Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

Nova Scotia’s Barry Turner attended the 24th annual Dixie Grand at the North Carolina Homegrounds after a two-and-a-half-year layoff from ATA registered shooting. Barry reports that it was great to be back on the trapline and registering targets. Barry shot his 50,000th registered handicap target at the shoot and also won the veteran category in the Singles Championship. Well done, Barry, and good luck for the rest of the ATA target year.

The Canadian Trapshooting Association (CTA) recently announced the 2022 CTA All Stars. Congratulations to all shooters who made the list. To be eligible, shooters must attend their ATA provincial shoot and register a minimum of 1,000 targets in each discipline. The CTA is also accepting nominations for 2023 Hall of Fame inductees until Dec. 31. If you know of someone who deserves recognition in the Shooter or Builder categories, fill out an application and submit it. Visit www.shootcanada.ca for more information on trapshooting in Canada, including the CTA All Stars and CTA Hall of Fame.

The Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association will be having another Christmas draw this year. Visit shootatlantic.com for complete details and information on how to enter.

Happy holidays, merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all from your fellow ATA members in the Atlantic Provinces.

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

Massachusetts

As I put this article together on Oct. 15, I am looking forward to a better year in 2023, both worldwide and for our shooting sports. The Minuteman SC in Burlington, along with the scorers, loaders and everyone who helped, did a great job running the 2022 state shoot that was held June 9-12. Their combined effort made this a very successful four-day shoot. The grounds looked great, and the target presentation was very good, as indicated in the scores. There were 924 entries over the four days, shooting a total of 113,975 targets. We had a total of 77 youth shooters, and there were participating shooters from 11 states and Canada.

Singles champion was Matthew Cartisser with the lone 200. He was also the doubles champ with 98. Handicap champion was Tom Monahan with 93. All-around champion went to Cartisser for 378×400. High-over-all went to Robert Nihtila Jr. with 1,024. All scores can be found on the MATA website, and complete coverage was in the August issue of T&F.

State elections for Delegate were held, and Dave Russell was reelected. (thank you for your support). Carl Kazen is First Alternate, and Roy Smith is Second Alternate.

Our Labor Day Shoot, held Sept. 4 at North Leominster R&GC, went very well. The officers and members did a great job. The membership volunteer their time to score and load the traps. The grounds were in nice shape, and the birds were set very well. There were 89 shooters who shot 20,300 targets.

Wayne Laferriere was singles champion with 100 and shootoff. Steve Grady was handicap winneer with 97. Doubles victor was Brian Scussel with 96. A full report can be seen on the MATA website.

On a sad note, we have lost two shooters in our state recently.

Randall D. Gleason, 73, of Leominster, passed away Aug. 12 surrounded by his loving family. Randy enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he proudly served his country during the Vietnam War. He was the recipient of several commendations, including the Vietnam Service Medal and The Cross of Gallantry.

Randy was a champion trapshooter, winning numerous trophies all over New England. He started shooting registered targets in 1992 and shot until 2020. He registered 25,900 singles, 15,950 handicap and 7,900 doubles for a total of 49,950 targets.

Randy is survived by Mary, his loving wife of 52 years, and two sons, Keith and Michael. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Ronald Chmielewski of Springfield passed away Sept. 24. He was 83 years old. He had a love for hunting and his dogs, trapshooting, skeet shooting and gardening. His whole heart was filled with love for his family and close friends and his dogs. Ron was a man of his word and will be greatly missed. He shot registered trap from 2010 until 2022 with target totals of 3,300 singles, 500 handicap and 200 doubles. Our sincere condolences go out to his children, Michael, Debra and Kerri, and all of his family and friends.

At our annual meeting held Oct. 1, the MATA officers were elected as follows: Paul Donovan, president; Bob Scott, vice president; and Tom Sirois, secretary-treasurer. I would like to recognize and congratulate Roman Barrett for making the 2023 All-American junior second team.

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

Remember to have fun.

Dave Russell

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Well, it is December already! Where did the year go? This time of year, it is time to regroup and think of what we did good and where we went off the tracks to break more targets and improve our averages and winning potential. It is a suitable time to read books on mental focus, which I wish I could improve, while on the trapline waiting my turn to shoot.

Ammo and components are finding their way to market; the prices they are demanding is another sore point for all shooting disciplines throughout the country. Sorry to say the knock-off shells that used to be in the $60 range are now in the high $80s. Primers saw a tremendous escalation in price during the last year. Lead also increased from the low $30s to the mid $50s, when will it end?

Ground Swipers in Forked River held a two-day Haunted Halloween Shoot Oct. 22-23. Saturday was doubles and preliminary singles. Bob Jarvis led the doubles event. Tony Pietrofitta took Class A; Jack Martin, runnerup; Mike Chiarella, third; Pat Shulack Sr., B; Sheamus Killeen, runnerup; Rangel Queiroz, third; John Kaltenbach, C; Pat Shulack Jr., runnerup; Joe Laurence, third; Tripp McCombie, D; Chris Boylan, runnerup. The singles event was won by Queiroz; Pat Shulack Jr., A; Pat Shulack Sr., B; Sheamus, C; Chris Boylan, D. Rangel defeated Mike Chiarella in a shootoff for the Singles Championship, Mike settled for Class A; Jarvis, runnerup; Shulack Sr., B; Jack Godwin, runnerup; Don Ignozza, C after tying McCombie in a carryover, McCombie took second; John Fodor, D; Joe Laurence, runnerup. The handicap was shot in howling wind and rain. Shulack Jr. rose to the challenge and posted a 91 to secure the title and a half-yard punch. Chiarella took short-yardage and Class A HOA, Rangel took the 22-24 trophy, Pietrofitta took the long-yardage award. Shulack Sr. took C HOA, and Laurence took Class D HOA. There was no one qualified for Class B HOA. Despite the rain, everyone had fun.

The Mallard TC in Monroe Township had their BBQ Ribs Shoot Oct. 22. Steve Ottrando captured the wobble title; Greg Menshoff, A; Fortunato Orlando, B; and Eugene Kovaltchouk, C. Tony Fischer was high in the doubles event; Rich Pappas, A; Fred McDonald, B; and Tony Nelson, C. As usual the food was exceptional, and the weather cooperated for a change.

On a positive note, call up your local club to see if they are having a ham or wine shoot for the holidays later in the month, or better yet a Christmas or holiday party!

Speaking of Christmas parties, Pine Valley GC is having theirs Dec. 10 at the club in addition to a Ham Shoot. Ground Swipers is also having their Christmas Party on Saturday, the 10th. North Jersey CTC is having a party Dec. 11; see the details on their website. Pine Belt SC is having theirs Dec. 18 in addition to a Ham Shoot.

Fred McDonald registered 25,000 handicap targets this past fall.

On a sad note, I just found out that Roger Linton of Vineland passed away suddenly July 27; he was 74. Roger was born and raised in Vineland and remained a lifelong city resident. He graduated from Glassboro State with a teaching degree. He retired after 36 years teaching at Cumberland County Vocational Technical School in Deerfield. Roger served in the National Guard from 1966 to 1972. He was a member of the Vineland Masonic Lodge #69 F & A M, Corvettes Unlimited, and Pine Valley GC. Roger registered 71,400 singles, 27,200 handicap and 10,700 doubles targets. He is survived by his wife of 54 years; Sandee, two daughters; Colleen Simpson and husband Nicholas Sr., Jennifer Guyton-Bohlen, and husband Ryan and four grandchildren.

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!

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

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

Hello from the Empire State. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and healthy. With the holiday season approaching, I wish you all good cheer. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

The 2023 ATA All-American Teams (based on 2022 performance) have been announced by the ATA.

I am very happy to say that nine New Yorkers have made the teams: Heidi Womer and Becki Logan, Lady I second; T. J. Calvaruso, sub-junior first; James Flint, sub-veteran second; Urban Womer, veteran first; Don Alderson and Bob Edwards, veteran second; and Keith Miranda and William Wallis, senior veteran second. This was excellent shooting by these New Yorkers and congratulations.

The 2022 New York state high-average shooters have been announced. The high male singles shooter was Chad Landon with a .9704 average. High lady singles shooter was Heidi Womer with .9698. Michael Fox Jr. was the high-average handicap and doubles shooter with .9090 and .9453, respectively. Congratulations to all.

The New York State Teams for 2022 have been announced.

Men’s first—David McMasters, .9204; James Flint, .9183; Joshua Buchiere, .9103; Brian Luther, .9086; Chad Landon, .9046; Men’s second—Salvatore Schiavo, .9012; Vincent Barranco, .8951; Thomas Walter Jr., .8933; Martin Gawron, .8899; Cono Natale, .8821. Men’s third—Joseph Regan, .8801; Todd Hosbach, .8768; Andrew Baker, .8692; Jim Woodhams, .8590; Randy Lineman, .8587. Ladies’ first—Heidi Womer, .9170; Becki Logan, .8788; Tammy Wildenstein, .8625; Marilyn Lehrfeld, .8469; Leslie Slater, .8325. Ladies’ second—Deborah Bell, .8138; Debbie Lineman, .7755. Sub-junior/junior—T. J. Calvaruso, .8877. Veteran/senior veteran first—Urban Womer, .9320; Bob Edwards, .9182; Don Alderson, .9007; Keith Miranda, .8965; Dave Cichelli, .8889. Veteran/senior veteran second—Michael Waschitz, .8879; William Wallis, .8859; George Panarisi, .8628; Anthony Valvo, .8570; Jack McIlroy, .8523. Congratulations to all team members.

Please stay warm and dry during the winter season. If you are traveling anywhere, please proceed carefully and safely.

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. Have a happy holiday season.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

This article is devoted to the “spirit of giving” that the Christmas season, for many, is all about. You have often heard the old edict, “It is better to give than to receive.” With the impending recession, high cost of living on even necessities like food and energy, and high inflation reducing the buying power of our dollars, it is understandable that many registered trap enthusiasts struggle with having enough money to pursue our sport, which is not inexpensive. Ammunition is costly and, in many areas, hard to come by, especially in the brands and loads one prefers. Many trapshooters, both inside and outside Ontario, tell me they and others they know have cut down on participation where travel and hotels are necessary. Even if they own their own RV, the cost of gas or diesel is becoming prohibitive. In spite of inducements provided by the ATA, such as free one-year memberships for new shooters, you know what new shooters are going through when they weigh family budgets and where discretionary spending goes.

For many, ATA shooters represent an elite group of individuals who look after their own interests and ignore the challenges of the real world. That has not been my experience. For the most part, I have found the majority of trapshooters to be generous, caring and empathetic. Clubs and organizations often support worthy causes—often in significant ways. A few examples come to mind:

New York State has events where shooters support the Ronald McDonald House charity. Each year thousands of dollars are donated.

North Carolina at the Dixie Grand had a special “miss-and-out” event that benefited the trappers and scorers. This was initiated by their Delegate Robert Schultz and enthusiastically supported by shooters who donated prizes and, of course, many people participated. Our scorers and trappers often survive on shoestring budgets, yet they are critical to the success of our sport.

In Ontario, one example is the Galt SC, who through their sporting clays events, have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in fighting cancer.

Elsewhere, both in and out of Ontario, good causes are supported by clay target shooters—good outreach, good causes, good people.

All that trapshooters do to help their own and support worthy causes throughout the country is appreciated.

But it doesn’t end there. Among us are the unsung heroes who help others without any expectation of acknowledgment or even a thank you. And it isn’t just money. Taking a relative or friend shooting may help keep people out of trouble, off the street and involved in a community of shooters with diverse opinions, backgrounds and life experiences. Loaned firearms, hands-on supervision and mentoring—it goes on and on, and whether the benefactor is the broader community or individuals, trapshooters play an important role. My personal favorite is to try and help people on an anonymous basis. There are many out there with their hands out and who expect charity. This is sometimes abused by people who take advantage of the generosity of others, and this is not just the fraudsters. A while ago I had a chat with a young idealistic couple who volunteered at a food bank at a major city. Some people rolled up with shopping carts, which they filled, followed shortly by another and another shopping cart from the same household. Instead of being grateful, many of these folks were rude, entitled and aggressive. One person blamed the food bank donors and volunteers for not providing the specific name brands they expected and refused generic brands. After suffering this abuse for several days, this good-hearted couple gave up in frustration and a feeling of helplessness.

That is why my personal preference is to try and find people who are in need but too proud to ask for help. They seldom show up on any radar screen, and there is no way of easily identifying them. You have to keep your eyes out for these honest, proud folks. You will never get a “tax receipt” to help them, and ideally you never want them to know who helped them. Otherwise, they would likely refuse help, as they are too proud to accept charity.

On that note, put yourself into their position. If you are proud and independent and want to and can help people and not pursue freebies or the generosity of others, you may feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed when charity is thrust upon you. If you are going to help someone anonymously, do it in a way that does not undermine their self-respect and dignity.

I experienced this feeling myself recently, and it was embarrassing and humiliating. Here is how this unwittingly happened to me. My wife and I returned recently to our hometown Collingwood after an all-night drive from a shooting tournament. Our town is a four seasons resort town, where the population is exploding, and you may attend a grocery store, for instance, and not know a single person. Beverley was dropped off, and she asked me to pick up a few necessaries at a grocery store. The problem is that my wallet with credit and debit cards were packed away. I had U.S. money, but no Canadian bills. I had lots of Canadian coins in the truck—toonies, loonies, quarters, dimes, nickels. I scooped up what I thought would be more than adequate and did some light grocery shopping. When I approached the cashier, I cautioned her that I just had change and thought there would be enough, but if it wasn’t, then I’d just have her remove one or more items from the bill. That was fine with the cashier, and between us, we counted change only to find I was short $1.87. I told her what to remove, and she was in the process of doing this when a lady in the line behind me expressed concern and told the cashier not to remove the item and that she would be pleased to pay for it. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and said, “Everybody needs help now and then.” How humiliating. If anyone recognized me, they may have thought, “Local lawyer falls on hard times and is bailed out by a good Samaritan.” I thanked this lady, but it, I suppose, motivated me to be very diligent in trying to help people behind the scenes and discreetly where they have no idea who the donor is. When I explained this to my wife, she wasn’t very sympathetic. “What did you expect?” She then went on to elaborate. I had traveled all night and was unshaven, wore old clothes (my vest was one I picked up on sale at Walmart in Sparta, and it still had the sale tag on it, $15). My hair, or what was left of it, was in a mess. I had no wallet, debit or credit cards, no bills and was rummaging through change to see if I had enough. Okay, I get it. And there were generous people, or at least one, prepared to help what looked like a homeless person rummaging for basics through his change.

Thanks to all of you who help others, and, believe me, it is indeed better to give than receive.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Alabama

Merry Christmas to everyone! This is the most exciting time of the year, and I hope you can spend it with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The new rulebook is out. Please read it.

Temperatures are dropping, days are shorter, and shoots in Alabama are scarce. Now is a good time to go over your weapon and make any repairs and routine maintenance.

Joke of the month: Things you wish you never said!

“Is there something about me you don’t like?”

“Who do you think you are?”

“I have nothing to lose.”

“I’ll leave when I’m good and ready.”

“So sue me!”

Word of the month: Heepa: A great deal of. “You in a heepa trouble.”

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 him or her for their service.

If you need my help or have any news to report, contact me at [email protected].

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello all from the most Southern, Northern State!

October was National Trapshooting Month. We had two clubs participate in a National Trapshooting Day, Silver Dollar and Eustis GC, Oct. 2.

The results for Silver Dollar’s National Trapshooters Day was as follows:

Event 1, 100 singles: winner, Chris Molina, 99; AAA, Jack Schumpert, 96; A, Jim Cummings, 98; B, Mike Cieslik, 97; C, Patrick Larsen. 96; D, Ric Atkinson Jr. 96.

Event 2 handicap: winner, Atkinson, 94; ladies’, Marsha Cieslik, 80; veteran, Larsen, 91; senior vet, Andy Kotsaftis, 90; Group 1, Bob DeLong (20.5), 88; Group 2, Mike Reynolds (22), 88; Group 3, Cummings (25), 85; Group 4, Mike Cieslik (27), 92.

Event 3 doubles: winner, Mike Cieslik, 90; runnerup, Butch Romania, 90. Mike and Butch tied and flipped a coin.

At the time of this writing, I did not get the results yet from Eustis GC.

Imperial Polk also had a shoot Oct. 2.

Event 1 singles: A, Lewis LaRoche, 92; B, Delong, 97; C, Ron Burdick, 93; D, Bob Montgomery, 92.

Event 2 handicap: 19-21, Delong, 90; 22-24, Stevan Hill, 90; 25-27, Cole Nye, 92. Cole was also the singles and handicap combined winner with a total of 188.

Event 3 doubles: A, Laroche, 82; B, Gary French, 85; D, Bill Brooks, 79.

Event 4 singles: LaRoche, 99; French, 96; Hill, 87; Rebel Kidd, 85.

Event 5 singles: LaRoche, 95; Hill, 92; Brooks, 90.

I expect now that the weather is cooler, and our northern friends will be back, there will be a lot of shooting going on! Check floridatrap.com and shootata.com for shoots in your area.

Great news: We have a new gun club in south Florida. Please welcome Palm Beach County Shooting Complex. They will be hosting shoots on the second Saturday of every month. Please contact David Sticker ([email protected]) for more info.

I need to give a big shout-out and thanks to Dax DeMena, the Alternate Delegate, for helping David and the Palm Beach County folks to get six fields ATA certified. That was a lot of work!

ATA Rule for the Month

Section IV, H. SQUAD LEADER RESPONSIBILITES AND TARGET OBSERVATION

1. In all ATA events contestants shall shoot in squads of five (5) except:
2. When there are less than five (5) contestants available for the last squad of any program.
3. When yardage differences in Handicap events make it impractical or unsafe.
4. When there are withdrawals from a squad after the competition has begun and squads scheduled.
5. When in the opinion of shoot management, the harmony of the shoot may be enhanced by squadding less than five (5) contestants.
6. In Handicap there shall be no more than two (2) yards difference between adjacent shooters in the squad, and no more than a total difference of three (3) yards in a squad.
7. It is illegal for more than five (5) shooters to be in a squad.
8. Practice (non-registered) shooters may not participate in registered events, nor shall anyone be allowed to shoot registered events on a non-registered basis. This Rule shall not apply during Registered League Shooting or Big 50 events.
9. For each squad, the shooter who has been assigned to start on post 1 is designated the “Squad Leader”. If post 1 is empty, the role of the Squad Leader passes to the shooter assigned to start on post 2, and so on. The Squad Leader has the following duties:
10. After all squad members are present at their assigned positions on the trap field, the Squad Leader should ascertain that all squad members are ready to begin the sub-event. After doing so, the Squad Leader only may ask that target(s) be thrown for the squad’s observation. For regular 16-yard Singles and Handicap sub-events, the Squad Leader may ask for one (1) target only. For regular Doubles sub-events, the Squad Leader may ask for one (1) pair of Doubles. For Shoot-offs in 16-yard Singles and Handicap events, the Squad Leader may ask for two (2) targets. For Shoot-offs in Doubles events, the Squad Leader may ask for two (2) pairs of Doubles.
11. If the target(s) thrown for observation are broken, irregular, or illegal, the Squad Leader may ask that another target (or pair of Doubles as applicable) be thrown. The squad has the right to see a legal target (or legal pair of Doubles as applicable) before commencing the subevent.
12. The Squad Leader should check and initial the score sheet at the completion of each sub-event.
13. The Squad Leader shall have the responsibility to carry the score sheet, on which more than one (1) sub-event is recorded, from trap to trap until completion of the event.
14. During a sub-event, if there is a delay due to trap or gun malfunction, the contestant in turn may ask to see a target (or pair of Doubles as applicable) thrown before he/she resumes shooting.
15. Should a trap be throwing targets that, although not necessarily illegal, appreciably vary from trap to trap, any shooter may request at anytime that management check the trap even though prior squads have shot to see if it is adjusted to the legal flights and angles as per Section XIII, E. The final decision as to whether a trap is to be adjusted will be made only by shoot management.
16. During a sub-event, if a contestant is subjected to a single no target event, the contestant shall have the right to see a legal target (or legal pair of Doubles as applicable) and adjust the voice release mechanism (if present) before shooting resumes.

Next month: Rules of Conduct of an ATA Shooter.

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

Mississippi

The time of year for Christmas cheer is upon us once again. Our trapshooting may be left aside somewhat, as we move into and through the holiday season. Nevertheless, trapshooting marches onward down here in the deep South. We just must put it in perspective and remind ourselves that Christmas, family and friends rank a lot higher than our trapguns.

At Capitol GC in Jackson, we are steadily working toward the Mississippi State Trapshoot next spring. The state shoot for the 2023 shooting year is again in Jackson, and the wheels of progress are already turning toward a bigger and better shoot than the 2022 rendition. As always, we need help from our Mississippi trapshooting community. So if you get a call requesting your help, I hope you will respond. After all, the state shoot is our showpiece and not just Capitol GC’s or that of a handful of shooters. Then, too, you might have contact with a vendor or a sponsor who you can approach to help. Please don’t hesitate to show your support. Just step up and help as you can.

Yes, Mississippi’s big shoots are done until better weather returns in the spring, but Southern winters generally allow for trapshooting to continue all year long. There’s the first Saturday of the month shoots in Jackson at Capitol and third Saturday of the month shoots in Biloxi at Coast R&PC. Both venues offer weekly trapshooting as well. Don’t let your trapgun sit and get rusty. Lube it up. Warm it up. Visit your local trap range, and shoot ’em up!

Considering upcoming events, here is one that I am particularly proud of that is coming to Mississippi. Coast R&PC is hosting one of the sites for the 2023 ATA Southern Zone Shoot July 21-23. The trappers in Biloxi have graciously accepted the invitation to host it, and you can bet they will do a great job. By the way, I am sure they can use some help. Don’t miss an opportunity to do so if you can. Above all, though, make sure this shoot is on your calendar. “It’s too far away” is not a good excuse this time—this shoot is right in your own back yard.

Okay, enough is enough for this month. I’ll leave you with this thought. We are blessed with a great sport, a wonderful tradition, and a tremendous trapshooting community as well as those who make it so. Let’s just pause and enjoy a wonderful Christmas. I hope to see y’all on the trapline. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! As always, happy trappin’

Jerry Tharp

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

The Dixie Grand was more than a shoot; it was an adventure. Fortunately, the forecast of three to four inches of rain from Hurricane Ian was overblown. The adventure was the wind.

As someone on the Internet posted, “This is the first time I have ever shot wobble trap singles, handicap and doubles.” The wind did huff, puff and blow. Some rain, but not much. The bad part was that the weather forecast kept a lot of people from attending. If you didn’t attend, you missed a good opportunity to lower your averages. I managed to shoot the lowest doubles score I can remember.

Our fall weather has been great for the in-state shoots. Better get out and enjoy.

Report from the Rebel Yell shoot in Alabama shows Gary Welsh cleaning house. He won six trophies, including high gun in the Singles Championship. Congrats, Gary.

In the achievement department, Kenny Inman has reached 50,000 handicap targets. Congrats, Kenny.

No more big shoots in our Zone until the Southern Grand in Florida next March, so support your local shoots.

Please keep Dave Reynolds and Jerry Tuten on your prayer list.

Shoot well and shoot often.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

I am proud to introduce the 2023 Tennessee All-State Team, based on 2022 averages.

Top 10—Mitchel Loveless II, .9603; Robert Smith, .9568; Caleb Clayton, .9529; Zachary Emmons, .9502; Riley Bellomy, .9500; Lucas Davis, .9480; Colby Lancaster, .9448; Brooke Barnett, .9421; Luke Johnson, .94.06; Emma Grace Mathews, .9318. Open—Shannon Hopkins—.8970. Lady I—Dakota Duke, .9318. Lady II—Tricia Yocum, .8108. Sub-junior—Braxton Cox, .9427. Junior—Jeremiah Donaldson, .9460; Seth Ladd, .9446; Tyler Honnold, .9368. Junior gold—Jacob Duren, .9368; Seth Swinea, .9227. Sub-vet—Richie Bolin, .9321. Veteran—Greg Yocum, .9027. Senior vet—Walter Kern, .9196.

In addition, 11 Tennessee shooters made the All-American Team this year: Emma Grace Mathews, Brooke Barnett, Tricia Yocum, Tyler Honnold, Colton Phillips, Lucas Davis, Luke Johnson, Brady Duren, Jacob Duren, Issac Sharp and Michael Burnette.

Also we had three shooters attain their AA-27-AA pins in 2022: Zachary Emmons, Riley Bellomy and Johnson.

This month’s article will conclude with the final two gun clubs that have hosted the Tennessee State Trapshoot at various times over the past 100 years or so. Once again, I want to thank Steve Williams and Bob Pierce for doing all the research on the various gun clubs throughout the state.

Chattanooga locations: The Chattanooga Rod and Gun Club formally opened in May 1926 and hosted Tennessee State Shoots in 1926 and 1927. It was 11 miles northeast of the city on Highway 58, known as the Harrison Pike. The club owned 165 acres, including a 50-acre fishing lake. In 1938 the club sold all but 60 acres to TVA for the construction of Chickamauga Dam nearby. The resulting Lake Chickamauga was a scenic addition to the club’s grounds. This club continued operating until the late 1960s. In 1964 Moccasin Bend Gun Club incorporated. It was within the U-shaped bend of the Tennessee River on Moccasin Bend Road. Winchester franchised this club in 1966. It was in business until about 1979 and was, as was its predecessor, primarily a skeet club. Montlake Public Shooting Center, just northwest of Soddy-Daisy, started in the early 1980s and closed after some 30 years.

Henry Horton State Park, Chapel Hill: This was an eight-trap facility, the largest in the state, that had expanded from a recreational range. It was 50 miles south of Nashville. The Park’s 72-room inn and dining room were reserved for shooters. The state shoot took place here for 31 years, from 1973 through 2003. Most of the state shoot attendance records were set at Henry Horton, some of which still stand.

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

Kansas

In the beginning of September, Kansas was fortunate to host our very first ATA Satellite Grand. The 2022 Southwestern Grand was a huge success, hosting 935 shooters in our championship events, making the shoot a Competition Factor 4. The KTA threw more than 350,000 targets during the week to shooters representing 30 states. As a whole, the week was very successful.

The week following the shoot, a survey was sent out to every shooter, which was met with outstanding reviews! Shooters were very pleased with the campground accommodations as well as the many added vendors that we were able to pick up. One new key addition to our campgrounds was an additional 30 camper spots that will provide more availability for future Southwestern Grand shoots as well as the very well attended Kansas State Shoot.

Following the Southwestern Grand, the KTA hosted the Kansas all-zone shoot on the first weekend of October. This shoot was the final year of a three-year trial run for the KTA hosting all of the statewide zones in one location. During the state meeting on Saturday night, it was unanimously approved to continue holding the all-zone shoot at the KTA grounds. In the event that you cannot attend the all-zone shoot at the KTA, shooters will be allowed to make up their championship targets during the KTA’s Spring Shoot. This will give shooters a good opportunity to get their targets in to qualify for state team spots.

This year Kansas is proud to have six shooters who gained national recognition on the ATA All-American Teams. These shooters are Bruce Davis, Caleb Fischer, Deb Richter, Cody Eye, Rob Taylor and Kenneth (K. J.) Johnston. Congratulations to these Kansas All-Americans!

Caleb Fischer

ATA Delegate

Missouri

It’s that time of the year in the Show Me State, where the combines and grain trucks are busy in the fields harvesting, and, for those involved, the shooting has taken a back seat. The warmer weather is nice and has made for some very stunning colors in the trees this year, but with the extremely dry conditions, there have been unusually higher fire dangers in the Midwest. While the registered trapshooting in Missouri, is winding down pretty quickly, there are still leagues and fun shoots to get us through the off-season.

It’s also that time of the year to recognize the shooters making the All-American Teams. On the open first team, Zachari Nannini; open second, Patrick Hopson; Lady I, Anna Rawe; Lady I second, Bailey Lueders; sub-junior second, Stephen Loxterman; junior first, Jordan Ziercher; junior gold second, Ryan Loveless and Kelan Kinion; sub-vet first, David Deitch (captain); sub-vet second, Marvin Beumer; veteran second, Steven J Fuller; senior vet second, Gary Gooch; and chairshooter, Ziggy Tkaczenko and Colton Cozza. On behalf of the MTA Board of directors, congratulations to everyone.

This year has been another challenging one for everyone involved in the sport of trapshooting that we all love, as well as all of the shooting sports. The rapidly increasing costs associated with shooting is keeping more and more shooters from participating as much as they used to. Some years back, the ATA began the Big 50 program, and some parts of the country have had a good deal of success keeping shooters active with it. There are also features that a lot of gun clubs don’t take advantage of that are zero cost to the clubs to promote their shoots. If you are not familiar with these options, contact me or the ATA office, and we will be glad to assist in getting you on board. If anyone has anything they would like to have reported or has any concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003.

NKJV Proverbs 29:23—A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

 ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, enjoying family and friends and plenty of good cookin’.

As I write, we are still shooting through October. On the first of October, Paula and I made the short trip over to the Oklahoma City GC for their Big 50. This was the first ATA registered shoot they’ve had in several years. However, they’ve been having 60 shooters participate in their weekly trap league. The shoot was very well managed and ran very smoothly, as expected. They’ve recently replaced both traps with brand new Pat-Traps, and the targets were perfect. We really enjoyed shooting there and will definitely return. Besides having the opportunity to shoot great targets, I had the pleasure of meeting, shooting with and visiting with Tom Batt. I always enjoy hearing stories about trapshooting back in the 1970s through the end of the 20th Century. He had some good stories and knew and shot with some of the names I remember hearing my dad talk about. I looked up Tom’s numbers and found that he has shot many years of impressive averages, and he was doubles champion at this shoot with 48.

We had our National Trapshooting Day Shoot at OTSA Oct. 8-9. In Friday’s singles Nathan Lemke broke 99, Rose Shaffer was Lady II winner with 98. Mitch Wyatt was high gun in the ’caps and doubles, breaking 91 and 90. There were 41 shooters Sunday. Breegan Barnett was singles winner after prevailing in shootoff. Mitch Wyatt was handicap champion once again, and Johnny Wilson topped the doubles.

Ada had amazing attendance for their Derby Oct. 23. Reading Facebook posts, its sounds like all had fun, and the shoot was run very well. Of the 85 shooters, the majority were students. In the singles event, there were 33 young shooters representing the Sulphur Public Schools Trap Team, 24 from Bethel and 17 from Vanoss, along with many of the regular crowd and other trapshooters from around Oklahoma. There were many good scores posted, especially considering the winds of the day. Benny Emmons was singles victor, breaking 47, and Mike Grove was right behind with 46. Handicap winner was Creede Booth, 49, Larry Higgs was next with 46, winning short-yardage. Good shooting, everyone!

Tulsa had their October shoot on the 23rd as well. Attendance was pretty slim, but everyone seemed to have a good time, and Paula’s cooking was awesome! Thanks to app.sosclays.com, scores were posted on the TV screen in real time, and the shoot ran very smoothly and timely. Rob Martin was handicap champion, breaking 92. Good shooting, Rob!

Recently the State 4-H Trapshoot was held at OTSA. I asked for a list of results and received several pages of shooters. It’s nice to know we have so many young shooters in our state. In the junior division, Tanner Moles, Ciara Brummett and Tucker Walker all broke 49. In the intermediate division Logan Floyd and Trenton Welty broke 48 for high. The senior team champion members were Maddi Patswald, Emma Patswald, Zac Johnson and Ciara Brummett. The intermediate team champion members were Tate Simmons, Garrett Schoonover, Roston Uselton and Wade Blagden. Good shooting, and keep shooting!

Congratulations to Pete Wedelin on his attainment of 75,000 singles targets.

Being the new Oklahoma Delegate, I recently attended a Board of Directors meeting for the first time, and I have good news! There are several improvements coming to the grounds. Here are just a few: OTSA is now the home club for the Redlands Community College. This is really cool; they’ll help with some of our upkeep and maintenance and throw more targets. We have a crew of volunteers planning to beautify the back of the clubhouse, which is the first side of the clubhouse seen as you pull in and is the first impression of how we take care of things. This will be an awesome improvement, and personally I can’t wait to see it. New benches and gun racks for all trapfields. All new springs to replace the throwing bands on all machines (this will improve target presentation). I think you’ll see very noticeable improvements by the time spring gets here, and our state shoot will grow in the future because of these and other improvements. If you have any shooting news, results, shooter accomplishments, Milestones, club improvements, upcoming shoots, etc., please call, text or e-mail: 918-932-4029, [email protected].

Jeff Trayer

ATA Delegate

Texas

The trapshooting year is over for us. It’s sad to think that it will be about six months before we see many of our trapshooting friends. I would like to take a moment to wish each of you a very joyful and blessed Christmas and New Year. Please remember the reason we celebrate this season. Say a special prayer for our military men and women and their families. Many of them will not be with family for the holidays, as they are fighting for our freedoms. God bless and guide our country.

We just returned home from the TTA Zone II shoot in El Paso. It was a great shoot with great people. If you have not shot in El Paso, you are missing a wonderful experience. Thanks to the crew in El Paso for a fantastic time.

I know you have been hoping for some more of those “fatman attaboys and attagirls.” I will not keep you waiting, so here goes, a very special attagirl to Sue Hopper. Sue has now registered 500,000 targets. You read it right, a half million registered targets. Babette Cade shot at and broke her 25,000th doubles target. (How do I know she broke it, cause she told me). Okay, get ready because here come the fatman attaboys. J.W. Julien has registered 25,000 doubles. Dana Wilson has shot 25,000 handicap targets. Richard Leos has now registered 25,000 singles targets. Richard did tell me he broke number 25,000. Congratulations to all these gals and guys. Keep it up.

I know this article is very short, but I see no need to mention the rulebook because many of you are just going to be waiting for spring. But, then again, you might just put a rulebook by your favorite chair and do a little reading this winter.

There is not much going on during the winter, so I really need you to send me news if there is somewhere you are, and I will include it next time. You can reach me by e-mail at [email protected] or call 806-679-6889.

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

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

One club’s tale—With the exception of the 2021 Western Zone, Prescott has not held a registered shoot since 2005. Well, the times they are a-changing. Their board of directors was faced with some hard decisions, as the cost of everything is skyrocketing, especially labor and clay birds. Demographics are rising too, and as the members are getting older, they shoot less, (Prescott has 250 members, and the average age is 71). All of this meant less targets in the air and an ever-increasing cost per bird. Many ideas were discussed, but the only real solution was to throw more targets, and that could be best accomplished by returning to registered shooting. That is exactly what they did on Oct. 15.

And it was not just trap, they also held a 5-stand/sporting clays tournament the same day. More than a few predicted it would be like the Bloods vs. the Crips or the old Arizona range wars with bodies scattered here and there. Although the other guys wore some strange clothing, it ended up like Woodstock, except with shotguns. We even broke bread together, and the club made everybody feel at home. More shoots are planned for the spring and summer.

Smoke and chips—It’s Arizona time, better hurry. The Farmers’ Almanac predicts “an unusually cold and snowy” winter in the Great Lakes and Midwest, the northern tier will be a “hibernation zone,” while things in Arizona will be “mild and drier than normal.” Your choice—freeze and sneeze, shiver and shake, shovel snow and maybe slip and fall, or bask in the sun while enjoying some of the country’s best shooting. Come on down; Arizona is calling.

The Arizona Chain starts Dec. 28 at Casa Grande, and here is a tip: New Year’s Eve at Casa Grande is a hoot. The Chain continues until April 2, and it’s always a north-south affair up and down I-17. Tucson, Ben Avery and Casa Grande are the host clubs. We are a mining state, so let’s call it a trapshooting mother lode.

From Jan. 11-15, the Hall of Fame Classic takes place at Ben Avery. This year’s honoree is Clyde Thompson. Clyde was a fine shooter during the 1970s and 1980s, and in 1971 he helped organize the ASTA, along with some others from the Phoenix T&SC, but his main contribution was in developing one of the first software programs specifically for trapshooting. It was granted a patent in the year 2000. Clyde’s pioneering work has greatly reduced time and effort in the back office part of our sport. Today it is hard to imagine a major shoot processing all of the data by hand. For many years he traveled all over the Plains states helping his customers with scoring, and he was a fixture at Ben Avery and Tucson during major shoots. I trained on his program, and it is still in use at Tucson today. Congratulations, Clyde! The Hall of Fame Classic is one of Arizona’s big four winter shoots.

Around the state—The weather leading up to Prescott’s It’s Fall, Y’all Shoot was perfect, but somebody threw a switch, and it turned into a windy and rainy afternoon. Jay Alderman proved impervious to all in the opening singles, and his 100 straight bested the field. Greg Holden dropped one on the first trap and finished second. George Piotrowski came in third with 98 and topped B class. Doug Moore and Wyatt Pizinger tied for C, and Jim Mattia was high in D. The handicap became an internecine battle, and when the dust cleared, Wyatt Pizinger’s 96 had squeezed out his brother Nathanial by one. Two refugees from California, now living in Sedona (kind of California light), Tom McArthur and Charles Storm, tied for third. The weather was not great for the doubles, but once again Alderman proved he was waterproof. He was high gun at 96. Wyatt was second, and Waddell’s Mark Harrison was third. Everyone was happy to see Prescott back to throwing registered targets, and rumor has it that Alderman likes it so much, he is scouting the area for land.

2 Lazy 2 ran Ben Avery’s season opener Sept. 17-18 and had a nice turnout. Greg Holden, Mark Lacey and Don Williamson topped the field in the singles, all with 99s. Max Peevyhouse and Jim Sharp were one behind. Now ladies and gents, you better get used to seeing the name Alexis Fernan because she is going to beat a lot of you. She was high gun in the day’s handicap with 97; the only one close was Bob Mlynarz at 96. Then she did it again in the doubles with 95. Mike Petrisko was one behind.

Sunday started with doubles, and this time Alexis did not fool around. Her 97 was high by five birds over runnerup Mark Matthews. Greg Holden finished third. Nobody beat Don Williamson in the singles; he ran them all, but Greg Holden came within one. The ’caps closed things out, and it was Don once more with 96. Bob Mlynarz fell one short, while Alexis and Doug Sims tied for third at 94. The word is that Cherel and Vickie of 2 Lazy 2 really have Ben Avery humming. It should be a great season.

I am also pleased to announce that Nathanial Pizinger has won the ATA’s gunsmithing scholarship. He is studying gunsmithing at Yavapai College’s acclaimed program.

Upcoming shoots for the mid-December to mid-January period include Tucson, Dec. 17-18; Casa Grande, Dec. 28-Jan. 1; Tucson’s Fun in the Sun Shoot, Jan. 3-8; Lake Havasu Big 50s, Jan. 7; Tri-State Big 50s, Jan. 8; Double Adobe, Jan. 7-8; and the Hall of Fame Classic at Ben Avery, Jan. 11-15. Don’t forget Big 50s every Monday at Casa Grande, plus a singles marathon the first Thursday every month and a doubles marathon on the third Thursday at Rio Salado.

See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

With the new target year underway, we’ve been a little delayed with some of our shoots with some rule differences between the New Zealand Clay Target Association and the ATA being shot on grounds registered to the New Zealand Association.

We have made great progress working on a resolution and can hopefully be back underway in the next month.

Spring has started with stops and starts with a mixed bag of weather at times and more rainy days than usual. It is an outdoor sport, so we have been working through it.

Unfortunately the results for the September shoot at Patangata were not available to include in this report but will be listed when available.

The shoot at Thames Sept. 3 was 300 singles, three 100-target events. We ran three classes, A, B and C. None of the shooters in A class completed the event, but their scores for what they shot were registered. Winners included B first, Rob Andersson, 264; second, Gordon Tucker, 241; C first, Dale Speedy, 258; second, Mike Hirtzel, 256; third, Glenn Ramsay, 248.

For our shoot at Thames on Oct. 1, we ran 100 singles and 100 pair of doubles. The weather forecast was calling for a heavy rain storm for the weekend, but somehow we managed to end up with just a heavy overcast morning with no wind or rain, but we did unfortunately get caught with both for the last part of the last 50 pair in the afternoon.

Given the forecast, we even had the discussion first up in the morning whether we should just run a practice day, but given the conditions and the increased number of shooters arriving, we ran the advertised full program. We ran three classes in both disciplines A, B and C. Winners in the singles included A: first, Grant Preston, 93; second, Lukas Nicholl, 90; B first, Dale Speedy, 91; second, Greg Godden, 90; C first, Pete Skrine, 93; second, Dave Kahlenburg and Glenn Ramsay split, 91. Doubles winner were A first, Wayne Merrie, 172; second, Grant Preston and Lukas Nicholl split, 164; B first, Greg Godden, 160; second, Mike Hirtzel, 149; C first, Glenn Ramsay, 164; second, Pete Skrine, 157; third, Dave Kahlenburg, 155.

A big thanks for both events to all those who helped with set-up and clean-up at the end of the day as well as refereeing, scoring and loading traps, and to Wayne Merrie for helping to run the office.

A big thanks also to our sponsors: New Zealand Hunting Adventures, Thames Clay Target Club, the ATA, Ron Thomassen Logging, Target Products/Falcon Ammunition, Independent Transport Parts and White Flyer Targets.

Good Shooting.

Paul Basten

           ATA Delegate

Utah

Fall in the Rockies. There is no better time of the year, in my opinion. Mother Nature sure has put on a show with her fall colors this year in Utah. I don’t know if I remember the last time I saw such brilliant colors from the leaves. The oaks, maple and aspen seem to be having a competition to see who is the “brightest.”

The weather has also been great. It seems to me that a lot of shooters complain all year long about shooting in bad weather. I guess those folks must be hunting right now. If one could choose the weather conditions to shoot in, I am sure what we have had the last month would be at the top of the list. Sadly, the turnout at the last three shoots has been quite disappointing. It has been a good time to start padding averages for the current target year.

Be sure to check out the online posting of scores for Golden Spike, Spanish Fork and Ogden gun clubs.

Not only has hunting season started, but also events like the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George. I just received word that not only has Joe Sudbury pretty well cleaned up on the shooting medals, seven gold medals, but his wife Deb also won two gold medals in the stationary rowing competition. Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Sudbury. Randy Thompson from Heber Valley GC also did well in the trapshooting competition.

It’s time for a little history lesson along with the regular feature of totally useless trivia. In 1980 the ATA introduced a promotional event called National Trapshooting Day. For approximately 25 years, this date was the first Saturday in October. Somewhere around the early 2000s, picking one date lost traction, so the ATA started promoting National Trapshooting Month. In the early years, if a club told the ATA they were going to host a NTSD shoot, the ATA would supply attendance pins. I was recently contacted by a gentleman from Arizona by the name of Scott Hess. Scott is not a shooter, but his mother had inherited some property and items from a shooter of years gone by. Scott asked me if I would like to have a NTSD pin from 1990. The pin was originally owned by a gentleman by the name of Lee Moorehead. I did some research and found the pin was from the Bullhead City GC, Arizona. The shoot date was Oct. 6, 1990. Mr. Moorehead was the Class C singles winner with a score of 96. I really could not find out much more about him other than he was a 21.5-yard shooter and hasn’t shot for at least 20 years. I would assume that Mr. Moorehead has since passed away.

I will be providing a copy of this article to Mr. Hess as my way of thanking him for sending me the pin.

           Ed Wehking

           ATA Delegate