Arkansas

The 2021 Arkansas State Shoot had good weather, great friends and great shooting. Our AIM turnout was up a little. The ASTF Board of Directors worked hard all year to make this shoot memorable. I feel they did an awesome job. What set us apart from everyone was Sandra McAllister and her angels; the shootoff voice of the Grand American, who everyone wants to hear: Dan Wood; and last but not least, the Dark Cloud of Iowa, Steve Glasgow. I can’t thank these people enough for all their awesome and hard work! I also want to thank Elissa Harding (aka “Indiana”) from Trap & Field for hanging out with us, too! It was good to see friends from around and out of state.

One of my favorite shoots of the year is the Grand American. Wendy and I have been blessed over the years to have made friends from all over the country. I’m proud to say we have trap family in almost every state. I’m very grateful to trapshooting. My uncle Gerald Pennock introduced me to trap in the 1980s. I never dreamed of the opportunities I would have and relationships I would make. I encourage you to take someone shooting and show ’em the ropes. I also encourage young shooters to take the time to listen to the wise tales from the older generation. You never know what you’ll learn! Remember that no matter what your age is, you’re always a role model for the people around you.

Proverbs 20:7 KJV—The just man walketh in his integrity: His children are blessed after him.

Robby Pennock

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

Dawn is upon us. As we step outside into the cool crisp New Mexico morning, we are hit with the aroma of the dewy pine at Raton, NM. The thought of firing our guns is upon us with anticipated joy. Trapshooting is in full swing for 2021.

The New Mexico State Shoot was a great success. With COVID in our rear-view mirror, we had a record number of shooters. Despite Mother Nature’s two lightning delays, the tournament was amazing. The state champions for the NMSTA: singles, Billy Healy; handicap, Mary Alby; doubles, all-around and HOA, Jerrod Lies. Great shooting! To all other state winners, congrats.

Special recognition to Jimmy Kennedy, who has obtained a combined target attainment level of 100,000. He is still shooting strong and supporting this great sport. Also, our Shawn Perkins won the Can-Am/Lonestar Powersports Handicap by shootoff to win a Can-Am Outlander 450 at the Texas Zone I shoot.

Remember, you will miss 100% of the shots you do not take. I wish everyone great shooting.

Samantha Rainsdon

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Ada S&TC held their May 30 shoot and had good attendance. New shooter Randy Hill won the singles with 94. Don Bowers won the handicap with 94 and the doubles with 84. Weather has affected some of their Tuesday shoots.

After several heavy rains, water was standing everywhere in El Reno. We were fortunate Doc Koper donated several loads of gravel and even had it spread out everywhere needed. The first two days of the 122nd state shoot were cloudy and overcast with light winds. Then the sunshine came out and light winds prevailed; there was even a “calm” day! The women and girls prevailed at this shoot. Rose Shaffer, Yanni Mai-Gaddy and Shelby Skaggs all ran 100 in one event. Carol Brown’s 96 won in a handicap event. Shelby broke the only 200 straight to win the class singles, and she won the Doubles Championjship in a shootoff with Pat Stacey.

AIM shooter Breegan Barnett broke 100 straight for the first time. She also won runnerup in the Handicap Championship after several rounds of shootoff. Kya Funkhouser won runnerup in the championship singles after tying the high score of 199. Taylor Casteel won Lady I in the Handicap Championship. Zoe Traylor won a handicap event and several other trophies. Shelby and Rose won Lady I and Lady II in both the HAA and HOA. Look to the story for complete winners and pictures in this edition of Trap & Field.

Ada’s June 8 shoot was won by Austin Palmer with 48. Matt McElhannon won the June 15 shoot with 49. Matt won third in the state championship with 96, earning him yardage.

The Kansas State Shoot had great attendance and very high scores. Thirty-nine Oklkahoma shooters attended. (Nine Kansas shooters attended the Oklahoma State Shoot.) Kya was the big Oklahoma winner, breaking another 100 and a 99 in doubles, 99 and 199 in singles, and 99 and 96 in handicap before she took AA in the HOA with 1,165. Rick McCauley won an award in HAA with 388. Corbin Grybowski, Skaggs, Jacob Diller, Robert Rimer, Clay Laughlin, Ron Bliss, Brayden Bliss, Klayton McGee and Dennis Patrick all won awards. Looks like Oklahoma shooters have taken my advice and are shooting the great state shoots in surrounding states, as well as the Southwestern Grand and Grand American. You get some of the best targets and great awards. Last year this activity produced 14 Oklahoma All-Americans, the most ever in a single year.

Shawnee Twin Lakes TR had good attendance and great scores at their June 20 Big 50 shoot. Matt Elhannon broke 50 straight to win the singles. Creede Booth won the handicap with 47. He ran his first 100 straight at the state shoot. Paul Hooper won the doubles with 46. Paul set great targets at the state shoot, where five AIM shooters were able to run their first 100 straights.

Hennessey GC also held their Big 50 shoot June 20, but only six shooters competed in the 30-mph winds. New shooter Bobby Hand won the singles with 45. Rose Shaffer won the handicap with 44, and Melvin Pospisil won the doubles with 44.

Ada’s June 22 shoot was won by Zoe with 50 straight. She won all the quarters and even drew a green bird and broke it for more money. Good shooting, Zoe!

Let’s keep the health workers in our prayers.

Tim Deister; Kevin Nanke,

Oklahoma ATA Delegate

Texas

As I write this, it’s state shoot time in the Lone Star State. I hope the nationwide shell shortage and the high prices don’t affect attendance. Time will tell, I guess.

I have a bunch of those famous fatman attaboys and attagirls to pass out. In no particular order, here they are: J. Pat Richmond, 25,000 handicap targets; Mike Miller, 25,000 singles; J. W. Julian, 25,000 handicap; Elvin Clayton, 25,000 handicap; Greg Surber, 25,000 doubles and 25,000 handicap; J. R. Long, 100,000 singles; Bob Johnson, 100,000 handicap; Sonny Cook, 25,000 singles; Scott Steinkruger, 25,000 handicap; Jennifer Willson, 100,000 combined; and Gary Womack, 25,000 singles. Congratulations to all for their accomplishments and their dedication to our sport.

Guess I’m getting a bad reputation for my insistence that people have an up-to-date average card. I really don’t care about that. I am only asking you to follow the rules. It’s No. 4 on Page 7. Please don’t ask me to break the rules for you. Please release pre-squad positions you are not going to use. This helps your squadmates not to shoot on a short squad, and it’s just the right thing to do. Another problem we have is people receiving reductions and not notifying the ATA office they are refusing the reduction. When they show up at a shoot, the computer shows them on a different yardage. You can be DQ’d for shooting from the wrong yardage. Please notify the ATA office if you want to refuse the reduction. I’m through rambling now.

