Alberta Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

The Petitcodiac SC completed their winter league on April 30. Paul Devereaux edged out Danny Boudreau for the top singles average score by one target, while Boudreau claimed doubles and high-over-all honors. The Petitcodiac SC also hosted the Atlantic Province’s first ATA registered shoot for the 2022 season on May 7.

If you are looking to shoot ATA registered targets this summer, there are plenty of shoots scheduled in the Atlantic Provinces. You can find the complete schedule on www.shootatlantic.com. A club contact list is also available under the Club Centre section of our webpage.

Shooters at the St. John’s R&GC have started Phase 4 of their Trap Improvement Project. This final phase of a very ambitious multi-year improvement project will involve replacing the concrete trap walkways on the club’s oldest trapfield that were originally placed in 1975. The club will have the work completed in time for when they host this year’s Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot Sept. 1-4.

The 2022 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot is shaping up to be another well-attended tournament. In addition to resident shooters from across the four Atlantic Provinces, shooters from British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario have already confirmed their attendance. All are making the most of their visit to Newfoundland and Labrador and are planning an extended vacation to explore our beautiful part of the world.

Pre-squadding for this year’s ATA Provincial Shoot opens July 1. Please do your part and help shoot management reduce on-site registration line-ups by pre-squadding. It also helps shoot management get an indication of attendance and better prepare for club-served lunches and the shooter social. If you are attending and need ammunition, check the shoot program that is available on www.shootatlantic.com for ammunition ordering details. All orders must be placed by July 31 to ensure delivery in time for the shoot. If you are traveling to the shoot and are having difficulties finding a rental car, please contact me. Carpooling options exist, and we may just be able to find you a car to use.

The 2022 Canadian Trapshooting Championships will be underway when readers start receiving this month’s Trap & Field. Visit www.shootcanada.ca and check out the CTA Scoreboard for live scores and event results.

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, Memorial Day is a few days away, as I write this, and the Delaware State Shoot will be kicking off registered shooting here in the Middle Atlantic states May 27. The New Jersey State Shoot will be starting in a few days after Memorial Day, on June 2. There’s a choice that weekend; you could either go to New Jersey or the Rhode Island State Shoot, which starts June 3 . Then it’s on to the Colonial Classic in Elysburg, followed by the Pennsylvania State Shoot, ending on Father’s Day, then on to either Connecticut or Maryland to finish off the month of June. Plenty of All-American points are up for grabs.

The New Jersey southern zone was held April 29-May 1 at the Pine Valley GC in Pine Hill. Fifty-nine shooters took part in Saturday’s Singles Championship, with Robert Jarvis getting the win with 198. Sunday’s handicap had 58 shooters, with Patrick Shulack Jr. landing high-gun honors with 95. Fifty-two shooters took part in the Doubles Championship, and Scott Kalnas earned the top trophy with 93. A full write-up with pictures of the winners will be in a future article in Trap & Field.

The Pine Valley Youth Shoot was held May 7. The weather was cold, windy and raining throughout the day. Several teams scheduled to participate withdrew because of the weather. Ricky Marshall was on hand to answer question and hand out trophies to the winners. There will be a separate write-up in Trap & Field.

Forty-seven New Jersey shooters went to the Keystone in Elysburg May 13-15. Ray Padovani led the trophy winners with three, followed by Marc Invidiato with two, and Robert Long, Emily Malone, Tom Clarke, George Wright and Bob Jarvis with one.

NJSTA will be holding the Garden State Grand July 15-17 at the Pine Belt SC in Shamong.

Joe Sissano

ATA Eastern Zone Vice President

New York

Greetings from New York State. I hope everyone is shooting well during the nice weather. Hopefully the good weather will continue.

Some achievements for New York shooters for target attainment must be recognized. Jim Woodhams has registered 25,000 doubles targets, while Keith Miranda has fired at 50,000 doubles targets. Stanley Bezubek has registered 100,000 handicap birds. Finally Chad Landon has reached a combined total of 100,000 registered targets. Excellent! Please keep these totals increasing.

The Empire Grand American was held at our homegrounds in Cicero May 18-22. The weather was excellent for most of the shoot. Unfortunately the tournament was down for attendance. I believe that it was because of inflation, availability and cost of shells, higher target costs, and the cost of gasoline and diesel. The shoot was a Competition Factor 3 for All-American points.

Mike Blaisdell was the singles victor with 199 and a shootoff over runnerup Justin Slater. Joseph Breck IV was the doubles champion with 97, and the runnerup was Chad Landon with 96. Jason Marshall was the handicap champion with 97, and the runnerup was Herbert Lewis, also with 97. Finally Herbert Lewis was the all-around winner with 387, and the high-over-all champion was Mike Blaisdell with 953. All trophy winners can be viewed on the New York State ATA webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine.

The officers and board of directors of the New York State ATA wants to thank all those who helped and worked. It is very much appreciated. Thanks.

Next up at the homegrounds will be the New York State Shoot July 5-10. After that, the New York State ATA will host the ATA Eastern Zone Shoot July 21-24. We all hope you plan to attend.

The New York state eastern zone shoot was held April 30-May 1. The shoot was a telephonic tournament at Whortlekill R&GC and Peconic River SC. The singles winner was Sal DiTomasso with 194, and the runnerup was John Preto with 191. Paul Sommella was the doubles winner with 92, and Vince Barranco was the runnerup with 87. Cono Natale was the handicap winner with 94, and Simon Grech was the runnerup with 93. Finally high-over-all winner was Keith Miranda with 370, and Cono Natale was the runnerup with 366. All trophy winners can be viewed on the New York State ATA webpage: www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine. Congratulations must be given to all trophy winners.

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. May God bless you all.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

As I write this article in late May, trapshooting in Ontario and for most of our eastern states and provinces is starting to ramp up. Several Ontario shooters, including myself, drove across the border for the Empire Grand tournament at the New York State homegrounds at Bridgeport, north of Syracuse. Delegate David Cichelli and the NYSATA team have done a lot of work improving the grounds. I remember competing at this facility in springs gone by, standing in water on the shooting stations. Drainage work has fixed the problem. A well-run event.

Now for the bad news—the participation numbers were down, taking this from a Competition Factor 4 shoot, as it was in 2021, to a 3 point shoot. What that means is that the entries in the championship singles, handicap and doubles were less than the 601 required for a Competition Factor 4. Numbers I am told are generally down across the board. Why? There appears to be several factors: scarcity of ammunition, the high price of gas and other inflationary costs. Nevertheless, it was good to reconnect with so many friends in the trapshooting community.

The first time I ever attended this facility many years ago I shot on a squad with Michael Latocha. Michael recently lost his wife and could only attend for one day. He joined our squad, and it was great to see him again.

He shared an experience that most people, especially pet owners, will find amazing. Coyotes are prevalent in many areas, including Collingwood and surrounding communities. They often hunt in packs and appear less and less timid about entering urban areas looking for meals. Michael told us that his five-year-old small to midsize dog was let outside. Somewhat later the dog returned bleeding from the neck and shoulder area. It was taken to the vet for examination. The veterinarian said that there were puncture holes caused by a coyote. Pets almost never survive a coyote attack. The strong jaws of a coyote make it virtually impossible for the dog victim to escape. Sometimes nothing is found, sometimes just a collar. So what made this coyote drop its victim? The clue came with the doggy’s collar. It had a coyote tooth puncture right through it. When the coyote was escaping with its meal in its mouth, the invisible fencing had to be crossed. This would cause a ”shock” through the collar and obviously surprised the coyote just long enough to open its mouth and the little dog escaped. Lucky doggy.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Pennsylvania

May started off a busy shooting month with the Pennsylvania east and west zone shoots May 7-8. The west zone was hosted by Bradford GC, which saw weather play a factor in attendance. Rain and wind for the weekend was in store for shooters on Saturday, but 49 shooters braved the elements, with Brandon Deal being crowned singles champion with 191. Sunday was a bit drier but still windy. The Doubles Championship (35) was won by Gary Orr with 93, and the Handicap Championship (42) went to Katelyn Dunn with a field-high 92. Brandon Deal also ended with the top HAA trophy with 363.

In the east, much of the same on Saturday at the Valley G&CC. Brady Evans earned the top singles award (29) with 191. Sunday turned out to be a much nicer day for shooting, as the Doubles Championship (100) was won by Ryan Ramsay with 96, and Wesley Beaver was high in the Handicap Championship (114) with 94. Joseph Breck IV took the HAA with 362.

The following week was the Keystone Open at the PSSA homegrounds. Friday was beautiful, Saturday was sketchy, and Sunday was another fine shooting day. Overall, attendance was down 17% compared to last year with total entries at 2,548. Championship events were down 19% at 1,138 with both numbers affected by Saturday’s downturn by about 25%. The Keystone qualified for an All-American point factor of 5. Congratulations go out to the event winners from the Keystone Open: singles, Randy Parson, 200; doubles, Ken Darroch, 99; handicap, Wesley Beaver, 98; and HAA and HOA, Ian Darroch, 392 and 774.

Next up was the Empire Grand in New York. We had 29 shooters representing Pennsylvania, with 14 of them bringing home 39 awards. Breck (nine) had a monster week, winning three individual doubles events, including the championship to go along with his category HOA win. Sheldon Hostetter (six) took category HAA and HOA trophies, while Nicole Hood (three) and Jonathan Hannahoe (two) earned class HOA awards, and Caitline Bonser (three) class HAA. Other PA winners include Frank Pascoe (four), Phyllis Rought (two), Brad Hitchcock, Kim Shefter, Martin Reed, Brian Snyder, Travis Foose, Brandon Hood (three) and Evan Wirth (two). Congratulations to all!

Sadly we lost another PSSA Hall of Fame member last week. Longtime PSSA line supervisor David Dyer passed away May 19. Dave was instrumental in the PSSA for more than 50 years, as he helped train line personnel, served as line supervisor and did so much for the PSSA and Valley G&CC over that time. Always happy and engaging with everyone he met, he has been missed since his retirement and even more so now. Condolences go out to the family and friends of Dave.

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

I hope this finds y’all well and safe!

The 2022 Alabama State Shoot is in the record book, and you can check out the results in an upcoming issue of Trap & Field. I would like to thank Tim Hall, Terry Edmonds, Bill Wilbourne, Bill Parson and others for all the hard work and time to make it run as smoothly as possible.

The ATA Southern Zone Shoot will be held July 14-17 at one of these three locations: Central Kentucky GC in Berea, North Carolina Homegrounds in Bostic and Silver Dollar SC in Odessa, FL.

Joke of the month: The airline ticket office was crowded with holiday travelers, and its two clerks were having trouble trying to squeeze them into available flight space. Most of the travelers accepted the necessary delay without complaint, but there was one small, strident-voiced man who reacted violently.

He loudly criticized the airline’s lack of planes, its management and the clerk’s method of working. He demanded immediate accommodations and snorted when the clerk quietly explained that he would be given the first available seat on a later flight.

Fixing the clerk with a stern look, he demanded, “Young man, do you know who I am?”

The clerk turned to his coworker. “Donna, here’s a man who really needs help,” he said in a tone of concern. “ He’s forgotten his name!”

Word of the month: Cheer: A piece of furniture used for sitting. “Pull up a cheer and sit a spell.”

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

Florida

Hello, all, from the most Southern, Northern State!

It was another exciting month.

Jimmy P update: Jimmy is really trying, but he is still not comfortable shooting for score. He is still stuck on 98,850 singles targets. Maybe next month (see May issue for back story).

Old business: We have just completed the FTA Spring Shoot, and it was perfect weather, but you can tell summer is just about here. The weather was in the upper 80s, and you are not going to believe this . . . no wind! No wind at the Dollar is like saying Chicago is not the Windy City, right? All but three snowbirds have flown the coop, and we thank them for participating in the Spring Shoot.

This shoot was dominated by the youth, similar to the Florida State Shoot. Cody Meredith (sub-junior) was big dog! He ran his first 50 and 75 straight, and it was in handicap. He led all with a 98 and was winner. (Event 2) Cody was also D class HAA and HOA winner. Hunter Machovina (sub-junior) did some battling of his own and posted 191 on Saturday, running his first 25 straight and winning his category. Stetson Lee was Saturday’s (JR) winner with his own 191. The list is too long to mention all of their winnings.

As always the “Great One” Kay Ohye was HAA and HOA winner. I am very fortunate to be able to watch him shoot, even at over 80 years of age. (Kay, not me)

HOA winners: winner, Ohye; AA, Jack Schumpert; A, Lew Carns; B, Gary French; C, Mike Reynolds; D, Cody Meredith.

HAA winners: winner, Ohye, AA; Lewis Laroche Sr.; A, Carns; B, Mike Cieslik; C, Butch Romania; D, Meredith.

Event 1 singles: winner, Schumpert; A, Jim Cummings; B, French; C, Richard Mottola; D, John Kidd; Lady I, Kate Stone; Lady II, Sarah Jacobs; sub-junior, Cody Meredith; junior, Stetson Lee; veteran, Mike Reynolds; senior vet, Kenny Sippel.

Event 2 handicap: winner, Meredith, runnerup, Carns, third, Mottola; fourth, James Smith; fifth, Cieslik; Lady I, Stone; Lady II, Sarah Jacobs; sub-junior, Hunter Machovina; junior, Lee; veteran, Patrick Larsen; senior vet, Dennis Delorenzo.

Singles Championship: winner, Cummings; runnerup, Chris Molina; AA, Jake Jacobs; A, Gary French; B, Jim Godez; C, Claudio Ronchi; D, William Pritchard; Lady II, Charlene Muzzey; sub-junior, Machovina; junior, Lee; veteran, Laroche; senior vet, Kenny Sippel.

Doubles Championship: winner, Ohye; runnerup, Cieslik; A, Mark Fruechte; B, Schumpert; C, Chris Molina; D, Jorge Solares; Lady I, Stone, Lady II, Alberta Brooks; sub-junior, Meredith; junior, Lee; veteran, Laroche; senior vet, Butch Romania.

Congrats to all of the above!

New business: ATA Southern Zone is coming up July 14-17. Please attend this shoot! We need all the help we can get to kick some of our neighboring states’ butts! We are tired of being whooped!

Volusia S&T is getting their entrance paved! That is a good thing (I bought a four-wheeler just so not to get my truck dirty).

Milestones: Let’s give a congrats to the target shooting animals listed below: Ralph Jensen, 250,000 (combined) and 75,000 doubles, and Scot Somero, 100,000 combined.

Another congratulations is in order for our newest inductees into the Florida Trapshooters Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Diane Foster and John Farina. Well deserved!

Palatka S&T: We have a “new: old gun club back with the FTA. Mark Hall has really worked hard on the club to get it in tip-top shape for ATA shoots. Thanks, Mark, for getting it back.

Please check schedules for shoots and help us support the club.

Rumor: Palatka is adding a second trap. I’ll keep you posted.

New club: Skyway T&S. We have another “new” old gun club coming back to the FTA. Joe Fett and the Skyway GC are rejoining the FTA. Please contact Joe for shoot dates (skywaytrapnskeet.com/contact). I have heard good, old stories about this place. I’ll try in another article to post some history.

A special thanks: I and others would like to give a special thank you to Denise (Dee Dee) Reynolds for her three years of service as the FTA secretary-treasurer. She did an outstanding job and will be missed. Good news for her, she is finally getting to shoot again and will be able to travel.

Thoughts: The Florida Trapshooters Association is an organization that all Florida shooters are a part of. The organization in one form or another has been around for more than a hundred years. Members, please learn about the workings of the organization. Please read the bylaws (found at floridatrap.com/fta-by-laws). Ask ex officers for a rundown on how the business works. You may be called upon to serve or have ideas to better the FTA. Don’t be shy.

I will try to keep all of you informed and entertained with what’s going on in Florida. I want to especially recognize shooters and clubs.

My e-mail is [email protected].

Thanks for the opportunity to serve.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

Winter is over, and trapshooting is again the “thing to do” in many parts of the state. To start, the first thing that is noteworthy is that Kevin (Tank) Polson achieved the Holy Grail of trapshooting, his ATA Grand Slam at the Cumberland Co. SC this month. His 100 handicap targets at 27 yards was his last leg for this grand achievement. Congratulations, Kevin.

Other notable shoots this month include the Georgia State Shoot, where four Kentucky trapshooters did well enough to win or place second in their category’s HOA. Michael Castle won the HOA for the entire shoot, with Polson finishing second in su-vet. Finishing second in the sub-junior category was Mason Johnson, and Martha Humphrey won HOA in Lady II.

The next shoot was the South Carolina State Shoot, where four Kentuckians finished in the No. 2, 5, 6 and 7 slots in the HOA. John Kerr was No. 2; Polson finished fifth; Robert Dyer sixth and Castle seventh. Gerald Shockley and Humphrey also finished high in their categories.

Next was the Missouri State Shoot, where Keith Ditto and Polson finished in the top seven of the HOA. Trey Wilburn, Jack Futch, Chuck Minyard, Donald Isham and Royce White all shot extremely well and represented Kentucky well, as usual.

In other news, The Kentucky High School Trap League just finished their five-week season, with 18 high schools participating. There were several new schools participating after the devastating COVID shutdown. There were three conferences. In Conference 1A, Brayden Stewart and Caleb Lippert from Carrol County tied for No. 1 with 24×25 average. Jaxon Rees was No. 2 from Bracken Co. High School. Bracken Co. High School was first in Conference with Estill Co. High School second.

In Conference 2A, Spencer Co. High School finished first with Rowan Co. High School second. Caleb Wilburn from Spencer Co. High School finished No. 1 with a 24.3 average. Evan Roger from Todd Co. High School was No. 2, and Dawson Jasper from Southwestern High School close behind. In Conference 2A female, a young lady from Muhlenburg Co. High School led all shooters in the Kentucky High School Trap League this season. Caroline Hope posed a league high 24.8 average for the season. Caroline was followed by Bella Milburn from Spencer Co. High Schol with a 24.3 average, and Lena Day from Scott Co. High School finished third.

Conference 3A was led by McCracken Co. High School followed by Jessamine Co. High School. Tanner Gunn from Jessamine Co. High School led the boys and the state with a 24.7 average followed by Drake Reynolds (24.7) and Tyler Chandler (24.3), both from McCracken Co. High School. 3A girls were led by Hannah Ironmonger (24.2) from Jessamine Co. High School. Hannah was followed closely by two young ladies from McCracken Co. High School: Ashley McDowell, 23.3, and Anna Helm, 21.9.

The state tournament for the High School Trap League will be held June 11 at the Central Kentucky GC. We certainly wish all the competitors the best of luck.

The Kentucky State Shoot will be held at the homegrounds of the KTL, Central Kentucky GC, June 27-July 3. We certainly encourage all trapshooters to come enjoy and participate in the shoot. This year we will be celebrating the induction of Steve Everly and Doug Cox into the prestigious Kentucky Trapshooters Hall of Fame. Please come help us celebrate and honor these two outstanding gentlemen and trapshooters.

Until then, stay healthy, shoot as often as you can, and we hope to see you soon on the trapline. If you have news you wish to share with your fellow trapshooters, please e-mail me at [email protected] or call 270-227-2262.

Vernon R. Anderson

KTL Board Member

Mississippi

Summer is here, and it is officially hot. What a great time for trapshooting! Down here in Mississippi we are all revved up following the Mississippi State Trapshoot held over Memorial Day weekend. The boys and girls at Capitol GC put on a great shoot for us, and a great time was had by all. Much of the credit goes to Bill Burke for his work on the computer and the tough job of administering the shoot. Then there was Will McCarty and his organizational prowess that kept us all on the straight and narrow path, making sure all the nitty gritty details were addressed. A well-deserved thanks also goes to our sponsors and vendors who added a finishing touch to a great weekend of trapshooting. Last but not least, our thanks also go to the Louisiana Trapshooting Association for the loan of their computers on which the shoot was processed. We’re back at Capitol in 2023, so make sure your calendars include us for another rendition of deep South trapshooting at its finest.

The month of July is also a good month for trapshooting in Mississippi. Capitol GC will again host the Rebel Trapshoot, a premier shoot well-known throughout the Southern states. It’s a 600-target, two-day shoot held over the weekend of July 16-17. Come on down and join us for a good weekend, some good targets and some down home Southern hospitality.

As for monthly shoots, don’t forget the third Saturdays of the month on the Mississippi Gulf Coast at Coast R&PC and the first Saturdays of the month at Capitol GC. Both these venues have been throwing trap targets for many years, and both are home to some dyed-in-the-wool trappers who would like nothing better than for you to join with them in the sport we all love.

Going to the Grand this year? Well, it’s that time again. We hope to see as many of you as can come this year and hope you bring your “A” game along.

As always, happy trappin’!

Jerry Tharp

ATA Delegate

North Carolina

Miracle of miracles, it stopped raining! Golly, we’ve had a wet spring and not very warm either! The good news is we got through the NC Hall of Fame Shoot at the end of April with as decent attendance and enough ammo to keep everyone shooting.

By the time you read this it will be time for the ATA Southern Zone Shoot at the homegrounds in Bostic again. We will have ammo for the shoot . . . maybe not every brand and type, but definitely Light 1  1/8 oz. #8 and Heavy 3 dram #7 1/2s. So come and shoot with us at our wonderful facility!

The Dixie Grand American is coming Sept. 27-Oct. 2. You can pre-squad early on presquad.com, and for most shooters, you will be classified ahead of time to save you time and the lines at classification.

Fred Redmon has been updating our nctrap.com website very regularly. Club scores and winners are on there for most, if not all, reported shoots in NC. I’d like to thank the folks in South Carolina for one of the best-run state shoots ever this past May. Lots of hard work provided excellent targets and a good banquet.

That’s all for now. I look forward to seeing you at Bostic for the state shoot and the ATA Southern Zone! If you have questions or need help with ATA issues, you can contact me at [email protected]. Thanks for reading!

Bob Schultz

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Our state shoot was a great success. The weather was great, although windy. One thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon caught the last squad with four targets remaining. The only downside was attendance was down 15 to 20%, about the same as we were up last year. Figure that we were up last year due to the “COVID escape.” This year we were hurt by lack of shells. I had several people at the Georgia State Shoot ask if we could provide shells. Unfortunately no, so we lost shooters.

Thanks to all you shooters who supported us.

This was the best group of scorers that we’ve had since “Drew’s crew”. Thank you, scorers from Kentucky, New York and Virginia, and kudos to Teresa for putting together this group.

We have a good group in the achievement department: Neal Alexander with 100,000 handicap, and by the way Neal attended his 50th state shoot this year. Frank Ketron reached 100,000 singles. Kenny Inman fired at his 50,000th doubles target. George Powell achieved 25,000 doubles.

We have some new board members, Terri Campbell has taken over as secretary from Tammie Wilkins. We all need to thank Tammie for her years of service; she was an excellent secretary. Phil Bagwell will take over the void left by Scott Pace’s passing as upstate director. Bill Ward will take over Tyler Morris’ spot as low state director.

Many thanks to all the board members who volunteer their time and efforts to keep our association going. Also many thanks to the non-board members who covered the holes and hot spots that always jump up to bite you at a state shoot.

See you at the Zone Shoot.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

There’s plenty of places to shoot in July to get your target requirements in for the Grand. We have the final three state shoots as well as the Zone Shoot a week later: Kentucky, June 29-July 3, Central Kentucky GC, Berea; Virginia, June 29-July 3, VA Homegrounds-Winchester GC, Stephenson; West Virginia, July 6-10, VA Homegrounds-Winchester GC, Stephenson, VA; ATA Southern Zone, July 14-17, Central Kentucky GC, Berea; North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic; Silver Dollar SC, Odessa, FL; AIM National Championships, July 29-Aug. 2, WSRC, Sparta, IL.

Tennessee had 21 shooters attend the recent South Carolina State Shoot. Those bringing trophies home were Colton Phillips, Anthony Browder, Tyler Honnold, Tricia Yocum, Richie Bolin, Greg Yocum, Mark Cantrell, Mike Burnette, Herman Chandley, Gabe Johnson and Rick Sweeney.

The following week, 10 shooters went to the Missouri State Shoot, with Lucas Davis, Emma Mathews, Walt West and Riley Bellomy winning trophies.

Read the rulebook, please.

For more info, visit our website at shootatatn.com. You can reach me at [email protected].

Billy Cook

ATA Southern Zone Vice President

Missouri

The 2022 Missouri State Shoot is in the history books. Thanks to everyone who attended and especially those who braved the rainy weather on Saturday that wasn’t nearly as bad as forecasted. It was so bad that five shooters broke all 200 of the singles on Saturday, with many more just a few short of that. Congratulations to Patrick Hopson on winning the Singles Championship after two shootoff rounds over Zach Nannini and Todd Albers, who broke his first 200. Non-resident shooters Ian Lawrence and Michael Gooch, both with 200 in the singles, decided the winner via coin flip, with Ian taking the prize. Sunday brought a little cooler and drier weather, with two Missouri shooters tied with 99 in the doubles. James Boswell and Hopson went to the line, and after two shootoff rounds, James secured the championship and Patrick took runnerup. The wind picked up a little just in time for the handicap, with two Missouri shooters tied with 95s, Bob Glatz and Brody Knorr. Bob took the title after one shootoff round. Missouri shooter Kent Frost completed his ATA Grand Slam in Wednesday’s handicap with 100 from the 27-yard line. Congratulations, Kent. Former Missouri shooter and our own ATA Executive Director Lynn Gipson registered his 75,000th handicap target during the Bob Graf Handicap on Friday. Congratulations to all of the trophy winners at this year’s shoot.

Thanks to Skip Klinger and all of the MTA staff for another well-run shoot with a few challenges this year to overcome. Shooters, please be mindful of the help situation these days. Unfortunately there are going to be inexperienced scorekeepers on the job. I know everyone wants to have their scores properly recorded, and, trust me, the management is doing all they can to provide the shooters with competent scorekeepers. Sitting in the scorer’s chair all day long is not nearly as easy of a job as some may think; if you don’t believe me, give it a try.

Thank you, Missouri shooters, for your confidence in me as your ATA Delegate for another year. I will continue to do my best to serve as your voice to the ATA. If anyone has anything they would like to have reported or any concerns, please contact me at 816-863-9003 or [email protected].

2 Thessalonians 3:13 NKJV—But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

This month’s article will be a little different from previous months. I will not be highlighting shoot results from around Oklahoma. There were many targets thrown in the month of May; almost too many results to keep up with, a great problem to have. In addition, those results are readily available near-real time on various social media outlets and/or on the gun club’s website. Instead, this month I want to highlight the work of the all the volunteers who support trapshooting across the great state of Oklahoma.

Every shooter, young and old, who steps up to the firing line, please thank and show appreciation for those individuals who make the Big 50s, derbies, 100-target events, fun shoots or practice time happen. All of the clubs across Oklahoma operate because of the countless hours by a few dedicated volunteers. If you are not already volunteering your time at your club, please contact them and ask about volunteering. I think it is safe to assume that a club will not turn away helping hands.

Shout-out to Billy Pierce for attaining 50,000 singles targets. Congratulations, Billy!

Oklahomans, if you have any shooting news (new shooters, club improvements), accomplishments (100 straights, 50 straights), Milestones (100,000, 50,000 and 25,000 target achievements), and/or shoot scores, including singles, handicap and doubles winners, please send them to me. You can reach me by cell at 405-694-1790 or e-mail [email protected].

Kevin Nanke

ATA Delegate

Texas

Today is May 25, and we just returned from the Zone IV Shoot at Waco S&TC. I can’t say enough good things about the people at that club. When a lot of clubs are struggling, the people at Waco are growing their club. They currently have 11 trapfields and are working to complete two more. With a total of 13 trapfields, the people at Waco will be eligible to get into rotation to host the Texas State Trapshoot. Kudos to the hard working volunteers at the Waco club.

Now the part that I know that you are anxiously waiting for, the near, or maybe not, famous “fatman attaboys”. We only have one for today (that I know of because no one has called to let me know anything), and that is Elvin Clayton. Elvin has now registered 25,000 doubles targets. Did he break it? I don’t know because no one let me know.

I hope you get your Trap & Field Magazine in time for this plug for the Texas State Shoot. Our shoot will be held at the National SC in San Antonio July 5-10. I hope to see y’all there. Just a reminder, bring an up-to-date average card.

I’m not going to preach much about the rule book this time, but I am going to talk about some things that need to be done, just because it’s the right thing to do. Please, please, please, if you pre-squad and are unable to attend the shoot, call and release your pre-squad positions, so they can be filled. It’s just the right thing to do. If you receive a computer-generated yardage reduction and do not plan to accept the reduction, please contact the ATA office and tell them you are refusing the reduction. It’s just the right thing to do.

I’m going to stop typing now because it’s just the right thing to do. If you have news, please let Princess or me know about it. As always you can reach me at [email protected] or you can call 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

Arizona

Smoke and chips—On May 7 the ASTA held our scheduling meeting for the upcoming 2023 shooting year (Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 31, 2023), and after the smoke cleared and the blood on the floor was cleaned up, 82 shoots were on the books. Plus we have the regular Big 50s every Monday at Casa Grande and singles marathons the first Thursday every month and doubles marathons on the third Thursday at Rio Salado. That should be enough to satisfy the most serious trapaholic among us. If it is not, I am going to suggest a long stay in in the nearest rehab.

Flagstaff was selected as the site for the upcoming ATA Western Zone July 15-17. Now the important stuff: prior to the meeting everyone celebrated Jake Gatchet’s birthday. It’s either 89 or 90, take your pick. All agreed that Jake is one of a kind and just does not seem to be getting any older.

In case you haven’t noticed, it is starting to get a little toasty down Arizona’s way, and Flag is the perfect location. The crew from 2 Lazy 2 will be the shoot managers. There have been infrastructure improvements, including facilities for the ladies; they will be the pink ones, and special hotel rates have been arranged. Come one, come all. The shooting may be hot, but Flagstaff is naturally air conditioned.

Shoot reports have been pretty sparse, I only have one in Arizona from April on. (Please be sure to send them to [email protected]). What I do have is a goodie, however. Ben Avery held their Smokin’ Season Send Off April 30-May 1. The temperatures were in the mid 90s, and the winds were moderate on Saturday, but got a little fluky on Sunday. All told, there were 54 shooters, a pretty good turnout. In Event 1, Greg Holden and Jim Kidwell proved something that I have known for a long time—old guys rule. Both of these senior vets ran the hundred. Fred Frazier, who seems to be regaining his old form, followed with a 98, as did James Polkabla, two more senior vets. To further prove my point, senior veteran Roger Moynihan was high gun in the following handicap. Tom Krolick was runnerup. Two very familiar names, Jim Sharp and Gerry Williams, tied at 93 in the ’caps and topped all other 27-yard shooters. Mark Lacey and Jesse Zamora were high in the 22-24 yard group. The doubles finished Saturday off, and senior veterans again ruled. Wayne Thompson and Williams both come in with 97s. Don Williamson won B class, while Kaitlin Quan was the only lady, but her 95 beat a boatload of guys.

Sunday opened with doubles, and Joe Henderson, who tells me that he sometimes struggles with doubles (ha ha), was high gun with 97. In fact, the three top finishers were senior vets: Joe, Fred Frazier and Greg Holden. Mike Petrisko, Jim Kidwell and Williams were the next Arizona shooters. Gerry and Fred then topped all in Event 5, the singles, with 100 and 99, respectively. Then came an open shooter breakthrough, Vaughn Hollman, Ken Mlynarz and Williamson finished with 98s. Darryl Garber, who is ending up in the winner’s circle more and more, triumphed in the handicap by one bird, nosing out Vaughn and Greg Spiczka. Ninety-year-old, or perhaps 89-year-old Jake Gatchet, Tom Krolick and Williams finished at 92 on a windy afternoon. Thus ended a fine season of trapshooting at Ben Avery.

Eight intrepid Arizona shooters made their way to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM, for the New Mexico State Championship. Now if you have never been there, you are missing something. There is wildlife galore, such as elk, deer and antelope with the deer all over the RV park. I know there must be bears also because the dumpsters are bear-proofed. The center itself sits on a high plateau with mountains in the background, and that is what you see while on the trapfields.

From what I have been told, the conditions were not easy: wind, low temperatures and snow, yes, snow were encountered, keeping scores on the low side. That did not stop Allisen Reese, however, in the Welcome Singles. She tied for high lady with a nice 97. Actually, that is no surprise, Allisen has been on a tear lately; it might be something about being a newlywed. She followed that up by tying for high non-resident Lady I in the handicap. In Event 6, the White Flyer Singles, it was time for the Pizinger boys to get started. Nathanial was high gun in non-resident juniors, and Wyatt did the same in sub-juniors Nathanial then really turned it on, finishing as the junior champ in both the handicap and doubles. That’s a pretty good day’s work.

The other half of the Haynes-Reese duo, Steve, showed his stuff by tying for non-resident sub-vet in the Jerrod Lies Doubles, Event 9. Then in Event 10, The Billy Healy Singles, Nathanial P. tied for high junior, and Wyatt won sub-junior outright. Friday finished out with the Mary Alby Handicap; that name has a ring to it. Wyatt topped all sub-juniors, and Nathanial tied for high gun among all junior shooters. Allisen was not finished either; she topped all Lady I ranks.

Now enter Kaitlin Quan, our newest ASTA board member, took off her working clothes and put on her shooting clothes. Her 196 in the Singles Championship tied for runnerup in the event, dominating the Lady I category, and she beat most everyone else at the same time. Allisen was the Lady I runnerup. Kaitlin then continued her winning ways by taking Lady I in the championship doubles. Naturally the last event was the Handicap Championship, and Wyatt apparently said enough of this runnerup stuff and went for the gold. His 96 tied for the event’s high score. That’s two handicap 96s back to back. Wow! Arizona competitors had a strong showing in the all-around. Wyatt took sub-junior, and Kaitlin tied for the Lady I crown.

Around the state: It may not be February, but there is still plenty of shooting in Arizona during mid July to mid August. It starts with the ATA Western Zone in cool, cool Flagstaff July 15-17; next is Pleasant Valley July 29-31; Casa Grande goes Aug. 5, and then it’s Flag again Aug. 13-14. Don’t forget Casa Grande’s Big 50s every Monday and Rio Salado’s marathons, singles the first Thursday every month and doubles on the third Thursday. Prescott is running a non-registered league the second Saturday every month. It consists of 25 rounds at 16 yards and 25 from the 23 with a Lewis class thrown in. All are welcome, and it is held on Field 4. It sure beats shooting in the Valley this time of year.

See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

This shoot was our annual 200-target Singles Cup, shot in two rounds of 100 with $800 added prize money, courtesy of the New Zealand ATA. We ran three classes: A, B and C.

Again this year we moved our shoot date from the first Saturday in the month to avoid conflict with the opening of the duck shooting season. We ran two fields, shooting 50 per trap in two rounds of 25, which worked out well.

The weather conditions surprised again on the upside, given the forecast earlier in the week. We started the day with overcast and a light breeze that picked up early afternoon, just enough to move some of the targets.The light was still good with the great Thames background and White Flyer targets. We finished with clear, sunny skies and the breeze dropping out for the last couple squads.

We can’t thank the Thames crew enough for keeping the grounds in their usual manicured condition. We are fortunate to be able to run our events at the Thames facilities. A big thanks to Ian Evans for setting up the fields first thing in the morning as well as helping with target-setting.Thanks to Dave Cundy, also helping with target-setting. Thanks to Steve Pearson and Brian Hartley for helping to keep the squads moving and everyone who helped with refereeing and trap loading as well as clean-up at the end of the day, It’s much appreciated.

The ATA would like to welcome Monique Butterworth as a new member.

A big thanks to our sponsors: the ATA, the NZ ATA, Thames CTC, Target Products Falcon Ammunition, Ron Thomassen Logging, Independent Transport Parts suppliers of the Inox & Lanox fine cleaners and lubricants, www.newzealandhuntingadventures.com and White Flyer Targets.

Good shooting.

Paul Basten

           ATA Delegate

Utah

Spanish Fork GC has a new manager, Jenny McGowen. Jenny has lots of new ideas and a spirited attitude to make some positive changes. Spanish Fork GC falls under the city’s Parks and Recreation Division. The city has put together a committee of veteran shooters to vet ideas to help increase attendance.

As the old saying goes, if you don’t like the weather in Utah, just wait a few minutes—that’s springtime in the Rockies. May weather has not disappointed me in this regard. On Jenny’s first day as the new club manager, Spanish Fork held the first Big 50 of the year. Twelve shooters participated. Some were just registering targets; some were playing the Western Zone options. And the weather was not good.

Nephi had a nice turnout for its annual one-day shoot. As luck would have it, the wind was dead calm when I arrived at the club. Twenty minutes later, the anemometer measured a steady 22 mph, with gusts to 28. Scores reflected as much.

Helper GC’s two-day shoot saw nicer weather with temperatures in the mid 70s. Gene Wilson ran a very nice shoot with a good turnout. Gene has a volunteer staff that augments the paid trap help. His wife Stella and daughter Savannah help run the kitchen for lunches. I always enjoy visiting with all three of the Wilsons.

This month’s useless trivia is about the town of Helper, UT. The town is in Carbon County (coal mining country) and was named such because it is at the mouth of a long, steep canyon. Trains leaving the coal mines and heading northwest would stop and pick up a “Helper” engine to pull the cars up the grade.

Ogden GC held a one-day shoot in late May. Unfortunately turnout was mediocre, as were scores. I am sure ammunition availability had something to do with the low attendance.

I recently visited with Bruce Bachman about the article published in Trap & Field about the old Salt Lake Gun Club, as well as the first Western Grand that was held there. It seems that Bruce was quite the trophy hog back then. He won the championship doubles. Back in that time (the late 1980s), ammunition companies took notice of champions, even if they did not shoot their brand of shells. Bruce received a very nice congratulatory letter from Remington Arms, signed by Dewey Godfrey Jr., manager of shooting promotions.

Bruce recreated a photo of himself in the same attire that he wore back then; all that has changed is that the red hair is now gray.

Speaking of a change in hair color, one of my longtime friends and acquaintances, John Vosnos, was also a great shooter in the late 1980s era and still is, for that matter. I shot on the same squad with John when he broke his ATA Grand Slam (doubles) using a gun he borrowed from Jerry Batley. You will note the same trend in the two before and after photos of John. The main change in him is also the fact that his coal-black hair is now gray, like his friend Bruce.

I recognize both of these shooters because not only are they both friends of mine, but they are old friends and acquaintances of each other. These two old battle-scarred war horses can often be seen visiting with each other at the local shoots.

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Western Zone Vice President

 

Washington

I hope you are all having a good summer and that you are getting to enjoy some shooting at your favorite clubs in the area. Washington is fortunate to have many clubs offering ATA registered targets. The clubs at Coulee City and Marlin reported good attendance at their one-day shoots on April 30 and May 1. A shoot was held at Odessa just before the state shoot. Colton and Othello will host shoots in June, and we will return to Colton for three days in July, as they participate as a site for the ATA Western Zone. Following in late July, the Malden-Pine City Gun Club will let some targets fly. We are excited to have the Spangle Gun Club offer some registered targets in September. Please support this club as they venture into supporting the WSTA and ATA. Colton will throw targets in September as well.

The WSTA Championships ran well in May at the Walla Walla GC. Fuel costs and shell availability kept some folks at home, but for those who attended, there were fun times. The folks at Walla Walla continue to make improvements to equipment and the grounds and should be thanked for their efforts, as they held three of the major shoots in the region this spring. I for one enjoyed seeing shooters ranging from the ages of 11 to 93 firing at targets during the four-day run in Walla Walla. There was a good contingent of youth from the Walla Walla area as well as the “Dust Devils” from Ephrata, and it was encouraging to see all these kids smashing clay. Bob Koller turned 93 last December and took home some hardware for his efforts. Roy Tiegs turned 90 in March and was seen on the line all weekend showing the form that so many shooters in the Pacific Northwest have seen for so many years. The young ones and the senior vets, such as Koller and Tiegs should be an inspiration to us all.

Roger Clouse did a commendable job this last year serving as our Delegate. Roger attended the Grand American last summer and helped to organize and support the Northwest Grand in its move to Walla Walla GC after a long run at Spokane. Countless hours were spent raising money to support youth shooting for the Northwest Grand and state shoot as well as rounding up shells for the youngsters. We thank Roger for his efforts and welcome Bob McClendon as he steps forward to wear the Delegate’s cap for the next year.

Clouse will remain as a WSTA director after being elected for another three-year term. Also running for and being elected for and another term were Bill Whitman, Zarn Clausen and Brian James. Jessica Pelissier was elected and joins her husband, Jim, on the WSTA Board of Directors. Mark Vandeweghe and Kody Vandeweghe will step in to fill seats vacated by Dale Kinzel and Bruce Skelton. Dale and Bruce served an extra year due to COVID concerns, causing the cancellation of the 2020 championships, and their contributions have been greatly appreciated. A big thank you goes out to Will Johnson for his guidance as WSTA president. It is great to see so many energetic folks who can think on their feet, are dedicated to our sport and give of their time to make everything happen for our state shoot. I speak from experience when I say that shooting a program while serving as a director is a challenge all on its own. It has also been an honor to serve with everyone mentioned above.

One name I would like to bring up is that of Jim Adams from Clarkston. Jim was “volunteered” by Dale Kinzel a couple of years ago to help with trap-setting and maintenance. He was out there all day in the record heat of the 2021 shoot and during the rain of the 2022 offering. Seemingly a ball of energy and in constant motion, Jim has been a great asset to our organization as a “special assistant to the board of directors,” as he is named in the program. He is also seen at the Camas Prairie Handicap helping in the same areas. He was there before the state shoot helping tune up traps and setting up fields. Why? Well, the answer is purely for the love of trapshooting. Jim even finds some time to participate in these shoots and brings home trophies, as he is equally as tough of a competitor as he is a hard- working volunteer. Thank you, Jim!

Lastly I want to thank the WSTA for allowing me to serve as a director for many years, which I will continue to do as long as you will have me. It has been an honor to write monthly about those I see, their accomplishments and milestones, and successes. We face some challenges, that is for sure, but if I’ve learned anything about the trapshooting community, family if you will, it is that we always find ways to support each other and keep this sport growing. Thank you, the trapshooters, for everything I have experienced since I first fired at ATA targets in 1998.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

WSTA Director