By: By: CHRISTOPHER DELANEY

Joe Sissano strode out to the line in September, more bounce in his step than usual. The air was somehow more electric, and Joe was acutely aware of the moment. Even still, the day was like any other, a veteran shooter, Joe cycled through his normal routine. The weather was perfect, an unseasonably cool fall day in New Jersey. And the Jersey Devil Shoot held at Pine Belt Sportsmen’s Club was bustling. Ultimately, this was just another shoot, whereby sportsmen tried to register some early fall targets. Joe’s experience was different though, he faced down a new milestone in his shooting career, his 400,000th registered singles target! Needless to say, he went 194×200 that day in the singles event, and he did indeed break that 400,000th target.

That impressive number is only Joe’s registered singles count; when factoring in handicap and doubles, he now has 704,000 overall registered targets as of the time this article was written. Now, after a lifetime of shooting, Joe views each target not as another pulverized clay, but as a symbolic chapter of his rich life’s story. Each clay represents decades of warm friendships, life lessons and thrilling competition. So, as we move into the 2026 trapshooting season, let’s take the time to both welcome and honor a lifetime of targets in our new ATA President, Joe Sissano.

The First Target:  An Age of Discovery

As a boy, Sissano tried in every way to emulate his older brother Frank. Frank was Joe’s role model. With imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, Joe did everything his older brother was doing. When Frank got into hunting, so did Joe. When Frank purchased an old Sears, Roebuck pump shotgun, Joe had to purchase a shotgun of his own. So, in 1965 when Frank tried his hand at trapshooting at the Union County Trap & Skeet Club, Joe, being his faithful shadow, followed suit. After breaking just 13 of his 25 targets, he was instantly smitten. Ultimately, Joe just wanted to shoot. When the boys went hunting together and game was scarce, Joe inevitably shot his box of shells at any tree or rock unlucky enough to be on his path home. So, in these first visits to the gun club, he was given far more opportunities to shoot, more so than hunting ever permitted. In time, Frank drifted away from the sport, as he was more interested in pistol shooting, and for a time, following his brother, so too did Joe.

It didn’t take long though for Sissano to heed the call of the clay. While his brother stayed an avid pistol shooter, Sissano recommitted himself to trapshooting. With the help of his brother, he bought himself a progressive reloader, a MEC 650. Interestingly enough, it was his mother who guided Sissano through his first reloads. She was not a shooter herself, but both her father and brothers were, and she was the one often relegated to the reloading bench making their hunting loads.

This genesis era of shooting, Joe’s metaphorical first clay targets, was crafted around both family and discovery. Sadly, Sissano’s brother and mother are no longer with us. His brother passed quite young at the age of 34. Even still, their early willingness to stand behind Joe as he embarked on a new thrilling adventure assuredly helped mold his early obsession. With their guidance, Sissano learned to love trapshooting, even before he learned to win.

The $401 Target: The Age of Opportunity

The first three years of Sissano’s shooting career started out like many others, not with registered targets but with practice targets and league shoots. Soon though, the old-timers at Union County Trap & Skeet convinced Joe to try his hand at registered shooting. Three men in particular, John Yanosey, Lou Ferrari and John Medvedich, were integral in convincing Sissano that there was a huge and gratifying world outside the local club. While getting a name printed on the club challenge trophy was exciting, a goal that took Sissano 13 years to accomplish, having skin in the game and actually earning prize money was even more so.

Along with Yanosey, Ferrari and Medvedich, Sissano attended his first ATA registered shoot at North Jersey Gun Club in 1968. The club, now known as the North Jersey Clay Target Club, had four trap houses at the time, and for Sissano, that was huge. One can only imagine how elated Joe was when he, accompanied by Yanosey, first took the trip to Elysburg, PA. Not yet PSSA, the then Valley Gun Club boasted a line of houses Joe didn’t believe possible. While the shoot was busier than he was used to, Sissano remembers shooting well that day; despite being new to registered shooting, he broke 95 targets in the handicap. He also played the options that day to the cost of $43. Thinking little of it, Sissano and Yanosey packed up their shoguns, loaded everything into Sissano’s ’66 Corvette, and started on their long drive home. A week later though, much to Sissano’s surprise, he learned his 95 hit, as he was presented with his first check from the ATA for $401.

In the weeks that followed, Sissano and Yanosey both joked with Ferrari and Medvedich for not coming along. After all, they were both exceptional shooters and could have quite possibly won it all. For Joe, that $401 check was more than prize money. It represented both his objective growth in the sport, and even more importantly, it symbolized a new world of opportunity that trapshooting laid before him

The 27-Yard Target : The Age of Commitment

After shooting registered targets for a few years, and while he yearned for more, Sissano had to pull away from registered shooting due to career constraints. Like many young men, Joe’s career aspirations were high; after all, he needed to repay his father for the Corvette loan. He first took a job with Tenneco in the Nuodex division before moving to the Celanese Corporation. Spending only six months with each, he was lucky enough to move into his dream company, working with Esso Research and Engineering, now known as ExxonMobil Research and Engineering. In his role as chemist, Sissano co-authored seven U.S. patents. Joe retired from ExxonMobil in 2003. Despite stepping away from registered shooting temporarily, from 1970 until 1980, it was this early career experience that honed Joe’s work ethic and provided him the financial security needed to truly experience all trapshooting has to offer. As he climbed the corporate ladder, and his overtime hours were no longer as oppressive as his early career, Sissano jumped back into the sport, never looking back.

It was during this time that Sissano met his loving wife of 39 years, Mary Ann. While not being a shooter herself, Mary Ann was always supportive, willing to attend shoots, travel distances and even keep score. Mary Ann and Joe were married on May 17, 1986. True to Joe’s tenacity and Mary Ann’s patience, the newlyweds postponed their honeymoon, as Joe had a shoot scheduled for the day after the wedding. Mary Ann lovingly supported Joe in all his endeavors, and as fate would have it, that honeymoon shoot was the first time Joe made it to the back fence.

Sissano’s 27-yard target was much like his first target and the $401 target, it represented more than a milestone. When Sissano first made the back fence, it provided the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices life requires. He realized that success was not found, it was made through sheer grit and determination. Sissano sacrificed his shooting career for a decade in order to better allow himself the means and opportunity to shoot more targets in the long run. In much the same manner, Mary Ann sacrificed her honeymoon to be there for her new husband as he earned his 27-yard punch. Walking off the line that day, Mary Ann smiling up at him, Sissano felt like he didn’t just reach the back fence, he built it.

The Missed Target : The Age of Humility

Not only a story of broken targets, Sissano’s legacy is built on lost targets. Even the best trapshooters inevitably drop birds. However, there is a difference between those who let the ‘bird that got away’ define them and those who foster humility and seek opportunity with each lost bird.
Sissano shared a story of one such lost target, when a quick momentary lapse in concentration derailed an otherwise stellar performance. In 2017, Sissano was in the Champion of Champions event at the Grand American. Before the event began, Joe and a friend were casually discussing, among all things, the garbage truck schedule at Sparta. The conversation was innocent enough, and thinking nothing of it, Sissano proceeded to his field. Well, he ran a 99 that morning, dropping only one target. Nevertheless, in the Champion of Champions, a 99 won’t cut it. Ironically enough, that one target dropped, Sissano recalled, came right as the whine from the garbage truck’s hydraulics broke through his concentration. On any other day he wouldn’t give this another thought, it wouldn’t distract him. However, after his earlier casual conversation, he couldn’t help but think about the irony as the garbage truck clamorously dumped hulls and empty shell boxes into its hopper.

True to his nature, Sissano never blamed his friend for the lost bird. After all, how could he? Casual conversation was by no means worthy of animosity. There was no ill will toward the driver of the garbage truck either; a man doing his job is only ever worthy of praise, not disdain. Sissano couldn’t even be mad at himself. Despite being a fierce competitor, birds were just occasionally dropped. Ultimately, Sissano viewed that lost target, and the other lost targets, just as important as the crushed ones. That day’s lapse in concentration became another opportunity to foster humility. Prudently, Sissano remarked, “It is the lost birds that teach shooters not to give up, to do better, and to smoke the next target.” True champions see failure as the catalyst for improvement, perseverance, patience and humility.

The 200 Straight : The Age of Excellence

Lost targets aside, Sissano is no stranger to excellence. Even with his long career of impressive victories, Sissano’s most important shooting achievement was his first 200 straight. Since he started shooting in 1965, Joe often dreamed of the elation that followed a perfect 200 straight. It took just over two decades, but that moment came. In 1988 Sissano was attending the Northeastern Grand, and on Friday evening he broke his career high 199×200. That evening’s excitement proved to be short lived; however, being just one target away from another milestone, Sissano set out more determined than ever. And on the very next day, Joe shot 200 in the singles along with two other shooters. He made it through the first round of the shootoff that followed, but he dropped a target in the second round, giving the match to Frank Little.

Despite his shootoff performance, Sissano was simply elated. His 200 straight target was a milestone he would cherish for a lifetime. In that moment, his 200 represented excellence and the mastery found in persistence. It made Joe not just reflect on his own accomplishments though, in the weeks that followed he soon realized that his own successes were meant to be shared with those who supported him. Throughout his shooting career, people were always there for Joe. His brother Frank was a mentor to emulate, his mother encouraged his young passions, and his loving wife always provided the support system needed to sustain his endeavors. It was also due to mentors like his longtime coach Kay Ohye, who coerced out every bit of raw talent and determination needed to form a champion. Today, some of Sissano’s most cherished shooting memories revolve around Rudy Giarrocco, Bill Cook, Franny McCollough Sr. and Nino Campagna, who in 1982 welcomed a novice C class shooter into their A and AA squad and encouraged his growth. In fact, Sissano is still close friends with all these men and still registers targets with Campagna now 43 years later. Fondly reflecting on his lifetime of supporters and appreciating their role in shaping his own commitment, Sissano realized that his next chapter should revolve around supporting others who love the competition and camaraderie that trapshooting cultivates. That 200 straight target not only was a celebration of success, but it ignited Joe’s desire to nurture future generations to mature and prosper in the sport.

The Next Target : The Age of Legacy

And so, the trapshooting odyssey of Joe Sissano comes full circle with his 2026 inauguration as President of the Amateur Trapshooting Association. His leadership story didn’t start in 2021 with his appointment as Eastern Zone Vice President or his leadership role as Delegate dating back to 2003. It has been maturing for nearly a lifetime. Sissano shaped his core values one target at a time, values that will no doubt serve him well during his tenure as President.

Sissano doesn’t set out to reinvent the ATA, nor does he want to make broad sweeping changes to a well-established system. That being said, he is a product of a more romanticized era of trapshooting. An era that somehow seemed more connected as shooting heroes brushed shoulders more easily with rookies. An era that was slower paced, where more intimate conversations filled the gaps between squads compared to the screens of cell phones today. Regrettably, Sissano feels that today there is perhaps less opportunity for fellowship compared to the bygone era. After all, camaraderie gives trapshooting its character. Even so, despite the responsibilities that comes with leading a global organization, Sissano remains focused on ensuring that every shooter experiences the same camaraderie, lifelong friendships and opportunities that shaped his own path.

However, Sissano doesn’t lament the era of modernity, much like the lost target, he views it as an opportunity. More so than ever before, trapshooting has a new platform to reach crowds of new shooters through social media, especially youth shooters. Not just young crack shots though, he wants to also see the young-at-heart likewise targeted. Sissano encourages established trapshooters to invite older adults to shoot for the first time. In their growing leisure time, trapshooting could provide the opportunity to fall in love with a new passion. All it sometimes takes is an invitation, a loaned shotgun, a box of shells and the caring guidance that trapshooters are already willing to give.

In closing, let’s all welcome the new ATA President, Joe Sissano. He has lived a lifetime of targets; each target a lesson. The first target taught him discovery and the next opportunity. The 27-yard target taught Sissano perseverance while the missed target taught him humility. And the 200 straight target taught satisfaction in mastery. So now, as Sissano steps into the biggest role in registered trapshooting, he carries those lessons with him, ensuring a year of success, growth and heart.