I hope to see everyone in Sparta. If you have news, please let Princess or me know, so we can include it in these ramblings. As always, you can e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at 806-679-6889. Till next time, y’all shoot good, y’all shoot often, and y’all have a great time.

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Karen and I went to the New Mexico State Shoot at the NRA’s Whittington Center in Raton. It was our first time there, and we were encouraged to go by Steve Haynes and Allisen Reese. They were right on the money—what a beautiful spot. You are on a high plateau with mountains well off in the background, and there is wildlife all over. Our RV was in a wooded area, and deer were frequent visitors. Lots of pronghorn antelope were about, and elk showed up from time to time. I don’t have any shoot reports, but I know that both Steve and Allisen did well, and Karen won a couple of events. If you get a chance to go there, do not pass it by.

From Raton, it was off to the Western Grand in Vernal, maybe a 10-hour drive through some spectacular country, and yes, they were still skiing around the Loveland Pass. The attendance was good, well above the 2017 and 2018 pre-COVID figures, and Sean and Stacy Hawley had the place running like clockwork.

One of the great attractions of Vernal is the evening Annie Oakleys, always a hoot. About 10% of the shooters are from Arizona, and we made our presence known. In the first event, the Preliminary Singles, Allisen lost out by a single bird in Lady I on a carryover. Chris Cusamano and Britt Dalton also fell to the dreaded carryover in Event 2, the Preliminary Handicap, but Haynes won sub-veteran outright with a fine 97. He then turned around the next morning and won B class in the Craig and Sharon Hart Doubles. Gerry Williams did not need a carryover either, he stood alone at the top of the senior veterans. He then won in the Friends of VRGC Handicap.

Now you know that Tim Robb’s name would show up on the winners’ list sooner or later, and sure enough there it was in Event 8, the Krieghoff Handicap. Wyatt Pizinger, who had a terrific shoot, took the very competitive sub-junior crown in the Doubles Class Championship, and Jim Copsey was veteran runnerup. Wyatt then finished second in the Caesar Guerini Handicap and earned some yardage.

Saturday was the Singles Championship, and there were Arizona names all over the place. Britt Dalton was AAA runnerup, while Darrell Goen and Curtis Bietz fell just short for the runnerup spot in Class A. Robb and Greg Holden tied for vet runnerup, with Greg nosing out Tim on a coin flip. David Pizinger, otherwise known as Nathaniel and Wyatt’s dad, was the top chair shooter.

Doubles is usually a strong point for Arizona, but something disturbed the magnetic resonations at Vernal during the championship. Youth, however, conquers all, and 13-year-old Wyatt Pizinger stood strong. His 95 earned the B trophy. Those same impulses were at work during the Handicap Championship, but just a little weaker. Britt Dalton finished third, and Wyatt lost a shootoff by one for seventh place. Haynes gave it his best in sub-vet but fell one short in shootoff for runnerup, and alas, the same fate befell Copsey in veteran and Williams in senior vet.

Shells are becoming a distinct problem anywhere you go. Both New Mexico and Vernal ran out. If you see any, jump on it, and don’t be a snob. It’s nice to have AA and Nitros, but take anything that you can. They all go bang. Just remember the old saying, it’s usually the Indian and not the arrow. In my case, that is always true.

A little Vernal story: About five years ago Karen and I stopped in at the Antica Forma restaurant in Vernal. It was new, and we had no idea what to expect, so to be safe we ordered pizza. Well, it was out of this world, and we are from New York and know good pizza from bad. The owner, Jody, came over and asked us how we liked our meal. It turns out that he had been to New York City and had dinner in a place that makes 900 high-end pizzas a night. Jody somehow convinced the chef to come to Vernal. When we showed up, he was in the process of decorating the restaurant, naturally in Italian style. What was missing were some nice scenes of Italy. Now Karen was a professional artist in Manhattan for over 25 years and had done a whole series of Venetian paintings. She asked Jody if he would like a print. It’s now front and center in the dining room. The Vernal restaurant proved to be such a success—all of the food is truly authentic—that there is now an Antica Forma in Moab. It also sports one of Karen’s paintings.

I worked with a number of Italian companies for many years, and a gentleman from Italy visited my old office on Long Island. That particular painting was on the wall. When he saw it, he stopped short and pointed to a window in one of the background buildings. That, he said, was my bedroom growing up, and the windows next to it were in his parent’s room. Now many of the buildings in Venice are similar, but he assured us that there was no mistaking the fact and described in great detail, the bridge and canal in the foreground. Karen is a superb artist.

Around the state: Things are starting to crank up. The summer clubs are still throwing birds, while the year-round ones are moving into higher gear. Here is what we have from mid August to mid September: Flagstaff, Aug. 14-15; Rio Salado doubles marathon, Aug. 19; Tucson, Aug. 22; Pleasant Valley, Aug. 27-29; Rio Salado singles marathon, Sept. 2; Lake Havasu Big 50s, Sept. 4; Tri-State Big 50s, Sept. 5; Casa Grande, Sept. 4-5; Double Adobe, Sept. 4-5; Never Forget Shoot at Ben Avery, Sept. 10-12, featuring a drawing for an over/under trap gun; Rio Salado doubles marathon, Sept. 16; Big 50s every Monday at Casa Grande. See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

California

The Vernal R&GC hosted the Western Grand American June 1-6. Twenty-seven shooters from California participated, and 13 of them managed to collect a total of 24 trophies. Jimmy Heller and Gary Bonetti topped the list with four each. Jimmy was vet champion in three doubles races: Preliminary, 99; Craig & Sharon Hart event, 98; Championship, 95; plus the Preliminary Handicap, 94. All of Gary’s trophies were for sub-vet champion: Friends of VRGC Handicap, 97; Handicap Championship, 97; HAA, 390; and HOA, 967.

James Eichler Jr. secured three C class awards for Event 4, 91; Dalton Van Doubles, 97; and HOA, 923. Justin Schooler was the Event 5 A class winner and the 22-24 champion in Event 6 (96), as well as Krieghoff Handicap, where he lost the shootoff for high gun after breaking 100 straight. Edward Duitsman collected two sub-vet runnerup awards, in the Singles Class Championship, 100, and the Caesar Guerini Handicap, 96. Brian Duitsman was the D class victor of Event 5, 88. Deanna Schooler was Lady I champion of Event 8, 92, and James Schooler placed fourth in Event 10 with 97. David Van Norman was the B class runnerup in Event 7, 99. Nathan Vizzo (junior gold) and Tracy Steven Heintz (vet) both secured category runnerup awards in Event 10 for 97 and 95, respectively. Megan Stout took home the D class champion trophy in the Singles Championship, and Allen Pinoli was the senior vet champion in Event 12, 97.

Kingsburg GC hosted the AIM/SCTP State Shoot on Father’s Day weekend. They also held a concurrent Invitational event, open to youth shooters who do not participate in the AIM/SCTP program. The Invitational results were the same as the AIM/SCTP, except as noted.

AIM/SCTP team singles results: Rookie—SYVSA: Claycen Cooper, Jack Cota, Tristen Jessup, Jessica Johnson, Zane Mathis. Intermediate/Entry—KTC: Chase Coddington, Justin Marquez, Annie Neufeld, Maxx Workman, Brooklyn Avila. Runnerup—Los Banos: Travis Mathews, Rowan Hammack, Ryan Marshall, Spencer Allen, John Leonard. Third—Oaktree: Connor Luckett, Tegan Clark, Cole Cramer, Stider Simpson, Blake Brown. Intermediate Advanced—KTC: Hank Neufeld, Aiden Wiest, Jacob Ortiz, Jakob Thurman, Madison Marquis. Runnerup—SYVSA: Deagan Johnson, Jack Fisher, Tanner McCarthy, Kylie LaPointe, Calan Cooper. Junior Varsity—Oaktree: Christopher Gonzalez, Gloria Gorman, Lucas Sanford, James Chesbrough, Emerson Herb. Runnerup—Christian High School: Austin Cameron, Nate Strauch, Kona Strong, Rachel Stephens, Zoey Moll. Varsity—Los Banos: Trey Schaeffer, Tristen Mathews, Benjamin Cederlof, Grayson Allen, Kaden Alves. Runnerup—KTC: Wyatt Benson, Nicholas Simon, Matthew Gomez-Conn, Clyde Condit, Jamee Lindahl. Third—KTC: Clayton Pennebaker, Randi Griffin, Tanner Ellison, Wyatt Esch, Colton Vogt.

Invitational team singles results: I/E runnerup—A&A Shooters: Ryder Haight, Gavin Newman, Cory Reilly, Tanner Riler, Michael Wilkcox. I/A runnerup—A&A Shooters: Ajay Jerrett, Wyatt Earl, Jed Earl, Amelia Wilder, Bryson Bennion. Varsity—A&A Shooters: Jace Jarrett, Inigo Baxter, Collin Holleran, Andrew Warren, Mason Andelin.

Invitational individual singles: Rookie—Mia Van Diest. Runnerup—Tyson Marquis. I/E—Travis Mathews. Runnerup—Brody Fisher. I/A—Ajay Jerrett. Runnerup—Madison Marquis. JV—Dakota Zaugg. Runnerup—Tomas Rodriques. Varsity—Hayden Rohrer. Runnerup—Audric Sheildel. Collegiate—Jaden Koretoff. Runnerup—Hunter Seymore.

AIM individual handicap: Pre sub-junior winner—Mia Van Diest. Runnerup—Tyson Marquis. Third—Andrew Gonzalez. Sub-junior winner: Micah Dadonna. Runnerup—Cameron Armstrong. Third—Gavin Shorts. Junior winner—Dustin Kipp. Runnerup—Audrey Lewis. Third—Ty Jacoba. Senior winner—Jaden Koretoff. Runnerup—Matthew Bouchard. Third—Breanna Rodriques.

SCTP individual handicap: Rookie—Van Diest. Runnerup—Marquis. Third—Gonzalez. I/E—Travis Mathews. Runnerup—Clayton Hardy. Third—Brody Fisher. I/A—Cameron Armstrong. Runnerup—Jack Fisher. Third—Deagan Johnson. Junior varsity—Ty Jacobs. Runnerup—Gavin Shorts. Third—Katherine Reid. Varsity—Tanner Ellison. Runnerup—Alex Jamgochyan. Third—Nolan Brown. Collegiate—Jaden Koretoff. Runnerup—Matthew Bouchard. High lady—Audrey Lewis. Runnerup—Van Diest. High gun—Micah Daddona. Runnerup—Dustin Kipp.

AIM/SCTP individual doubles: Rookie—Tyson Marquis. Runnerup—Mia Van Diest. Third—Andrew Gonzalez. I/E—Phoebe Kreger. Runnerup—Travis Mathews. Third—Ty Harrison. I/A—Hank Neufeld. Runnerup—Deagan Johnson. Third—Abby Thomas. Senior/junior varsity—Dakota Zaugg. Runnerup—Cory Walker. Third—Brody Jaynes. Senior/varsity—Mason Andelin. Runnerup—Colton Vogt. Third—Wyatt Benson. Ladies’—Madison Marquis. Runnerup—Randi Griffin. Collegiate—Hunter Seymore. Runnerup—Harrison Chand.

California shooters who have recently achieved significant milestones in their shooting careers include James Huynh, who shot at and broke his 25,000th singles target; Michael Silfies, who broke his first 100 straight in singles at Redlands SP June 12; Bryce Alford, who broke his first 25 straight the following day; Karl Alger broke his first 100 straight in the singles event at Kingsburg GC June 20; Bill Sandborg recently surpassed 100K combined targets in ATA competition; Steve Spencer shot his 200K handicap target during the Eilert Insurance Handicap at the California State Shoot. Congratulations to everyone!

Enjoy yourselves and shoot well.

Steve Cloyd

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

Thames came through with another fine day despite the forecast to the contrary for their June 5 ATA shoot. The program was 100 singles and 100 pair of doubles.The surrounding hills and proximity to the Gulf seem to create a micro climate that on a regular basis gives us better than forecast conditions. Combined with the great Thames club background, we have a high percentage of really good shooting condition days. Add White Flyer targets, and you have the opportunity for a good day of shooting. The breeze came up enough in the afternoon with some overcast to make some of the doubles a little more challenging. There was no added money for this shoot, just options graded per class.

This shoot could have been billed the workers or active helpers shoot; we didn’t have anyone sitting around when setting up or cleaning at the end of the day needed to be done.

As usual, a thanks to the Thames crew for the grounds in their manicured condition. Also thanks to Ian Evans setting up the fields; Dale Speedy, Grant Russell and Lindsay Arthur helping with target-setting; and everyone who helped with trap loading and refereeing as well as clean up at the end of the day. Very much appreciated. And a thanks to Nola, our almost resident chef for another great lunch.

We ran three classes: A, B and C in both singles and doubles with the first and second hundred run as separate events options-wise.

Some good scores were shot, but despite the favorable conditions, the jackpots went unclaimed.

Being in the Southern Hemisphere, we are in the middle of winter here. ATA shooting is winding down a little, with both the Taupo and Patangata clubs on the North Island taking a break over the peak winter months, starting up again early spring. Events at the Thames club continue year-round. ATA shooting is growing in New Zealand, and when the border restrictions on entry return to normal, we look forward to hosting ATA members from the U.S.

Three of our NZ ATA members might be in the running for the “traveled the farthest” award after flying over to Australia for a 400-target, two-day event. We are fortunate to have a travel bubble with Australia at the moment, so there is no requirement to quarantine flying either way. The borders are still closed for anyone from the rest of the world coming to NZ, and they are required to quarantine in managed isolation for two weeks on arrival and pay for it, whether they have been vaccinated or not. This is a big consideration for any of our members here who would like to attend upcoming shoots in the U.S. Given we have a large moat around us, we are very fortunate to have no coronavirus in the community at the moment, so it’s pretty much life at usual.

Take care and shoot well. I can be reached at [email protected].

Paul Basten

ATA Delegate

Utah

Recently I have been highlighting family groups at local shoots here in Utah. I would like to continue this trend as often as I can. During the Helper shoot in mid May, I was fortunate enough to be on the same squad as Clair Carter and his grandson Bradyn. I have been acquainted with Clair for some time, as well as his sons Shawn and Chance, but all I knew about them was that they all hailed from Utah County near Spanish Fork. Clair and his sons have always been gentlemen and great competitors.

Flash forward two weeks to the Western Grand in Vernal, UT. I was walking through the campground when I saw the Carter family barbecuing hamburgers and having a regular picnic. What a great way to unwind after a long day of shooting trap. I stopped and asked a few questions and realized this was one of the family groups that I wanted to highlight.

I was first greeted by Clair and Barbara, the heads of the family. Barbara doesn’t shoot, but she is the No. 1 cheerleader. I had the family line up from oldest to youngest for a photo. The order was Clair, Barbara, son Shawn and his wife Mellisa, son Chance and his wife Riley, grandsons Bradyn and Easton, and granddaughter Aria. The family had three trailers parked side by side, and there was plenty of laughter and conversation.

I asked for a little shooter history on each of them:

Clair told me they could have a squad of six: himself, Shawn, Chance, Bradyn, Easton and Mellisa.

Clair joined the ATA in 1986. In 1987 he won short-yardage champ at the Utah State Shoot and many more trophies along the way. He has amassed quite a few targets in his career.

Shawn is the father of Bradyn and Easton and is married to Mellisa. He won the Fiesta Days singles event for his class in 2019, the first year he resumed shooting after a long hiatus. Shawn is usually on the sidelines watching his boys shoot trap, something they love to do.

Mellisa just joined the ATA this year. She is having a blast learning the game and shooting with the family. Her scores are improving very rapidly, and I am willing to bet her first 25 is going to be very soon.

Sub-junior Easton joined the ATA at the same time as his mother. He has two perfect 25s under his belt—one in practice and one at the Western Grand in Vernal. Sweet!

Bradyn joined the ATA in 2016 and has also competed with the Skyline High School X shooting team and recently won high-over-all senior. Bradyn has won and placed in many ATA events in sub-junior, junior and open class where no junior categories are offered. He also won one of the Annie Oakley events in Vernal during the evening activities at the Western Grand this year.

Chance joined the ATA in 2002 and has racked up quite a shooting resume. He has held an AAA-27-AA average for at least three years. Clair took him to the Grand in 2003 (in Vandalia) when he was 13 years old. That is where he broke his first of many 100 straights in singles. He won the Hall of Fame Youth shoot at the Grand and had his name placed in the Trapshooting Hall of Fame. He has been captain and team member of the Utah state sub-junior and junior teams for six years in a row.

Granddaughter Aria is a little too young to hoist a shotgun, but I am sure that in due time she will be a regular squad member.

There was a seventh member of the family, Jason Holman. Jason was an excellent shooter and a member of the ATA for many years. He won the Western Grand singles championship in 2017 and made the cover of Trap & Field. Jason lost his life in 2018 in a tragic mining accident.

The last bit of sad news is that Clair is ill with cancer. He postponed chemo treatment until after the Utah State Shoot so he could spend time with his family doing the things his family enjoys so much and shoot the Western Grand as well as the state shoot. I wish you luck, Clair.

In other news, 23 Utahans ventured north to Pocatello, ID, to attend the Idaho State Shoot on Memorial Day weekend. The sign at the entrance to the gun club property pretty well says it all, “The Wind is Your Friend.” Friday did not disappoint. The next three days broke tradition, and the weather was very nice.

After one night at home, it was time for me to drive over the hill to Vernal, UT, for the Western Grand. Sean and Stacy Hawley do a great job of running large shoots. Sean put about 200 miles on his side-by-side during the week just driving the trapline, making sure all machines were working properly and that the trap help was performing as they should.

The weather was good for the most part, with occasional stiff breezes. The only time a shooter gets “bad” targets in Vernal, it is generally due to weather.

Achievements during the week:

Perry Wiener of South Dakota achieved his 50,000 singles target milestone and broke 100 in the process. If memory serves me correctly, Perry broke his first 100 in doubles last year at the Western Grand.

Kelly Brinkerhoff of Vernal punched his first 100 in singles.

Junior gold shooter Aaron Vossen of WA made the 27-yard line on Thursday when he broke 98 from the 26. Sub-junior Wyatt DeBrie of Nebraska also made the 27-yard line on Friday with a 98 from the 26.

Great accomplishments, all of you!

On a sad note, Earl Harding of Stockton, UT, passed away at home on May 29. I send my condolences to the Harding family.

Ed Wehking

ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

As I write, we have just completed the second day of the WSTA Championships, and we are set for the singles, doubles and handicap main events this weekend. Shooters have had to brave some hot temperatures in Walla Walla. A lot of water has been consumed, and broad-rimmed hats seem to be in high fashion.

Five directors were at the end of their terms this year. We would like to thank John Weber and Paul Downs for their service to the board of directors. Paul accepted an appointment to the board to fill a vacated seat in 2019, then due to COVID challenges, the 2020 shoot was canceled, so he filled a two-year term.

Another big round of applause is warranted for outgoing president Dale Kinzel. He served a rare two-year term under unprecedented circumstances, which were handled with great patience and foresight. Hard decisions had to be made, and Dale led the board in a very gracious manner. Also, who knew he would have to guide us through a shoot with record heat? His efforts have not been unnoticed and are greatly appreciated.

The ATA Western Zone will be in the books once this reaches your mailbox as will the shoot at the Malden-Pine City GC. There will be a pause in ATA action for some time before Colton hosts another two-day shoot in September. The clubs hosting registered shoots are our lifeblood. With the efforts of all the clubs hosting events, the WSTA survives and can continue to grow. Please support the clubs in Washington as they continue in turn to support the state association. To this end I would like to mention again that your club can host Big 50 events to help you put some targets on your card, and it may be very attractive right now, as the shooting world is still trying to recover from recent ammunition shortages.

I would be remiss not to mention George Seubert in this installment, as he has served faithfully as our Delegate for close to two decades. Long hours have been spent by George on behalf of the shooters here in our state. Helping shooters, answering rule questions and raising funds to promote youth shooting have all been a big part of his world all of these years. He leaves big shoes to fill, but we all know that eventually everyone in his position wants a chance to be just a shooter and to take things a little easier in their spare time. Thank you, George.

These last two days I’ve seen the mother-daughter duo of Linda and Andrea Bergstresser competing at the state shoot. Linda, her husband Wayne, and Andrea are all past WSTA directors and have been shooters to reckon with over the years. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many families take part in our great sport together and to watch a lot of kids grow up. Andrea is pursuing a nursing degree, and it seems like just yesterday she came up to my kneecaps. Where I’m going with this is a memory from the first time I attended a state shoot on the Walla Walla GC grounds. It was a hot day, such as now, and Andrea was barely old enough to walk. As I was walking off a trap after just finishing an event and dragging my effects back toward the clubhouse, here came Wayne toward me wearing a T-shirt that I will never forget. Boldly displayed on his chest was the title “High Lady’s Husband.” I know all of us have many memories like this from trapshoots, and I for one will always cherish small things such as these.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director

Wyoming

The shooting season is in full swing now, with shoots happening every weekend. Over Memorial Day weekend, Pocatello held the Idaho State Shoot. Twelve Wyoming shooters attended, with a handful of them taking trophies home. Many of the shooters in attendance left Monday after the championship doubles and handicap events to make the five-hour drive to Vernal, UT, for the Western Grand. This year’s Western Grand did not have the turnout that last year’s shoot did, and I am sure it has to do with the limited supply of shells. Despite that, there were still around 55 squads for the championship events. As always, the Vernal R&GC did an excellent job running the shoot. Twenty-eight Wyoming shooters attended; some of them made it to Vernal for the first time. During the shoot, there were several handicap punches and first-time 27-yard line achievements. Mitchell Pierson shot his first 100 straight from the 27 during Thursday’s handicap.

Most of the clubs in Wyoming had shoots this month as well. During the Father’s Day Shoot at Overthrust GC, Chet Long shot his first 100 straight in the singles. This shoot has a special trophy for the high-over-all dad, and Joe Sudbury won that along with trophies in the rest of the day’s events.

Nico Elardi

WSTA Director

Illinois

Boy, has shooting exploded across the Midwest and Illinois over the past month. I am going to try to cover the highlights, but I am sure I will miss someone. If I do, please contact me, and I will mention you in future columns. First, read the shoot reports of other state shoots because Illinois shooters have been doing well. The week before the Illinois State Shoot, the U.S. Open^® took place at Sparta, and a couple of notable things happened. Tim Lewis shot his first 100 straight, and Mike Jordan broke 200 in the Singles Championship. Good shooting, both of you. I wanted to mention Mike because he is a hero of mine, and he never ceases to amaze me with his shooting ability through the years. It is a treat to watch him.

Now I want to talk about the Illinois State Shoot. It went from warm to hot, and the wind blew from every direction except up or down. Through it all, great scores were shot, and a good time was had by all. First of all, I want to thank the Mohr family and the Illinois Board of Directors for putting on a great shoot. The tournament went well, and great scores popped up like mushrooms. AIM was shot first, and we had more than 300 competitors toe the line. There was a lot of impressive shooting, and it is obvious to me our future is in good hands. Steve Margherio won both the singles and doubles, and Wyatt Sibley won the handicap. I am looking forward to watching these guys in the years ahead.

Now I want to talk about the regular shoot. Megan Byrns and Zac Painter shot their first 100 straights in singles, and Logan Applegate carded his first 100 in doubles. Ryan Lovelace, Ty Leach and Drake Reynolds all reached the 27-yard line for the first time. All of these shooters are kids! Wow, I am in awe of our younger shooters. The winners of the championship events are as follows: Mike Hathaway, singles; Terron Williams, doubles; Gavin Rynders, handicap; and Landon Sievers, HOA and HAA. I am really happy for Mike because he finally broke through and won a big one.

You can tell that shooting is back in Illinois by the number who have reached milestones this past month. I’ll do singles first: Gallen Tully, James Martin, William Nash and Jack Vick, 25,000; Mark Elliott, 50,000; Mike Miller, 75,000; Marvin Kuebler, 100,000; and Mike Westjohn, 200,000. Handicap next: Douglas Porter, Steve Carver and Ross Walch, 25,000; John White, Lynn Gipson and Mike Miller, 75,000; and Richard Haltek, 100,000. Doubles: David Peace, 25,000, and Daniel Meinecke, 400,000! Wow, that’s a lot of shooting. Good job, everyone. I also want to give a special mention to Mike Westjohn. I had the honor of presenting him a pin and certificate at our annual meeting for his 500,000 combined targets. Mike, at our meeting you said you were told to ride this horse for as long as you could. Let me tell you, this accomplishment shows you are one fine rider!

Finally, I want to invite any who missed our shoot this year to please come back. We missed you and would love to see you next year.

It’s time for me to shoot, so until next time, shoot well.

Bill Duncan

ATA Delegate

Indiana

Greetings, Indiana shooters! By the time you are reading this, the 2021 Indiana State Shoot will be completed, as will the ATA Central Zone in Evansville. It’s certainly shaping up to be a busy and successful 2021 shooting season, and I have enjoyed seeing so many Indiana shooters at various shoots this year.

Good luck to all Indiana shooters at the Grand American in Sparta! I hope to see many, many Indiana names on the trophy list.

As I mentioned last month, an enormous gratitude is owed to our three Indiana zone host clubs for 2021: Vincennes GC in the southern zone, Fall Creek Valley CC in the central zone, and St. Joe Valley CC in the northern zone. Event winners in the southern zone: Noah Rice, singles; Albert White, doubles; and James Cassidy, handicap. White was also the all-around winner with 374. In the central zone, Daniel Williams dominated both the singles and doubles, and Bobby Hubble took home the handicap belt buckle with 95. Williams also won the all-around with 386. In the northern zone, it was Scott Cochran leading the way in both the singles and doubles, with Richard Tichler breaking the high handicap score of the day with 96. Cochran was the HAA victor as well with 390. Congrats to all shooters who took home Indiana zone trophies this year, and thanks to all for being there and supporting our great Indiana host clubs!

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 Great Lakes Grand was grand indeed. Despite a couple days of foul weather, the shoot was up about 10.5% relative to 2019. Of course, it was up a lot more than that relative to 2020’s non-event. Note that this was without all of our Canadian friends, who couldn’t get across the border to join us this year. Still it’s great to be shooting at Mason again.

At the Ohio State Shoot, Bill Hagerty shot at and broke his 250,000th registered target. That’s a lot of lead.

The Fall Team Shoot will be here before we know it. Plan ahead and get teams (and shells!) organized for the 46th annual event. Many states don’t hold team shoots, and I think they are missing out on a lot of fun.

I look forward to seeing you at one of the many shoots at smaller clubs around our Great Lakes state.

1. B. Lewis

ATA Delegate

Minnesota

Greetings from the North Star State! Hopefully your summer of shooting has been going well.

The Minnesota zone shoots were held June 19-20 in three locations around the state. Check an upcoming issue for the results. I know the northern and southern zones completed their shoots in one day due to some concern about the weather in Monticello, and the southern zone has been using Sunday as a rain day for several years. No report from the central zone.

The MSHSL State Championships were held at the Minneapolis GC June 25. I was able to get the following information from the MSHSL website:

In the team race, Red Wing edged two other schools that staged a late rally, and in the individual competition, there were co-champions. It was the first time that there was more than one champion in the individual competition since 2018, when five participants were crowned champions.

Here is a look at what happened during a full day of competition that closed out the school year:

Individual—South St. Paul’s Boone Johnson and Becker’s Bradley Bible topped the 92-shooter field with perfect scores of 100. Bible ranked seventh entering the state tournament, shot the 100 targets early in the competition, and sat atop the leaderboard for quite some time. But as the competition continued, there was shifting in places in the top eight spots, including Johnson joining Bible in the top position.

The top eight finishers in the individual competition are selected to the Fleet Farm Top Gun All-State Team and were recognized during an award ceremony afterward. Johnson and Bible were among five shooters that had perfect scores during the state meet. During the team portion, Owatonna’s Ezra Buck, Mabel-Canton’s Colton Heintz-Kuderer and Foley’s Elias Kobienia each had scores of 100.

It was just the second time since the tournament began in 2014 that the individual championship has been shared.

Randolph’s Cory Timm was third with 99 and a reverse run of 76, and Mabel-Canton’s Colton Heintz-Kuderer was fourth (99, reverse run of 14). With 98s, Albert Lea’s Cole Estes was fifth with a reverse run of 74, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg’s Hunter Wilts was sixth with a reverse run of 60, and Foley’s Hunter Olson was seventh with a reverse run of 51. Annandale’s Jake Mader rounded out the top with 98 and a reverse run of 37.

Team—the team competition stretched longer than expected, an occurrence that merely created more drama because of the tight chase for the state championship. Red Wing sat atop the team leaderboard for a couple of hours but had to wait with anxiousness as Tri-City United and Alden-Conger made serious late runs. In the end, two targets separated first from third place.

Red Wing, making its second state tournament appearance, claimed the championship with 484×500. Tri-City United was one target back at 483, and Alden-Conger was third with 482. All three schools were seeking their first clay target state championship.

Prior Lake finished fourth with 480, and New Prague, the 2019 champion and runnerup in 2018, was fifth with 479.

Scoring for Red Wing in the team competition were William Ahren, 98; Samuel DeLain, 97; Isaac Kosek, 97; Jacob Quade, 95; and Chloe Struss, 97.

Tri-City United, a co-op of Montgomery, Lonsdale and LeCenter, was making its fourth consecutive state tournament appearance dating to 2017. Scoring for the Titans were Preston Anderson, 94; Bryce Blaschko, 97; Lukas Dietz, 98; Jonathan Hurd, 95; and Wyley Petersen, 99. Alden-Conger, a perennial state tournament qualifier since 2016, had scoring from Mike Huper, 95; Ross Huper, 98; Dylan Kohler, 98; Ali-Jean Petersen, 94; and Caleb Songstad, 97.

There were 40 member schools that qualified for the team event. Congratulations to all of the high school competitors from the spring season.

The state individual shoot was held in Alexandria beginning June 13. Although the overall numbers were down somewhat this summer, a total of about 5,000 shooters participated.

The Cabela’s Shoot was held in Owatonna at the beginning of June with four days of decent weather. The turnout was somewhat smaller than in past years, but the shoot was a real success after not being able to be held last year.

Minnesota had a good representation at the Nebraska State Shoot the last weekend of June. Twenty-one Minnesotans were classified. I do not have a list of trophy winners available at the time I am writing this, but it looked like Gopher State shooters were well represented in the winner’s circle.

By the time you read this, our state shoot will be history, and for those of you who are able, you will be on your way to the Grand. In next month’s column I will try to give you a few highlights of the state shoot.

I can be reached at 507-456-2000 or at [email protected].

Paul T. Cyr

for ATA Delegate Randall Jones

Ohio

The Ohio State Shoot is in the books. It was a bittersweet state shoot, as we lost Jack Fishburn the week prior and it was the first state shoot without Ed Detty. Jack built a beautiful facility for all shooters to enjoy. He will truly be missed by everyone.

Congratulations to all who competed. Weather was good, except for a little rain on Friday. Congratulations to all the trophy winners and everyone who made the All Ohio team. I had the pleasure of shooting with Bill Hagerty, who shot at his 250,000th registered target at the state shoot which he broke (but he did miss No. 249,999). Congratulations, Bill!

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

Today is June 22, and I did a Garmin Xero S1 demo at the Eau Claire R&GC, only because a friend asked if I would. How could I say no to a morning with the Geezers (over 60 is the requirement age). Every Tuesday shooters get together to hang out, eat donuts and shoot for fun. Andy Arbs asked me to bring my demo Garmin so he could see his target path. At least a dozen shooters enjoyed the demo. This is what clubs are about—friends, friends and more friends hanging out.

The Wisconsin State Shoot is done by now, and the reports will be out soon. So for now I would like to report on the following shooters and their wins.

As much as I like to report winners from each shoot, I go through each one, and the Illinois shoot winners list does not have the states listed. Congratulations to the shooters who did attend and win.

Western Grand in Vernal UT, was first for me, and I shot pretty well. Talk about hosting a shoot for the shooters, well, Sean and Stacy Hawley do just that. There were only two shooters from Wisconsin, and I was one of them. I did win trophies in nine events. Please put this on your list of shoots for next year.

Now for the Oregon State Shoot: John Duwe was totally amazing to win trophies in seven events, including HAA and HOA senior vet category. Congrats to you, John.

Wisconsin zone shoots were on two separate weekends. The northwest zone had a good shoot with rain off and on. Northwest zone singles champion went to Matt Riffe, doubles winner was Gerald Demulling, and the handicap and HAA victor was Nick Johnson. Congratulations to all, and see the zone winners on the WTA website. I would like to congratulate Lou Milanesi for his first 100 straight in singles.

The northeast zone winners were George Hass, singles, doubles and all-around; and Brady Nyhuis, handicap. Congratulations to all who attended and won trophies.

I don’t have southeast zone results as of this due date.

See you all at the Grand American. Come and say hi in the Target Shotguns building. Let me know how you are shooting, as I would like to report your wins.

Be safe in your travels, help out at your local club, and remember to smile; I am.

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces. I have some good news to report this month from across Canada and the Atlantic Provinces.

The 2021 Canadian Trapshooting Championships (CTA 2021) satellite shoot has been rescheduled to Aug. 6-8. This date change was necessary to provide all provinces the best opportunity to host. The CTA 2021 format remains the same with a three-day, 700-target tournament hosted by 11 clubs in nine provinces. Finding an alternate date wasn’t an easy task, but these dates seem to work for the majority of host clubs and shooters. A complete list of host clubs, schedule of events, trophy schedule and shoot program are available on www.shootcanada.ca.

The 2021 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot is a go for Sept. 2-5 at the Highland GC in Yarmouth, NS. COVID-19 restrictions in the Atlantic Provinces are easing as a greater percentage of the population are receiving their COVID-19 vaccines. All four Atlantic Provinces have established reopening plans based on basic criteria, which include a percentage of the population with first and second vaccine doses and the current number of COVID-19 active cases.

Travel restrictions within the Atlantic Provinces have been removed, but travel into the Atlantic Provinces from the rest of Canada is still restricted. However, if the phased reopening plans stay on schedule, the Atlantic Provinces should be open to the rest of Canada well before our shoot date. The Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association and the Highland GC are looking forward to hosting and seeing all our friends again. Shoot updates, hotel rates, pre-squadding details and the latest shoot information can be found on www.shootatlantic.com.

In Newfoundland, the St. John’s R&GC has started work on Phase 3 of its trap improvement project. This year’s work will include replacing the trap walkways on two of their four fields. One walkway was replaced in 2020 and the remaining walkway is scheduled to be completed in 2022. The goal is to have all trap walkways replaced for when they host the 2022 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot.

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

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Hopefully by the time you read this, ammo is more readily available than it is right now. I am just getting back from the Pennsylvania State Shoot, and they were rationing it out by the event you were competing in that day. My MEC reloader has been working overtime this spring, cranking out my 16-yard ammo. I may have to research a handicap load soon if this ammo thing does not break.

The 2021 New Jersey State Shoot is history. As usual, the weather people forecasting gloom and doom for our first day, Thursday, caused our attendance to plummet by over 60 shooters. I guess the New Jersey shooters were scared by the weather that the Delaware State Shoot encountered the previous weekend. Our remaining three days saw attendance return to what we had last year.

Our 2021 New Jersey Hall of Fame inductee Marc Invidiato lived up to why he was chosen. Following a two-round shootoff, Marc secured the state singles championship with 198. He then went out the next day and won the doubles title with 97. Scott Kalnas had shot well all weekend and secured the handicap crown on Sunday, along with the HAA and HOA titles. Great shooting, guys. The full report on our state shoot is in this copy of Trap & Field.

Jeremy Liedtka (grandson of Herman), along with the Liedtka family, has been supplying the Herman Liedtka Perpetual Trophy, a gold pin, for the last 23 years. The pin is presented to the high New Jersey senior veteran in Sunday’s handicap.

Elections were held Sunday morning for state ATA Delegate and Alternate Delegate, Joe Sissano was reelected to the Delegate position, and Robert Malmstedt was reelected Alternate. Sam Osterhoudt will fill out the remainder of Paul Dimeglio’s presidency since Paul had to resign due to health issues. There were no volunteers to fill the first vice president, second vice president and secretary positions, so if you are a New Jersey resident and would like to be considered, please write me at the address at the end of this article.

The Delaware State Shoot was held at Pine Belt SC the weekend before our New Jersey State Shoot, May 28-31. As mentioned earlier, rains troubled their state shoot for the second year in a row. Leading the trophy wins for New Jersey were David E. Brown Jr. with five; Keith Barton with four; Robert Jarvis, Scott Kalnas, Bruce Kelly, Malmstedt and Sissano with three; Robert Battista, Bruce Kelly, Angelina Moir, Gene Moir Jr. and Zac Cucunato with two; and Vic Savoia, Richard Batesko, Mark Cooper, David E. Brown Sr., Gil Dinallo, Robert Cucunato, Jack Godwin, Dan Brandreth, Ray Padovani, Carlos Gomes, Jeff Whalen, Rich Mueller, Tony Pietrofitta, Chris Burn, David Snyder, Justin Malone, Tom Clarke, Jack Martin, Robert Bishop and George Wright with one each.

The Pennsylvania State Shoot was next up, starting with the Colonial Classic and then their state shoot the following Monday. Eighty-one shooters from New Jersey were in attendance, and a number of trophies crossed back over the Delaware River into the Garden State. In Event 9, Robert Jarvis took all the marbles by shooting a 98 in the handicap. Brown, a sub-junior, led the trophy count with nine; right behind him was junior Angelina Moir with seven; Robert Jarvis with four; Keith Barton, Tom Clarke, Thomas Green Sr., and Bruce Kelly with two; and Robert Cucunato, Raymond Dirisio, Frederick Dyer, Isaac Mansoura, Gene Moir Jr., Ray Padovani, Michael Stevenson, James Shire and George Wright all won one.

Michael Stevenson broke his first 100 in singles during the Pennsylvania shoot. Nice going, Mike.

Our 2021 New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held June 5 at 4 p.m. Abram Suydam Sr.’s grandson Ryck Suydam was on hand to accept the trophy and say a few words about his granddad. Dennis Hart was the speaker for Marc Invidiato. Marc brought a sign language person to translate his signing into words for us. Pine Belt hosted the event in their clubhouse and supplied the cake, water and incidentals following the ceremony.

This year, besides the NJSTA paying half price for all sub-juniors and juniors in NJSTA-sponsored shoots, Pine Belt stepped up and paid the balance of the costs for all sub-juniors and juniors in Events 7, 8 and 9. What a great gesture for both organizations to promote youth trapshooting here.

Pine Belt will be holding the Poor Man’s Grand Aug. 14-15, Jersey Devil Classic Aug. 21-22, and their Club Shoot Aug. 28-29. North Jersey CTC is having their Memorial Shoot Aug. 15. Pine Valley will be holding their Club Shoot Sept. 4-5, with the Lady Bird Shoot on Monday, the 6th. Do not forget our 2022 northern zone shoot will be held Sept. 24-26 at the North Jersey CTC in Fairfield. A satellite shoot will be held at Pine Valley Sept. 25-26 only.

On a sad note, I am sorry to report the passing of New Jersey Hall of Fame inductee Eugene Salomon Sr. on June 11; he was 84. He was a lifelong resident of Farmingdale. Gene was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825. He enjoyed a 30-year career operating cranes. He served in the New Jersey Army National Guard and was a lifelong outdoorsman, hunter and shooting sports business owner. He was the founder of the Farmingdale GC, which still resides at the Yellowbrook Road location adjoining his home and business. In 1964 he started his state and federally licensed gun business, selling firearms, ammunition and reloading supplies. When I started registered shooting back in 1968, Gene would travel up to the North Jersey GC in Fairfield in his red Diamond Reo Truck selling ammo, wads, powder, primers and lead to shooters eagerly circling his truck. He was inducted into the New Jersey Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 2013 for his shooting accomplishments and his contributions in promoting trapshooting here in New Jersey. Gene registered 122,850 singles, 80,375 handicap and 40,850 doubles targets. He was predeceased by his wife Jennie and his brother Hans Salomon. He is survived by his son Eugene H. Salomon Jr. and wife Heather of Wall Township, a daughter Hope Kampf and husband Mathew of Tennessee, and three grandchildren. Donations in memory of Gene may be made to Joshua House, 42 Main St., Farmingdale, NJ 07727.

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

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

Greetings to everyone. I am wishing everyone good health, wellness and happiness. I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and shooting plenty of targets.

The New York state eastern zone shoot was held May 1-2. The tournament was a telephonic shoot and held at Whortlekill GC and Peconic River SC. The singles champion was Sal Di Tomasso with a score of 193, and the runnerup was Sal Papasidero with 191. Vincent Barranco was the doubles champion with 89, and Carmine Pizzirusso was runnerup with 86. George Olsen took the handicap championship with 94, and Joe D. Giordano was runnerup with 91. In the all-around, Barranco was champion with 359×400, and John Perto was runnerup with 358. Between both clubs, a total of 26,900 targets were thrown. All trophy winners can be viewed on our webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

The New York state central zone shoot was held June 5-6 and was hosted by Pompey R&GC. Singles champion was Tim Corrente with 195, and the runnerup was Terry Zimmer with 193. Urban Womer was the doubles champion with 96, and the runnerup was Mike Rice with 94. Jeffrey Frasier took handicap champion with 96, and the runnerup was Rich Bobbett, also with 96. The all-around champion was Dave Corrente with 371×400, and Bradley Heath was runnerup with 370. A total of 23,000 targets were thrown for the tournament. All trophy winners can be viewed on our webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

The New York state western zone shoot was held June 12-13 at Allied SC of western New York. A total of 24,000 targets were thrown. Singles champion was Mike Manzo with 196, and the runnerup was Casey Luttrell with 195. In the doubles, Don Alderson was champion with 97, and Joel Winters was runnerup with 97. Todd Hosbach took the handicap with 96, and Gary McKeown was runnerup with 93. The all-around winner was Don Alderson with 384×400, and Todd Hosbach took runnerup with 376. All trophy winners can be viewed on our webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

Congratulations to New York State Alternate Delegate Travis Dann for shooting at his 50,000th ATA singles target. Travis accomplished this on May 20 during the Empire Grand American at our homegrounds in Cicero. Good going.

The Pennsylvania State Shoot was held at the PSSA Homegrounds in Elysburg June 12-20. A total of 216 New York shooters made the trip. Trophy winners from New York were: Salvatore Schiavo, Justin Slater, David McMasters, Vitalino Vaz, Michael Waschitz, James Flint, Michael Fox Jr., Heidi Womer, Urban Womer, Tammy Wildenstein, Chase Wojtanik, Curtis Robbins, Alexcis Coningsby, Andrew Baker, Becki Logan, Alfred Santos, William French, William Kutch, Thom Gebler, Jeffrey Frasier, Jenna Euscher, Buck Herman, Dexter Pratt, David Gonyeau, Salvatore Papasidero, Thomas Lamonica, John Preto, Owen Wagner, Fred Maliszewski, Angelo Aragona, Donald Alderson, William Wallis, Lloyd Patti, Robert Edwards, Tomasso Schiavo, Robert Rutter, Jack Mansoura, Paul Rapoli, James Kelly, Carmine Pizzirusso, Donald Grossman, Cliff Haaf, Keith Miranda, Deborah Bell, Bradley Heath, James Smiley Sr., Mary Snyder, Laura Foote and Debbie Lineman. All trophy winners can be viewed on Bob Stuart’s webpage www.rjstuart.com and also in Trap & Field.

Hopefully many shooters will be attending the Grand American in Sparta, IL, this year. The tournament is the Super Bowl of our sport. If you are traveling to the Grand, please proceed safely. I hope everyone has a great time. I know that I will.

If anyone would like to have something written in one of these articles, please contact me at [email protected] or phone me at 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. At the time I write this article in late June, the Canada/U.S. border remains closed both ways for non-essential travel—closed until July 21, but subject to extensions. On that note, we have had extensions for over a year.

If we Ontario shooters can get out of our lockdown, many of us will be at competitions south of the border with bells on. It’s been a very long time, and just to get to a major competition and shoot targets will be a blessing.

We are unlikely to be competitive—some of us haven’t even practiced for a year-and-a-half—but we want to be with our friends. I hope to see you shortly.

Paul Shaw

ATA President

Pennsylvania

It always seems as if the Pennsylvania State Shoot takes forever to arrive, but alas, here we are in August with the Grand American upon us, and the state shoot is history for 2021. The singles title was won by Donald Schaffer Jr. in a three-way shootoff of 199s with Matthew Rebuck and Ian Recla. Don also captured the all-around title with his 395 total on the championship targets. Cody Davis won the doubles crown outright with the lone in-state 100. Ian Darroch added the handicap title with a lone 98 as well as the HOA with his 1,068 total over the course of five days. Congratulations on earning your state titles! Be sure to look for the full report in Trap & Field.

Attendance this year was up overall by 435 (4.40%) shooters as compared to last year, with 10,331 total entries for the week. Championship events were up 26 (1.23%) shooters with a total of 2,142 for the final weekend. This earned the shoot an All-American Competition Factor of 6. Always a busy week, and it all started with the PSSA hosting the SCTP and AIM championships on Saturday and Sunday. The PSSA Hall of Fame sponsored the fourth annual Nostalgia Shoot on Wednesday, which brought out many shooters in their throwback outfits with vintage firearms. The Krieghoff Challenge on Friday was won by Mark Ferdinand from Drums, PA, as he bested 226 eligible shooters to win his new K-80 combo.

The PSSA Hall of Fame had their annual meeting on Saturday evening. The 2021 PA state teams were recognized as well as having Trapshooter of the Year Wesley Beaver and Hall of Fame enshrinee Ralph Challingsworth inducted for their 2020 and lifetime accomplishments, respectively. Congratulations to both gentlemen.

The PSSA annual meeting was held Sunday morning. There was only one contested office with this year’s elections, which ended up in a tie on the first round of balloting. A second round decided the outcome for the office of secretary. The officers and Delegates for 2021/2022 are Ken Darroch, president; Larry Shade, vice president; Bert Schoonover, treasurer; Zachary Eshbach, secretary; Brian James, ATA Delegate; Don Neilson Jr., First Alternate Delegate; and Steve Ross Jr., Second Alternate Delegate.

Pennsylvania had 69 shooters attend the Buckeye Classic in Ohio prior to the PA State Shoot, and 11 of those shooters earned 18 awards during the week. Leading the PA contingent were Ian Darroch (four) with the Doubles Championship and HAA titles and Joel Etchen (five) with his category HAA championship. Other PA winners were Brian Kerlin, Donna Natcher, Scott Currie, Eric Buse, Ken Darroch, James Johnston, David Fish, Jaxon Gray and Alex Ohr, who earned his class HAA award. Congratulations to all!

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate