Alabama

As I write this month’s article, it is late June. The Alabama State Shoot, in conjunction with the ATA Southern Zone Shoot, will be July 16-19 at Bill Parson’s Dixie TC in Mathews. Terry Edmonds, Bill Wilbourne, Landon Sims, Tim Hall and Bill have put in a lot of time to make sure everyone will have a great time.

Due to COVID-19 and local restrictions, the Grand American will be at Linn Creek, MO, Aug. 5-15. Now is a good time to get out the Rulebook and read it!

Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. Without the men and women of our armed forces protecting this great country, we would not be able to enjoy this great sport. When you see a soldier, thank him or her for their service.

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

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

North Carolina

Hopefully by the time you read this, the worst of the COVID-19 stuff will be over. I am tired of masks, social distancing, one-way aisles at the grocery store, and all the other inconveniences we’ve had to deal with these past few months. Worst of all, we had to curtail our shooting for most of the spring and early summer . . . lots of unhappy trapshooters! Most of the state shoots in the South were either canceled or postponed until later this year, which reminds me that the North Carolina State Shoot will be held at the NC Homegrounds in Bostic Aug. 19-23.

The Dixie Grand is still on the books for early October, and we are hoping to have two more fields ready for the event. If last year was any indicator, we will have a good crowd and a great time!

Writing this in advance is interesting . . . not much has happened recently to report on. Noah Gouge shot well in Pennsylvania, and, as I write this, the Ohio State shoot is starting later this week. Members of the junior teams from Watauga, Rockingham and Polk Co. have been traveling and shooting well. Some went to Tennessee last week, and Daniel Tollison broke his first 100 on Saturday. Congratulations! Jason Dancy shot well all week and took home a load of trophies. Jonathan, Brandon and Hunter Cantrell were there and fared well, and they are heading to Kentucky this weekend for the state shoot there. Our coaches at all the clubs in NC deserve a big thank you from the parents and shooters. They have made our youth programs a real success! Bill Howe has checked another state shoot off his bucket list: Utah. He went out to Spanish Fork and hopefully will shoot well and have fun.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the state shoot in August. If you need any information about ATA business or help with any shooting or rules questions, please e-mail me at [email protected]. Shoot well and often!

Bob Schultz

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Competition shooting has returned to some degree. South Carolina had three shooters each at the Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ohio State Shoots, with some winners at Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

As of now, Georgia is around the corner, but there’s a surge in coronavirus cases in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. This has caused Drew’s scorers to stay home, so South and North Carolina’s shoots are in jeopardy. Damn virus.

With so few registered shoots, our annual “most targets shot” award will have a low number this year. Also the “targets shot” achievement awards will be slow coming. There are a couple close, but not there yet.

Here’s hoping we can get some shooting in, but by all means, protect yourselves from that stinking virus.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

According to the calendar, it is August. That means it’s time for the Grand; for the last 14 years we have enjoyed Sparta, IL. Prior to Sparta, the Grand was held in Vandalia, OH, from 1924 to 2005. According to Jimmy Robinson’s book, The Grand . . . 75 Years, the 1916 Grand was in St Louis, MO. Who would have ever thought that after 104 years, a virus would cause the Grand to head back to Missouri? AIM (trap only) will be Aug. 2-4, and the 121st Grand American will be Aug. 5-15. I’ll hopefully see you in Linn Creek.

The Tennessee State Shoot is normally the seventh state shoot held in the Southern Zone. However, this year it was the first. Attendance was up the first two days and then slacked off the final two days.

Congratulations to Gage Jarnagin on winning the Singles Championship, Colby Lancaster on winning the doubles, Herman Chandley on winning the handicap, and Mitchel Loveless, who won the HAA and the HOA.

I had the pleasure of giving a 100 straight pin and patch to a young shooter, Daniel Tollison Jr. from North Carolina for his first 100 straight.

Kentucky shooter Kevin Polson shot at and broke his 600,000th registered target during the first 100 of the Singles Championship. He also broke the other 99 targets for a 100 straight.

Larry Hord recently registered his 250,000th target, becoming only the 17th Tennessee shooter to reach this milestone.

Congratulations to all the above shooters.

Read the Rulebook, please.

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

Billy Cook

ATA Southern Zone Vice President

Arkansas

The 2020 Arkansas State Shoot began June 25. I’m proud to say that COVID-19 didn’t stop our AIM shoot. We had a good turnout. Jimmy Self did an awesome job getting things together. I would like to thank the ASTF Board of Directors and volunteers for all their support and help. We gave away over $4,000 in added money to our youth shooters. More next month on how the rest of the state shoot went!

With more state shoots happening, Arkansas has been represented well. Many out-of-state trophies have made it back to Arkansas. We are very proud of our young shooters as well as our seasoned shooters. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Grand American, if not before.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV—Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I can be reached at [email protected].

Robby Pennock

ATA Delegate

Colorado

Welcome back, ATA. I and others have missed you. The Western Satellite Grand was held June 6 in the small mountain town of Vernal, UT, and what a shoot it was. There were 288 shooters from 36 states who answered the call to the shooting line, and 36 of them were from Colorado.

Saturday’s unsettled weather forced the championship singles to be shortened by 100 targets, but even so, 236 shooters—47 in-state and 189 out-of-state—answered the call. Sean and Stacy Hawley had many fun things for the shooters as well as non-shooters to do, like bingo, cornhole tournaments, live bands, Annie Oakleys and more. Even when the power went off for hours, the shooting went on, thanks to Shaun Musselman and his battery-operated ClayBot. Talk about some interesting long-range targets. Sean and Stacy handled all problems as they came, even when the weather turned on them. Their positive, can-do attitude helped turn the 2020 Western Grand into a very successful and enjoyable shoot. Job well done, Sean and Stacy.

CSTA shooters, welcome back. The 2020 Colorado State Shoot was more like a high school class reunion than a state shoot. Many seemed to only want to talk, and shooting seemed to be a by-product of why they came. There were 224 Colorado shooters who showed up, along with 55 out-of-state shooters, making this one of the larger state shoots for some time.

Some of us were a little rusty since we haven’t been able to practice. For some, the layoff didn’t seem to matter; it was business as usual. Case in point, the Rehor and Bringelson families, from the adults to the young, took home more well-earned trophies than any two of us could carry. There were many others who also did well; see the complete results in this issue. I will list the champions: singles champ, Stacy Rehor, lone 200; doubles champ, Adam Rehor, lone 100; and handicap, all-around and HOA champ, Denis Bringelson, lone 98, 393 and 776. Denis doesn’t let up, for as you know, sub-junior Brennan Bringelson was hot on his heels with a 96.

One of the first things you notice when you arrive at the new Pikes Peak GC is how clean and orderly the club grounds and shooting line are. President Rickey McCann and trap director Jeremiah Steines, along with many others, are to be commended for the hard work they have done.

Congratulations to Dolores Semsack, winner of the Mike Herman traveling trophy for this year. This trophy is to honor Mike for being the first ATA President from Colorado. Congratulations, Mike Herman.

Nikki Herman did an outstanding job with the trophies and is doing a great job keeping the CSTA webpage updated. The next time you see Nikki, be sure to thank her, or better yet, pick up the phone and call her. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you. Thank you, Nikki, for all your hard work.

This year’s committee meeting was brought to order by CSTA president Jeff West. A motion to have all CSTA clubs host a fun shoot, with the proceeds going to help CSTA pay for state zone trophies, was made. Or a club may just pay $100 to CSTA. This money must be paid by Sept. 1. The motion was voted on and passed.

The Southwestern Grand will be held at the Whittington Center Sept. 29-Oct. 4. Also discussed was the moving of the 2020 Grand American from Sparta to Linn Creek, MO.

The 2020 Colorado State Shoot was one for the books; I’m glad I had a small part in it.

Ruby Darling leaves you with this: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act despite our fears.”—John McCain

Irv Effinger

ATA Delegate

Missouri

Hello, shooters! I could have never imagined all the changes that have had to be made in the last 30 to 45 days regarding shooting events. Some states have not had to make too many changes to continue on with their registered shoots, while others have had to make drastic changes or even cancellations. The Missouri Trapshooters Association homegrounds in Linn Creek will be the place to be the first two weeks in August. A lot of difficult decisions have had to be made to make this year’s Grand possible. The management and staff at the ATA and MTA have gone into hurry-up mode, and my hat is off to them for all they have accomplished in a short amount of time. While MTA is the country’s second-largest venue with 60 trapfields, it is still quite a bit smaller than what we are used to for the Grand. I can tell you for sure that all of us at MTA will do whatever we can to accommodate as many shooters and guests as possible. While the ATA is managing the shoot, just like it always has, the MTA staff will be responsible for grounds maintenance and infrastructure. Please be patient with all the staff and adhere to the COVID restrictions and guidelines.

The smaller clubs around the state are beginning to get back to normal, whatever that is these days, and throwing practice, league and registered targets. Please support your local gun clubs as much as possible, as they have had a difficult time the last three to four months. While we may not be able to gather and socialize as we used to, we can still attend shoots and events in most locations as long as we abide by the guidelines. I hope and pray that everyone stays healthy and is able to enjoy your favorite pasttime, shooting at your favorite venue.

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

Stephen Ricketts

 ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

June has arrived, and the cases of the coronavirus are still increasing, with now only one month until our rescheduled state shoot date of July 6. The first of June we moved into Phase 3 of reopening, with social distancing still in effect and masks recommended in public. Shoots are beginning to be held with all safety precautions in mind.

Iowa Park GC held a great two-day shoot last weekend. Oil Capital R&GC held a two-day shoot May 30-31. Weather was perfect, and attendance was good. Jeff Trayer won the Saturday singles with 96. Woody Barnes won the Saturday doubles with 483, and Jeff was runnerup with 474. Pete Wedelin won the Saturday handicap with 93. Sunday’s singles was a tie, with Jeff and Pete breaking 98s. Woody won Sunday’s handicap with 96, doubles with 93, and HOA with 286.

Several Oklahoma shooters attended the Western Grand in Vernal, UT. Clay Laughlin shot very well, breaking a couple 100 straights. Klayton McGee shot well, also breaking 100 straight.

OTSA held a Tuesday afternoon Big 50 June 2 with the best attendance to date. Scores were very high. In the singles Chance Fleming and Kevin Nanke had 49s. With 48s were Ron Bliss, Brayden Bliss, Kenyon Bert, Dennis Patrick, Frank Smith and Ron Penner. There were three 49s in the handicap: Nathan Lemke, Richard Coit and Kevin Nanke, each receiving a half-yard punch. Jeff Barker and Chance had 48s. Paul Hooper and Tim Mount were high in the doubles with 45s.

OTSA held a two-day shoot June 6-7. Saturday was 500 doubles, and Kya Funkhouser beat everyone with 481. On Sunday’s 200 singles, the two high scores were Pat Stacey and George Murray with 199s. In the handicap Josh Stacey’s 96 won champion.

Ada’s Tuesday afternoon shoot started back on June 9, and Collin Rindal won with 50 straight in a 50-mph wind.

The Kansas State Shoot had good weather and record attendance of 1,393 on the 400 championship events. Forty-eight Oklahoma shooters attended, and some of them winning trophies were Jeff Trayer, Kya Funkhouser, Dakota Sliger, Brayden Bliss, Ron Bliss, Pat Stacey, Josh Stacey, Kenyon Bert, Chance Fleming, Reece Hightower and Klayton McGee. Brayden Bliss was a big winner with five trophies.

Ada’s June 16 shoot had 20 shooters, and Colton Ables won with 48, breaking 25 in the handicap. Don Bowers, Chris Sands, Creed Booth and Austin Palmer all drew red birds, and all broke them to win $5 each.

Hennessey GC will hold their first registered shoot July 26. It will be a Big 50 shoot, and they expect a good crowd.

Rose and Rick Shaffer had a large grass fire go right across their property and suffered a lot of damage.

Ada had a perfect day for their June 23 afternoon shoot. Joe Anglin won with 47. Rindal attended a Connor State University Invitational Shoot, where he ran 50, 25 trap and 25 skeet, for champion. Clay Laughlin won second place with 48.

Billy Pierce has reached 100,000 combined targets in his shooting career. Justin Cavett has reached 25,000 handicap and 25,000 doubles.

It is good to be reporting on shooting again, but we are not out of the woods yet! I just received word from Jerry O’Connor that the Texas State Shoot was to be held in three locations due to virus restrictions: National SC in San Antonio, Waco GC and Amarillo GC. Jerry said he was part of an hour-and-a-half conference call working it out after they were notified of the restrictions, just a few days before the start of the shoot.

We all want to get out and go back to shooting, but we must do it safely. The coronavirus is not to be taken lightly; people are dying from it daily. Thanks to the health workers, who are risking their lives to take care of those affected by this virus. Take care, and be safe!

Tim Deister

ATA Delegate

Texas

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the way we live and carry on our everyday lives. I’m writing this on June 25, and the Texas State Shoot was scheduled to start June 30 at National SC in San Antonio. Yesterday the officials of San Antonio and Bexar County stopped all gatherings of more than 100.

All of the above will be old news when you read it. The state shoot scheduled to be held July 2-5 as of press time will be over, and you will have new state officers. For those of you who have never helped with a shoot, you have little understanding of what it takes to prepare for even a small local shoot. The state shoot is not a small shoot, and finding out six days before it is scheduled to start that “it ain’t gonna happen as planned” is a big deal. Your state officers went to work to make it happen. You owe these people an extremely large “thank you.” At the time of this writing, Donald Adams is your president, Don Rackley is first vice president, Billy Hopson is second vice president, and Forrest Dermid is secretary-treasurer. Also the staff and leadership of the National SC, Waco S&TC and the Amarillo GC are to be commended for helping to make sure we do indeed have a Texas State Shoot. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Stand by, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, just choose the category you are in today and listen up. It’s time for some attaboys from the fat man. David Brogdin and Bob Johnson, y’all are on the “atta boy” list. David has now registered 50,000 singles targets. Bob has now registered 75,000 doubles targets. I’m not really sure if either of them knows this. They have not mentioned it to me. Well, now that I get to thinking about it, do you suppose they did not break that all-important target? Just something to ponder.

Now that we got that stuff out of the way, we are on to the important things: Rulebooks, releasing pre-squads that you don’t plan to use, up-to-date average cards, being on time for your squad, and being courteous to fellow shooters and the trapline employees. I know the Rulebook is not the most interesting reading in the world, but it is important. And just for reading this, the first person who tells me when and where the first Texas State Shoot was held, I will give you a box of shells. Read the Rulebook and do the things mentioned above. Not because you have to, but because it’s the right thing to do.

I would like to thank the shooters of Texas for allowing me to represent them as their Delegate. I’ve been shooting registered targets since 1977. I’m not able to shoot much anymore, but being the Texas Delegate has given me the avenue to give back to the sport I have enjoyed for so many years. It is truly an honor to represent the shooters of Texas.

I have had many questions concerning this year’s Grand. I think the ATA did the best job they could possibly do about hosting the Grand American, given the circumstances they were presented with. The Grand will be a success if you help make it that. Don’t complain and be part of the problem. Get off of your butt and help make it a huge success.

If you have news, please let Princess or me know about it. As always, you can reach me at 806-679-6889 or e-mail me at [email protected].

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

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Chips and smoke: Now I know what a punch-drunk fighter feels like. First we stop the state shoot after one day (a little bit more on that later on), then we move the Western Zone from Flagstaff to Tucson, next the Grand American goes from Sparta to Linn Creek, MO, and we still do not know just where or when our 2020 state shoot will be. Does this sound like Abbot and Costello in “Who’s on first?”

Here is the scoop on the state shoot: As of now (mid June), it is set for Ben Avery Oct. 28-Nov. 1; however, and this is a big “however,” Ben Avery is currently limited to 10 shooters every two hours; obviously, not good for a registered shoot. We have no idea when that restriction might be lifted, and Maricopa County is experiencing a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases. On June 13 we held an ASTA meeting at Casa Grande, and it was decided to give Ben Avery a drop-dead date of Sept. 15 to end restrictions. That leaves just six weeks before the scheduled start. At the meeting, Doug Sims came to the rescue. In case Ben Avery is not available, Tucson would cancel the preliminary days of the Autumn Grand and substitute the 2020 Arizona State Shoot. Now that is not all, the preliminary days are scheduled for Nov. 4-8, and our waiver from the ATA for postponement was good up to Nov. 1. Now we had to go back to them and ask for a new extension to Nov. 8. Are you still with me? There was some resistance, a few were afraid of setting precedents, but in the end, we did get the extension. Please remember that this is a “just in case.”

Then the question arose about All-American points. All 2020 points end on Aug. 31, the end of the shooting year. After that everything goes into 2021—fair enough. However, seeing that we will be having two state shoots in the new shooting year, 2020 and 2021, would the 2020 points be calculated as a state shoot or as an “Other Major Tournament?” The state shoot category is preferable, so back to the ATA Executive Committee it went. We got our wishes, and for 2021, two sets of state shoot points will be calculated. I would like to thank the ASTA board, the ATA Executive Committee and our Western Zone Vice President Ed Wehking; all rose to the challenge. There are some good people (smart, too) at work for Arizona trapshooters.

The Western Grand: Don Williamson, Chris Cusumano (he finally gave up on New Jersey and is now a full-time resident of Ft. Mohave), Darrel Goen and Darvin Thomas all had a fine shoot, but as far as Arizona is concerned, it quickly turned into the Gerry (Williams) and Karen (Bergman) Show. Gerry started everything off with a 100 straight in Event 1, the Vernal City Singles, and was the high senior veteran. He then fell all the way to a 99 in Event 7 but still topped all other senior vets. He took senior vet again in the Krieghoff Handicap, and we all know that senior vet is one bloodthirsty group. Then it was Karen’s turn; her 94 bested all Lady IIs in the Doubles Class Championship, and both Karen and Gerry won their categories in a storm-shortened Singles Championship. Karen then won both the Lady II doubles and handicap championships. Cusumano also did his bit. His 95 earned a tie for runnerup in the open category in the handicap. Gerry was senior vet runnerup in the HOA, and Karen’s shooting earned her the Lady II HOA and HAA crowns.

Attendance at the Western Grand was up 46% from 2019. I think that people were just happy to be shooting again, and nobody works harder than Sean and Stacy Hawley. Many thanks to Craig Hart also. It is always a pleasure to return to Vernal.

Around the state: We aren’t back to normal yet, but things are headed that way. Casa Grande has been shooting their Monday Big 50s and resumed their regular schedule with their Welcome to Summer event June 6-7. Ken Mlynarz led all with a 99 in the opening singles, Randall Winch was high in Class B, Art Hammer in C, and Jay Alderman won senior vet. Hammer then took long-yardage in the handicap and C in the doubles, Fred Frazier won mid-yardage in the ’caps, and Jay completed a trifecta, winning senior vet in the handicap and finishing with a sparkling 99 in the doubles. Winch was the short-yardage champ with a nice 98 and a punch. Sunday started with doubles, and Steve Stella, another East Coast transplant now happily esconsed in Arizona, won Class A, Hammer repeated his C class triumph from the day before, and Alderman did it again in senior vet, this time with 99. Mlynarz then won A class in singles, Hailey Fernman took C, and Wayne Thompson topped all senior vets with 99. In the concluding handicap, Mlynarz was at it again in long-yardage, Winch at short, and Alderman was the high senior vet.

Our 2020 shooting year calendar concludes with Aug. 3 Big 50s at Casa Grande and a singles marathon at Rio Salado*; Aug. 8-9, Flagstaff*; Aug. 10, Big 50s, Casa Grande; Aug. 16, Tucson; Aug. 17, Big 50s, Casa Grande and singles marathon, Rio Salado*; Aug. 24, Big 50s, Casa Grande; Aug. 28-30, Pleasant Valley Summer Series; and Aug. 31, Big 50s, Casa Grande. (* means please call ahead.)

See you on the line!

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

Utah

Sadly we have lost another one of our shooters, Dalton Van, captain of the Utah state junior team, who passed away in a tragic auto accident June 13. I extend my condolences to his family and friends.

We have finally started putting targets in the air here in Utah.

In mid May Helper GC held a two-day shoot and placed restrictions of eight squads a day, and allowing shooters to shoot only one day. The turnout was very good, with attendance near stated capacity both days.

The last part of May, Spanish Fork held their annual Memorial Day Shoot. Weather was a factor much of the time, which kept scores quite low, but it is an outdoor sport, right?

The first week of June signaled the Western Grand at Vernal R&GC. The shoot had a great turnout, with shooters coming from 36 states! Scores were high, and shooters seemed to enjoy the great targets that Sean Hawley throws. Sean and Stacy Hawley both work very hard to keep shooters happy. They know that, by ensuring good targets and a well-run shoot, shooters will want to come back. As I mentioned earlier, this is an outdoor sport. Thus, good targets are not always an option. Tuesday through Friday, weather was good, then things changed on the weekend.

Saturday was the scheduled 200-bird singles race; heavy rain and lightning cleared the line around noon. Then around 1 p.m., the power went out and was out until 6 p.m. Many shooters had not finished the first 100; some hadn’t even started the event. A decision was made to shorten the race to 100 targets and resume shooting at 8 a.m. Sunday. The singles was wrapped up about 10. Doubles Championship was next then the Handicap Championship. As fate would have it, once again weather became an issue. Due to heavy wind, rain and lightning in the area, the line was cleared twice during the handicap. The event finished about 7:30 p.m.

Unfortunately I had to depart before the shootoffs took place because of a pre-arranged family vacation scheduled for Monday morning . As I have always said, my family is my No. 1 priority. I would have loved to stay through the shootoffs, but alas.

During the Western Grand, two shooters made the 27-yard line for the first time: Nico Elardi from Wyoming and Matt Fochs from Montana. Garnering their first 100 straights in singles were Utah’s Lynette Tuttle and Brian Church from Colorado. With his first 100 in doubles was Perry Weiner of North Dakota. Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, he broke another 100 in the twin-bird race a couple of days later.

Congrats to those achieving these memorable milestones! Also, thanks to all who chose Utah as a shooting destination.

Drag racing fans attending the Western Grand were treated with the presence of National Hot Rod Association driver and three-time points leader in the sport, Robert Hight. Robert and Sean have been friends and shooting companions for years. With the race circuit put on hold due to COVID-19, Robert chose to spend his vacation shooting and also barbecuing a lot of good eats for fellow shooters. Thanks, Robert.

Ed Wehking

ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

I hope this finds you all safe and well. We’re all doing our best to get by in a year that we will not remember as “normal” by any stretch of the imagination. Traditionally I would be sharing about the Washington State Shoot in this installment, but we are still hoping we will hold it on Labor Day weekend. We will have two busy weeks in a row if the Camas Prairie Handicap in still on track for the end of August. While we remain optimistic, we still have to realize that plans could change again as the COVID-19 situation is monitored and what restrictions for crowd size are in force. As I mentioned before, Plan B for our state shoot is Oct. 10-11 and shooting the all-around events only.

I’ve been following the action recently from the Western Grand and California and Utah state shoots. A few Washington competitors have been fortunate enough to make some of these shoots, and I read that Garrett Schlimmer has posted some good scores in Utah. Keep an eye out for stories and photos of Washington shotgunners here in Trap & Field during their out-of-state adventures. I for one am jealous.

I have been fortunate enough to shoot the doubles marathon at Culdesac, ID, and the one-day shoot at the Orofino-Pierce GC in a beautiful evergreen setting as well. As some restrictions have been lifted in more remote regions of our neighboring state, it was nice to get out, shoot some ATA targets and see some of my trapshooting friends. Clubs able to operate and hold some smaller shoots are trying to provide a safe environment within the clubhouse and asking us to keep our distance from one another where space could be somewhat confined. Some are not offering kitchen services and are also asking us to keep some space between us at the cashiering and classification counters. If and when we can go full bore this year, there may be some safety precautions such as these that will need to be observed. As shooters, we will need to be patient with club and shoot management, volunteers, scorekeepers and each other. Things could be slowed down and a few bumps in the road experienced, but the important thing is that we will be sharing the great sport we all love.

I had planned to attend at least part of the Grand American this year and learn the ropes, so to speak, from Washington’s ATA Delegate George Seubert. Given the circumstances of the crazy year that has been 2020, new responsibilities within the growing and expanding company I work for, and the fact that our state shoot and elections won’t happen until after the Grand, I have had to change my plans and hope for next year. I and the rest of Washington ATA members are hoping the switch to the Missouri homegrounds at Linn Creek will be successful, and I applaud the ATA for making sure this rich tradition carries on. Hats off to Linn Creek for providing a place for it to happen. None of this will be easy with the short notice given. However, trapshooters and gun clubs have proven to be nothing if not resourceful and dedicated to making sure we have the best experiences possible.

Lastly, I urge you to do whatever you can when your club and/or the shoots you attend need a hand. With shoots rescheduled and help harder to find as school resumes in the fall, we all may have to take turns scorekeeping, loading and cleaning the grounds. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is there are some folks who are helping out wherever I run into them, which is another trait of the trapshooter. Until next time, remain positive and stay safe. Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate

Wyoming

June has brought warm weather, and shoots are starting to happen on a more “normal” basis. The Western Grand, hosted by the Vernal R&GC, was a fantastic shoot. Over 280 shooters from across many states were in attendance, including 29 from Wyoming. Nightly shooting games were available for extra fun, with the highlight being Shaun Musselman’s ClayBot. There were some very good scores throughout the week. Even a pretty severe rain and lightning storm couldn’t keep the scores down.

The Overthrust GC and Farson TC both held spring shoots with good turnouts. Overthrust had one of the most successful spring shoots in recent years, with nine squads competing. Farson’s spring shoot saw good scores, including Jackie Frericks’ first 25 straight.

The Wyoming State Shoot is quickly approaching and is looking to have a very good turnout.

On a sad note, Dalton Van from Utah was tragically killed in a car accident. He will be missed by many. I personally enjoyed shooting with Dalton on many occasions and will always remember shooting my first 100 straight with Dalton on my squad.

Nico Elardi

WSTA Director

Indiana

Greetings, Indiana shooters! Hopefully when you’re reading this in early August, we are all at the Grand American at Linn Creek talking about how fortunate we were to pull off a fantastic 2020 Indiana State Shoot, considering all of the obstacles this year.

I do know for certain that we were lucky to be able to hold our Indiana zone shoots the last weekend of May. I want to again thank Indian Creek SC, Roachdale GC and Fulton Co. GC for agreeing to host the zone shoots this year. Congratulations to all the Indiana zone trophy winners! In the southern zone, Noah Rice was the singles champ with 197, Mike Grannan was doubles champ with 94, and Michael Huffman took home the handicap buckle with 94. Jerry Fosbrink won the all-around with 378. In the central zone, Scott Chappell put his trusty Model 12 to work in the singles, breaking his first 200 straight! Also to note, congrats to Jennifer Buck for running the back 100 to take the Lady I trophy. Doubles champ was Mike Williams, and Matt Moser was high in the handicap with 97 and took home both belt buckles with his 378 all-around win. Up in the northern zone, 197s were high from both Devon Harris and Scott Cochran, and it took another 100 straight in the shootoff from Devon before he was crowned singles champ. Tim Richards broke 97 in doubles to win champ, Timothy Dienema was the handicap victor with the lone 93, and Cochran won the all-around with 381.

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]. I hope to see many of you at the Grand!

Jason Barnett

ATA Delegate

Iowa

Greetings, fellow Iowa trapshooters. Wow, what a year this is, to say the least! Finally we can get out and enjoy our sport, and June and July were wild. Most of the state shoots here in the heartland are complete, and I’ll try to keep you up on the results as they come in.

There were 42 Iowans who made the trip to the Kansas State Shoot in June. Starting with Event 1, Trevor Wright took A class with a 98 in singles, while Cannon Roberson captured sub-junior singles with 96, handicap with 92, and doubles with 90. Way to go, Cannon! Wednesday Iowa shooters got right back in the game, with Shelly Heitner taking Lady II singles with 92 and doubles with 87. Roberson was again in the winner’s circle with a 92 to take the sub-junior trophy. Thursday saw Dave Hanneman taking A class honors with 198 in singles; Heitner, Lady II singles with 197; and Roberson with a great score of 199 to capture the sub-junior trophy. In the handicap Wright held on to runnerup with 98, Allan Anderson smashed a 95 to take 19-21 champ, Kyle Wilkens took 25-26 runnerup, and Roberson took sub-junior with 96. Event 10 handicap saw Roberson hanging on in the shootoff to capture 22-24 runnerup, Frank Sick taking 25-26 honors with 92, Heitner winning Lady II with 90, Noah Conley winning sub-junior with 94, and Steve Maltzahn winning senior vet with 96. In the Singles Championship, Raylee Bishop topped D with 194. In the Event 13 doubles, Roberson topped A with 94, Keegan Kendall took C with 97, Heitner captured Lady II with 90, and Dale Stockdale took home the sub-vet trophy with 96. In the Handicap Championship, Kendall took sixth-place honors with 96, and Kristen Leigh Conley with a 95 took 19-21 runnerup honors. HOA Lady II honors went to Heitner with 1,106, sub-junior went to Roberson with 1,108. All-around A class was Kendall with 383, Bishop took D with 378, and sub-vet went to Sick with 384. Congratulations to all of you on a great job!

Next month we will have results from our Iowa State Shoot as well as coverage from our Iowa shooters at other state shoots and local zone shoots. If you have questions or comments, I can be reached at [email protected]. Until next month, stay safe, and I’ll see you on the trapline!

Steve Glasgow

ATA Delegate

Ohio

The 2020 Ohio State Shoot is in the book. I would like to thank the board of directors for all the hard work and time to make it run as smoothly as possible. I am very proud to be a part of such a great board. I also have to thank the Cardinal Center for everything they have done to keep everyone as safe as possible. Now I would like to thank all the shooters who showed up; without you, it would not be possible to have such a great shoot. Thanks to all the loyal sponsors that help make the Ohio State Shoot as great as it is. Congratulations to all the trophy winners. During Saturday’s election we had two new directors elected, Austin Jacob and Randy Pohlman. Welcome aboard. We all look forward to making the 2021 Ohio State Shoot even bigger and better.

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

Driving home from the Kansas State Shoot, a lot of things were in my mind. One person who really stuck out to me was one of my friends down there who’s from Wisconsin. He said a few times, “I don’t know when I’ll get to do this again” or “I don’t know when I can be back,” and I didn’t catch on the first day when he said that to me. When he said it again the next day, I said, “What do you mean, you don’t know?” He said, “I have 35% of my heart working, and I am on a donor list.” I said, “I did not know that, Ron, and I am sorry to hear this about you.” Ron walked off with a smile and continued to shoot. Cherish your friends!

The wind never stopped blowing at Kansas, but that did not stop shooters from a lot of states from attending. We all were just happy to be shooting again after being locked down for months. The staff and volunteers did such a fantastic job giving us a great tournament. Thank you to the KTA. Congrats to Thomas Hoppe for winning a first-place handicap trophy and Sandra Jo Jack for Lady II doubles, Singles Championship, Handicap Championship and HAA.

Now let’s talk about the Weston Hit & Miss northwest zone shoot. The rain came down in buckets for the singles event, and those who did support the club and shoot the event got soaked. It was not much fun getting wet, but we were there to compete for the zone. In the rain Phil Challoner and Devin Doucette shot amazing scores of 199 to shoot off, and Phil is the champion. The handicap champion missed only one target on his last trap for a 99. Bruce Wagner and Don Wagner put on a brotherly love shootoff for doubles, with Bruce winning. All-around champion went to Mike Johnson. Congrats to all of you and all the other shooters winning their categories and class. The volunteers and the club held a perfect shoot for us, other than rain. Thank you to everyone.

I did attend the Ohio State Shoot for the first time. So many new faces in addition to Brent Heikkinen and Steve Ebsen were at the shoot. Steve cracked me up talking about the hawk that sat on the shot curtain poles right above the targets. The hawk showed up every day, teasing shooters: is he going to fly or not when I say pull? Jack won in Lady II prelim singles, handicap and doubles events plus category runnerup in the Singles and Handicap Championships and Lady II winner in the Doubles Championship. Once again a very well-attended shoot. There were 203 squads for Saturday’s championship. Thank you, all of the staff and volunteers who hosted a great shoot.

This article will be printed just in time for us to attend the Grand American at its location for 2020, Missouri. I would like to thank all of the staff who have to go through so much to host this shoot for us. Best wishes for a successful shoot. See you all there. Please be patient and understand that this is a big job for the ATA. Thank everyone and help out if possible.

See you on the shooting line with that smile.

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring