Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces. Nova Scotia shooter Aubrey Spinney was the subject of our April Shooter Profiles on shootatlantic.com. Aubrey is well known for his generosity and willingness to lend a helping hand and is the energetic member who every club and shooting association needs to have in their ranks to be successful. Aubrey was one of the driving forces behind the very successful 2018 Atlantic Provinces Shoot held at his home club, the Highland GC in Yarmouth. Aubrey’s comments to me when asked about his most memorable shooting moments left me thinking about why we love this sport so much. Visit shootatlantic.com to read all about Aubrey.

Tickets for this year’s Blaser F3 SuperTrap gun lottery will be available through the APTA and the Petitcodiac SC. Contact us if you would like a ticket or would like to help sell tickets. All proceeds will go to promoting trapshooting in the Atlantic Provinces and support the initiatives of the Petitcodiac SC and the APTA. A limited number of tickets will be printed, and tickets are only $20. Complete lottery details can be found on shootatlantic.com.

The shoot program for this year’s Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Shoot, Aug. 29-Sept. 1 at the St. John’s R&GC in Newfoundland and Labrador, is now available on our website shootatlantic.com. If you would prefer a printed copy or copies for your club, contact me and I’ll get them out to you.

The Atlantic 1000 Purse is a go for another year and is brought to you by the trapshooters at the St. John’s R&GC. The purse is open to all ATA shooters who meet the purse’s minimum target requirements—1,000 ATA targets in the Atlantic Provinces between Aug. 31, 2018, and Sept. 1, 2019. The prize will be the shooter’s target fees for the 2020 Atlantic Provinces ATA Provincial Championship events. Complete details are available on shootatlantic.com.

Good luck to all who will be attending the 2019 Canadian Trapshooting Championships June 26-30 at the St. Thomas (ON) GC. The shoot program is available on shootcanada.ca.

Newfoundland shooter Francis McNeil suffered a heart attack on April 24 and later passed away. Francis was an avid member of the St. John’s R&GC and started registering ATA targets in 1985. He loved to shoot and was one of the first shooters I met at St. John’s. You’ll be missed, Francis. Our condolences to the McNeil family.

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

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

Well, it’s spring here in the Garden State. The crocuses are out of the ground, and it was time to uncover the fig tree; the ends of the branches showed new growth, so it made it through the winter just fine.

By the time you receive this issue of Trap & Field, our 122nd New Jersey State Shoot will be in the record books. Hopefully you were able to attend and possibly had a personal high score in an event and took home a trophy. A full report and pictures of the winners should be in the August issue of this magazine.

Pine Valley held their annual Quarter Grand April 6-7. Doug Bracher led the 200-bird singles on Saturday, Michael Morgado was high in Sunday’s singles, Ed Shea was handicap champion, and Robert Battista was doubles champion. To see all the class and category winners, go to www.pinevalleygunclub.com.

During the same weekend, Pine Belt SC held their annual 500-bird singles marathon Saturday and 300-bird handicap marathon Sunday. Marc Invidiato was high in the singles, and Diane Arner from New Tripoli, PA, was high in the handicap.

Rich Dettinger reported that Pine Valley held their fifth annual Youth Shoot April 15. Pine Valley advertised the shoot in Trap & Field, and the turnout was great. As usual, Mother Nature had her way with rain all Friday night and into Saturday morning. Fortunately, all rain stopped by 10 a.m. Saturday and continued clearing the rest of the day. Seventy-five singles shooters from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York in a record number of entries took part, and a record 45 shooters in handicap and 44 in the doubles rounded out the day. There was an increase in young female shooters in the singles and a surprisingly high number of girls shooting handicap and doubles, too.

Seven teams took part in the team event. with the Mason Dixon group from Glen Rock, PA, the winner. Members were Noah Temple, Chase Watkins, Travis Tyler, Erick Inch and Rob Carpenter. Leading the 100 singles event was Andrew Hahn Jr. with 100, Nathan Bosley led the handicap with 94, and Ruger Supensky headed the doubles with 93. There was a tie for the high-over-all between Kurt Willman and Noah Temple. Due to the late hour, instead of shooting off, it was decided to give each a Shamrock bag.

Harlan Campbell donated some very nice door prizes and took part in the trophy presentation part of the day. He was so impressed with the large turnout, he agreed to hold a shooting clinic again next year prior to the Youth Shoot. He will also be present during the shoot to answer any questions from attendees and present trophies to the winners.

Paul Dimeglio really worked hard putting the shoot together, along with all the financial support of the club members and their volunteer work manning the scoring chairs and loading the trap machine carousels. Additional help from Krieghoff International, Campbell and the West Chester (PA) GC all added to the shoot’s success.

Mallard TC held their annual Easter Pie Shoot April 20. Despite the dreary and misty, rainy day, 75 shooters were on hand to win 36 fresh-baked pies. I pulled in around noon, and I couldn’t find a parking space! Steve Ottrando reported that Avril Rance was the big pie winner with three, Avril did give two of them to fellow shooters. Club member Gary Rodgers gave his pie to a family who unfortunately missed the green bird. Steve wrote, “Mallard club members continued to show sportsmanship and generosity throughout the day. It’s these unselfish acts that remind us why we belong to a trap club.” Well said, Steve.

At the same time, Pine Belt was holding their 250-pair doubles marathon, and the weather down south was no better, with a windy, misty drizzle, and the rain eventually did stop. Pennsylvania shooter Don Schaffer Jr. led scoring, with Jerry Burkert from Delaware coming in second and Marc Invidiato third.

The Howell TC’s registered shooting dates for the remainder of the year are Sept. 29 and Oct. 20. Howell has practice shooting every Tuesday and Sunday.

The 20th Garden State Grand will be June 28-30 at the Pine Belt SC in Shamong. I believe leather from Shamrock Leathers will be trophies du jour.

On a sad note, Edward Yanchok passed away March 30 at RWJ University Hospital Somerset; he was 79. Ed was born in Newark, grew up in Union, and lived in Springfield a short time before moving to Warren, NJ, 58 years ago. Ed was a builder, starting out working with his dad then going on to do contracting work on his own. In 1980 I first met Ed at Somerset Fish & Game, which he managed, when he signed my ATA application to rejoin the ATA. After Somerset closed, Ed managed the old Winchester club “Grouse Ridge” on Route 22 in the Clinton Township area. When that property was sold, Ed went on to manage Bucks Co. F&G in Doylestown, PA. Ed enjoyed trapshooting; he was known as the Stock Doctor on Trapshooters.com. Ed would work on shooters’ stocks, either finishing, shortening or lengthening them, and added adjustable combs and recoil reducers, or bent the stocks to fit the shooter. Ed was president of the New Jersey State Trapshooting Association in 1984 and 1985. He became the New Jersey ATA Delegate in 1987 and filled that position until 2004. He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2006. Ed was on the last squad at the 2005 Grand American; he was on Post 5 and shot at and smoked the last registered target thrown at the Vandalia, OH, facility. During his shooting career, he registered 330,400 singles, 111,675 handicap and 114,250 doubles targets. Ed is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Mary, plus a son Edward, daughter Laura Poniatowski, her husband Robert, and a grandson Lucas Yanchok. Memorial donations can be made to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, 300 5th Ave, Suite 6, Waltham MA 02451, Mid-Atlantic Affiliate.

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

New York

Hello to everyone from New York State. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying life.

I am sorry to report that New York shooter John W. Wallis passed away Feb. 10. John began registering targets in 1978. He was at 22.5 yards and during his career registered 4,900 singles, 13,075 handicap and 3,000 doubles. John’s wife, Mary Louise, passed away 16 days after John did. All of us from New York wish to express our deepest sympathies to John and Mary Louise’s family on their passing.

Congratulations to Bob Skoczylas for his nomination to be inducted into the New York State ATA Hall of Fame. Bob will be inducted July 13 during the New York State Shoot at ceremonies after the Singles Championship has been completed and before shootoffs. Congratulations, Bob!

One thing that I always ask people to do when carrying their break-open shotguns over the shoulder is to always have the barrel pointed toward the front of you. When you have the barrel pointed to the rear, it can easily strike someone. You can turn suddenly and strike someone in the face. Years ago I was struck in the face when a shooter had the barrel pointed to the rear and he swung around, causing a good laceration on my face when the barrel hit me. Also, when walking from station to station or field to field, keep the action open, per ATA rules. No shell in the gun. Always remember your safety rules. We do not need any accidents.

If you would like to have anything written in Trap & Field in these articles, please e-mail me at [email protected] or phone at 585-519-9543. Thanks.

If you are doing any traveling, please proceed safely. See you all soon, and good shooting. May God bless.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada. There is still time for you to make arrangements to participate in the Canadian ATA Championships, which will be hosted by St. Thomas GC June 26-30. You can download a program by going to the Ontario Provincial Trapshooting Association website. I hope to see you there.

As I write this in late April, trapshooting in Ontario has just begun. Our OPTA website lists our shoots at various clubs—we had one on March 31, six in April, and will have at least six in May followed by our biggest trapshooting month, June, with 10 shoots (including the Canadians). There are six scheduled shoots in July, including our Ontario provincial (July 25-28 in Hamilton). There are three shoots scheduled for August and then September is a busy month with eight shoots. Only one is scheduled for October. Sometimes shoot events can change, but for now it appears Ontario will be having about 41 ATA competitions at 12 clubs.

In 2018 Ontario clubs threw 251,400 singles, 170,100 handicap and 116,600 doubles for a total of 538,100 targets. Primarily because of the Canadians being in Ontario this year, I expect our total targets thrown will exceed those of 2018.

From my brief assessment, Ontario ranked 31st of 59 states/provinces (including Brazil and New Zealand) in target participation. There are lots of Ontario clubs to shoot ATA targets; they are at your disposal and would appreciate your attendance.

Paul Shaw

ATA Eastern Zone Vice President

Pennsylvania

It’s hard to believe, but it’s June and the Pennsylvania State Shoot is here. The PA zone shoots and Keystone Open are in the books, and we are in full swing of the warm shooting season. As I write this in April, many of our shooting brethren have returned from their southern jaunts in Florida and Texas.

We had 52 shooters represent Pennsylvania at the Southern Grand in Florida, and 21 brought home 58 total trophies. Highlighting the week were Clare Schaffer, Deborah Ohye-Neilson and Don Schaffer Jr. Clare scored six wins, including Tuesday’s preliminary handicap event champion and class HOA and HAA. Debbie hauled home 13 awards, including category HOA and HAA, while Don added seven more trophies to his collection, including the AAA HAA. Other PA winners included Jim Lechleitner (three), Frank Pascoe (four), Gerald Gall (two) Ken Darroch (four), Thomas Williams, Carl Gentile, Don Neilson Jr (three), Robert Morgan, Tim Tarbuck (two), Don Schaffer Sr., Stephen Lechleitner, Zach Eshbach, Bill Plunkett (three), Marcy Plunkett, John Spangler, Steven Miller, Larry Shade and Malcolm McCord.

Staying in Florida a little while longer were 44 shooters in attendance at the Florida State Shoot. Eight shooters ended up with 17 trophies, with Deborah Ohye-Neilson collecting 10, including category HOA and HAA. John Koschoff, Gerald Gall, John Soloe, Bruce Rex, Roger Shallenberger, Frank Pascoe and Mo Kephart each brought home trophies.

In completing her “March through the South,” Deborah Ohye-Neilson and four other PA shooters made a stop in San Antonio, TX, to compete in the Southwestern Grand while pocketing 26 awards. Debbie claimed the class singles and championship singles titles as well as category HOA and HAA as part of her 15 wins. Husband Don Neilson Jr. added five more, including runnerup honors in the Doubles Championship, while Daniel Bossio (four), Adam Stefkovich and Jerome Stefkovich brought six more back to PA. Congratulations to all our PA shooters!

Unfortunately I’m also reporting on the loss of two shooters, Gary Shepherd of Factoryville and Gene Baker of New Columbia, both shooters being personal friends and squadmates for many years. Gary was always a treat to be around, as I think he enjoyed the good-natured ribbing between events more than the actual shooting. He was never lost for words or a good story as he enjoyed life and laughter as much as possible. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Gene and his family for a long time. We were both active with the shoot committee at Valley GC, and we traveled to may shoots together all over the East Coast and locally, registered and non-registered, trap, skeet and sporting clays. I always held Gene in high regard for his honesty and trustworthiness as well as his candidness as to his thoughts. Both of these gentlemen will be missed, and I offer my deepest condolences to the families.

Skip Klinger is keeping everyone posted about the goings-on at the PSSA homegrounds through his newsletter on the PSSA website. Make sure to check in for the latest updates. One of the topics that will be discussed at our annual meeting will be the future of the PA east and west zone shoots. Over the years, those shoots have transformed from what they once were: used for East vs. West team events during championship days at our state shoot as well as once being a requirement to make the PA state team. With those items no longer in place, there will be a discussion as to the need or wish to have them take place in future years. Please ensure that your clubs will have a delegate available at our annual meeting this year to discuss this and any other topics of concern to Pennsylvania shooters.

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Rhode Island

Greetings from the Ocean State. As I write this, spring has sprung here in southern New England, and the registered shooting season is under way. Please visit our website www.ritatrapshootingassoc.org for the latest updates and shoot information.

The 103rd RI State Shoot at the Wallum Lake R&GC is May 31-June 2, is in honor of our longtime friend and supporter Tom Elias. Congratulations, Tom. Other shoot dates at the Narragansett and Wallum Lake clubs are listed on our website shootata.com and in Trap & Field.

We have several RI shooters who have attained milestones recently: Mike Jaye, 50,000 singles; Greg Smith, 75,000 singles; Ron Pedro, 50,000 handicap; Ken Hopkins, 100,000 handicap; and John Federici, 100,000 doubles. Congratulations to all these fine gentlemen for their efforts on and off the trapfields.

If there are any milestones or personal bests attained throughout the shooting season by RI shooters, please contact me by e-mail at diprelk@aol or on my cell 401-474-0142.

Thank you and good shooting.

Louis DiPrete

ATA Delegate

Alabama

It appears that winter has passed and the shooting season is in full swing. I hope everyone is doing well and has gotten a chance to get out and really start increasing their target count.

I would like to acknowledge two of the Alabama shooters for making the 2019 ATA All-American team. John White IV earned a spot on the open second team with 1,339 points. Kolton Robinson earned his spot on the sub-junior second team with 1,154 points.

When this article is published, the Alabama State Shoot will have been completed. I hope everyone who has had a chance to attend the shoot shot as expected and enjoyed the event.

Happy trapshooting! I can be reached at [email protected] or 205-337-7869.

Terry Edmonds

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello from the Sunshine State! As I began putting this article together in the middle of April, I can tell you that summer is just around the corner, as temperatures here in south Florida are already approaching the mid 90s. It won’t be long before the daily afternoon thunderstorms bring copious amounts of rain and lightning. Please remember to stay safe and seek shelter if any of these storms approach. I cannot stress the danger from lightning enough.

By the time this article reaches you, the 2019 FTA Spring Championship will be in the books. I will have the results in next month’s issue. The Spring Championship closes out a marathon of ATA and FTA shoots that kicked off our shooting season. I’d like to personally thank everyone who participated or contributed. We could not have done it without every one of you.

Looking ahead, next up for us is the ATA Southern Zone Shoot, which will be held at Silver Dollar July 18-21. I’d like to encourage our residents to come out and represent Florida while competing against our Southern Zone brethren. (I’d like to apologize to those in North Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi in advance because you will likely be waiting for us to post scores due to above mentioned weather delays.)

Finally I’d like to mention that a full list of the registered shoots held across the state can be viewed at Floridatrap.com.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. Until then, shoot straight!

Thomas Harrington

ATA Delegate

Mississippi

The 2019 Mississippi State Trapshoot is fast fading into the past with all its good shots and bad shots, winners and losers, good times and even some disappointments. However, it was a great shoot, and we thank all our shooters for coming. We also thank the good folks at Capitol GC, our host, and the many supporters who added so much to help make our shoot one of which we can truly be proud.

Next on our agenda is our Mississippi State AIM Trapshoot June 29, again at Capitol. We welcome all our AIM shooters, the youth shooters of today who will be taking our place on the traplines of tomorrow. The good news is, of course, that we have some excellent young shooters coming along and that they are excellent young men and women as well.

One of Mississippi’s longest-running shoots is Capitol GC’s flagship event, the Rebel Trapshoot. The 2019 Rebel will be July 13-14. If you have never been to a Rebel, put it on your calendar. You won’t regret it. Come on down and enjoy some Southern hospitality, some good ole Mississippi summer heat and some Southern trapshooting at its best.

Down on the coast at Coast R&PC, they are getting ready to be a Southern Zone site this summer. The dates are July 16-21. Coast R&PC is a great trapshooting venue, offering excellent targets and a great area for not only trapshooting but summer leisure activities as well. Take some time to shoot with us and check out the seafood restaurants and beaches in the area. You will want to come back, I’m sure.

On into the fall, Coast R&PC is offering a new shoot, the Gulf States Championships. You’ll have just enough time to get home from the Grand, reload, and set your sights on some more fine trapshooting to start the 2020 trap year. The shoot will be in October, so watch for it and make your plans accordingly.

As always, our Mississippi clubs offer Big 50s weekly and 300-target trapshoots monthly. We welcome shooters from near and far and are always interested in having shooters from areas outside our state. Check your schedules and put some Mississippi trapshoots on your calendar. You’ll be glad you did. Happy trappin’!

Jerry Tharp

ATA Delegate

North Carolina

I received news today about the only shooter in NC who has reached the 500,000 registered target milestone. Our own William Howe has achieved this as of April. Congratulations, Bill, and we hope you continue racking up those targets for a long time to come.

The NC Hall of Fame Shoot held at the NC Homegrounds in Bostic was well attended, and weather held up for the most part. Thank you, Marty Hill, the NCTA Board of Directors, and the NC Hall of Fame committee for all your efforts. Shooters appreciate the target-setting and trap maintenance by Brad Barnett, Jim Wilson, Johnathan Miller and Darvin Cornett. A special thanks to Donna Cornett for stepping up to the plate and taking the Hall of Fame secretary position; it’s a big job, and we are grateful for Donna’s efforts. Thanks to all who attended the shoot.

The NC state shoot will be coming up this month, June 5-9. Hope to see you all there! The NC Homegrounds will be one of the host sites for the 2019 Southern Zone July 18-21. This is a good time to come and shoot some at Bostic and get ready for the Dixie Grand coming in October.

If you need help with any ATA issues or questions, please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks and good shooting!

Bob Schultz

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Our Hall of Fame Shoot inducting Gary Olson was the largest ever, about 84 shooters on Saturday. Threatened rain on Sunday dropped us down to 51 shooters. The rains went around us; no one got wet. Saturday’s weather was great, the food at the luncheon was very good, and Gary was treated to a day off from working the shoot. He always has at least one job to do at our shoots. Sunday Gary was back at the entry table classifying. This was a new date for our Hall of Fame Shoot; usually it has been in the fall. With the addition of the Dixie Grand to the North Carolina Homegrounds in October, Gary suggested the spring date. It will be at this time of year from now on, so keep that in mind for next year. Kevin Stephens will be next year’s inductee.

In the target attainment award department, we have Sean Power, 25,000 doubles; Ron Thompson, 25,000 handicap and 25,000 doubles; Dale Farwell, 25,000 singles; Keith Turman, 25,000 singles; and I hit 100,000 handicap. There will be more names next month; the Georgia State Shoot will get several more into a higher level.

We always have a great turnout at Georgia, so I’m looking forward to a long list of South Carolina winners for next month’s report. I hope you made it to Georgia and South Carolina. See you at the North Carolina State Shoot.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

June seems to be a popular month for state shoots: Alabama, May 30-June 2, Dixie T&S, Mathews; North Carolina, June 5-9, North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic; Tennessee, June 11-12, AIM State Shoot followed by the state shoot, June 13-16, Nashville GC; Arkansas, June 18-23, Arkansas G&FF SSC, Jacksonville.

Chandler Brown and Chase Kobeck recently attended the Southwestern Grand at San Antonio, TX, and won several trophies. After completing his ATA Grand Slam last August with 100 straight from the 27-yard line, just to show it wasn’t a fluke, Chandler did it again in Texas. Congratulations to both junior gold shooters.

Congratulations to Marshall Horn; while shooting at Henderson GC recently, he registered his 25,000th doubles target.

It’s not too early to plan on attending part or all of the Grand American. The dates are July 31-Aug. 10.

Read the ATA Rulebook, please.

Check out our website at Shootattn.com. For questions or more info, contact me at [email protected] or 731-217-9957.

Billy Cook

ATA Delegate

Colorado

April showers bring May flowers, but in this case, April’s warmer weather brings more Colorado trapshooting along with the start of the spring snow melt. While Colorado certainly has its share of flooding, fortunately, with its fast-moving streams and rivers, it doesn’t experience the severe flooding that a lot of the lower, flatter states are forced to endure. Seventeen major rivers and countless streams have their start in Colorado. Divided by the great Continental Divide, these rivers head east, west and south. In spring, as the snow begins to melt, these rivers and streams become a great torrent that spills out of the Rocky Mountains down to the cities and farms below. While we do everything we can to control the spring run-off, sometimes there’s just too much. Every time I go to the high country, I am reminded of the saying: “We all live downstream.”

Berthoud GC is one of Colorado’s hidden jewels. Jerry Steigerwald canvassed new and old club members to come up with some of the club’s history, past and current. The gun club was founded on nine acres of donated land, which was an old city dump. The dump was filled in and covered with dirt in 1952. In 1962 the clubhouse was built, which included both water and power. In 1982 automatic trap machines were purchased, replacing the old hand-set machines that had been in use until then. With the addition of these machines and houses, the club was able to move forward, and in 1996, they hosted their first trap league. In 2003 the 4-H was invited to use the club, and 2004 and 2005 brought more improvements, with the addition of .22 and archery ranges, which was an Eagle Scout project. The two east-facing traps feature concrete aprons, and shooters enjoy shooting over natural grass.

In 2010 an all-volunteer staff consisting of Jimmie Goddard, Nick McChesney, Bart Campbell and Jerry Steigerwald took over maintenance and administrative duties. Under their guidance, many improvements have been made; to name a few, new LED trap lights, new Pat-Traps and much general maintenance, including painting and clean-up. The club continues to move forward with the addition of Bob Hardenburger, Ron Meining and Scott McIntire to the volunteer staff. Even though their plate is full, this ambitious group of volunteers manages to find time to host ATA shoots March through October plus CYT, AIM and Boy Scout tournaments.

According to Google, Berthoud—like thousands of other towns across our great nation—owes its existence to the railroad as part of a line that ran from Longmont, CO, to Cheyenne, WY. Before 1877 it was known as the settlement of Little Thompson and was based on farming and ranching.

This small charming community of just over 9,000 people is, as they say, country quiet but city close. With only two traps, all shoots are standing room only, so make sure you call ahead and reserve a spot. I understand that these well-managed ATA shoots are well attended, so make your plans in advance. I have talked to many shooters who have shot at Berthoud, and they all say the same: the club is well run with few problems. They also say it’s a fun place to shoot, and their scores were generally good. So if you are looking for a weekend of ATA shooting, go see Jerry and the boys at Berthoud GC, the little club with a can-do AAA attitude.

I attended the ATA Southwestern Zone meeting that was held at the Southwestern Grand in San Antonio. Like many others who weren’t there in person, I attended via the phone. Sometimes technology can be a good thing. ATA Vice President Mike Herman opened the meeting with a request for input on the Southwestern Zone Big 50 shoot he is trying to promote. While details are sketchy at this time, I understand this is to be a Zone-wide Big 50 to be shot at many clubs across the Zone. If enough states and clubs participate, it should generate targets for ATA and money for the shooters and clubs. So start thinking about it. More details to come from Mike later.

Paul Pedri discussed the requirements of a club to be an ATA Southwestern Zone site. This year’s Colorado host club is Golden GC at Watkins July 12-14. I hope to see all of you there.

Jimmy Rutherford and all his elves are busy putting the finishing touches on this year’s state program. With any luck, you should receive your copy sometime before you receive your copy of Trap & Field.

Ruby Darling would like to say hi to all of you and leave you with this: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”—George Bernard Shaw

Irv Effinger

ATA Delegate

Missouri

Over the years Missouri has had several great shooters. On April 16 we lost C. E. Barnhart, 1963 Grand American Clay Target champion. Barney, known as “The Living Legend” not only in Missouri but everywhere he shot, was inducted into the Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 1980, the MTA Hall of Fame in 1981, Greater KC Amateur Sports Hall of Champions in 1987 plus the Kansas Trapshooters Hall of Fame, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and Wichita Sports Hall of Fame, all in 1988. Barney was a medic and halftrack-driver in WWII, part of the “Greatest Generation,” where he also fought in the Battle of the Bulge. I was fortunate to be able to shoot with Barney on occasion at KCTA while he was still in his prime and had the great fortune of shooting my first 100 straight in singles with him.

April begins a busy season at the MTA Homegrounds with the Paul Larsen Memorial High School Shoot. This year 940 shooters battled a rainshower early in the event that moved through and brought some stiff wind. When the final results came in, there were two with perfect centuries: junior high shooter Jordan Ziercher and senior class shooter Nick Hufkner. After two shootoff rounds, Jordan prevailed as champion and Nick took runnerup. In a six-way tie of 99s, Nolan Suthoff claimed third place. Special thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation for their contributions and supplying most of the scorekeepers for the yearly event. Also thanks to the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance (MYSSA) for their continued support of not only this shoot but several youth events throughout the state.

It seems that everywhere I have worked or attended a shoot this year, the wind has been a factor. (No, it’s not following me around, as I have seen it was a factor where I was not in attendance.) This year at the Southwestern Grand in San Antonio, the wind also played a role in the low scores. While we did enjoy a couple of days of excellent weather, overall attendance was down. If you have not shot at the National SC, you need to make the trip. The management and staff do an excellent job running the shoot and are very accommodating. Thanks to Royce Graff, Barney Brown and the rest of the staff for all your hard work putting on this shoot.

Poplar Bluff GC has a few registered shoots scheduled this year. Watch for the programs; those of you in the southeast portion of Missouri, you now have a club closer to shoot ATA events. Please be patient with them as they gain some experience on conducting shoots.

If anyone has any concerns or has anything they would like to have reported, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003. Shoot well and be SAFE!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Kya Funkhouser came home from the Arizona State Shoot with a carload of trophies. I think she won in all 15 events, including the all-around and HOA. Nathan Lemke got off to a good start in the Spring Trap League held at OTSA SP. He broke 46 singles, 50 handicap and 50 doubles.

Ada’s April 2 Tuesday evening shoot was won by Mark Medlock and Wayne Loyd with 46s. Lowell said Tom Batt ws there visiting with everyone. Pat Stacey now has 75,000 doubles to his credit. Danny Elston is very close to 100,000 singles with 99,850.

Shawnee’s April 7 shoot had 23 shooters. Singles high were Jeff Trayer with 98, champion, and Robert Rimer, 98, AA. Handicap winners were Robert, champion, 94; Mike Meeks, short-yardage; Gordon Sebring, mid-yardage; and Mike Grove, long-yardage, all with 91s. Doubles leader was Grove, 92. Jeff’s 90 was next.

On April 10 the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation held their Oklahoma Scholastic Parks & Wildlife shoot at the OTSA SP. Again this year they had 300 young shooters competing for awards. Weather was great. They are very organized, and the shoot was very well planned ahead of time. The day before, Ron Bliss met them, and they put up their signs numbering each of the 12 traps used. The shooters knew in advance the trap number they would be shooting on. Some of those shooting were already AIM shooters. This and the 4-H shoot the next week are generating AIM shooters.

Ada’s April 9 shoot was won by Grove with 47.

Oklahoma shooters did very well at the Southwestern Grand in San Antonio in spite of challenging weather at times. Weather was great during the week, but rains came in on Saturday and Sunday, keeping scores low. There were 12 Oklahoma shooters, and 10 won one or more awards. Tex Hollis was the only Oklahoma shooter to run 100 in Saturday’s singles. Kya Funkhouser won sub-junior in all events except two and got the category all-around and HOA (by 50 targets). She had to shoot the doubles on Sunday morning by herself in a light mist and north wind. The rest of the squad didn’t show up. (This was the second squad she had moved to, just so she would not have to shoot by herself.) Rain poured early, delaying the start of the doubles. North winds kept the handicap scores low. It turned out Garrett Helms’ 92 was high by itself. Brian John Stoa’s 91 took runnerup. Tim Mount’s 91 won him sub-vet. Justin Cavett’s 90 won him junior gold. Tim also won Class C doubles.

From time to time, I receive calls about membership, the AIM program, Big 50s, yardage, trap club operation, All-American points, etc. While I am glad to get these calls because it means shooting is going on and people are learning, there are handbooks that are helpful. There are three every club should have at all times, and two of these, shooters should have. First is the Registered Shoot Handbook for gun clubs. The second is the AIM Operations Handbook. AIM shooters and gun clubs both should have it. The third is the ATA Rulebook, which every shooter and gun club should have. Every shooter should read this book from front to back to keep Texas ATA Delegate Jerry O’Connor happy. Seriously, there is a world of information in these books. Inside the front cover of the Rulebook, under “Helpful resources/tools for shooting range management,” there are four sources listed to help gun clubs. I refer to these myself just to make sure I can give the right answers to questions.

At the first shoot in Tulsa, the turnout was good, considering the weather. Jeff posted the results to the OTSA website. Trayer is close to his 25,000 handicap mark. If you have not looked at the new OTSA website, check it out. You will be surprised.

Red Dirt GC had a good turnout of 20 shooters. Kasen Moran shot his first 25 and 50 for a 50-straight patch. Breegan Barnett shot 75 straight in both of her singles events. Paul said the scores were the highest they have seen since opening the club.

Reese and Zack went to the April Fool’s shoot in Amarillo, where Reese won sub-junior in singles and handicap and Zack won junior in singles and handicap. Paul said they plan to have the second trapfield in by June. There’s been an outpouring of support for the club and kids, especially since the Merritt High School scholastic trap team, which consists of eight ATA/AIM shooters, won the state championship two years ago.

The complete list of winners at these clubs will be listed under Gun Club Scores in this or a future issue Trap & Field.

Sometimes it pays to double check. Last year to mail our program, it cost 92 cents. To be sure it would be the same this year, I took the exact same program to the local post office. I encountered an employee who must have been having a bad day. He was very rude and insisted on having a zip code to check it. When I told him we mailed 350 and last year they did not have to have a zip code, he said there are different zip codes that could cost more to mail. He said he would just put in the Norman, OK, zip code then he took it off the scale and tried to stuff it in a regular letter slot—no way it could go in. Right behind the regular letter slot was a six-inch slot it would have fit in, but he didn’t even try it. He put it back on the scale, punched on a keyboard like forever and finally said it was going to cost $1.30 to mail our programs. I commented that it was quite an increase from last year, and he said postage had gone up. After all this, I decided to try the main post office in Oklahoma City for a second estimate. The young man there was very helpful. I told him the same thing, that it cost us 92 cents last year, and I just wanted to double check. To my surprise, he said it would take 85 cents to mail. He even double checked and confirmed 85 cents and never asked for a zip code. If I had taken the local estimate, we would have spent and extra 45 cents per program or $157.50 for nothing. (So did we pay an extra seven cents last year? Who knows?)

Keep the protectors of our freedom in your prayers.

           Tim Deister

           ATA Delegate

Texas

Thirty days never passed so fast before I started writing a column for Trap & Field. I would like to give a special thank you to Elissa Cronk, assistant editor at Trap & Field. She makes my column look much better in the magazine than it does when she receives it. I guess I didn’t learn much the three years that I spent in the fifth grade in Vega, TX.

I would like to acknowledge a couple of people for their target attainments. Babette Cade shot at her 25,000th singles target. She told me she broke it, but I wasn’t on the squad, and she didn’t produce any witnesses. Also, congratulations to Keith Bailey, who shot at his 100,000th handicap target. Thank you both for shooting so much. Keep it up.

Rulebook, rulebook, rulebook. You knew it was coming, didn’t you? If I gave a test to 50 shooters, I bet more than half would fail. Why, you ask? They don’t read the Rulebook. I read it a lot, and I still have to refer back to it to make sure I give someone the correct answer. Is reading the Rulebook boring? Yes, it is. It is just one of those necessary things that needs to be done, so you know the rules and don’t depend on someone else for the answer. Their answer may not be correct.

I heard a couple of things at the Southwestern Grand that I’m not too sure about. Jennifer Wilburn told me she lost a “flip off.” I’m not real sure what she was referring to and am even more sure that I may not want to know. You might ask Jennifer about that next time you see her.

As I was about to enjoy an adult beverage, I heard some guys talking. Not only do I have this horrible picture in my mind, but it even made my beer taste bad. You be the judge: “Larry Todd in a Speedo.” I hope this picture doesn’t haunt you like it has me.

Now that I have caused normal adult people to have nightmares, I think I’ll stop writing. But if you have news, please let Princess or me know, and I’ll do my best to include it in this column of horrors. You can reach me at 806-679-6889 or e-mail to [email protected]; snail mail to 800 Baltimore Dr., Hereford, TX 79045.

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

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

While we have a little breathing room, I would like to say a word or two about our juniors. Not only do we have some fine shots in their ranks (just look at the state shoot results over the last few years), but even more important, they are a great group of people. To a man (or woman), our juniors are some of the nicest young ’uns you could meet. Why, they are even polite when they beat you. Obviously their parents and coaches are doing something right. Here are some of the names that come to me: Canyon Ferris, Charlie Wachtel, Tomi Ownby, my buddy Colton Hartley, Robert Mikeworth, Sheldon Privetts, Robert Will Pike, and the two up-and-comers from Prescott, Nathaniel and Wyatt Pizinger. There are many, many more. My hat is off to all of them.

This year our ATA Western Zone site is Flagstaff June 28-30. With the temperatures well above 100° the last couple of years in Tucson, Flagstaff should be a pleasant change. Ten locations across the West will be shooting simultaneously. They include Edmonton, AB; Livermore, CA; Redlands, CA; Anaconda, MT; Las Vegas, NV; Medford, OR; Spanish Fork, UT; Colton, WA; and Casper, WY. All scores are sent to a central office via the Internet, and ties are decided by banking extra targets. Club and Zone trophies will be awarded as well as All-American points. The Western Zone has always been one of my favorites. It is a big-time shoot with all the flavor of a local one. Many improvements have been made at Flag. It’s not as rough and ready as it once was due to a lot of hard work, especially by Steve and Mary Long. There are six events spanning three days, with 700 birds thrown. Arizona has always done well and had a good turnout in the Zone. So don’t boil and bake in the southern climes, come on up to the North Country where it’s cool, cool, cool.

Around the state: Casa Grande is holding Big 50s every Monday throughout the summer, and the third Monday of every month is the Western Zone Big 50 featuring a Zone-wide Lewis class. Some recent Monday winners have been Phil Vasquez and Randall Winch in singles, Ken Mlynarz and Don Volz in doubles, and Ron Schroer in handicap. Other shoots in June are a doubles marathon at Rio Salado June 3, Flagstaff June 8-9, Tucson on the 16th, a singles marathon at Rio Salado on the 17th, and do not forget the Western Zone at Flagstaff June 28-30. See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

Idaho

Hello from Idaho! Well, winter shooting is coming to a quick close, and it will just be a matter of time when we can shed that extra clothing we have been wearing and put on those short sleeve shirts and shorts.

As I shoot around the local clubs, I find there are a lot of new shooters. We need to welcome these folks to our sport. Fellowship is the reason some people shoot trap.

If you see a newbie, you might want to ask if they need help or have any questions that you might help them with, and if you don’t know how to answer their questions, refer them to a more experienced shooter or shooters at your club. Some shooter will be more than willing to lend a hand.

Holding a short course at your gun club once a month, a quarter or a year on the sport seems to me would be a great idea to help recruit new shooters. I am always amazed how new shooters and some older ones think buying a new gun and pointing it in the direction of a 42-mph clay pigeon flying through the air will yield them great results. Some topics that might be helpful for such a class:

1. Point of impact of your gun
2. Shell selection, options, brands
3. Choke tube selection
4. Gun safety, for everyone
5. Etiquette when shooting
6. Selecting the proper shooting attire
7. Choosing a gunsmith: what is the expertise
8. Importance of practicing the sport
9. Shotgun selection, options
10. The language of trapshooting
11. Playing (or not) the money at shoots
12. All-American points
13. Getting on the state trap team

These are just a few of the subjects that might be covered. Search out members of your club who are well versed on a specific topic and have them help instruct members. You may want to invite all members to join in the meeting. Some will never admit that they need help in these matters.

My last comment is about target-setting. Your ATA State Delegate is or should be well versed about the proper setting of targets. I have been to a number of clubs that have no idea that the ATA Rulebook spells out the proper speed, angles, heights and distances that the clubs need to adhere to in order to have a great shoot or even practice. We should always strive to set compliant targets.

I do know one thing or maybe two. When shooters shoot good scores, they love the gun club, and when they shoot bad scores, they usually don’t return. Then the gun club wonders why no one shows up for their shoots. Your Delegate can help. Give them a call!

Shoot well, shoot often, and we’ll see you at the shootoffs.

Bob Clement

ATA Delegate

Utah

Even though the calendar says spring is here, actual spring weather is not quite here yet as of this writing. But spring shooting has arrived! Programs are being written for all the scheduled shoots and should be posted to the USTA website. The state shoot program is nearing completion and should be going to print in the next couple of weeks. Pre-squad for the state shoot, (which is in Vernal) should open in mid-April. Sean and Stacy Hawley (as well as Samantha) work really hard to put on a good shoot. There are plenty of fun things for the entire family to do in and around Vernal, so start planning your trip now!

This past month two clubs held Western Zone/Big 50 events. Both Spanish Fork and Lee Kay held shoots. Zone-wide, this event is picking up steam and hopefully will continue to grow. This is a good opportunity to get new and experienced shooters back into action. You can see the final results (both scores and Lewis payouts) on the ATA homepage www.shootata.com under Western Zone Big 50 Results. I am hoping more clubs will start hosting this shoot every month. Check out the USTA home page for future shoot dates and locations.

The Round Robin is currently in progress at numerous clubs around the state, and there seems to be a lot of excitement. I dropped by one club on Sunday and found that there are 31 teams signed up for three weeks of fun at this one club alone!

In mid March, Ogden GC held a one-day ATA shoot. This shoot was originally scheduled for April, but the Browning Six Club sporting clays shoot had to change its schedule due to weather. Thus Ogden bumped its date forward, and unfortunately, the word did not get out as well as it could have. Turnout was small, with only about six squads. All in all, a nice little shoot.

Purgatory CS in Hurricane held its annual three-day dedicated shoot. Southern Utah is usually a nice destination spot because of warm temperatures. This was not the case this year. Friday started off with rain, wind and mid 40s for temps.

Attendance was fair but not great. Scores were, however, very good. Brett Despain won the doubles with 98, Scott Syme won the singles with 198, and Dewey Daniels won the handicap with a whopping 99. To my knowledge, this is the high handicap score ever shot at this club. Dewey was accompanied by his wife Cheryl. Congratulations on a fantastic score, Dewey.

Ed Wehking

ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

With spring coming late due to winter weather in February and March, a mad rush to get the crops planted is under way, and we have a lot of ATA targets to look forward to once the dust settles.

The Camas Prairie Handicap was well attended at the Walla Walla GC, with many shooters registering targets for the first time. Next was the Northwest Grand at Spokane GC, and it was also a success, even with rainshowers during a couple of events. The Northwest Grand has been instrumental in gaining first-time junior and sub-junior shooters, and a few of these kids left with life memberships to the ATA, thanks to George and Karma Seubert, along with the generous sponsors they have been able to get in support of youth participation in our great sport. One grandfather registered targets for the first time to compete with his granddaughter in the parent-grandparent singles competition. He picked a good time to try it, as they won it! Congratulations, Lydia Smith and “Papa” Jim Arnett. Trap & Field is publishing a list in each issue of new ATA members, and we are pretty proud of the numbers in Washington.

When this hits your mailbox, the shoots at Ft. Colville GC, Almira, Marlin and Colton will be behind us as well as the Inland Empire Handicap. Many of us will be attending shoots at Othello and Odessa right before the WSTA Championships. With all these targets in the air in April, May and June, shooters will be sharp and competition fierce at the state shoot. Then, right after the state shoot, Colton GC will be a host for the Western Zone. Camping reservations are filling up at Spokane and Colton, and we know these will be great shoots.

If you didn’t read your April issue of Trap & Field from cover to cover, I’d ask you to open it again and take a look at Page 38 and then congratulate Laura Winkel for having the third-high Lady II overall average in the ATA for the 2018 target year. Laura is a 2004 WSTA Hall of Fame inductee and comes from a good trapshooting lineage. Husband Jim and son Bradley have been familiar faces in shooting circles as well. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see Laura on a high average or trophy list.

Lastly I want to touch on an example of the type things I’ve seen at trapshoots since I started and is one of the things that our ATA family should be very proud of. At the Northwest Grand, young Rachel Stanley, who has been honing her skills at the Colton GC and collecting some trophies around the area, had a little problem with her 1100 Remington when the front bead came loose and eventually fell out. Rachel is not one to give up, and Washington Hall of Fame shooter Betty Phipps was not about to let her. Nobody knows their way around an 1100 much better than Betty, as she has won just about everything there is to win with hers. The extra parts box came out, a bead was installed, some adjustments to the comb were done, and before you know it, Rachel was smoking targets in the next event. One of the great things about our sport is how shooters are always trying to help other shooters succeed. Our future is bright.

Watch for scores and stories from the busy shooting months of May and June in Washington. I hope to see you at some of these shoots. Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate