Around The ATA – May 2021
Around the ATA
Information for Around the ATA is provided to TRAP & FIELD by state and provincial ATA Delegates and/or their designated representatives.
Shooters and local officials: Please inform your ATA Delegate of news about shooters and clubs in your area.
Alberta
It’s March. The glacier that I can see from my office window is receding. The sun’s rays are feeling a bit warmer. I even shot a bit of trap last weekend. Spring “might” be here.
By the time you read this in the May edition of Trap & Field, registered shooting should be under way in Alberta. Nine clubs in the province will host a total of 20 shoots in the 2021 calendar year. Calgary leads off May 8-9 with its annual Holdsworth-Nattrass shoot, and it caps the season with its National Trapshooting Month offering Sept. 19. Calgary will also host the Alberta Trapshooting Championships July 21-25, and Edmonton will be the Alberta site for the ATA Western Zone July 15-18.
Due to uncertainties about the future of COVID restrictions on travel and gatherings, the Canadian Trapshooting Association has taken the decision that the 2021 Canadian Trapshooting Championships will be contested as a telephonic shoot June 25-27. Host clubs will not be known until after the deadline for submitting this article, so watch the CTA website for that information.
ATA is once again running a raffle to benefit the ATA Gun Club Fund. This year’s prize is a Kolar Combo, but it has been upgraded from the standard model to the Regal engraving pattern. She’s handsome. I have 20 tickets for sale at U.S. $20 each. If you are interested, track me down at one of our shoots.
Until next time, cheers.
Jim Thomson
ATA Delegate
Arizona
The state shoot: There used to be a popular country western song named “The Wayward Wind.” Yeah, I know I am dating myself, but that pretty well sums things up. Actually the weather was fine on the first and last day, but in between the wind messed with most shooters.
Here are some facts and figures: we had 342 shooters from 29 states and two provinces. Arizona had a nice turnout of 134, with Minnesota next, followed by New Mexico, Texas, California, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Usually we have a large contingent from Canada, but this year due to COVID-19, we had only four. Total numbers were off by 22% compared to 2019’s shoot the same time of year. I would say that is good, all things considered.
Everything went off with the usual Tucson efficiency. Many thanks to Doug Sims, Char, the women behind the counter, Jerrie and Barb at the trophy table, the crew on the shooting line, and the ASTA board. I had some newcomers to TTSC tell me it was the best place that they ever shot. A lot of hard work went into making it a success.
Our annual meeting was held Sunday morning. Roger Combs stepped down as a director of the central zone after a job well done, and Jessie Zamora was elected to take his place. Steve Bell will serve three more years as a northern zone director and will remain as our secretary-treasurer—nobody does more work—and Rich Lane was reelected in the southern zone. John Bergman will stay as ATA Delegate, and Tiger Volz will also remain Alternate.
It was announced that Prescott will be the Arizona site for the ATA Western Zone July 16-18. This is the first time since 2005 that Prescott has hosted the shoot, and it is hoped that if all goes well, it will become the permanent spot. For those who have not been there, temperatures usually run 15° cooler than Phoenix or Tucson.
Floor questions mainly concerned the readiness of Ben Avery for the 2022 state shoot. It was decided that Steve Bell will draft a letter to Ben Avery management citing specific concerns, and he asked that anyone with ideas and/or comments please contact him. The letter will be posted on aztraps.com. After sending, we will request a formal meeting, and our contingent will consist of John Bergman, Steve Bell and Cherel McCracken. Tim Robb suggested a return to daily ASTA fees of $3 and stressed the importance of maintaining a strong financial position. Jim Sharp recommended moving the state shoot date to fall between the Nevada State Shoot and the Autumn Grand. Doug Sims then mentioned if that were the case, when Tucson hosts the shoot, it would then take the place of the preliminary days. Both matters will be discussed at the next board meeting.
Due to COVID restrictions, members of the state team were not personally introduced; however, all names were announced. Canyon Ferris is captain of the men’s team; Kaitlin Quan, women’s; Brett Hardesty, sub-junior; David Polkabla, junior; Tim Robb, veteran; and Gerry Williams, senior veteran. Curtis Bietz was introduced as our Rookie of the Year.
Who won what? Tuesday was a preliminary day, and the Memorial Singles got things rolling; Arizona shooters came through in a dramatic fashion. Karen Bergman’s 99 tied for high gun while winning Lady II, and Max Peevyhouse and Mark Matthews finished dead even at 98, topping the sub-vets. Sharp also tied in senior veteran. Roger Coveleskie was a co-winner in B, and Steve Bell won C outright. In Event 2 the Ben Avery Handicap, Tom Schmidt was tops in the 19-21 group, while Chris Cusumano and Randy Stiarwalt, shooting in the 22-24 group, tied at 89. The Ben Avery Doubles ended things for the day, and we had one winner: Mark Matthews in Class A.
The 2021 state shoot started Wednesday, March 24, and while I cannot give a complete rundown of all Arizona winners (it would be the length of a 10-person family laundry list), here are some highlights. In the opening Saguaro Singles, Britt Dalton’s 100 straight took the AA crown. Joe Henderson was not too far behind at 99, topping all senior vets. Sharp won Class A, Bob Dobbs B, Mark Yarbro C, and Loyal Johnson D. Allisen Reese was high in Lady I, Mark Matthews won a carryover with Richard Goerlich in sub-vet, and Tim Robb beat all other veterans. The wind then picked up for the Agave Handicap, but that did not stop Don Williamson and Tim Robb. With both shooting at 27 yards, Don took that yardage group and Tim finished as high veteran. Tom Schmidt bested all in senior vet, Eric Binger was high in 19-21, and Nathanial Pizinger won junior. Last was the Jumping Cholla Doubles, and Dalton was in his usual spot, on top of things. His 99 was high in AA. Will Medlicott took B on a carryover. Helen Kisthardt won Lady II, and Lloyd Koty earned Class C.
The class doubles was first on Thursday’s agenda, and Dalton’s fine 99 took the AA crown, Williamson was high in A, Steve Smoot won C, Darvin Thomas topped veterans, and Allisen Reese was high Lady I. The wind dropped a little for the Golden Barrel Singles, and the scores went up. Guess who shot the only 100? If you said Britt Dalton, you are correct. In at 99 and on top of Class A was Chris Cusumano, while Mark Matthews also had a 99 to win sub-vet. Karen Bergman, Greg Holden and Gerry Williams shot 98s and won Lady II, veteran and senior vet, respectively. The wind reversed itself and scores went down for the Ocotillo Handicap. David Landwerlen was high at 25-26 yards, Vaughn Hollman won sub-vet, Vince Bianco took veteran, and John Owenby bested a tough senior vet group.
Friday started with the Prickly Pear Doubles, and some new names popped up. Greg Cobbs was the Class AA champ, Wayne Thompson took B, Jim Kidwell C, and Douglas Moore D. Cherel McCracken made her first appearance in the winner’s circle as an Arizona resident in Lady II, and Brent Epperson was high in veteran. Robert Will Pike finished on top of junior gold. Event 11, the Class Singles Championship, had some fresh faces and some oldies but goodies on top. The real Jay Alderman showed up, winning Class AA. Randy Kalal and Steve Stella tied in A, with Steve triumphing in a carryover. Russel Mecham was high in B, as was Larry Kennon in C. Karen Bergman topped Cherel McCracken in another carryover for Lady II, and Holden’s 100 gave him the veteran title. Speaking of perfect scores, both Sharp and Williams shot 100s in senior vet, with Jim prevailing via a carryover, and Isabella Ricci topped all other juniors. The day ended with the Preliminary Handicap. Gerald Meyer took the 19-21 trophy, while Ken Mlynarz was high gun at 25-26 yards. Vickie Craine won Lady II, and Dick Goerlich triumphed in sub-vet. Randy Wegerski was the vet champ, and Ron Schroer finished on top in senior vet.
Saturday was the Singles Championship, and it was one to remember. Dalton shot 200 straight, but he was not alone. Junior gold shooter Robert Will Pike did the same, and I was told that he had never been in a shootoff before. Britt won the shootoff, and Robert Will became the state junior gold champ. Alderman was singles runnerup. Bruce Hobbs won AA, and Ken Mlynarz now holds the A class crown. Our ASTA president Mark Williams is the new Class B champion, Larry Kennon took Class C, and Steve Comus won D. Jillian Skaggs beat Kaitlin Quan in a shootoff for the Lady I title, and McCracken topped Craine in Lady II. Matthews won sub-vet with 199, and Holden triumphed in a strong veteran field. Over in senior vet, it was a death match between Joe Henderson and Williams. Both came in with 199s, and Joe prevailed in the shootoff. The Pizinger brothers, Wyatt and Nathanial, are our new sub-junior and junior champions.
Sunday was the best day yet. The sun was shining, the temperature was up, and Dalton triumphed in the Arizona Doubles Championship. Kyle Dennis was the runnerup. Cobbs won AA and Alderman took A. Casey Crawford is the B champ, while Darrell Goen won C, as did Art Hammer in D. Quan is the queen of Lady I, and Karen Bergman reigns in Lady II. Bietz is the state sub-vet champion, Jim Copsey topped all veterans, and Ron Schroer won senior vet. Three Prescott shooters—Wyatt Pizinger, Nathanial Pizinger and Isaac Smith—are the sub-junior, junior and junior gold champions.
The Handicap Championship wrapped things up, and we finished where we started. Dalton concluded a remarkable shoot by defeating Williams in a dramatic three-round shootoff for the title. Both had shot 96. Gerry became the senior vet champion. Scott Skaggs is the handicap runnerup. Quan won Lady I, and Kisthardt is the Lady II winner. Bietz took sub-vet, and Copsey is the veteran champion. The Prescott boys were at it once more: Wyatt Pizinger won sub-junior, Nathanial P. was tops in junior, and Smith took the junior gold crown.
Dalton won the all-around; Scott Skaggs beat Alderman by one in a two-round shootoff for Class AA; Cobbs, A; Steve Haynes, B; Yarbro, C; Comus, D; Quan, Lady I; Karen Bergman, Lady II; Wyatt Pizinger, sub-junior; Nathanial Pizinger, junior; Isaac Smith, junior gold; Bietz, sub-vet; Copsey, veteran; and Gerry Williams, senior vet.
The high-over-all winners are Dalton, champion by a landslide; Don Williamson, AA; Jim Copsey, A; Steve Haynes, B; Yarbro, C; Ted TenBroeck, D; Allisen Reese, Lady I; Karen Bergman, Lady II; Wyatt Pizinger, sub-junior; Nathanial Pizinger, junior; Mark Matthews, sub-vet; Tim Robb, veteran; and Gerry Williams, senior vet.
It was a well-run shoot with some dramatic moments, shot at times in some dicey weather, and under the cloud of COVID-19.
Around the state: Please put the Western Zone in Prescott, July 16-18, on your list. We would like to make this a success and hope that it becomes a permanent site for the Zone shoot.
Shooting does not end in Arizona in June and July, but it does slow down a little. Flagstaff has a two-day event June 12-13, Rio Salado has a doubles marathon June 17, Tucson’s monthly shoot is June 19, Pleasant Valley goes June 25-27, and Rio Salado has a singles marathon July 1 and a doubles marathon July 15.
See you on the line!
John Bergman
ATA Delegate
California
On March 5 the Kingsburg Trap Club (youth shooting organization) hosted their annual fund-raising shoot-out at the Kingsburg GC. Thanks to some extremely hard work on the part of the event chairman and all the other very dedicated volunteer staff, there were a total of 32 squads that participated in the Friday event. Each participant received a reception bag full of goodies, continental breakfast and a hot lunch, consisting of half a chicken, potato salad, green beans and dinner roll. Everyone shot 75 singles targets, and trophies were presented to the top male and female shooters. The top three teams received individual awards for each of their five shooters. Everyone appeared to have a great time, and several people indicated that they were already looking forward to attending next year’s event.
On Saturday, March 6, the Kingsburg GC hosted an SCTP/ATA shoot. Youth shooters from around the state showed up in pretty good numbers to participate in the day’s events. Kingsburg provided trophies for the ATA portion of the shoot, and SCTP awards were presented to first through third place in the various categories. The SCTP category winners were as follows:
Singles—Rookie: first, Tyson Marquis; second, Ella Renney, third, Lucy Neufeld. Intermediate Entry Level: first, Clark Zvonar; second, Annie Neufeld; third, Chase Coddington. Intermediate Advanced: first, Hank Neufeld; second, Aiden Wiest; third, Madison Marquis. Junior Varsity: first, Dakota Zaugg; second, Cory Walker; third, Ketra Brower. Varsity: first, Tanner Ellison; second, Clyde Condit; third, Wyatt Esch. Ladies’: first, Lucy Fuhrman; second, Randi Griffin. Collegiate: first, Jaden Koretoff; second, Kaley Roos.
Handicap: Rookie: first, Tyson. Second, Ella. Intermediate Entry Level: first, Annie; second, Clark; third, Maxx Workman. Intermediate Advanced: first, Leland Panbrun; second, Madison; third, Hank. Junior Varsity: first, Dakota; second, Kyle Warmuth; third, Katherine Reid. Varsity: first, Mason Andelin; second, Clayton Pennebaker; third, Tanner. Ladies’: first, Lucy F.; second, Abby Thomas. Collegiate: first, Jaden; second, Cole Czeshinski.
Doubles: Rookie: first, Tyson. Intermediate Entry Level: first, Clark; second, Ty Harrison; third, Kaleb Stewart. Intermediate Advanced: first, Hank; second, Abby; third, Zack Knorr. Junior Varsity: first, Kyle; second, Dakota; third, Cory. Varsity: first, Wyatt Quick; second, Mason Reynolds; third, Tyler Cassera. Ladies’: first, Abby; second, Lucy F. Collegiate: first, Jaden; second, Kaley.
During a recent trip to Redlands SP, I spoke with some of the staff regarding their youth shooting club, the Redlands Clay Busters. They currently have five coaches working with more than 45 kids, which is an increase from approximately 20 last year, shooting all three trap disciplines, as well as bunker and sporting clays. Their focus is more on developing the kids’ skills and confidence rather than participating in registered tournaments. It’s great to see another youth organization that is successfully introducing kids to the shooting sports. Please give them whatever support and encouragement you can.
The Golden West Grand is scheduled to be hosted by Livermore GC this year May 5-9. The CGSTA zone shoots are also right around the corner, with Santa Maria hosting the central zone May 22-23. The northern and southern zone shoots are slated for June 5-6 at Stockton and L.A. Clays, respectively. Kingsburg GC will be holding the AIM/SCTP State Shoot June 19-20, their annual pre-state shoot June 20-21, and the CGSTA State Shoot June 22-27. Kingsburg is also California’s site for the ATA Western Zone Shoot July 16-18.
I recently visited the San Luis Obispo SA facility on Gilardi Road, which is just off Highway 1 between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. They have expressed interest in throwing ATA targets, and hopefully they will complete the process for obtaining an ATA club number. They have two trapfields, and having another possible location to shoot registered targets in California certainly can’t hurt.
Stay healthy and shoot well!
Steve Cloyd
ATA Delegate
Nevada
Both COVID-19 and winter are still with us, as is the infamous ammo shortage, but none of those things seem to be stopping registered shoots from happening. It’s gratifying to see people turning out for existing shoots and to hear that others are planning new events.
The Spring Grand was a success, with 745 shooters participating in various events and eight Nevada shooters in the mix. Ammo fears were allayed due to 30-some odd pallets of all brands and loads in the warehouse. In order to ensure there was enough for everyone, sales of ammo were limited to just what shooters needed for the events. It seemed to work fine. I am seeing limited ammo sales being implemented at more shoots across the country as we get deeper into this ammo drought. Eli Walker started right off in Preliminary Week with a 99 in Event 1 singles. He finished fifth after a four-round carryover. In the Event 6 handicap, Eli posted a 96 and was the sub-vet winner, prevailing in a two-round shootoff. He was perfect in the Event 7 singles and went three extra innings to again win the sub-vet category. He also finished in the top 10 in the prelim high-over-all with 1,241. He continued his fine shooting during a cold and windy championship week with a 100 in the Event 19 singles, finishing third after a three-round tie-breaker. He then smoked a 98 in the Event 20 twins and went one extra round, finishing fifth. Great shooting, Eli! Also noteworthy was Rich Bullard’s 199 in Event 19, going an extra four rounds and finishing fifth. A very good performance under challenging conditions.
On a final Spring Grand note, our Barstow neighbors, always supportive of our Nevada shoots, turned in some good performances in Tucson. Relative newcomer Ed Duitsman shot a 95 and went one extra round to win B in the Doubles Championship. In Event 19, he shot his first 100 and went four extra rounds to end up as sub-vet runnerup in the class singles championship. Not to be outdone, junior Jacob Ridge shot a 197 and very calmly prevailed in a one-round shootoff to win Class AA honors in the Singles Championship. The Schooler brothers showed up and also posted some great scores. In the ’caps championship, Justin shot a 96 and went two extra rounds to finish seventh. Brother James was the 27-yard winner in the Event 16 ’caps after shooting a perfect 100 in the morning’s singles to take runnerup in AAA. Justin Anderson broke 97 in the Event 22 handicap plus went an extra round to finish sixth. Great shooting by all!
The Western Zone Big 50 program continues its growth and success. They passed the milestone of 100 shooters at five clubs in February, with option money exceeding $1,500. Impressive for a 150-bird shoot in the dead of winter. They expect to add a club or two for the next shoot. If your club is interested in participating, it is easy. Just contact Greg Pink at [email protected], and he’ll be happy to help you get started. The NSTA and the Delegate are also offering first-time Nevada clubs some added money to help kick off Big 50s at clubs that have not previously participated.
Speaking of clubs, many of you will remember the old Oasis Gun Club in Mesquite. It is now known as the Smokin Gun GC. The new owner, Jason Shaw, has indicated he wants to start throwing ATA targets again. If you have never been there, you’re in for a treat. On a warm, sunny day, Jason throws some beautiful targets. I predict some great scores will be posted there. They also have sporting clays, skeet and Helice/ZZ Bird. Although geographically in Arizona, having a great venue for southern Utah/southern Nevada and Arizona strip shooters to shoot registered targets will likely prove to be a great benefit, as travel times are typically under an hour to get there. Stay tuned in the next few months for further developments.
Shooters should make plans to attend the Spring Handicap at the Clark Co. SC May 22-23. It will be a great, fun shoot, so please come and join us.
Next month I’ll give an update on what happened at the April 3-4 Winnemucca Master’s 500 Handicap, with its $2,500 in added money as well as the new NSTA-sponsored Doubles Marathon that was held April 10 at the CCSC. Attendees could shoot anywhere from 100 to 500 dubs with more than $1,000 in added money and a Perfect 50 Dubs Perpetual Fund option that at last count was near $500. For current info on Nevada shoots, refer to the NSTA website at www.nvtrap.com. There’s a lot going on this year in Nevada!
Until next time, happy spring!
Russell Roberts
ATA Delegate
Utah
At long last, trapshooting in Utah is starting to get under way for the season. Wouldn’t you know it, the first day of spring felt more like the first day of winter! We had a blizzard here in Salt Lake City. Springtime in Utah never really happens, except on the calendar. The weather pretty much turns from winter to summer about June 1. I always say that as soon as Memorial Day weekend is over, the weather in Utah gets nice.
Junior gold All-American Zach Foster contacted me recently wanting to resurrect the AIM youth program in Utah. For those of you unfamiliar with the program, it is an acronym for Academics, Integrity and Marksmanship. It is a great program to get young people involved in ATA trapshooting. There is not a minimum age for an AIM shooter, but the maximum is 22, the cutoff for the junior gold category.
For those of you who do not know Zach, he is a very nice young man and a very accomplished shooter. Zach is in his second year at Utah State University, where he is studying to be a mechanical engineer. Zach told me that besides shooting, he has a variety of other hobbies. He enjoys bowling, woodworking and high-powered rocketry.
He first started trapshooting when he was 12. His grandpa would take him to Spanish Fork GC every Wednesday to shoot a few rounds of trap. In 2014 he joined the ATA and has been competing ever since.
He has had a lot of success in the last few years, and some of his greatest accomplishments are as follows: 2018 and 2019 Utah State Trap Association junior team, 2018 Utah State Trap Association junior singles champion, 2019 ATA Western Zone junior singles champion, 2020 ATA Western Zone junior gold doubles and handicap champion, 2020 Utah State Trap Association men’s first team, 2021 All-American junior gold second team.
He added, “I love trapshooting, and I have met many of my closest friends on the range, as well as some of the greatest teachers I have ever met in my life.”
Zach ended our chat by saying, “I volunteered to be the Utah AIM coordinator because I want to help the next generation of shooters like so many others helped me get to where I am today. I believe that the AIM program is an excellent way for young shooters to get acquainted with the sport. It also provides a good platform for young shooters to get started in ATA competitions. I feel very privileged to hold this position, and I am looking forward to helping the Utah AIM program grow over the next few years.”
All I can say to Zach is, “Kudos to you, and thanks very much.”
Any young shooters looking to shoot AIM or find out more about the program, let me know, and I can put you in touch with Zach.
Ed Wehking
ATA Western Zone Vice President
Washington
The trapshooting season is off and running in Washington. The Camas Prairie Handicap and the Northwest Grand are in the books when you get this. The Marlin and Coulee City clubs will have hosted their shoots, and we will be gearing up for the Inland Empire Handicap. Colton, Othello and Odessa will host events following the Inland, then before we know it, we will be packing up to trek to Walla Walla once again for the WSTA championships.
The Camas Prairie Handicap was a success in March at the Walla Walla GC, where over 192,000 targets were shot at in three days. Cold winds made things tricky, but the enthusiasm of the contestants wasn’t hampered as we were all just happy to be back on the line enjoying our wonderful sport. A big thank you goes out to members of all the Camas Prairie clubs who volunteer countless hours to put this all together and the Walla Walla GC for being a gracious host. The grounds and machinery were in good shape, and things ran smoothly. This is all a positive sign in regards to the 2021 Washington State Shoot, so we hope you will come from all over the state and beyond to partake at this venue. Walla Walla is nestled in a scenic valley at the base of the Blue Mountains, and there are a lot of things to see in the area. Travelers may want to take a detour to see such natural wonders as Palouse Falls or visit one of the wineries in the area. There is plenty of shopping. Nearby towns, such as Waitsburg and Dayton, take one back with visions of the past and small-town America. You won’t be disappointed if you make the trip.
The Inland Empire Handicap will be a two-day version this year, with limited use of the grounds at the Spokane GC’s current site. The hospitality and target presentation will still be the same, and we hope you will come to this or another Spokane GC function to bid farewell to a beloved place in the hearts of so many shooters. I could use up pages just telling about my own experiences there, as I’m sure many of you could do as well. Let’s send it off in grand fashion and be ready to welcome a new facility in which to make more memories.
Watch your mailbox for the Washington State Shoot program and look for it online as well. We have some good sponsors, as always, and with the clubs around the state throwing registered targets throughout the year, it all makes for a good state shoot. It doesn’t happen without you, the trapshooter, supporting these clubs that in turn submit the event fees that help fund our cause.
I should also mention the Evergreen SC and their return to hosting an ATA-registered event at the end of May. COVID restrictions stopped their debut last year, so we are all excited at the possibilities of the shoot there this year. The shooting experience at Evergreen has always had good reviews, so this could be a club I visit for the first time, which I try to do at least once a year. If we all tried shooting one club new to us each year, our sport is sure to keep thriving and growing.
Check shootwsta.com for a schedule of all events happening in Washington, and please share photos and descriptions of your trapshooting endeavors on the Washington State Trapshooting Association Facebook page. Don’t forget that if you make it to some shoots, you might just find a photo of yourself and some of your buddies in an upcoming issue of Trap & Field!
Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.
Sean Lewis
ATA Alternate Delegate
Illinois
As I write this, grass is starting to turn green and trees are starting to bud out. You can feel that spring is about here, and I can’t wait to get out to shoot. We have a full slate scheduled here in Illinois, and I want to encourage everyone to get out and shoot and support our clubs that really need your help.
Illinois has a couple of shooters who are reaching milestones. The neat thing about this is they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first one is Ron Piro, a longtime shooter out of the Peoria GC. Ron won the state Handicap Championship several years ago and has now shot 100,000 doubles targets. Way to go, Ron! Keep showing us what dedication is all about. The other is Garrett Helms, a great junior gold shooter here in Illinois. Garrett shoots all over, and where he shoots, he wins. He is currently tearing up his category at the Southern Grand in Florida. He has already shot 25,000 handicap targets. Great shooting, Garrett!
Sadly I have to report that longtime southern Illinois shooter Tom Winn has passed away. Tom was a fixture here in Illinois for many years. He and his brother Richard ran the Rend Lake club for many years and had shooters from all over coming there. We’ll miss Tom here in Illinois, and my condolences go out to his family and friends.
I don’t have a lot to report on right now because we still aren’t shooting in Illinois. Next month I should be able to tell you about great results from our shooters. Shoot well and stay safe.
Bill Duncan
ATA Delegate
Indiana
Greetings, Indiana shooters! Hopefully everyone has had a chance to get out and shoot some trap targets this spring. Things always start picking up in May, with lots of shoots going on. Be sure to check out the ITA website, www.indianatrap.com, for the shoot calendar listing when all our local clubs are hosting shoots.
Please make plans to attend our upcoming Indiana zone shoots in May. The Indiana southern zone will be held May 15-16 at Vincennes GC. The Indiana northern zone will be at St. Joe Valley CC, with preliminary targets available on Friday, May 14 and the championship targets May 15-16. Then the Indiana central zone will be at Fall Creek CC the weekend of May 29-30 with a preliminary program on the Friday before, May 28.
Make sure your calendars are marked for the 2021 Indiana State Shoot to be held at our Indiana GC homegrounds July 6-11.
Evansville GC will again be a host site for the ATA Central Zone Shoot July 30-Aug. 1. This is always one of my favorite shoots of the year, and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
For the Indiana State Shoot, Dan and Desira Fesler are now in charge of camping. If you are in need of a spot or have any questions about camping or vending at the shoot, send Desira an e-mail at [email protected]. If you want to reserve a golf cart rental, Dave Wade is taking care of that now; send him an e-mail at [email protected].
Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything or would like to have anything included in this article for Indiana. My e-mail is [email protected].
Jason Barnett
ATA Delegate
Iowa
With the warmer weather and sunshine, everyone is glad to be back into the trapshooting year. Our clubs here in Iowa are in full swing and having great attendance numbers at all shoots statewide. Make plans to attend the shoots in your area and volunteer to help at your local club.
Final preparations are well under way for our Iowa State Trapshooting Championships July 20-25 at our homegrounds in Cedar Falls. We look forward to having you join us for six days of great competition. Again this year the Iowa AIM Championships will be held in conjunction with our state shoot July 23-25. We are looking forward to a great turnout of our youth for this event.
If you have any questions or news you would like to see in this article, please contact me at [email protected] or 641-990-2314. Until next month, stay safe, and I’ll see you on the trapline.
Steve Glasgow
ATA Delegate
Michigan
As I write this, it’s March and registered trapshooting is under way again in Michigan. There was a good crowd at Dundee for their March 13 season opener. It was good to see so many shooters made it through the troubling times of last winter. One of the local high school teams has received a pallet of shells and has begun their shooting season. I know that other teams are still waiting to receive their shells. The High School League rules require new shells.
In May here in Michigan, we find the last two days of the Spring Team Shoot, May 1-2, and the Great Lakes Grand May 25-30. As I looked over the statewide schedule, May 15-16 caught my eye. There are two-day shoots at Nye’s and Howard Township and one-day shoots at East Rockwood, Bluewater, Seaway and Munith. If you are in the Lower Peninsula, one of these shoots is reasonably close to you. Time to get out and get some targets in before the Great Lakes Grand.
Given the state of our U.S. Postal System, it’s worth mentioning the state zone shoots are June 4-6, except for Zone 4, which is June 12-13. Check your Schedule of Invitational Events booklet for details.
It is always great to see a longtime shooter hit an ATA milestone. Franklin D. Hayes should have registered his 50,000th singles target by the time you read this.
Keep your head on the stock, and I’ll see you on the line.
- B. Lewis
ATA Delegate
Minnesota
Greetings from the North Star State. A year ago we were talking (and I was writing about) canceled and postponed shoots. Thankfully that is not the case this year. We are slowly making progress in our recovery from the ongoing pandemic, and as more and more Americans and our neighbors to the north in Canada are being vaccinated, the hope of returning to some sense of normalcy grows each day. The MTA met on March 27 and continued plans for our upcoming state shoot (July 6-11). Our neighboring states are doing likewise.
In Minnesota winter sports are drawing to a close after a delayed start, and our high school shooters are hoping to get their season started on time. Weather for most of the state has been unseasonably mild, and the snow left us early, so shooters are getting excited to get out and break some targets.
Minnesota snow birds continued to do well in both Florida and Arizona. Scott Messenger shot very well at the Bill Jacobsen Memorial at the Silver Dollar, breaking the lone 200 in the singles and winning other awards as well. George Pappas continued to shoot well this winter, winning the all-around over the sub-vets. Both shooters continued their winning ways at the Florida State Shoot, with Pappas winning three sub-vet trophies and Messenger two senior vet awards. Weather was much better during the state shoot than it had been for the Southern Grand.
Back in Arizona, a number of Gopher State shooters won awards during the state shoot held in Tucson. Among the winners were Richard (Weasel) McCoy, Steve Schmidt, Bill Van Nieuwenhuyzen, Darylle Olson, Scott Steffen and Glenn McCloud. Miranda and Anthony Klassen each won numerous awards in sub-junior and junior ranks, respectively. Miranda put a serious butt-whoopin’ on her older brother in the high-over-all. It probably made for some good-natured ribbing on the ride back home to Benson. Weather in Tucson was unusually windy most every day, which made for some tough conditions throughout the shoot.
Hopefully by the time you read this, the weather has taken a serious turn for the better, and our local leagues and high school events are in full swing.
As always, you can contact me at 507-456-2000 or at [email protected].
Paul T. Cyr
for ATA Delegate Randy Jones
Ohio
The Ohio State Trapshooting Board of Directors has finalized the program for the state shoot. You should be receiving it by the time you are reading this or shortly after. Please take a few minutes and read through it, as there are some changes.
Hopefully by now everyone who wants a COVID vaccine has gotten one, and we can have a safe and fun shooting season. Congratulations to everyone who traveled to the various Satellite Grands and brought home trophies.
Mike Blair
ATA Delegate
Wisconsin
Ring, ring the phone is going off. Pull, dead pair shooting at doubles. A bit later my phone goes off. It was Dennis Minks telling me that his phone was ringing on the shooting line as he shot at the pair. I laughed and said, “What was your phone doing on while shooting?” Dennis also got a good laugh out of it—I think because he hit both targets.
I am sure some of you can relate to that moment. Having a phone on the line is okay as long as you are listening to music through your ear buds. Just remember to turn it on silent mode. Thanks for the laugh, Dennis.
Shooting in Florida and Arizona for the Wisconsin residents was a nice break from the cold. Some days it was nice and warm, and other days it was very windy and cool, but pulling the trigger was a good thing.
Congratulations to these shooters at the following events at the Silver Dollar SC, Odessa, FL:
Beretta USA Shoot: Tia Moriarty, ladies’ handicap; and now for the famous ex-Wisconsin resident, Paul Becker, two Class B doubles awards.
White Flyer Shoot: only one winner for this event, nice shooting: Moriarty, ladies’ handicap.
Bill Jacobsen Memorial: These three shooters made Wisconsin proud: Ed Gehrig, handicap, third senior vet; Dennis Minks, handicap, sixth senior vet; and Thomas Felts, doubles, C.
Fourth annual Silver Dollar Open: Great shooting, John Duwe with a senior vet win.
Southern Grand: Sandra Jo Jack, singles, 100, handicap, and runnerup trophies; Duwe, senior vet singles; Steve Ebsen, 100, singles, sub-vet doubles, sub-vet runnerup handicap; James Gurkowski, senior vet Singles Championship win.
Florida State Shoot: Becker, sub-vet singles and Doubles Championship B; Demaine Milbach, B doubles; Ron Rousseau D Doubles Championship and all-around.
Now for the Arizona State Shoot. I do believe the weather was much warmer and not so windy as in Florida. Congratulations to these fine Wisconsin shooters: John Halambeck, B, singles; Jay Nigbor, handicap and doubles B win; Paul Koch, two wins in veteran handicap; Don Labarge, doubles, all-around and HOA vet; Don Van De Bogert, doubles, B; and Cheryl Demulling, ladies’ Singles Championship.
I sure hope your journey of trapshooting takes you to a new town and new shooting facility. Remember to volunteer if you can in any way that is possible.
If you have any information you would like for me to report, please e-mail me at [email protected]. It takes me time to write and collect all of the information from each shoot, and if I have missed someone, let me know.
Keep smiling and keep having fun at shoots.
Sandra Jo Jack
for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring
Atlantic Provinces
Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.
It’s mid March as I’m writing this month’s article, and spring is slowly arriving to parts of the Atlantic Provinces. Shooters at the Highland GC in Yarmouth, NS, took advantage of nice weather and had their first shoot of the season March 17. Meanwhile, the wintery weather in Newfoundland continues, and our trapfields are still buried in snow. As the shooters take the line for a round of trap in Nova Scotia, I am getting ready for an ice-fishing trip.
Preparations continue for the 2021 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot scheduled for Sept. 2-5. The format will be largely dependent on the COVID-19 situation. COVID-19 vaccination schedules in the Atlantic Provinces are looking favorable, with health authorities projecting that all residents who want to be vaccinated will at least have their first shot by mid to late summer. If the COVID-19 situation in the Atlantic Provinces continues to improve in the coming months and a shoot is possible, the Highland GC in Yarmouth, NS, will host this year’s Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot. Otherwise, our contingency plan is a satellite shoot format. A decision on format will be made around June 1, so check www.shootatlantic.com for the latest shoot information and a shoot program.
Planning for the 2021 Canadian Trapshooting Championships also continues. This year’s shoot will be a satellite shoot format, and host clubs from coast to coast have been confirmed. The reduced schedule, three-day, 700-target tournament will be held June 25-27. Check www.shootcanada.ca for a complete list of host clubs, updated information and a shoot program.
For more information on the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or visit shootatlantic.com.
Andrea Bassan
ATA Delegate
New Jersey
Well, it’s March 25, and it’ll be in the 60s here in the Garden State. I’ve been told by my friends that it’s time for them to get the snowblower ready for its summer sleep. The lawnmower is starting to get antsy, looking forward to its trips up and down your landscape.
Registered shooting has picked up here in New Jersey with two-day shoots at Ground Swiper’s and Pine Valley.
Ground Swiper’s held their Shamrock Memorial March 13-14 to honor those members who are no longer physically with us. Rick Batesko, club president, reported that 30 shooters turned out, the weather was sunny and in the mid 40s with a little breeze to keep the shooters on their toes. Breakfast and lunch were donated by the club; Tim Pepitone and wife Annmarie manned the kitchen all day, clearing breakfast and putting out the lunch. Lunches were hot or cold variety, salad, antipasto and desserts on Saturday, and hot dogs on Sunday.
There was a big presence of club members helping run the shoot, either loading the traphouses, scoring, working in the kitchen, running scoresheets, or loading info into the computer. On Saturday the Tom Clayton Singles was held. Carlos Gomes led Class A with 193, Mark Cooper topped B with 191, Fred Septak paced C with 181, and Fred McDonald led D with 177. On Sunday in the Jack Hildebrant Handicap, Anthony Donise led with a 92, second was Rich Pappas, third was Rick Batesko and fourth was Tony Pietrofitta. In the Ron Zsoldos Doubles, Tony defeated Rick for Class A, Septak took B, Bob Cucunato won C, and Tripp McCombie defeated Zac Cucunato in D. Being the good sport that Tripp is, he gave the leather trophy to Zac, who was thrilled.
One of the shooters commented to Rick, “I said it several times the past couple of days, and I’ll say it again. Your team is doing a great job. The club is doing everything right. I really enjoyed myself this weekend, and I will be back. I’ll do my best to bring a few more shooters with me.” I feel club member volunteers, who want to be there, make the shooting experience for others most enjoyable. In most cases, I don’t think a paid employee would show that effort or concern for improving the shooters’ experience, and it seems to show here at Ground Swiper’s.
Pine Valley held their Early Bird Shoot March 20-21. Gomes was the champ in the 200-bird singles race with 197. Class A winner was Dan Biggs; B, Mark Cooper; C, George Stevenson; D, Gilbert Pleczynski; senior vet, Harlon Gustafson; veteran, Garry Welch; ladies’, Joann Murray; and junior, Iver Gustafson II. On Sunday the doubles was won by Marc Invidiato with 95, second was Robert Cucunato, third was Garry Welch, fourth was Iver Gustafson, and fifth was James Caldwell. The second event on Sunday was 100 singles. Class winners were Gomes, A; Harlan Gustafson, B; Mario Dimascia, C; and Jason French, D. The handicap was won by Anthony Donise III, senior vet was Frederick Dyer, high vet was Ed Shea, lady was Caitline Bonser, and junior was Iver Gustafson. The 19-21 winner was James Bowes V; 22-23, Scott Kalnas; 24-25, Ron Ostrowski Jr.; 26-27, Steve Ottrando.
The Southern Grand was held at the Silver Dollar SC in Odessa, FL, March 15-21. Nine Garden Staters attended, and only Robert Jarvis was able to win a trophy. Congratulations. The Florida State Shoot is being conducted as I write this article, and hopefully I’ll be reporting more New Jersey shooters winning trophies there in next month’s article.
Zac Cucunato was presented a certificate as the 2021 trapshooting sub-junior captain of the AIM All-State team for his high standing in academics, integrity and marksmanship throughout last year. Nice going, Zac.
Remember, the New Jersey State Shoot will be held at Pine Belt SC June 3-6. We will be holding our 2021 Hall of Fame induction for Marc Invidiato and posthumously for Abram Suydam Sr. at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Refreshments will be served. The NJSTA is still looking for a state association secretary and a second vice president. Elections will be held at our state shoot on Sunday morning for Delegate and Alternate Delegate, and nominations from the floor can be made for the two vacancies as well.
On a sad note, Michael (Murph) Murphy of Lindenwold passed away March 1; he was 78 years old. Murph retired after more than 25 years as a lieutenant with the Lindenwold Police Department. He was a lifetime member of the Lindenwold Fire Company and the Lindenwold Moose and served in the New Jersey National Guard. He was involved in community service his entire life, including CPR training and first aid training all over the tri-state area. He was a member of the Pine Belt SC and joined the ATA in 2003. Murph registered 19,850 singles, 7,325 handicap and 550 doubles targets. He is survived by his wife Maryann, a brother Terrence and sister-in-law Marsha, a stepdaughter Sophia and husband Richard Dorsey, and numerous nieces and nephews.
If you have a question or an idea for an article, I can be reached at 732-546-7910 or by at [email protected].
Joe Sissano
ATA Delegate
New York
Hello from New York, and greetings to everyone. I hope you are doing well. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter holiday. If you were down south or out west for the winter season and now are proceeding home, please travel carefully and safely.
I am sorry to say that the New York State ATA has lost one of its longtime employees who worked at all the shoots at our homegrounds in Cicero. Kathy L. Humphrey passed away at age 63 March 11 after a brief illness. She lived in Oswego, NY. Kathy had worked at the homegrounds for many years. During 2020, she was in charge of all of the trap help at the grounds and did a great job. Our deepest sympathies to Kathy’s entire family on her passing. She will be missed.
The Southern Grand American was held March 15-21 at the Silver Dollar SC in Florida. A total of 44 New Yorkers attended the tournament. Trophy winners from New York were as follows.
Monday’s singles: Chase Wojtanik, junior runnerup, and Heidi Womer, Lady I. Monday’s doubles: Curtis Robbins, AA; Richard Boss, B runnerup; David McMasters, C runnerup; and Urban Womer, sub-vet runnerup. Tuesday’s handicap: Wayne Schiavi, senior vet runnerup. Class Singles Championship: Susan Gullotta, D; Michael Miller, D runnerup; Marilyn Lehrfeld, Lady II runnerup; Urban Womer, sub-vet runnerup. Wednesday’s handicap: Wojtanik, junior runnerup. Aaron Willoughby Handicap: Lehrfeld, Lady II runnerup. Elaina McCarthy Doubles: Joshua Buchiere, A runnerup; Wojtanik, junior runnerup; Robbins, sub-vet runnerup. Class Doubles Championship: Buchiere, A. Caesar Guerini Preliminary Handicap: Lee Hatfield, winner; John Cook, seventh; Lehrfeld, Lady II. Singles Championship: Joshua Buchiere, B; Heidi Womer, Lady I runnerup; Urban Womer, sub-vet runnerup. Doubles Championship: Dexter Pratt, A. Handicap Championship: Lehrfeld, Lady II. All-around: Heidi Womer, Lady I runnerup. High-Over-All: Buchiere, B. All trophy winners can be viewed in Trap & Field Magazine. This was excellent shooting by everyone. Congratulations.
The New York state zone shoots will be held during three weekends this year. First up is the eastern zone May 1-2. It will be a telephonic shoot held at Whortlekill GC and Peconic River SC. The central zone will be at Pompey R&GC June 5-6. Finally, the western zone will be June 12-13 at Allied SC. We hope all zone shooters will attend their respective zone shoots.
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 healthy, safe and in good spirits. Please be strong. May God bless you all.
Dave Cichelli
ATA Delegate
Ontario
Greetings from Ontario, Canada. I write this article as the Southern Grand in Florida concludes. I try to get regular updates from the VP of the Zone in which major competitions like this are situated. VP Billy Cook has kept me well informed. The Southern Grand seemed to be going well, although there were challenges with a shortage of trap help.
On that point, Kathy Humphrey and her family and friends from upper New York State, who often came to Florida to help, were conspicuously absent. Kathy could not attend and passed away during the Southern Grand.
We all appreciated Kathy and her family’s contributions to the success of events held at the New York State homegrounds. She will be missed.
Meanwhile, here in Ontario we are still unable to cross the border. We are hoping that our in-province provincials can occur in a few months and we can attend events south of the border once again. Stay tuned.
Paul Shaw
ATA President
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians have been bestowed with some good news recently. According to our governor, businesses in the state have been permitted to operate at a more accommodating pace as opposed to what we’ve had to deal with over the past year. The less than good news . . . ammo is still hard to get! Hopefully we’ll have an abundance of both as May rolls around and the Keystone Open takes place as the first PSSA shoot of the 2021 calendar year.
In the meantime, we had 70 shooters attend the 41st Southern Grand at the Silver Dollar in Florida, with 28 shooters bringing home 62 trophies. Deborah Ohye-Neilson (11), Frank Pascoe (seven) and Ken Darroch (four) carried the bulk, with Deborah adding category HAA and HOA titles. Nicholas Wertz (three), Chris Vendel (two) and Steven Huber (two) added category HAA runnerup awards to their resumes as well. Our other PA trophy winners include Bruce Schmidt (two), Criona Doorly (three), Zach Eshbach (two), Brendan Doorly (two), Mary Schaffer (two), Edward Bayer (two), Elmer Ebling (two), Marcy Plunkett (three), Clare Schaffer (two), Joseph Laurence Jr., Richard Milbert, Charles Lozinger, Richard Wilson III, Larry Shade, John Spangler, Wayne Kreisl, Bill Plunkett, Richard Hess Jr., John Manetta, Richard Long, John Koschoff and Donald Schaffer Jr. Congratulations to all.
We recently lost a pillar of the trapshooting community. Regrettably, Freeman Kline Jr. passed away last month. Freemie was an integral part of the PSSA for many years and was very active with trapshooting in the Lehigh Valley, in particular, the North End R&GC, which he called home. He was an accomplished trapshooter and shoot manager, but even more so, was a friendly, humorous gentleman. Freemie will be sorely missed by many of us, and my condolences go out to his family.
I look forward to seeing everyone in Elysburg this month. Safe travels and good shooting!
Steve Ross
ATA Alternate Delegate
Alabama
Temperatures are getting warmer, the storms are getting a little stronger, and the pollen is falling. Spring is here, and now it’s a good time to start registering targets.
The Alabama State Shoot will be held at the Dixie TC June 3-6. Everyone is working really hard to make sure this is going to be a good shoot. Call Bill Parson at 334-399-9776 if you need to reserve a camping spot.
Read the Rulebook.
Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Without the men and women of our armed forces protecting this country, we would not be able to enjoy this great sport. When you see a soldier, thank them for their service.
If you need my help or have news to report, contact me at [email protected].
Wayne Sartwell
ATA Delegate
Kentucky
I sincerely hope all trapshooters are as happy as I am to see that spring has sprung. Our high school team at Calloway Co. High held their first practice this week. We had 33 young athletes present, all with high hopes and expectations for a great season. I am aware that several other high school teams in the area have been holding practices and fundraisers. We are hopeful we will have a record number of teams statewide for the 2021 season. This is the fifth year for the Kentucky League.
The 41st annual Southern Grand American just concluded last week in Florida, with 36 Kentucky trapshooters participating. Many of them either won or placed in one or more of the well-attended events. The shooter with the largest haul of hardware was sub-junior Jack Holland, who won or placed in six of the 14 events. Junior shooter Troy Crass won or placed in the first two handicaps. Chairshooters Mitchell Miller placed in three events, and Bobby Bilbrey in two and was HOA and HAA winner in the category. Junior gold shooter Hunter Lyons shot very well and won or placed in four events. Aaron Willoughby, Dan Ryan, Tommy Beddow, Joe Neyer, Michael Castle and Ronnie Black all won or placed in at least two events, many with outstanding scores. Bradley Jones and Martha Humphrey won or placed in one event each. I hope and pray I didn’t miss anyone. The Southern Grand was very well attended and demonstrates that many dedicated trapshooters are anxious to get back to participating in the sport we all love so much.
Three clubs around the state held well-attended shoots last month, and the regional shoots have started again this month. So let’s all get some shells, clean our guns, and get out there shooting again and support the local clubs that surely need it.
As always, if you have news you want to share with our trapshooting family, please e-mail me at [email protected] or call 270-227-2262, and I will be glad to include it. Until next month, we hope everyone stays healthy and has many, many smoked targets.
Vernon R. Anderson
KTL Board Member
South Carolina
The weather has finally broken, and the dogwoods are blooming. Our South Carolina shooters are back from the Southern Grand in Florida. We had a fair representation there, but no trophies came back with them.
In the achievement department, Dave Reynolds reached 25000 singles. There are some other people close to large numbers; next month?
Driving to Greenville today for a Big 50, and a wind advisory popped up on the screen in the truck. Should be a fun day.
Our Hall of Fame shoot is this month. Randy Knight is this year’s inductee; congratulate him when you see him.
I hope to see you at the state shoots coming up.
Jim Faber
ATA Delegate
Tennessee
Hopefully the shooting season is going full throttle by now. We have three state shoots scheduled in May.
The Georgia State Shoot ends the weekend of May 1-2 at Covington.
The South Carolina Shoot is May 12-16 at Spartanburg GC.
Next is the Mississippi State Shoot May 27-30 at Coast R&PC in Biloxi.
If you don’t want to travel out of state, the Music City Shoot is May 15-16 at the Nashville GC.
The following weekend, May 22-23, is the Midsouth Open at the Memphis GC.
Thirty-seven Tennessee shooters went to the Southern Grand in Florida. Those winning trophies were George Reese Jr., William Sharp, Tyler Honnold, Brady Duren, George Reese, Steve Rice, Riley Bellomy, Lucas Davis, Emma Mathews, Treavor Lance, Dave Gabbard, Mitchel Loveless, Jacob Duren, Colby Lancaster, Colton Phillips and Mikayla Dickson.
The Tennessee State AIM Shoot: Tuesday and Wednesday, June 15-16 followed by the state shoot June 17-20 at the Tennessee CTC in Nashville.
The ATA Southern Zone Shoot is July 15-18, held in Berea, KY; Bostic, NC; and the Silver Dollar in Odessa, FL.
AIM National Championships: July 30-Aug. 3, WSRC, Sparta, IL.
The 122nd Grand American World Championships are Aug. 4-14 at the WSRC.
Hopefully all of these shoots are able to be held this year. But as the dates get closer, check with the clubs to be certain.
Read the new Rulebook, please. If you don’t have a copy, get on the ATA website and print yourself one.
For more info, check out our website, shootatatn.com. You can reach me at [email protected].
Billy Cook
ATA Southern Zone Vice President
Arkansas
I have heard from many Arkansas trapshooters how excited they are for this year to begin. Many have already visited Arizona and Florida. I’m happy to say that our shooters have done well. Many of our clubs have seen good numbers at their shoots. It makes me happy after all we have been through this past year that shooters are excited and ready to shoot. Be sure to check out the ASTF website and the ATA website for shoots going on near you!
The ASTF Board of Directors have been working hard and have many plans for this year’s 95th state shoot. Don’t forget to mark us down on your travel calendar. We would love to see you there. Until then, break ’em all!
1 Thessalonians 5:17—Pray without ceasing.
Robby Pennock
ATA Delegate
New Mexico
Hello from the Land of Enchantment. As I sit down to write this for the May issue, I have good news as to big changes that have taken place here in New Mexico as to COVID-19. We have moved into our yellow stage almost everywhere in the state, with some moving into our green stage. Our green stage is popping up more and more each day. Looks like we may be able to get to a little more normal with our lives.
I hope this finds everyone doing well and able to start enjoying this time of year as we move out of spring into summer. As I write this today, it feels more like winter. We have new snow on the ground here in Silver City, and it’s cold! But old winter is just about over for a few months. I am sure looking forward to some warm summer days.
Things here in New Mexico are starting to pick up a bit when it comes to registered shoots. In the month of March, the following clubs hosted ATA registered shoots. Silver City had two, March 6 and 20; Albuquerque on March 6-7; Hobbs on March 6; and Alamogordo had their Annual Shoot March 12-14 (no report from RRTC). The following shoot results were sent to me, so I wanted to repost some of the highlights.
I’m going to start off with the Hobbs shoot. It looks like Trent Melton ran the slate with the high score in doubles of 93, singles of 97 and handicap of 86. Great shooting, Trent. In Albuquerque the following shooters went home with trophies: Event 1 singles: Jerrod Lies, AA, 98, over Robert McGrew by forfeit; A, Doug Doonan, 98; B, Alli Dolin, 94; Keith Bandoni, C, 95; D, Penny Weber, 89. Event 2 handicap: Jamie Anderson over Robert McGrew by forfeit, long-yardage, 94; Casin Calkins, mid-yardage, 94; Ethan Pedroncelli, short-yardage, 95. Event 3 doubles: AA, Jerrod Lies, 98; C, Gabe Baslee, 94; D, Devin Aragon, 84. Event 4 doubles, AA, Jamie Anderson, 97; B, Doug Doonan, 97; C, Gabe Baslee, 93; D, Jeremy Warren, 86. Event 5 singles: AA, Lies, 100; A, Caulkins, 100; B, Samantha Rainsdon, 96; C, Keith Bandoni, 98; D, David Jones, 87. Event 6 handicap: long-yardage, Anderson, 95; mid-yardage, Samantha Rainsdon, 95; short-yardage, Keith Bandoni, 93. HOA: Anderson, 577×600.
Silver City had shoots March 6 and 20; please see full results for both shoots at shootata.com or nmtrap.com.
In my last issue I forgot to report on one of the New Mexico high school teams, the Cavemen, who have been competing with our other teams all over New Mexico in the zone shoots during this crazy time dealing with COVID-19. I hope the coaches will send me results—not all teams are shooting registered targets, so I have no way to report on all the scores for all teams.
I want to thank Mark Hamel for getting this info over to me about the March 6 shoot. In singles 60 shooters competed in the varsity division with a top score of 97. In the handicap event, 61 shooters competed in the varsity division with a top score of 95. In doubles 54 shooters competed in the varsity division with a top score of 99. The following Cavemen competed in all three events and placed in each event as follows: Dillon Lopez, singles, seventh, 95; handicap, 17th, 87; doubles second, 94. Nathan Lewis, singles, eighth, 95; handicap, fourth, 93; doubles, first, 99. William Heath, singles, 21st, 89; handicap, 28th, 83; doubles, fourth, 87. Mikey Ackman, singles, 24th, 88; handicap, 45th, 72; doubles, 17th, 79. Gavan Bryant, singles, 40th, 81; handicap, 39th, 78; doubles, 40th, 66. Lico Yhaben, singles, 59th, 60; handicap, 51st, 51; doubles, 50th, 46. Great shooting!
Again I want to encourage all New Mexico coaches to let your kids register all singles, handicap and doubles targets with the ATA. This will benefit your kids as they go to other ATA shoots. If I can help with anything, please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. My contact info is noted below.
One item I need to correct from my last issue is on the chronograph numbers. The information printed in the ATA Rulebook, reprinted Sept. 1, 2020, is not correct. The copy on the ATA website is correct. New information will be corrected on printed copies. For the most up-to-date information, look at shootata.com.
I hope the information that was on target-setting helped you out in some way. Look for more to come in my next writeup. I have been talking with the EC on this and will have some information that will benefit everyone.
Please always keep this in mind when it comes to the trap-setters: they are doing a job that when you’re shooting well, you love them and when you’re not doing your best, you don’t.
Look for the following shoots in May here in New Mexico: Roswell on the 8th; Farmington on the 8th, Silver City on the 15th, Hobbs, 15-16; and the New Mexico State Shoot, May 25-30. Please pre-squad for the state shoot at Presquad.com.
If you have any news to report or need my help, you may always contact me at 575-538-1016 or [email protected].
Cory Dalton
ATA Delegate
Oklahoma
On Feb. 28 OTSA was able to hold a derby shoot that attracted 20 competitors. They were greeted by a strong north wind and 56º temperatures that made shooting rough. Spencer Scotten, Nathan Lemke and Ron Bliss all tied with 45s in the singles. Jeff Barker and Tyler Burke won first place in the handicap with 41s. Tim Mount and Bennie Livingston were second with 40s, and Brian Stoa was third with 39. Barker and Lemke won the doubles with 43, and Mount was next with 42.
We were all very shocked to learn Ashley Grybowski lost her battle with cancer on March 1. Ashley was the granddaughter of Danny and Linda Elston and sister of Corbin Grybowski. Ashley was only in her early 20s at the time of her passing. OTSA has set up an Ashley Grybowski Memorial fund account to help offset the tremendous expense incurred by the Grybowski family. You can send donations to the fund at PO Box 1462, El Reno, OK 73036. Be sure they are marked “Ashley Grybowski Memorial Fund.” Our sincere condolences go out to the Grybowski and Elston families, and we ask you to remember them in your prayers.
Shawnee Twin Lakes TR held their first registered shoot of the summer season on March 7, and six squads (28 shooters) shot 200 singles. It was a warm 62º but very windy. Mitchell Wyatt, a sporting clays shooter who recently started shooting trap, broke a pair of 97s, and his 194 won champion. Class winners were Lemke, A, 190; Shelton Shively, B, 190; Randy Farmer, C, 186; Zoe Traylor (Rookie of the Year last year), D, 185.
Vickie Farmer won Ada’s March 9 Tuesday shoot with 47. Ada’s first registered shoot of the summer season March 14 drew good attendance. Rain held off the start until noon, and the wind came up in the afternoon. Emile Heitland was champion and Mike Grove A winner with 95s. Larry Higg took champion in the handicap with 93. Don Bowers won short-yardage with 89, Randy Farmer claimed mid-yardage with 83, and Billy Pierce earned long-yardage with 84.
OTSA held their first registered shoot March 13. They had good weather, and 20 shooters attended. Kya Funkhouser won champion in the singles with 98. Nathan Lemke broke 95 from the 27-yard line to win the handicap and a half-yard. Jeff Barker, Rookie of the Year last year, broke 90 to claim champion in the doubles. Nathan also won A class in the singles and doubles.
The Ada March 16 shoot was a three-way tie for first place. Collin Rindal, Austin Palmer and Creede Booth all had 46s.
Zane Arnold has now became a new game warden for the state of Oklahoma. Dennis Patrick has now shot 25,000 singles in his career.
Jack Murphey sent the information on Bartlesville SC’s winter Big 50 shoots. These ran from Nov. 1 to March 1, 20 nights of shooting. They have been doing this now for five years and award belt buckles to the winners of the cumulative scores. Billy Pierce won the HOA buckle. Jack Murphy was singles champion. Class winners in singles were A, Pete Wedlin; B, Rob Martin; C, Jake Keene; and D, Joel Keene. Doubles class leaders were A, Carl Brown, and B, David Breedlove. Handicap winners included short-yardage, Kurt Pendleton; long-yardage, Justin Cavett; junior, Brady Rucker; and junior runnerup, Josh Keene.
Ada’s March 22 Tuesday shoot was won by Larry Higgs with 45. Ada has their second annual Hull Pickers Shoot coming up April 25. Don’t forget to get your ticket for the gun drawing.
Everyone, take care and be safe!
Tim Deister
ATA Delegate
Texas
Well, hopefully this finds everyone well and happy (sometimes “happy and “trapshooter” don’t go together, but I hope this time it does.) Shooting should be in full swing in Texas. If you aren’t part of the full-swing shooting, get off the couch and get to your local (or any other) gun club.
There are going to be a lot of very good shoots in Texas starting in May. The first one is the Zone IV hosted by the Ft. Worth T&SC May 14-16. Steve Bradbury and the staff there will have their ducks in a row. They always put on a great shoot. The next to put on your calendar is the Zone I at Amarillo GC June 18-20. Pat Richmond and the crew in Amarillo will host a fantastic shoot. They have made great strides in getting that club ready to host the Texas State Shoot, so they will be well prepared for the Zone I.
Speaking of the Texas State Shoot, I think you need to know your state officers have worked long and hard on preparing for this shoot. State officers are president Don Rackley, first vice president Billy Hopson, second vice president Richard Leos, and secretary-treasurer Forrest Dermid. These people have put in many hours in preparation for our state shoot. When you see them, tell them thanks. The dates for the 2021 Texas State Shoot are June 29-July 4. You can find all the shoot dates in Texas (and lots more stuff) at texastrap.com.
The ATA Southwestern Zone will be held July 9-11 at three locations in Texas: Waco, El Paso and Amarillo. Pick a place and go shoot.
I’ve got some more of those fatman “attaboy and attagirls” to pass out today. The first one is an “attagirl,” and it goes to Jerri Webb. Jerri shot her 75,000th handicap target. Way to go, Jerri; congratulations. By the way, Jerri and I have the same first and middle name, but it’s not my fault that she doesn’t know how to spell Jerry.
Now I have two “attaboys” to send out today, both for Eric Cade. Not only did Eric shoot at his 25,000th doubles target, but he also shot at his 50,000th singles target. Congratulations to Eric; keep it up.
By the time you read this in May, the Southwestern Grand will be in the history book. I may have some people upset with me, but so be it. I have preached for many months that you must have an up-to-date average card. It’s not my rule; it’s an ATA rule, and it’s in the Rulebook. The actual rules cover only 47 pages. Please read them.
If you have pre-squadded for a shoot and are unable to attend, please call and have your position released. This is the courteous thing to do, and it will help the shooters who are pre-squadded on that squad have a chance to have a full squad. If you receive a computer-generated reduction and do not plan on accepting it, call the ATA office or me and let us know. This will stop the possible error of shooting from the incorrect yardage and getting disqualified. Shooters wanting a yardage increase need to call me. Don’t call the ATA office because they will have to call me about that. So save them the trouble and just call me. I always list my contact information at the end of this article (I know, the end can’t come soon enough for most of you). For the ones who read this far, bless you both.
If you have news, please let Princess or me know, and I will try to find space in here to put it. You can reach me by snail mail at 907 S. Main St., Hereford, TX 79045. You can e-mail me at [email protected] or pick up your trusty cell phone and call my cell phone (who knows, our cells might hit it off and give us some grandcells) at 806-679-6889.
Till next time, y’all shoot well, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.
Jerry O’Connor
ATA Delegate
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