Alabama

As I write this, we are but a few days from the Alabama State Shoot. We expect a large crowd with more than 90 AIM shooters. Trophies are all here and have been sorted by day. The machines have all been gone through, and we have tested them over several monthly shoots. The campground is full, with several on a waiting list, but we don’t see anyone backing out. I hope the good Lord will let us have mild weather with no rain. We will have a large crowd on hand on Saturday, as we are having to start at 7 a.m. to ensure everyone can shoot in good light. I hope I saw you there and you had a wonderful time.

Several of us were on hand for the Georgia shoot; our usual squad was there, as we always try to go as a group. Terry Edmonds picked up a class trophy in doubles, and the rest of us shot okay, but we will not be on the cover of the Rolling Stone any time soon. Weather was pretty good until the handicap on Sunday; a front was coming through, and the wind was tricky. We all had a fun time, despite the Hail Mary targets up on Field 2. I have heard Allison Parson shot very well over the weekend; excellent job, young lady, keep it up. This is short, as I am packing to head to Dixie Trap for the state shoot. It won’t be too long before we will be headed to the Grand. I can’t wait.

Read the Rulebook; we all need to learn it. The next time you are on your computer, check out our website. Bill is doing an awesome job of keeping it updated. Good luck and good shooting to all. I will see you somewhere.

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.

I hope to see you all on the line somewhere soon. If you need my help or have news to report, call me anytime at 205-410-8201 or at [email protected].

Fred Jensen

ATA Delegate

Georgia

As I write this, we are in the heart of state shoot season, having just finished the Georgia State Shoot. There is nothing but positives worthy of report. Weather was the best from beginning to end that I can remember in my 11 years of shooting. Even the wind was no factor until Sunday, when it blew just to make things interesting. Our attendance was up slightly over last year, and shooting was completed every day well before dark. Hopefully positive experiences will help grow our shoot in the future.

First, I would like to thank Betsy Reed, who after the state shoot retired as GATA secretary. Betsy has served in this difficult and important role for 14 years and has done an exemplary job. Through her service, she has made it possible for all to participate and compete in the sport that we love. So when you see Betsy, please thank her.

I would like to thank our president, Mike Reed, for his overall coordination of the state shoot and hard work throughout. David Witt did a great job with the trophies and photography. Betsy Reed and Ginger Golden produced an excellent program for the shoot. Sam Weil set good, consistent targets all week long. Beth Weil kept the squad board current with help from Terry Davenport. The trap help functioned at a high level, which kept things moving. I would like to thank my Alternate Delegates, Darren Warden and Skip Varnado, for their help in classification and shootoffs. As always, Diane Bolling provided a solid backbone for the shoot through her system and effort. Dave Hollingsworth lent his experience and effort where needed, and Sam Lamont helped score our shootoffs. David Adams’ Big Pig BBQ and cakes were delicious and are an institution at our shoot. Boone Butler and the South River GC were fabulous hosts. It was obviously a team effort and again, my thanks to all.

Boone Butler won the state Singles Championship with 197, edging out Mike Bolling by one bird. J. T. Osborne III won the Doubles Championship with a 97 in the wind over Max Owens’ and Rich Griffith’s 93s. David Witt prevailed in the Handicap Championship with a 91 over Shirley Duong’s 90. How anybody got into the 90s in that afternoon’s wind is beyond me. Great shooting, guys.

The 2017 Georgia state team was announced at our annual meeting on Sunday morning. They are as follows, from high average to low: captain Mike Wasielewski, Boone Butler, J. T. Osborne, Mike Reed, Gary Blair, Rich Griffith, Emily Rankin, Darren Warden and Sam Weil. Emily Rankin was recognized as the most-improved shooter for the 2017 target year.

During the state shoot it was announced that Ray Grimes will be inducted into the Georgia state Hall of Fame. Induction will occur at the Hall of Fame Shoot in September. Ray is a worthy inductee, having won multiple state and regional championships. They don’t call him Double A Ray for nothing.

I just got back from the South Carolina State Shoot and don’t have all the results yet. Our attendance there was up over last year, but we can do better. I do know that Shirley Duong lost the Georgia-South Carolina Handicap Championship by one bird in a shootoff with Gary Ferguson. Congratulations to you both on two great days of ’caps shooting.

Rich Griffith

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

By the time you read this, it will be July and the weather will be warm. Everyone’s thoughts will be on which state and zone shoot they will attend this month. We are hoping you are at the Kentucky State Shoot. Also, the Grand American at Sparta will be on everyone’s mind with high hopes of many smoked targets.

The past month saw several Kentucky trapshooters attend the Georgia and Missouri state shoots. Melissa Tracy and Drew Wyatt broke into the winner’s column in the Event 5 doubles in Georgia. They continued their winning ways, along with Martha Humphrey winning several events in Lady II. The trio also came through with non-resident wins in the all-around and Drew with an HOA win also.

The Missouri State Shoot was attended by several shooters from Kentucky. Kevin (Tank) Polson broke into the winner’s column in Events 3 and 5. Event 7 saw Keith Ditto win after a shootoff with Polson. Donnie Sherrard won sub-veteran in the same event. Cameron Decker emerged champion in the Event 8 ’caps with 97 and shootoff. Tony Thomas won runnerup in the same event. Keith Ditto won No. 9 doubles with 99. Keith won in the class singles with 199. Thomas and Sherrard won their respective non-resident categories, with each carding impressive 200s. The Event 11 handicap saw Sherrard win with 99 and Ditto after a flip with Polson, each with 98s. In Event 12, William Newland won AA with 100. Event 13 saw Sherrard emerge non-resident champ with 99 and shootoff. Jack Fitch won the 25-26 yardage group with 95. Also, Robert Dyer won vet with 98. In the non-resident class doubles, Gerald Shockley won B with 95. Robert Dyer won vet with 96. In the Singles Championship, Ditto emerged non-resident champion with 150, while Sherrard won sub-vet with 150. Keith also was the out-state runnerup in the Doubles Championship. Keith and Kevin were one-two in HOA, and Keith was runnerup in the all-around. Great showing, guys, in a tough shoot.

The Kentucky High School Clay Target League is about to wind up a very successful season with a lot of outstanding performances by teams from all across the state, with the state tournament scheduled for June 9 at Central Kentucky GC near Berea. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is sponsoring for the first year the Commissioner’s High School Challenge in the Kentucky state Singles Championship. Keep it coming with all these outstanding young high school athletes.

KTL president John Kerr is continuing to improve from his injury, and we are hoping and praying this continues. We are counting on him to be 100% by the July 4 start of the state shoot.

Please let me know of any trapshooting news that you wish to share at [email protected] or 270-227-2262. Until I see you on the line, here’s wishing everyone good health and many crushed targets.

Vernon R. Anderson

KTL board member

Mississippi

Trappin’ is alive and well in Mississippi, and so are the hot and humid days of summer. Monthly shoots at Coast R&PC are going strong, as are some Big 50s down there.

At Capitol, Big 50s are a mainstay every week and keep on growing as the days get longer and despite the heat. Capitol also throws a shoot on the first Saturday of every month. Capitol’s Catfish Trapshoot in May saw Louisiana’s Jim Jenkins walk away with the singles. Our own David DeBerry took the handicap, and youth shooter Chris Dearman got the doubles. HOA went to Dearman and all-around to Jenkins.

Even bigger news, though: Coast R&PC hosted our Mississippi State Trapshoot over the Memorial Day weekend, and what a shoot it was. The Coast’s John Oren, Lenny Sawyer, Charlie Boggs and Brian Harmon did a trappin’ good job of putting on a shoot that will be a hard act for Capitol to follow in Jackson next year. Mississippi winners included Chad Huber in the singles, Fred Rogers in the handicap and Zeke Yeager in the doubles. The Mississippi HOA award went to Yeager, and the all-around winner was Huber. Congratulations to each of these winners and to all our Mississippi shooters who turned out for a tough-weather event at the hands of Tropical Storm Alberto.

Next up on the agenda is Capitol’s flagship trapshoot, the Rebel Open. You’re all invited, so come on down and get a dose of southern fried heat, some excellent trappin’ and some of the best Southern hospitality our sport has to offer. Dates are July 14-15.

As always, happy trappin’!

Jerry Tharp

 ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Our achievement list has Dennis Jones reaching 25,000 singles and 25,000 handicap targets. Gary Olson has reached 75,000 singles and 75,000 doubles targets.

South Carolina had a good number at the North Carolina Hall of Fame Shoot. Trophy winners were Gary Campbell, Jon Mouzon, Frank Ketron, Ed Clarke, Jim Ivey, Doug Stenback, Ron Thompson, Todd Wutrick, Rodney Raines, Russ Middleton, Neil Alexander and Carl Schultz.

Georgia had a great state shoot; the weather was near perfect, except the heavy winds (especially on the upper fields) accompanied by ugly handicap scores on Sunday. South Carolina had 29 shooters there. Trophy winners were Neil Alexander, Randy Knight, Jim Faber, Ed Clarke, Jay Willson, Jerry Tuton, Doug Stenback, Dickie Pigg, Ron Burdick, Dave Reynolds, Gary Ferguson, Roger Smith, Rodney Raines and Jim Ivey.

At our state shoot, the weatherman tried to do us under, but someone above bailed us out. Rain was forecast for every day, but the only time we got wet was in Wednesday’s handicap. We had a bunch of cancellations at first, but the word must have spread about the lack of rain, and the crowd increased. We ended up 15% over last year. Thanks to all who attended. See this issue for the report.

Our state meeting resulted in a lot of changes. Donnie Pigg retired as president after 10 years in office; thanks, Donnie. Teresa Knight was elected president. Rodney Raines is our new vice president. Rodney’s spot as low state director has been filled by Tyler Morris. Neil Alexander, who has been involved in everything from board member, Delegate to his last job as Hall of Fame director, has also retired. Gary Olson will take over as Hall of Fame director in addition to Alternate Delegate. This left his low state directorship open, and that is filled by Gary Ferguson. Wes Basham of Belton GC is replacing Kenny Inman as upstate director. Tammie Wilkins has been elected to fill out Jack Shaub’s term as secretary. Jack is having some health problems, so keep him in your prayers.

North Carolina winners will be in the next report. Some of our shooters are going to Tennessee and Kentucky; good luck and good shooting.

I can be reached at [email protected].

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

This month we have three state shoots, the ATA Southern Zone Shoot and the AIM National Championships.

Let’s start with the state shoots: July 3-8, Kentucky at Central Kentucky GC in Berea; July 4-8, Virginia at Winchester GC in Stephenson; July 12-15, West Virginia at Winchester GC in Stephenson. July 19-22 is the ATA Southern Zone Shoot at Central Kentucky GC, North Carolina Homegrounds at Bostic, and Silver Dollar SC at Odessa, FL. July 27-31 is the AIM Grand National Youth Championships at WSRC, Sparta, IL.

Congratulations to the following Tennessee shooters who won trophies at the Georgia State Shoot: Brooke Barnett, Caleb Clayton, Maynard Brooks and Chandler Hinson.

I’m sorry to report the May 2 passing of Paulette (Foxy) Culpepper. She hadn’t shot since 2009 due to declining health but had a target total of almost 50,000 targets.

Read the Rulebook, please.

Check out our website at Shootatatn.com for more info.

For questions or further information, contact me at [email protected] or 731-217-9957.

Billy Cook

ATA Delegate

Shooters enjoyed a pig roast prepared by master chef Jonesie and his crew during the Pikes Peak GC Memorial Day weekend shoot.

Colorado

Wow, July already! As you read this, the Colorado State Shoot will be one for the history books. I will share some highlights next month. May was a good month for shooting. Cactus Flats had their Apple Blossom Shoot, which was well attended. Come on down and shoot sometime, as they have wonderful lunches, and their progressive 100 pot is at $4,700. Pueblo held their annual Gary Youngblood Doubles Marathon, with the club adding an extra day with the marathon on Sunday. This encouraged shooters to dust off the gun and gear up for our summer shooting season, which helps shooters with target requirements for the state team. As always, a big thank you to Doc Greenlee for supplying the nice buckles and Don and Tiger Volz with added money. Their support is greatly appreciated. Don was not able to make this shoot, as he is in the process of knee surgery. Get hopping soon, Don. After 500 doubles, it came down to a shootoff of Jere Metz and Clinton Phipps. Jere was our champion by one target. Good shooting, Jere and Clinton.

Memorial Day shoots held at Grand Junction and Pikes Peak are in the books. Pikes Peak turnout was lower than the shoots of past, but with the abundance of new and young shooters, it was an exciting, fun weekend topped off with master chef Jonesie’s famous pig roast. Hanna Bernard and Scott Murphy celebrated with their first 25 straights. Our 2017 Rookie of the Year Clinton ran 100 singles on Saturday, followed up with a 199 in Sunday’s singles. He was awarded the 174th bird at our special event dinner. Good shooting, Clinton, for just starting your second year of registered targets. As a side note, he did find out that we old guys are not as easy as one might think. Dave Petrouske won by one bird in the championship doubles shootoff Sunday. Clinton prevailed as HOA winner.

The ATA Southwestern Zone Shoot is right around the corner. The NRA Whittington Center is the host club for our region. Come on down and enjoy the competition for bragging rights. It is always fun to compete against shooters in our Zone. The NRA Center has added five fields to an already wonderful shooting facility.

The Grand is right around the corner. Be sure to get your reservations and pre-squad. It is always a fun shoot that one needs to experience at least once. See you in Sparta, IL.

If you are thinking of trying for the 2018 Colorado state team, check the website for the requirements. There are a lot of great shooters in Colorado, including you. Don’t be shy, and get your application in; you never know until you try.

Don’t forget to support your local clubs. July shoots are as follows: June 30-July 1, Leadville; July 1, Pawnee; July 6-8, Golden; July 8, Cactus Flats, the southern zone qualifier; July 15, Grand Junction and Berthoud; July 21, Eagle; July 22, Aurora, Pikes Peak and Yuma; July 29, Buena Vista and Delta.

I had the pleasure of certifying a trap at the Lead Valley GC. We are looking forward to them hosting ATA shoots in the future.

As always, if there are any clubs that want to share their shoot information or milestones, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Dan Treat

ATA Delegate

Louisiana

The good old Louisiana weather has completely ignored spring; I do believe that we went straight from winter to summer. Boy, is it hot, and it is only May.

The 94th annual Louisiana State Trapshooting Championship is in the record books. It turned out to be the most well attended shoot Louisiana has had in many years. We had 120 shooters from 14 states. Of course, Louisiana had the largest number of any state, but in total, non-resident shooters outnumbered us almost two to one. I would like to thank everyone who made the trip, and I truly hope you enjoyed your visit to our small club and the Cajun fish fry provided by the LTA Saturday.

Thursday’s open events were singles with 52 entries, with Louisiana shooter Mitch Killingsworth taking the championship trophy with the only 100. Runnerup was Tennessee shooter Chandler Brown with a lone 99. Handicap had 51 shooters, and the champion was another Louisiana shooter, Bob Miller, with 95, and runnerup was Miss Haley Miller from Arkansas with 94. Chandler Brown came back to the winner’s circle as doubles champion with 96, and Louisiana shooter Donny Sanders was runnerup with 95.

Friday’s preliminaries were all resident/non-resident events. Louisiana shooters Killingsworth and Robert LaBorde took the doubles champion and runnerup trophies with scores of 96 and 90, respectively. Arkansas dominated the non-resident awards, with Caleb Coody and McCall Groves taking the top two spots with 97 and 95. Resident singles again saw Mitch K. with another perfect score, and Jim Jenkins had runnerup with a very respectable 99. Non-resident singles saw Chandler Brown with another perfect score, and Arlie Griffus of Alabama was runnerup with 99. Preliminary handicap had some issues with rain and thunderstorms, but we managed to get through those. Eighteen-yard shooter Rachel Desadier took the champion spot with 92, and Mitch K. was runnerup with 91. Non-resident M. P. Hill from Alabama was champion with 95, and Bill Burke from Mississippi runnerup with 94.

Saturday was all championship singles with 107 entries, and once again Mitch K. was champ with 197. One target behind, Jenkins had runnerup. Coody and Woody Barnes had high scores of 198 and took to the field for a shootoff, with Caleb coming out on top. Bob Bolden from Indiana was runnerup with 197.

Sunday started off with doubles with 81 shooters, and again Mitch K. was champion with 94, and Jenkins landed the runnerup position with 88. Chandler Brown was once again in the top spot with the only perfect score of 100. Bob Bolden landed runnerup with 94. The main handicap had resident Danny Batten in a shootoff with Chuck Labanics, both with 94. Danny prevailed, and Chuck took home senior vet. Bill Corvers took the runnerup trophy with 93. Mississippi shooter Chad Huber was non-resident winner with 95, and Steve Roach from Texas was runnerup with 94.

Congratulations to all of these champs, and see this issue for the story. For a complete list of scores and winners, additional shoot schedules and contact information for any of the Louisiana gun clubs, visit the LTA website www.louisianatrapshootingassociation.org/index.htm.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who came together to make this shoot possible. The list would be much too long for this article, but you know who you are: LTA officers, directors and members, Toby Bancroft Memorial GC Board of Directors and members, sponsors and all the shooters who took the time and traveled the distance to join us.

Shoot well and shoot often.

Doyle Brooks

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

Our state shoot was a good one at the NRA Whittington Center. I’m not going to list all the event winners; they will be in the shoot report. We had a great turnout. Weather was fairly good; we had some wind, but overall it was good.

The ATA Southwestern Zone will be July 12-15. They will have an October shoot the 12th through 14th.

New Mexico officers all stayed the same except the new ATA Delegate is Samantha Rainsdon.

Bob Leibel

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Iowa Park’s April 22 shoot saw strong north winds. Out of 17 shooters attending, seven were Oklahomans who won the events. Pat Stacey’s 188 won the doubles. Clay Laughlin’s 96 won the singles, and Nathan Lemke’s 95 won the handicap. His 49 out of the last 50 came close to winning a 50s purse.

The Oklahoma Parks and Wildlife shoot held at the OTSA SP was moved from April 24 to the 26th due to rain. They have more than 900 boys and girls in the state and estimated 300 would compete. They didn’t miss it far; 292 registered to shoot. This shoot is put on by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and is very well organized. They worked all day the day before, putting the numbers and signage on every trap. They were still there at 6:30 p.m., while I was putting up my “Welcome Parks & Wildlife shooters” signs. Postponing to the 26th was a good move; the weather was perfect. Shooting went well, as did the ribs lunch. On May 19 the Oklahoma 4-H shooters competed at the OTSA SP. Early estimates were to have 200 boys and girls compete.

On April 28 a 4-H fundraiser for Grant and Alfalfa counties was held at Enid’s Grand National GC. There were over 160 kids who attended the shoot. The next day GNGC held a registered tournament. Shooters faced a very strong south wind all day, keeping scores low. Robert Campbell’s 97 was high of the 22 singles shooters. David Bacon’s 93 won the handicap and a half-yard punch. Billy Pierce’s 90 won the doubles. David’s helicopter was sitting on the south side of the clubhouse. For the new shooters who have not been to Enid, you need to attend one of their shoots. You will enjoy the nice new clubhouse they built several years ago. Be sure to check out the Grand National Hall of Fame pictures, which include Roy Clark, Dale Robertson, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Henry Belmon, Dub Taylor and a large display of Darrell Scott’s achievements.

Vickie Farmer won Ada’s April 24 fun shoot with 49, and Josh Casteel won the May 1 shoot with 48.

Shawnee’s May 6 shoot had good weather and a good turnout. Wind gusts at times kept scores low. Robert Rimer won the doubles with 92. Josh Casteel’s 99 won the singles, and Justin Cavett’s 98 was next. Bennie Livingston’s 93 won the handicap and a half-yard punch. Josh Casteel won long-yardage with 92, Vickie Farmer won short-yardage with 89, and husband Randy won mid-yardage with 90 (he asked me to remind Vickie that he beat her by one). After shooting a trap, Colton Ables had a hard time finding his shooting bag. Someone whose name starts with an R set it behind the trash barrel.

Tyler Rindal and I visited about the AIM State Shoot May 29 at the Oklahoma State Shoot.

Ada’s Tuesday evening May 7 shoot had four squads, and Mike Grove broke 25 in the handicap for a 49 total to win. Four green targets were thrown, and I was the only one to break one. That paid $16. The OTSA Spring Fling May 12-13 was well attended with good weather and high scores.There was a strong south wind both days. The great target-setting was reflected in the high scores. On Saturday’s 500 doubles, Charles LeadingFox was champion with 454. On Sunday’s 200 singles, Ron Bliss won champion with 197. Rick Bliss broke 100 straight on the second 100 for 196. On the first 100 handicap, Rick Bliss, Emma Tennell, Zachary Piancino and Kevin Cockriel each broke 98. Rick hit the last 50 to win champion by reverse score. On the second 100 handicap, Dennis Patrick broke 97 for high gun. See Gun Club Scores for a complete list of winners.

OTSA was host to the Spring 4-H shoot May 19, and 210 boys and girls competed for awards. Abagail Colton was the girls winner. XX was the boys winner. Duncan GC had a great turnout for the Marie Ketchum Memorial May 20. Overcast skies made the targets hard to see and kept scores low. The shoot had just ended when the sun came out. Nathan Lemke broke 95 to win the singles, and he topped the HOA with 270. Emma Tennell’s 93 won the handicap and another half yard. Doubles was a tie by Dennis Patrick and Allen Moore with 86s.

There were 30 Oklahoma shooters who attended the 50th Anniversary Missouri State Shoot. Weather was not very cooperative at times. In came a torrential flood just as the first 100 singles on Saturday ended, and the event had to be cut to 150. They put on a great shoot in spite of the inclement weather, and attendance was way up. The fish dinner and steak dinner were excellent. Their Pump ’em Doubles shootoff for a gun and drawing for shells all helped make the 50th Anniversary shoot special. Joe Anglin won a drawing for shells. Over half the Oklahoma shooters won one or more trophies. I think Brayden Bliss won four or five, and Pat Stacey won five or six. Pat and Ron Bliss broke 99 in Friday’s doubles for non-resident winner and sub-vet. Rick Bliss broke 100 straight in Sunday’s doubles for out-state champion. Billy Pierce won a 25 Ford purse on each of two handicaps. Clay Galbreath and Bill Dayton won four trophies. David Bacon II broke 97 for non-resident runnerup in the main handicap. Look for a complete write-up of all winners in Trap & Field.

Keep the military and law enforcement people who protect our freedom in your prayers. Police Week was held during May to honor those who protect us.

Tim Deister

ATA Delegate

Texas

In this column I usually write about how important it is to read the Rulebook, release squads you aren’t going to use, treat shoot personnel with respect, have an up-to-date average card, etc.

I am not going to write about those things. Today I’m going to write about life. We don’t think about it until we have a loss of a friend, fellow shooter or family. This week we lost three shooters who I know. Two of these have been friends of mine for the 42 years I have been competing in registered shooting. The other was a 17-year-old young man named Orren Guffey. Orren was shooting the best he has ever shot. That was important to him, and he tried very hard to excel. Just as he reached that, he is gone. Gone but certainly not forgotten. A good friend of mine named Bill Dunlap also passed away. Bill began shooting ATA targets in 1958. He was a member of several record-setting squads in his career. These records will be broken, but the memories of Bill will remain. Another friend of mine, Doyal Duncan, passed away. Doyal started shooting ATA targets in 1968. Doyal and I had many fun days at shoots we attended. He always had a story and a smile.

We all know how it hurts to lose family and friends. When you leave the house—whether you are going to work, school or a shoot—tell your family that you love them. We have no guarantees we will see them again. Same goes when you are leaving a shoot; tell your friends you enjoyed seeing them and hope to see them again. We all need to slow down and smell the roses. I know life gets hectic sometimes, and we don’t think we have time to do all those things. Each of us has 24 hours in each and every day, we need to use as many of those 24 hours as necessary to let our family and friends know how we feel.

I’m sure many of you will think this column is a little off topic. I apologize if I offend anyone. I just think we all need to be more conscious of life, not only ours but every life. It’s your life, enjoy all you can.

In my next column I will try to do better. I’m just saddened by the loss of these fellow shooters.

Until next time, think about life, do what you can, change what you can.

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Alberta

Spring has finally come to the Prairies, and our shooting season is under way. Unfortunately the first shoot of the year in Edmonton had to be canceled due to the unusually late spring and resulting water and flooding problems that came with it.

Weather was not a friend either at Calgary for the second ATA event of the year (lots of wind and tough conditions), but there were still a few good scores, including a 100 in singles for Trevor Dawe.

The Medicine Hat club has undergone a host of upgrades since last season. A new kitchen, revamped clubhouse, upgraded grounds and sporting clays layout are now all offered by the club. Hot, sunny conditions prevailed during the end-of-May event at the club, along with the usual Medicine Hat breeze. There were still lots of good scores, though, and hats off to the club for the excellent roast beef dinner on Saturday evening.

In addition to attending your club shoots, I again encourage everyone to come out and attend the provincial in Edmonton. The Zone shoot in conjunction with it this year is a bonus, so it will be our single biggest ATA event of the year. The shoot program (Trevor Kuhn along with Jack Broadfoot and the Edmonton club have put together a good one) is on the website for those who want to know the details.

Bert and Heather Brumwell’s $10K support has ensured it will have lots of good payouts for those who play the options, and Bayer sponsorship of the banquet will ensure we are well fed. Zone option events will also be available for the first time in many years. With the 500+ shooters competing in the Zone, these payouts can be attractive if one has a good day and shoots well.

It is off to Vernal and the Western Grand for me next week. Please give me a call or e-mail if there are things you would like to see in this ATA report.

Garry Hill

 ATA Delegate

Arizona

These notes may well be outdated by the time you read this, but as of late May, there is some uncertainty surrounding registered shooting at Ben Avery for the upcoming season. Donnie and Paul Doetsch have gone into a well-earned retirement, and it is unknown if Premier Shooting Sports, who ran the shoots this past year, will continue to do so. Arizona Game and Fish has selected six dates at Ben Avery for 2018, including the Hall of Fame Classic, so that is a most positive sign. Discussions and contingency planning are currently under way. Ben Avery is an important part of registered shooting in Arizona, and we do not want any interruption.

Congratulations are in order for our state team captains: Steve Johnson, men’s; Karen Bergman, ladies’; Sheldon Privetts, sub-junior; Canyon Ferris, junior; Tim Robb, veteran (here is hoping that Tim is back on the line soon); and Jay Alderman, senior vet. Canyon Ferris had the highest average at .9490, proving once more that young eyes and quick reflexes top experience most of the time. Not only do we have some great shots, but a quick glance through Trap & Field conclusively shows that Arizona has the best-looking ones also.

Around the state: there will be registered shoots in July at Flagstaff, July 7-8; Rio Salado, July 9 (doubles marathon) and July 23 (singles marathon); and Pleasant Valley, July 27-29. Plus the ATA Western Zone at Tucson July 13-15; it’s a great shoot and a lot of fun.

On a more solemn note, we have lost some fine shooters and even better people as of late. Claude Felix passed away Jan. 10, Bill Ruhlman died Feb. 7, and Ken Vanderpool passed April 19. Please keep them and their family in your thoughts and prayers.

I would like to hear from everyone who is going to the Grand American in Sparta. Please call me at 928-443-1100 or e-mail me at [email protected]. This is to plan an all-Arizona picnic for one of those nights.

See you on the line!

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

Washington

Is it just me, or does this year and target season seem to be flying by fast? By the time you see this, the WSTA Championships will be in the books, and we’ll be gathering up shells for the Western Zone at the Colton GC.

The folks at Colton have been sprucing things up for their early June shoot and the Zone. This will be a first time for the club as a Zone site. The club is buzzing with excitement for the possibilities, as many shooters in the region who have yet to take a shot at ATA targets there have made plans to do so. The following Sunday, July 30, the Malden-Pine City GC will offer a 300-target program. This club is a nice place to shoot as well, so it’s our hope a few travelers will hang around for a week and experience Malden-Pine’s hospitality as well.

Last weekend the Spokane GC hosted the Inland Empire Handicap, and except for a sprinkle of rain on Friday, there were good weather and targets. I’d like to throw out a high five to a new shooter in the youth ranks, Mason Blachley, who hails from Pomeroy. Mason posted his first 25 straight during the weekend and shot some personal best scores. His dad Beau joined him on the line after taking a break from ATA action for a few years. Granddad Lee Blachley, who is well known in shooting circles, was there also. How great is that? Having three generations of Blachleys smoking ATA targets at the Inland Empire Handicap goes to show how the trap game is a great family endeavor. In this issue look for some photos and a trophy report from the Inland, including a report of a memorial “perfect score from the 27” in honor of several members lost recently from our ATA community in the Northwest, with the targets being pulled by WSTA Hall of Fame member Stan Wright.

After the Western Zone and Malden-Pine City shoots, things will slow down a bit during the busy harvest and fall seeding seasons, but we’ll be eager to go again as soon as the crops are in the bin and next year’s fall wheat is seeded. Colton will host another shoot in late September, and at Spokane a couple of fall shoots will be thrown as well.

I’m confident we’ll be reporting some fun stories from the state shoot in a following issue. Reports of first 100 straights, major wins and shooters’ milestones are always a great thing to share. We hope to meet some of you new shooters and seasoned competitors alike here in the coming months if you haven’t experienced Washington before.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate

Illinois

Hey, shooters! The 2018 Illinois central zone shoot was held at Peoria S&TC May 12-13 in order not to coincide with the U.S. Open. After a rainy start Saturday, the singles event was down 38 shooters, with 86 taking the line. Even a short rain delay couldn’t deter Dave Dressler from finishing on top with 197. Sunday’s weather was much better, with a cloudy morning giving way to a very sunny Mother’s Day. All ladies present were given a rose as a thank you for attending on their day! The doubles event was down 30 shooters with only 47 participants. Dan Roberts took top honors with 96. Handicap was also down with only 79 shooters. Rich Liggett turned in a 98 from 18.5 to take champion honors. The HOA was won by Dan Roberts, with Leland Hassler taking out-of-zone honors.

The 2018 Illinois southern zone shoot was held at Brittany SP May 26-27. The weather was beautiful! A little on the warm side, but much better than the weather we’ve had for the last few months. There was one storm that we thought would make its way in but we lucked out, and it remained just north of us. There were 126 entries for the singles, 72 for the doubles and 81 for the handicap. There were three 199s on Saturday: Lauren Mueller, Mike Jordan and Mike Hathaway. Mueller came out on top after two rounds in the shootoff. Mueller also had the lone 99 on Sunday’s doubles for top honors. In the handicap, Brady Cox broke his first 100 straight ever. Quite the accomplishment, especially on one of the toughest events. Mueller was in-zone all-around, and Tal Seger took out-of-zone champ.

There are a couple other honorable mentions: Elise Baker broke 98 from 25.5 in Linn Creek for the Handicap Championship to make it to the 27-yard line. She then proceeded to go to the Great Lakes Grand in Michigan and break another 98 to claim champion of the event the following week. Ian Lawrence had a great show up there as well, tying for HOA and singles champion. Chloe Turasky broke 100 in handicap from the 19-yard line and won high gun at Menard Co. SC. Everyone, keep up the awesome shooting, and I’ll see you either at the ATA Central Zone Shoot July 26-29 or in Sparta for the Grand!

Lauren Mueller

ATA Delegate

Lenvel Connor (middle) won the handicap at the Indiana central zone shoot. Jason Barnett and Ann Taylor offer their congratulations.

George Rezabek (middle) was congratulated by ATA Delegate Jason Barnett and Fall Creek Valley CC trap manager Ann Taylor on winning the Indiana central zone singles, doubles and HOA.

Indiana

Hello, Indiana shooters! The 2018 Indiana State Shoot will be here very soon. I hope to see everyone at Indiana GC in Fishers July 17-22.

A few reminders about the Indiana State Shoot: Tuesday is Fun Day on the eight west-end traps, and our AIM State Championships (100 singles followed by 50 pair of doubles) on the eight east traps. Phil Baker and Indiana GC are covering the singles target fees for the AIM shooters, and we have an anonymous donor picking up the tab for the AIM doubles fees, plus Fiocchi has donated 15 flats of shells for the youth teams. Wednesday is Honor Day, where we honor our champions from last year, and Thursday is the 200-bird Singles Class Championship followed by the ITA President’s Handicap, where we recognize this year’s president, Dave Cates. Friday starts out with the ITA Hall of Fame Handicap, then we will present our 2017 all-state teams and induct Cates and John Fry into the Indiana Trapshooting Hall of Fame. After the ceremony will be the Doubles Class Championship, then once shootoffs are settled, we will have our miss-and-out event, made possible by numerous volunteers and gracious donors. The all-around starts on Saturday with the Singles Championship, with the Doubles Championship first on Sunday followed by the Handicap Championship.

Here’s an ITA Spectator Experience update from Roxie Antczak: “The 2018 ITA Spectator Experience has a full week of fun planned for everyone. With the help of our very talented friends in Fortville, guests will have their choice of games for kids, crafts, Bunco and more. The Boozehounds will perform during Wednesday night’s Welcome Party and also will be headlining the Shooter Appreciation Dinner on Saturday night, following the very talented country singer Eliana Weston. New this year is the campsite decorating contest, open to all registered campers on gun club grounds. Don’t forget to check the Spectator Experience Facebook page for details and information on registering and/or purchasing required event tickets. As always, questions can be directed to [email protected].”

It was a busy month of May for the ITA, first with the central zone shoot at Fall Creek then the northern zone at St. Joe, followed by the southern zone at Columbus. On behalf of the ITA Board of Directors, we express our gratitude to each of these clubs for being such fantastic hosts.

At the central zone, George Rezabek ran away with several championship trophies, including the singles with 198 and doubles with 93, plus the HOA belt buckle with 379. Lenvel Conner topped Brian Ingle in a two-round handicap shootoff to settle their 95s, and Lenvel took home that buckle.

For the northern zone, the Singles Championship went to Scott Cochran with 198. Garl Gresley won the doubles champ trophy with 99 as well as the all-around with 388. Steve Schlabach was the handicap belt buckle victor with the lone 96.

Then at the southern zone shoot, Mike Grannan was the singles champ with 199 and the doubles champ with 94. Sub-junior Noah Rice dominated the handicap with a solid 99. I can personally attest to it being a solid 99, as I was standing right next to him, and he was right in the middle of them all. Congrats, Noah! Tom Burchell was HOA with a solid 380.

Don’t forget to join me at the ATA Central Zone Shoot, with Evansville GC once again a host site July 27-29. Also be sure to check out our newly renovated website www.indianatrap.com for all the registered shoot dates around Indiana as well as the Indiana State Shoot program and full results from the zone shoots. On our website is a listing for unclaimed trophies from past state and zone shoots. Please take a look at this list and see if we have any of your trophies from past shoots, or maybe you know someone on the list who doesn’t come to the state shoot anymore. All of these trophies can be picked up from Dianna Simkins at the trophy/squadding desk at the Indiana State Shoot.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything or would like to have anything included in this article for Indiana. My e-mail is [email protected].

Jason Barnett

ATA Delegate

Ohio

The Ohio zone shoots are over, and the names are in the book. I hope everyone who won an event shows up at the state shoot to represent their zone. You should have received your state program. If you did not receive a copy, please contact the state secretary. Look on Ohiotrap.com for information. I hope everyone can make it to the state shoot this year. The Ohio State Shoot should be a Competition Factor of 7 if the crowd stays the same as in the past few years. Ohio has added the AAA class for the 2018 shoot.

The Cardinal has a couple of shoots coming up before the state shoot: the Karen’s Cup and the Buckeye Open. If the weather holds, the Buckeye should be a huge success because more shooters are starting to show up. The Buckeye will have AAA as well as the Cardinal after the Grand American in August. Last year the Buckeye was a Comp 5 and may be higher with the new formula.

The Middletown SC had good attendance for the Mid-American the last few days of April. They ended with a Competition Factor of 3 and was pushing the 4 hard. Mike Erter has done a good job with the club, and they are constantly working to improve. They just finished installing 50-amp services for the camping area, which will be available for the Fall Handicap. The Mid had 72 trophy winners from several states. Trophies were shells and Shamrock Leathers goods. The Shamrock items were very nice. Singles champion: Eugene Koczwara; handicap: Kevin Nidzgorski; doubles: Brady Welsh; and all-around; Tank Lunsford. I would like to thank Tara Madden for the help she gave me at the shoot by providing the daily information. I hope everyone will try to attend the Fall Handicap in September.

I hope to see everyone at the state shoot. Remember to bring your average card when you classify. I will leave you with the words of a friend: “Keep your head down, follow through and bust ’em.”

Roger McNamer

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

One of the things about trapshooting is that even if we don’t do well at one shoot, there’s always the next day or the next week or the next month to go and have fun with friends and try to hit those silly orange targets. With the shooting season under way, you should be able to get a lot of practice in for our state shoot this month.

I want to thank a group for their hard work volunteering for the Central Wisconsin Trapshooters Association. They are Kyle Wojicechowski, president; Connie Reimer, secretary assistant; Glen Carlson, treasurer; and Bert Pieper, secretary. Every other Sunday during the winter in the central part, there is a shoot held no matter if it is cold or just sort of cold out (okay, it will be cold out). The clubs involved in this are Heart of Wisconsin, Lincoln, Manawa, Ashley, Minocqua, Marathon and Weston. Here are the winners at the championship in Minocqua: champion, Devin Doucette; ladies’, Kendra Dobberstein; junior, Cody Barwick, Trinity Brede and Dalton Brandenburg; and veteran, Ed Borske. I know we don’t want to talk snow or cold weather right now, but you might want to put it on your schedule for after the first of next year to join these folks. You can find the schedule at cwtatrap.com this winter.

This morning I was looking for scores to post for shooters who had participated in some larger shoots around the country, and I did find one at the Georgia State Shoot. Andrea Jackson won women’s in a handicap there. Congratulations, Andrea. The Missouri State Shoot also had some Wisconsin winners: David Stanonik, two singles wins; Sandra Jo Jack, eight wins; Donald Chrapla, handicap; Roger Taylor, two wins in handicap; Kevin Kastenschmidt, handicap; Daryl Sass, handicap; and Dennis Minks, HOA and all-around. If you have not had the chance to attend the Missouri grounds, it is a very nice facility.

As you are reading this, we are getting ready for our Wisconsin State Shoot, and it is our fifth year at the homegrounds. We are looking forward to a very successful shoot with the help of all the volunteers. If you see things that need to be done or think you can help, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the board members who are running around looking like they’re going crazy trying to accomplish everything so you and I can have fun with friends and shoot. Remember to thank the volunteers for their hard work. Also stop by the trophy pod and say hi to Dennis and me; hopefully it is when you collect a trophy.

Please e-mail with any shooting information. I know you have something good to report. It can be wins, accomplishments or a good deed someone has done. Remember to smile because I am. See you at the Wisconsin State Shoot.

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring