to shoot. Some had quite a bang! Carol, Ken and Larry all worked hard to put on a fun shoot.

Ada’s Saturday Big 50 had perfect weather and good attendance. Zane Arnold won the singles with 48. Dakota Sliger won the handicap with 45, earning a half-yard to move him to the 27-yard line for the first time. Dakota did very well at the Grand American, winning nine trophies, including B class HOA with 2,346×2,500. Zane also won the doubles with 43.

Oil Capital’s Saturday events were won by Jeff Trayer with 100 in singles, Jack Murphy’s 92 handicap and Justin Cavett’s 95 doubles. Sunday Woody Barnes’ 100 paced the singles, Jack Murphy won handicap with 92, and Jeff led the doubles with 95. Jeff headed the Saturday and Sunday HOA with 556 and the Sunday HOA with 283. Woody was runnerup in both.

In the September issue of Trap & Field, I noticed the only club report was Shawnee. Every club should send in a T&F report with their ATA report. In this article I list only the champions of each event. All classes, yardage winners and special categories should be in the same magazine under Gun Club Scores. Also Mikie is doing a great job of listing winners on the website.

We need all Oklahoma shooters’ e-mail addresses so they can be notified of special shoots, like the Roger Finkle shoots just held.

OTSA’s Big 50 on Saturday had 17 shooters. Bill Dean won the singles with 49. Larry Gregory’s 47 won the handicap, and Jeff Barker broke 47 to top the doubles. Hennessey held their second Big 50 shoot Sept. 27. Rose Shaffer took time off from pulling and scoring to win the singles with 48 and doubles with 42. Johnny Wilson won the handicap with 46. Rick Shaffer happened to have a birthday on the 27th also, so everyone wished him a happy birthday, and got to eat some of his cake. We had no more than finished the last event when an extreme north wind blew in, approximately 50 mph. Everyone was safe inside the beautiful, old, well-built schoolhouse.

Let’s all say a prayer for all those affected by the pandemic. Keep your loved ones close and be safe!

Tim Deister

ATA Delegate

Texas

Wow! I can’t believe that summer is gone. What a crazy year this has been. COVID-19 has disrupted and changed how and what we do. Please pray for all who have been affected by this pandemic. I hope things have changed by the time you read this.

I’ll be leaving tomorrow for the Zone III shoot in Iowa Park. The Iowa Park GC is a prime example of how a small club should be run. The volunteers there do a fantastic job. They work hard and run a very good shoot. Thanks to all the people at IPTC. I will get home Sunday evening and then have to be in Raton, NM, before noon on Monday. I will be handling classification for the relocated and rescheduled Southwestern Grand. I have not been to Whittington Center since they have added to their trapline. I look forward to attending the Southwestern Grand. Please remember that the Southwestern Grand will return to the National SC for next year. The dates are April 6-11. Please make plans to attend. The last shoot Princess and I will attend before winter will be the Zone II at the El Paso TC. This is another great club run by dedicated volunteers. It is a fun shoot to attend. And did I mention the food? I hope I don’t gain more than 10 pounds while we are there. Thanks y’all.

I bet you think we are going to talk about the Rulebook now. It ain’t so. That may come later. I have some more attaboys and attagirls to pass out. The first is to George Dieterich. George has now registered 75,000 doubles targets. Congratulations, George. Now I have an attagirl to tell you about. This one is for the lady who talks funny; well, maybe not funny, just different. I’ve been trying to teach her some Texan. Congratulations to Yaani-Mai Gaddy for winning Lady II out-of-state at four state shoots—Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. She may not be able to talk Texan yet, but she sure can shoot. Yahoo!

Hot off the press is the 2021 ATA All-American teams. These are in no particular order, other than this is how they were listed on the ATA website: Jennifer Rutger, Lady I first; Bridget Bearden, Lady I second; Yaani-Mai Gaddy, Lady II first; Donna Mathers, Lady II second; Patrick Hopson, junior gold first; Greg Surber, sub-vet second; Jeff Webb, veteran first; Charlie W. Long, senior vet first; Gary Sherrod and Marvin Allbright, senior vet second. That’s 10 Texas shooters on the ATA All-American team. Congratulations to each of you.

If anyone has read this far, we will now talk about the Rulebook. I know most of you won’t read the Rulebook (and not many of you will read this column), so I am going to give you the rule changes for the 2021 target year (the new target year started Sept. 1, 2020). Section IV-ATA Tournaments (page 17) K. Special Categories now reads “All Ladies, Sub-Juniors, Junior-Gold, Sub-Vets, Veterans, Senior Vets and Chair Shooters must declare their special category at the time of classification in any registered tournament if they wish to compete as a category shooter. Without such declaration, the contestant will not be allowed to compete for the applicable category trophy. No contestant will be allowed to declare or change a special declaration after firing their first shot. The underlined sentence is the old wording. This is the new wording: “If a classification error is discovered BEFORE the close of an event, the error shall be corrected for that event and all subsequent events. If the error is discovered AFTER an event is closed, all corrections shall be made for the subsequent events only. In either case, all previous events the shooter shot in will be in the “Open Category”. Either case may or may not affect the shooter’s eligibility for the HOA and HAA, depending on when the error was corrected”. The other rule change is in Section XIII-Standards for Trap houses, Targets, Target Setting, Guns and Ammunition (page 48) F. Rules for the use of radar guns and chronographs to set target. You can read this in the new Rulebook. Basically what it does is raise the maximum speed of a target one (that’s right one) mph or one (that’s right again, one) ft/sec when using a chronograph as close to the trap as practical and tipped up at approximately the same angle as the height of the target. If this doesn’t make any sense to you, then read it in the book. My opinion, not that you asked for it, is that the top speed has not been the problem.

I’ll keep writing an article this winter, but if some of you would send a little news, it would sure help. Just in case you have something, let Princess or me know. You can reach me by phone at 806-679-6889 or e-mail at [email protected].

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

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate