Alberta

Finally! Our governments are no longer insisting that we hide under the bedcovers, lest the COVID-19 bug find us, and in early May the chief medical officer of health issued an order allowing outdoor shooting ranges to resume operations, with restrictions.

Medicine Hat was first off the mark with its Rattler Classic May 22-24. Over three days, there were 150 entries, with David Shiers taking the HOA with 549×600.

Castor followed June 12-14 with their trophy shoot, and demand was heavy. This three-day shoot attracted 357 entries. Jason Weaver claimed the HOA with 454×500.

Although the Calgary Stampede was canceled this year, for the first time in its history, Calgary nevertheless carried on with its traditional Stampede Grand July 1-5.

Calgary was also the Alberta site for the Western Zone Tournament July 17-19. Weather was good, targets were great, and the shooting was even better. Zone-wide participation was 711 shooters, and 33 were from Alberta. Over the three days, Albertans claimed 11 of the Zone-wide trophies up for grabs, the most ever in the history of the province’s participation in this tournament. In the class handicap, winners were Art Peyton, fourth place; Ron McConnell, senior veteran; and Lynn Smith, Lady I. In class doubles, Smith claimed Lady I, Diane Peyton Lady II, and Shawn McNeil sub-vet. In the Doubles Championship, McNeil continued his great performance, earning sub-vet honors. He also claimed the Zone-wide sub-vet HAA and HOA titles, accompanied by Smith and Art Peyton, who earned the Zone-wide Lady I and veteran HOA, respectively. Congratulations to all the winners.

Shooters gathered at the Edmonton GC to contest the provincial trapshooting championships July 23-26. See the complete story and results in this issue.

Jim Thomson

ATA Delegate

Arizona

The Grand—yikes! Grass and trees with all birds going into the sky: what a novel idea for a shooting background. Throw in hot, humid, somewhat dusty 28 banks with two traps all in a straight line, very helpful people and lots of happy shooters, plus a Vandalia feel, and that, folks, was Linn Creek. Everyone I spoke with was amazed that the ATA actually pulled it off, in style too, and all in six weeks. It was an accomplishment and a half. Three flatbeds of equipment were brought in from Sparta; an entire IT department was set up; well over 1,000 shooters were classified, squadded and assigned fields; and trophies were awarded and distributed. The birds were great with very little down time, and the scorers were just fine. You couldn’t ask for much more.

It’s too bad that Linn Creek is about a three-and-a-half day drive from Arizona. It is a tourist area with scenic lakes and rolling hills, good restaurants, and all kinds of shopping. The locals went out of their way to make you feel welcome, and they are very gun-friendly. The governor and lieutenant governor stopped by and cheered us on. It’s funny, Karen and I have driven by many times on our way to Sparta, and we had no idea what the Ozarks were like. It’s the type of place where you rent a condo and a pontoon boat for a week or two, do some fishing, and just chill.

The general turnout was down about 40%, as anticipated due to COVID-19, the ban on foreign travel, and the short notice of the move to Linn Creek. Our state contingent numbered 17, and everyone came to shoot. Arizona shooters won 16 trophies. Almost everyone from the Grand Canyon State shot well, excluding this writer, but Karen Bergman and Gerry Williams led the pack. Karen, shooting as a Lady II, won a total of nine trophies and a U-Haul was added to our RV. They included two singles runnerup, one doubles third, two doubles runnerup, one doubles championship, the Winchester Super 400 Singles runnerup, third in the HAA, and the Lady II World Doubles Championship title.

Meanwhile Gerry was very busy in senior veteran. You know how tough the senior vet category is normally; well, that’s ramped up by a couple of magnitudes at the Grand. He was third in the NRA Singles, champ in the Mike Herman Handicap, and runnerup in the Clay Target Championship. He also won the senior vet HAA in the preliminary days and finished second in the Winchester Super 400 Singles and third in the 1,000-target ATA HOA.

There was one additional Arizona trophy winner, and he just happens to be one of Arizona’s newest residents. Steve Williamson, a familiar face at Tucson and now an official refugee from California, finished second in the Trap & Field Handicap, shooting in senior vet.

It was a truly grand Grand; a great big thank you goes to those who made it possible!

Around the state: While Arizona trapshooting never stops, we are about to kick into high gear. The 2020 state shoot is right around the corner and will be closely followed by the Autumn Grand at Tucson. Yeah, I know we are in the 2021 shooting year, but such is life in the age of COVID. Step outside in the evening, that is not autumn leaves that you are smelling, it’s Hoppes #9. I am writing this toward the end of August, and we still don’t know if the state shoot will be at Ben Avery or Tucson, but either way you cannot lose. Both are world-class facilities with great backgrounds. It is the perfect time of year for shooting in Arizona, and we have an unprecedented twofer, the state shoot and the Autumn Grand. Come on down. One word of caution, however: be prepared to move if you live in points west or north. Once you shoot in Arizona, there’s no going back.

Casa Grande held their usual Monday Big 50s Aug. 17. Randall Winch got things going with a perfect 50, nosing out Ron Schroer by one. That was followed by another 50, this one from 21.5, by Mark Lacey, and it earned him a punch to the 22. Bob Mylnarz and Ron Schroer were next at 48. Bob’s was shot from the 25-yard line and Ron’s from 24. Ron was also high in the doubles with 47.

Shoots from mid October to mid November include a doubles marathon at Rio Salado Oct. 15, Tucson’s Harvest Festival Oct. 17-18, and Big 50s at Casa Grande on the 19th. The 2020 state shoot is tentatively scheduled for Ben Avery Oct. 27-Nov. 1, but that may be switched to Tucson Nov. 3-8. If that happens, then it would take the place of the Preliminary Days of the Autumn Grand. I just do not know at this writing (Aug. 25).

Rio Salado will hold a doubles marathon Nov. 5, and to make things more confusing, if Ben Avery hosts the state shoot, then the Preliminary Days of the Autumn Grand will be Nov. 4-8. Next is the Autumn Grand American (Tucson) Nov. 9-15. Casa Grande will resume their Big 50s Nov. 16, and Rio Salado has a doubles marathon Nov. 19.

Now that everyone is totally confused, please check with aztraps.com for the latest information on the state shoot or give me a call at 928-443-1100. See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

California

I just got home from the 2020 Grand American, which was hosted by the Missouri Trapshooting Association at their homegrounds in Linn Creek. The MTA did an outstanding job of putting on a very successful shoot, especially when considering the short amount of time they had to plan and coordinate with the ATA to make it all happen. Thanks to the state of Missouri and the MTA for hosting the 2020 Grand American and making everyone feel so welcome. Also, a big thank you to the entire staff of the ATA for making the 2020 Grand American a reality.

Opening ceremonies were attended by several of Missouri’s top elected officials. Governor John Parson, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, State Sen. Justin Brown and State Rep. Susie Pollock all expressed their appreciation and excitement that the 2020 Grand was moved to the Linn Creek facility. It’s really nice when you hear elected officials who are so supportive of our Second Amendments right.

California had 27 shooters in attendance, and several of them were multiple trophy winners. California’s HAA champion, Hunter Seymore, was the 2020 Grand American Clay Target champion. There were 31 shooters with 200s, and Hunter secured the title after breaking an additional 175 targets in the shootoff. Hunter collected five other trophies during Grand Week. He was junior runnerup in the Winchester AA Class Singles (199), junior runnerup in the Kubota Doubles (100), junior third HOA, junior champion in the Zone Singles CofC, and he was on the winning Zone Team for the Clay Target Championship. Hunter also won trophies during the AIM Grand, including junior doubles champion and junior second HAA. Congratulations to Hunter on an absolutely phenomenal performance.

Vickie Larkin (Lady II) and Dave Womack (veteran) each brought home three trophies. Vickie’s Lady II trophies included third in the Hodgdon Powder Singles (97), runnerup in the Precision Fit Stock Doubles (94) and third in the Winchester AA Class Singles (194). Dave’s veteran trophies included third in the Hodgdon Powder Singles (99), third in the Kolar Doubles (99) and third in the Dawson Enterprises Doubles (98).

Bianca Delfabro was Lady I runnerup in two handicap events. She broke 94 in the Trap & Field Handicap and secured her second trophy for a 97 in the prelim Thursday handicap. Jimmy Heller collected the A champion trophy in the Wenig Class Doubles following a perfect century. Jimmy told me that if his memory served him correctly, this was somewhere around his 125th perfect century in doubles. Cory Walker (sub-junior) also took home a trophy as a member of the winning Zone team during the Clay Target Championship. Congratulations to all of our 2020 Grand American trophy winners.

Two of our California shooters achieved significant milestones at the Grand. Emmy Larkin, granddaughter of Tom and Vickie Larkin, shot her first 50 straight during the Clay Target Championship. Emmy was shooting with her mom Leah and grandma Vickie. A 2020 high school graduate, Emmy has been accepted at the University of Redlands. She also had the honor of singing both the Canadian and U.S. national anthems during the week. Rich Davis, a fierce competitor from southern California, surpassed 75,000 handicap targets during the week.

I would like to personally thank past California ATA Delegate Eileen Williamson for her assistance in providing information contained in this article. I would also like to congratulate her hubby Steve for his senior vet runnerup trophy for a 97 in the Trap & Field Handicap. Steve and Eileen recently moved from California to Tucson, AZ, and their presence here is already sorely missed.

On Friday several members of the California contingent met in front of the “Welcome to the Grand American” banner for a group picture. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it.

Shoot well!

Steve Cloyd

ATA Delegate

Nevada

This year has brought us new adventures in our daily lives and in the way we manage our lives. I am glad to say the clay target world has done some great adaptations to which we all owe a debt of gratitude.

We have heard from a lot of folks attending the Grand American, and the consensus is that the executive team guided by Mike Herman outperformed our best expectations. We all owe a big debt of gratitude to the planning and quick action of the staff of the ATA, the Executive Committee, Missouri Trapshooting Association and all of the support that it took to overcome the adversities they were up against.

Another notable action that took place at the state level is the management of local tournaments by state organizations. Nevada state-elected officials found it necessary to close all county or state-operated shooting facilities, which left access to ATA facilities at zero. The NSTA and its officers found a way to work with and manage the Clark Co. Shooting Complex, therefore starting up its very successful Big 50 program, monthly ATA events and the largest shooting league on the West Coast with north of 200 shooters. A big thank you to all state organizations and shooters who stepped up and made ATA shooting available by finding safe ways to keep our great sport alive and flourishing during these trying times.

The last thing that is important to all ATA members is the Western Zone Big 50 option. This year at the Grand American Western Zone meeting of the Delegates, unanimous approval was given to expand the Western Zone Big 50 option to all ATA clubs in the United States and all of our supporting countries and territories. This means that all clubs holding Big 50s can offer the option to their shooters, which is paid out every month. We hope to promote ATA clubs by drawing shooters to the clubs holding Big 50s for a chance to win the monthly pot of gold. The rules are published in this issue of Trap & Field, or if you have any questions, please contact Nevada ATA Delegate Joe Hanley or NSTA president Greg Pink. All Delegates in the Western Zone should be able to answer any questions your club may have.

I hope to see everyone at the U.S. Open^® and the Autumn Grand.

Joe Hanley

ATA Delegate

Utah

The Western Zone telephonic shoot was a great success once again this year. With 10 clubs in play, we managed to achieve a six-point shoot for those who are chasing All-American points.

Spanish Fork had the largest crowd and, in turn, won the most trophies. Kingsburg, CA, was a close second.

Some of the highlights were as follows:

The “Three Suds,” as I call them—Joe, Quint, and Justice Sudbury (grandpa, son and grandson)—all shot on the same singles squad. In the second half of the championship singles, all three broke 100 on Posts 1, 2 and 3. Joe and son Quint broke all 200 singles, as did fellow Utah shooter Scott Syme. After the shootoff, the elder “Sud” was victorious and was the Zone singles champ. Nice going, guys.

Utah junior gold Zach Foster broke 97 in the championship handicap and reached the 27-yard line for the first time. Zach has had an impressive run lately, earning three yards in about as many shoots.

Joe Holcomb from Colorado, out of the Zone, also broke a 97 in the championship handicap and reached the 27 for the first time. Joe must enjoy shooting in Utah since I have seen him at three shoots in the last couple of months.

Sub-junior Grayson Stuart also won one of the zone titles by breaking the lone 100 in the handicap, completing his ATA Grand Slam. That’s good shooting, Grayson.

John Yorkey, who for some strange reason likes to go by the name of “Utah York,” went from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory in a matter of three days. (The older crowd can probably remember this tag line from the old ABC “Wide World of Sports.”) On Friday John was ready to hang it all up, “take two weeks off and then quit!” (This is a Charlie Long proverb.) Then came Saturday morning. John broke the first 100 singles (not his first ever) and was feeling better about himself. He finished with 197, a personal best. Then on Saturday’s doubles, he broke his first 50 straight on the twin birds and ended with a career-high 98.

John is one of those people who is always so positive. He is always willing to jump in and help. As Steve Johnson says, John never seems to have a bad day in his normal day-to-day life; he is always happy-go-lucky. Most of us could all learn something from him.

After the day’s shooting on Saturday was over, the barbecue was fired up, and anyone who wanted could stay and have a steak and potluck dinner. Steaks were provided by Travis and Amber Oakey, Steve and Debra Johnson, Vic Layton, Brian Duval and John Yorkey. Many other shooters chipped in with sides of all kinds: potato and shrimp salad, rolls, chips and salsa, Jell-o, cookies and brownies . . . lots to eat. Travis and Vic took care of grilling and cooked the steaks to one’s liking. I am confident that all in attendance will return next year.

It was a welcome sight to see Renee Spencer in attendance for the social gathering. If you remember, Brad Spencer passed away a couple of months ago. Thanks for showing up, Renee.

After dinner, the cornhole boards were pulled out, and fun was had by those who played. It was pretty obvious that the owners of the boards had the advantage.

As a final note, Bruce Bachman gave me a photo of himself that was taken in 1979 at Spanish Fork GC. The quality of the photo was not the best, but it was obvious to see that the club has changed a bunch, as has Bruce.

Ed Wehking

ATA Western Zone Vice President

Washington

The Colton GC’s efforts as a host site for the Western Zone went off without a hitch in July. With precautions in place, everyone had a good time, as I reported in last month’s installment. The very next day after the shoot ended, crowd sizes were once again restricted for entertainment and sporting purposes, so back to the drawing board we went to see just what could and would happen in regards to registered shooting here in Washington.

On Aug. 16 the WSTA Board of Directors met in Greenacres at the Spokane GC with club president John Cushman in attendance. A lot of “what ifs” were discussed, and in the end, the hard decision to forgo the 2020 state shoot on Labor Day weekend was made. It did not look as if Spokane County would have restrictions lifted to allow levels for our backup plan to hold the all-around events in October either. The WSTA has held this shoot yearly since 1942. We are going to miss a year, but the board of directors and the clubs that host ATA shoots are dedicated to making the 2021 target year a great one. In the following week the organizers of the Camas Prairie Handicap had to make the same decision. The Camas had been rescheduled to Aug. 28-30, but the same uncertainties forced the same fate as the state shoot.

The WSTA officers will all carry over their seats until the 2021 state shoot and annual membership meeting. We will also have our annual directors’ meeting Oct. 31 to start planning the details for the 2021 championships and setting the schedule for ATA competition next year. The 2019 state high average teams will be recognized at the next state shoot as well. We will recognize a 2020 team as a lot of our residents have been able to get targets on their cards this year.

The year 2020 has not gone as planned for trapshooting or anything else. We may be down, but we are not out! If tough times have taught us anything, it is that we always persevere and come back just as strong or better than before. We’ll get through this together and healthy.

You’ll be happy to know that if you have trophies yet claimed from the 2019 state shoot, they are safely stashed away in one of my closets. If you have a trophy from the last state shoot, please contact me, and I’ll make any arrangements possible to get them to you.

We are temporarily moving the Hall of Fame to the Colton GC in anticipation of Spokane GC’s move to a new location next year. At Colton our enshrined shooters will have their photos displayed until a permanent place can be found at the new Spokane facility. Our history is important. We have a rich tradition here in the Evergreen State, and that will carry on. While change may be inevitable, our commitment to our sport and people will remain strong.

Thank you to all of the shooters and clubs that support the WSTA.

Shoot straight and keep your powder dry.

Sean Lewis

ATA Alternate Delegate

Wyoming

I hope you have been shooting and enjoying the nice weather. Before we know it, sunny, 80º days will be replaced by cold, snowy ones. The Idaho State Shoot in Boise was held over the last weekend in July. One hundred thirty-one shooters attended, with only two from Wyoming, Bob Tomlin and myself. Something to look forward to at next year’s Idaho State Shoot is an additional doubles event. Casey Evans shot the lone 100 in the Doubles Championship to win for the second year in a row. He was also the HOA and HAA champion. Scott Abo was the singles champion, and Stuart Welton was the handicap champion.

During the same weekend, Farson had their summer shoot. Sue Seppie shot her first 50 straight and received her first punch. Rhonda Dick shot her best score as well.

The following weekend, Overthrust GC held its annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Shoot with 10 squads in attendance. Wyatt Rauterkus had an extremely good weekend; his lowest score was a 95 in the first doubles event, but after that, they were all above 98, including a 100 in handicap. After the day’s events, fun shoots and the oyster fry took place.

The Grand American saw 12 Wyoming shooters; check the usual websites for scores and T&F for all the trophy winners.

The Pocatello annual gun shoot was during the same week. Twenty Wyoming shooters attended. Jeff Williams shot a 98 in Sunday’s first handicap and won a gun. Buffalo, Rawlins, Lusk, Douglas and Laramie all had shoots in August as well. As this target year finished up, I hope you accomplished some of the goals you set. For those who have met the requirements for the state team, remember to send in your applications.

Nico Elardi

WSTA Director

Illinois

What an interesting Grand it was: the first Grand not in Vandalia or Sparta in about 100 years and the first Grand shot in the middle of a pandemic in 100 years. First, I want to thank the ATA and the MTA again for putting together the shoot on such short notice. We had some machine and trap help issues here and there, but all in all, it was a great shoot.

Illinois All-American and all-state shooters continued to shoot well and placed in the events of the Grand. No big winners, just continued excellence. Other Illinois shooters shot really good scores above their averages and had a good time.

I want to highlight two sub-junior shooters who had a tremendous Grand. Ty Leach and Boedy Baker both shot lights-out and placed in several events. They are both from my hometown, too. I feel like a proud grandpa, as I have watched these two young men develop as shooters and people. The sky is the limit for them, and I am looking forward to watching them in the future.

Finally, a big shout-out to Dagen Voigtman for his 400×400 in the HAA. What incredible shooting! It is amazing how many great young shooters we have in the sport anymore. I know I feel older by the minute watching them all.

Several Illinois shooters are about ready to reach milestones in target numbers. Bill Huhn, Richard Drennen and Ian Lawrence have almost reached 100,000 total targets. Todd Whitaker has almost 50,000 handicap targets. Thomas Clark has 25,000 singles. Daniel Schocke has 25,000 handicap. Lawrence Gillum, Glenn Simpson and Kenneth Mitchell have each shot 25,000 doubles targets. As I have said in the past, the first step to excellence is commitment. These guys are showing us the way.

I was asked to certify the Cumberland Co. SC so they could start to shoot registered birds. My wife and I drove down there in early July, and, man, was I impressed. As I came up to the club, it reminded me of some little clubs I shot at with my dad years ago when I first started out. A nice clubhouse, a lake, nice shade trees and two brand-new trapfields, one of which is set up for skeet also. I met several club members who were eager to make us feel at home. These are the clubs that are the backbone of our sport, and we need to support. If you find yourself at Greenup, give Kelly Sutherland a call at 217-728-8388, ext. 303 and check out Cumberland Co. You will not be disappointed.

A new target year has begun. Let’s get out as much as we can and put the 2020 target year in the past.

Bill Duncan

ATA Delegate

Indiana

Greetings, Indiana shooters! I hope this finds everyone healthy and happy, and hopefully you have been able to get off to a good start with the new target year. It was good to see so many Indiana shooters make the trip to the Grand American this year at Linn Creek. The fact that the ATA and MTA were able to pull off a fantastic Grand with the location change was certainly quite an accomplishment. I would like to extend many thanks to everyone who made that possible in this crazy year we are having.

We have a few changes to the ITA Board of Directors. I will be moving to the ex-officio position, and Bill Mager will be president, with Dave Wade serving as vice president. Southern zone directors are Wade, Larry Schauss and Jason Seitz. Central zone directors are Mike Williams, Sal DeSantis and Dan Fesler, while in the northern zone the directors are Don Barker, Mike Powell and newly appointed director Curtis Held. John Voliva will continue as our treasurer, and Don Barker is taking over as ITA secretary. Be sure to express your appreciation to these people for working so hard year-round to make trapshooting in Indiana possible.

Good luck this target year, and I hope to see many of you at shoots this fall.

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

Iowa

Congratulations to all our Iowa members who competed in the 2020 Grand American in Linn Creek, MO. I’ll have all the Iowa results in next month’s issue but want to recognize some of our youth this month. Keegan Kendall was Event 17’s Grand gun winner, and in the Remington Nostalgia Shoot, Evan Ingalls stayed in the race to earn third-place honors. Congratulations to you both!

Congratulations go to the recipient of this year’s Trapshooting Hall of Fame Weikum Scholarship, a young man from Bettendorf, Tommy Keeshan. Many of you know and have seen Tommy on the trap range at local clubs, our state shoot, and also the Grand American over the years. Tommy graduated from North Scott High School, where he accumulated a 3.9 GPA. Tommy was ISTA Elite Team Captain in 2019 with a .9576 average. He has received many top honors and awards, both on and off the field, and this year was no exception. At this year’s Grand Tommy won 27-yard runnerup in the Trap & Field Handicap and AA champion in the Little Egypt Golf Cars doubles. Tommy is attending Iowa State University this fall to study electrical engineering. Congratulations to Tommy, and congratulations to all our youth for your accomplishments both on and off the range. You are a great representation of our present and future leaders, and I personally say thank you!

I also want to congratulate Dagen Voigtman, a 27-yard junior gold shooter from Plattsmouth, NE, who became the first person to break all 400 championship targets at the Grand American. Congratulations from Iowa, Dagen, on a great accomplishment.

Until next month, if you have questions, I can be reached at [email protected].

Steve Glasgow

ATA Delegate

Michigan

The MTA Board of Directors met on Aug. 3 to decide if the rescheduled state shoot and the Fall Team Shoot could be held. Information from the Ingham Co. Health Department at that time was that there had been no progression to a phase of reopening that would let us have any more than 100 people at either shoot. With great regret, the board canceled both shoots. The board did schedule an annual meeting for Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. to review the financial data and elect board members and the Delegate and Alternate Delegates. The regular meeting of all the clubs in Michigan wanting to shoot registered targets to coordinate and select shoot dates will be Sept. 12.

The board also set the following shoot dates for 2021: Spring Team Shoot, April 29-May 2; Great Lakes Grand, May 25-30; Michigan High School Championship, June 19-20; state shoot, June 29-July 4; National High School Championship, July 7-11; and Fall Team Shoot, Sept. 9-12. If we can get started shooting at Mason next year, it will be a very busy year.

It’s worth noting that on Aug. 16, Ingham Co. health officer Linda Vail sent an e-mail to all board members and the ATA Central Zone VP. She had checked the MTA website and saw that the state shoot was still scheduled, as the website had not yet been updated. She was quite clear that we could not hold a shoot with 500 or 600 people in attendance (counting spectators, we had about 600 in attendance last year). She was pleased when I replied that the events were canceled already. What’s clear from this communication is that Ingham Co. officials were watching the Michigan Trapshooting Association to be sure we did the right thing, in their view, and cancel the shoots.

It has not been a very good year for trapshooting in Michigan. However, many of the clubs scattered around the state have opportunities for shooting both registered targets and practice. Grab your favorite shotgun, some of the reloads you did while staying at home, and get out and support your local clubs.

1. B. Lewis

ATA Delegate

Minnesota

Greetings from the North Star State! I am writing this a week after returning from the 2020 Grand, which was held at the Missouri Trapshooting Association homegrounds in Linn Creek. The MTA deserves a big thank you for hosting the event, and congratulations to the ATA for pulling it off. We did get to have a Grand American! A number of Minnesotans were trophy winners. I’ll miss many, I am sure, but among the notable performances were Bill Van Nieuwenhuyzen, who won six first-place veteran trophies during the preliminary days; Troy Haverly, sub-vet high in both the 2,500-target program and the 1,400 program; Eric Munson’s 98 in the GAH was good for a seventh-place finish; Munson and John Kelly got class trophies in the HAA and HOA, John high AA shooter in the HOA and Eric in the HAA; Dean Neumann was the veteran champion in the HOA; Frank Redfield was Class A winner in the HAA and third in class in the HOA; Jason Vlasak was Class B third in the HOA. Thanks in large part to the shooting of Dean and Billy Van, yours truly lucked into a veteran trophy in the National Team Race. We were second. A complete listing of trophy winners can be found in this issue and at shootata.com.

As I write this, I am preparing to go to the Heartland Grand at the Stockdale GC in Ackley, IA. Hopefully I will see many of you there. Next month I will try to get some results from the Del Monte shoot and the Steer and Calf as well as a recap of the fall meeting of the MTA that will be held during the shoot.

Most years I would be planning my fall hunting schedule, which includes a number of trips north of the border, but unfortunately, that likely won’t be occurring this year.

Finally, my apologies to those of you who read my reports each month, as for some reason my article for the August issue got lost somewhere in outer space, and Elissa did not receive it.

I can be reached at 507-456-2000 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Stay safe, and until next time, break them all.

Paul T. Cyr

for ATA Delegate Randall Jones

Ohio

The 2020 Grand American is in the books. Hats off to the people who worked so hard to make it happen. Congratulations to everyone who made the trip to Missouri and brought home trophies.

The 2020 Cardinal Classic is also in the books. It was one of the largest Classics to date, throwing over one million targets.

When you read this, the new target year will be under way, and you will be making plans for next spring. Remember to keep the local clubs in your shooting plans.

Mike Blair

ATA Delegate

Wisconsin

Sometimes there are not a lot of places to sit while waiting for your squad to shoot. I parked myself on a half cart that was behind my trap so I could watch the squad numbers for my turn. Two guys on a squad that just walked off the line headed toward me. One guy looked left then right then stopped and looked at his buddy and said, “Where is my golf cart?” Right then I knew I was sitting in his cart, and he did not realize it was his. I started to laugh and said, “This is not my cart; it must be yours.” Thanks, Dave, for the laugh.

Our homegrounds was host to the 2020 ATA Central Zone Shoot for the first time. It was a great location for 181 shooters to attend. Nekoosa school did another fine job of scoring and keeping the targets loaded. In the Event 1 singles, Connie Gresk shot a 98 for Lady ll, and Tim Curtin broke 99 for veteran. Event 2 handicap, John Halambeck, runnerup, 96; Don Wagner, third, 96; Frazier Streich, veteran, 94; Conner Purcell, junior gold, 95. Event 3 doubles, Sandra Jo Jack, Lady II, 90. Event 4 Singles Championship, George Hass did another 200 straight in singles—awesome; Peter Lantvit, AA, 199; Halambeck, A, 199; Thomas Kraus, B, 196; Jack, Lady II, 197. Event 5 Doubles Championship, William Kosmeder, D, 91; Jack, Lady II, 94; Don Mittag, veteran, 96; Ethan Michek, sub-junior, 92. Event 6, Handicap Championship, Jack, Lady II, 92; James Francl, veteran, 95. All-around, Curtin, veteran, 383; Jack, Lady II, 383. There was no HOA event. The shoot was awesome, and we hope to have it again in 2021.

Here goes life so fast, passing by with the saying . . . days go slow but years go fast. The 2020 Grand American is over. Gone down in the history books being shot at a different location than Sparta. Missouri Trapshooters Association grounds were the host site. As you have already heard, it was a big success, with help and staff putting the shooters first by having the shoot put together in 45 days. I was very pleased with how it turned out.

One of best things about it being held at Missouri was it felt so much homier with friends. We were not so spread out, so it was easy to visit during and at the end of the day.

Now on to brag about the winners in the events, the shooters who stuck through the whole Grand in the hot, humid weather. The staff, the volunteers, the shooters and the spectators all together made the 2020 shoot a success. Thank you to Lynn Gipson and staff.

Congratulations to the first singles event winners: Lillian Longworth, Lady I, 99; Sandra Jo Jack, Lady II, 99; Brad Nagel, AA runnerup, 100. Event 3, Jack, Lady II, 96. Event 4, Longworth, C third, 98; Jack, Lady II, 100. Event 6, Don Wagner, AA third, 98; John Duwe, C third, 93; Jack, Lady II third, 92. Event 7 singles, Jack, Lady II runnerup, 99. Event 8 handicap, Sage McKeough, sub-junior runnerup, 99; Duwe, senior vet third, 94. Event 9 doubles, Jack, Lady II, 95. Event 10 singles, Jack, Lady II, 100. Event 11 handicap, McKeough, 21-22 runnerup, 96. Event 13 handicap, Jack, Lady II runnerup, 93. Event 16 handicap, John Wilke, ninth, 97; William Kosmeder, 21-22 runnerup, 96; Jon Denman, 27, 97; Jack, Lady II third, 93. Event 18 Champion of Champions, Robert Gropp, sub-junior, 100; Jack, Lady II, 100. Event 19 handicap, Jason Goudreau, runnerup, 98; Larry Heinrichs, eighth, 97. Event 21, Clay Target Championship, Tyler Buchanan, AAA runnerup with his first 200, and Jack, Lady II, 199. Event 22, ATA World Doubles Championship, George Hass, AAA fourth, 99. Event 23 handicap, Mike Bradley, 21-22, 95; Wilke, 25-26, 96. Event 24 Grand American Handicap Championship, Bradley, eighth, 97; Kosmeder, 19-20 fifth, 95; Harley Heinrichs, 23-24, 96; Buchanan, 25-26, 96; Denman, 27, 96. Millennium Luxury Coaches Super 500 Handicap, McKeough, 21-22, 469. Negrini Preliminary HOA 900, Jack, Lady II runnerup, 830. QMAXX Super 500 Doubles, Jack, Lady II runnerup, 460. Winchester Super 400 Singles, Jack, Lady II, 398.

Please remember to help at your club to get ready for winter shooting or closing up. We need to help our friends so that we can shoot.

Thank you to all of my friends who give me the encouragement to keep shooting and writing my Trap & Field articles. Send me information about something great—good scores or a person you want to recognize: e-mail [email protected]. I enjoy being able to write this for our great state.

Sandra Jo Jack

for ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring

Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces. Gun clubs here have ramped up their ATA registered shooting as COVID-19 restrictions ease somewhat. New Brunswick’s Petitcodiac SC completed their winter league in June and hosted a handicap marathon July 25. Nova Scotia’s Steve d’Entremont finished high overall in the handicap marathon. Darren Pain and John Roberts were second and third.

The Highland GC hosted the Nova Scotia Trapshooting Championships Aug. 1-2 and had 21 shooters register for the two-day tournament. Congratulations to singles champion Doug Blades and doubles champion Jim Hannah. Lloyd Litwin and Blades tied for the handicap title and opted to settle with a coin toss. Both shooters also earned a half yard.

In Newfoundland, clubs were a little slower resuming their ATA schedules. On Aug. 16, the St. John’s R&GC and the Upper Humber R&GA held a satellite shoot for the annual Newfoundland and Labrador Trapshooting Championships. Organizers used a cloud-based spreadsheet for recording scores, which allowed organizers to determine results quickly. The shootoffs required a couple of texts and phone calls to sort out, but all things considered, the satellite shoot format worked well. Congratulations to singles and doubles champion Troy Coldwell and handicap champion Kevin Healey.

On the Labour Day weekend the Petitcodiac SC, Highland GC, Stephenville SC and St. John’s R&GC hosted the 2020 Atlantic Provinces ATA Shoot in a satellite shoot format. Non-resident participation will be impacted, as travel to the Atlantic Provinces from outside our borders is still restricted, with mandatory 14 days’ isolation required. Local interest in the shoot is great, with some shooters attending at their local club who would not normally travel to attend. Most of us would prefer a single-site shoot, but with the circumstances, a satellite shoot is the next best option. Complete results will be available on shootatlantic.com and in T&F.

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

Andrea Bassan

ATA Delegate

New Jersey

It is Aug. 23, and I am sitting here wondering, “Where did the summer go?” Weather here in New Jersey was a scorcher in July, with multiple days in the mid to upper 90s. Fortunately, August temperatures were mostly in the mid 80s.

The 2020 Grand seemed to go off without a hitch. I did make it out there for a couple of events. The facility has a great background throughout. With the traps close together and the vendors behind the trapline, it reminded me of Vandalia.

It was a record-setting Grand; for the first time, the all-around score was a perfect 400×400! Junior gold shooter Dagen Voigtman from Plattsmouth, NE, also had the lone 100 in the Grand American Handicap and won the HOA crown—that is a total of three championship rings at one Grand. Great shooting, Dagen.

The 2020 ATA Eastern Zone was held up in Cicero, NY, July 23-26. Fifteen shooters from New Jersey made the 4+-hour drive. During the championship events on Saturday and Sunday, New Jersey shooters George Wright and David E. Brown Sr. and Jr. each won a trophy. I would like to thank Dennis DeVaux for sending me the results from the championship events. I was not quick enough to get all the New Jersey winners from Events 1-6. I hope to have them for you for the November article.

Steve Ottrando reported that the Dennis Hughes Memorial was held at the Mallard TC July 25. Club champion was Frank Tricario, defeating Tom Hahn in a shootoff. Tom secured the runnerup spot, and Rich Pappas took the open champion award. Coming in third was John Messeroll, fourth Gil Dinallo and fifth Greg Menshoff.

The following weekend was back up to Elysburg for the Summer Championships, July 30-Aug. 2. Thirty-four Garden State shooters ventured up there. Justin Malone led with two awards, followed by Gil Dinallo, Ralph Jensen, Ray Padovani and Angelina Moir with one apiece.

Nine shooters from New Jersey made the longer-than-normal trip out to the Grand. Representing New Jersey this year in the State Team Race during the Clay Target Championship were Robert Malmstedt, Gene Moir Jr., Angelina Moir, Brian Skeuse and Vic Savoia. During the Grand American Handicap, Christopher Cusumano shot a 95 and took fourth in the 25-26 yardage group.

The Gun Club Fund gun raffle winner was Terry Findley from Thornton, CO. I would like to thank everyone who purchased a chance from me. Without you guys, we would not be able to help gun clubs throughout the ATA.

The 35th Jersey Devil was held at the Pine Belt facility Aug. 15-16. Weather was great on Saturday with over 100 shooters taking part in the singles. Jacob Bonser led the pack with 199. Tony Pietrofitta led the doubles on Saturday with 96. The weather Sunday was another story, with wind and rain the order of the day. Only a third of the shooters from Saturday were willing to shoot under the wet conditions. Scott Kalnas led the doubles with 94, Kimberly Armstrong secured the handicap prize with 94, and Dan Biggs locked up the singles with 99.

The same weather on Sunday, Aug. 16 was on hand 97 miles north, at the North Jersey CTC for their annual Memorial Shoot. There only four shooters were willing to participate in the 100 singles and 100 handicap contests. Leading the singles effort was Jack Godwin with 94, and Jim Lavelle was one bird back with 93. Jack again led the handicap effort with 94, and again Jim was one bird back with 93. Jack’s 188×200 secured the top prize.

Following the Grand Americian, it was on to Marengo, OH, and the Cardinal Classic. Twelve shooters from New Jersey competed this year. There were a lot of good scores shot by our Jersey constituents, and only David E. Brown Jr. was able to secure a trophy.

Tony Pietrofitta registered 25,000 singles targets.

National Trapshooting Day will be celebrated at Pine Belt in Shamong Oct. 4.

Remember the Garden State Grand will take place Oct. 9-11 at Pine Belt. This shoot had been bumped from the July date to October because our state shoot had to be moved from the end of May. The President’s Shoot will not be held this year.

North Jersey CTC is having their Club Championship and eighth annual Rich Jacoby Memorial Singles Oct. 11.

Pine Belt is also having their 14th annual Orange Hat Shoot-out on the 18th and their seventh Trick or Treat Shoooot on the 30th. Both are fun shoots.

Mallard TC has a Big 50 scheduled for Oct. 7 starting at 3:45 p.m., and on Oct. 17 a fun wobble and 50 pair of doubles shoot, starting at 11 a.m.; there will be trophies for both events and free barbecue.

Pine Valley is having their annual Turkey Shoot Nov. 7. NJCTC is having their Turkey Shoot on the following day, Nov. 8.

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

Joe Sissano

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada. As I write this article in late August, the Grand American, held this year in Missouri, has just concluded. Thanks to the proactive, hands-on response of our Executive Director Lynn Gipson and his staff and volunteers in conjunction with the Missouri Trapshooting Association’s hard work and organization, our Executive Committee, under the leadership of President Mike Herman, was able to have our 121st Grand American.

Quite a feat—not a Grand missed from 1900 to 2020, spanning more than a century, and in spite of two great wars and the Spanish pandemic of 1917-1918.

I appreciate the support of the Eastern Zone in assisting me in the long journey to become ATA President and the support of Delegates across the U.S. and Canada. I may be the only ATA President in our history that could not be present in person to accept the presidential gavel. Our border remains closed.

Even if somehow entry to the U.S. was possible by air, for instance, health insurance may not respond to any COVID-19 incident and then there would be mandatory quarantining. Quarantines, I am told, apply between some states as well. Notwithstanding that I could not be present in person, I was able to attend every Executive Committee meeting and the Delegates meeting by videoconference.

Before every meeting began, my Executive Committee comrades made sure the face time devices were set up in a good location, where I could see everyone and vice versa. For those who know me, I don’t consume alcohol, but that didn’t stop the Executive Committee from setting up the devices so that I was perched on top of numerous cases of beer. Just so you know, I never fell off.

I believe I can speak for all our competitive Ontario ATA shooters, we can’t wait until the border opens up so we can join our many friends at trap events throughout the States. Ontarians will join you soon—we hope.

Paul Shaw

ATA President

Pennsylvania

July and August were busy shooting months for Pennsylvania shooters as they participated in major events in New York, Elysburg, Missouri and Ohio. Beginning with New York and the rescheduled Empire Grand, we had 18 shooters bring home 59 trophies, which included singles champion Luke Cowart (seven), who added category HAA and HOA awards; doubles champion Cody Davis (four), who added class HAA and HOA; and Empire Grand HOA champion Ian Darroch (five). Adding to the collective awards were Donald Schaffer Jr. (seven) with AAA HAA and HOA, Deborah Ohye-Neilson (six) with category HAA and HOA, Chris Vendel (six) with category HAA and HOA, Genevieve Davis (four) with class HOA, and Zeke Raub (four) with category HOA. Other tournament winners were David Darrough (two), Jonathan Hannahoe, Crist Palmer (two), Kyle Kanuha (three), Ken Darroch (two), Timothy Burnett, Frank Pascoe, Leroy Cook, Joseph Breck IV (two) and Diane Arner.

Immediately following the Empire Grand, the NYSATA hosted the ATA Eastern Zone, which saw 25 PA shooters win 75 Zone trophies. Doubles champion Cowart (nine) added category HAA and HOA titles, while Ian Darroch (seven) won Event 1 and the HOA runnerup, Cody Davis (seven) won Event 5 along with the HOA championship and HAA runnerup, and Brian James (two) claimed Event 2 champion. Vendel (five) brought home category HAA and HOA titles, while Nicholas Wertz (six) added category HAA, Deborah Ohye-Neilson (five) earned category HOA along with the husband-wife singles title with Don (two), Genevieve Davis (three) won class HOA, and Richard Baker (three) won class HAA. Our other zone winners were Jason Love (three), Wesley Beaver (three), Stephen MacNeal (three), William Ross (three), Diane Arner (two), Jeffrey Love (two), Dennis Cacciola Sr. (two), Kyle Kanuha, Clare Schaffer, Jason Bok, Jonathan Hannahoe, Brayden Heckman, Joseph Breck IV, Donald Schaffer Jr. and Mary Ann Cacciola. Congratulations to all shooters during their stay in New York!

Next stop was back in Elysburg for the Summer Championships. This was the second time that the Summer Championships were held, and attendance was up from two years prior. The PSSA saw a total of 3,044 shooters overall with 1,046 in the championship events, leading to an All-American point factor of 4. Congratulations go out to our championship event winners: Pat Monaghan, singles; Ian Darroch, doubles, handicap and HAA; and Brandon Deal, HOA. Look for the full write-up in Trap & Field.

Forty-six shooters made the trip to Missouri for the relocated Grand American. Pennsylvania had 17 shooters earn 82 awards during the Grand. Ohye-Neilson won big and won often as she garnered 26 trophies, including a clean sweep of all the category HOA and HAA awards. Vendel (nine) added Event 10 champion and category in the preliminary HAA and championship HOA, while William Ross (eight) earned the category preliminary and championship HAA awards. Other cumulative award winners were Cowart (six) with category HOA, Cody Davis (six) with class in the preliminary HAA and HOA, Criona Doorly (four) with preliminary HAA category, and Mary Schaffer (two) with Preliminary HAA class. Our other Grand winners were Donald Schaffer Jr. (six), Ian Darroch (three), Genevieve Davis (two), Curtis Paul (two), Frank Pascoe (two), Zeke Raub (two), Donald Neilson Jr., Stefkovich, Edward Saylor and Tony Nunes. Congratulations to all our PA shooters for a GRAND showing!

To cap off the month, we had 235 shooters stop by the Cardinal Center in Ohio for the Cardinal Classic. Thirty-one PA shotgunners garnered 63 awards. Cowart (nine) continued his hot streak by capturing the HAA championship to go along with category HOA honors, as did Vendel (eight) when he added category HAA and HOA titles to his list. Ian Darroch earned AAA HAA, Benjamin Shope (three) added AA HAA, Joseph Recla (four) class HOA, Joel Etchen (two) category HAA, Wesley Beaver (two) category HAA, and Lisa Long (two) category HAA rounded out our cumulative award winners. Other winners in Ohio included Ken Darroch (four), Joyce Marsh (three), Paul Harvey (two), Nicholas Wertz (two), Cody Davis (two), Jeffrey Blose (two), Laurene Cope, Stephanie Wrisley, Nicholas Oyler, Randy Krick, Gerald Rhoades, Robert Rumbaugh, Jack Reed, Jude Miko, Adam Kast, Daniel Cordell, Chris Wallace, Eric Welsh, Cooper Nystrom, James Hoffman, Ian Recla, Jason Love and Thomas Holzer. Congratulations!

I’m always happy to report on shooter milestones, and it appears that we have had many over the past month, beginning with Patrick Monaghan with his first 200 straight at the PSSA Summer Championships and earning the singles title. Jarod Ossman also completed his first 100 straight in singles during the same event earlier in the day. Austin Unverdorben broke his first 100 straight in singles at the PA Grand during the Singles Championship. Clare Schaffer made her way back to the 27-yard line during the ATA Eastern Zone in Cicero, NY. Daniel Rodgers broke his first 100 straight in doubles during the PSSA Summer Championships. Jon Zadzora made his debut at the 27-yard line after his final punch during Friday’s handicap at the Summer Championships. Joe Mizikowski reached the 100,000 singles plateau, while New York ATA Delegate Dave Cichelli broke his 200,000th singles target and Dennis Hart reached the 500,000 registered mark, all during the Summer Championships. Congratulations to all these shooters for reaching these personal milestones!

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

The 2020 Grand is in the books, and what a Grand it was! Hats off to everyone who had a hand putting it together on short notice. Numbers were down, but from what I saw, everyone enjoyed themselves, and if you missed it, you missed a great time.

Another shooting year is coming up fast, so get the scatterguns, straighten those chokes, grab a bucket of shells, and go shoot!

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

Kentucky

In August 2020, the Grand American was convened at Linn Creek, MO, on the homegrounds of the Missouri Trapshooters Association. One hundred twenty-four Kentucky trapshooters participated, the third-highest state total in the country. Even with some very restrictive travel conditions, 1,959 shooters were classified.

Kentucky shooters did very well this year in the category National Team Races, with the three-man team of Jack Futch, Joe Neyer and Steve Everly claiming the veteran win. The sub-vet team of Kevin Polson, Doug Cox and Mike Fowler claimed third place. Junior gold shooters also took third with the team of Bobby Fowler, James Malin and Nick Jessie. The Kentucky senior vet team of Vernon Anderson, Larry Woosley and Tommy Beddow was runnerup.

In Event 1 singles, James Malin claimed junior gold champion and Bob Carver was C champ. Event 2 saw Zackary Crossland claim runnerup in the 23-24 group, while Neyer was veteran runnerup. Cox was the sub-vet runnerup, while Futch was veteran third. In Event 3 doubles, Keith Ditto claimed runnerup with 100, while Jack Holland was sub-junior runnerup. Jessie was junior gold champ with 99, and Woosley was senior vet runnerup with 97. The second day saw no Kentucky winners in Event 4, but in the Event 5 ’caps, Aaron Willoughby claimed the 27-yard championship, and Martha Humphry was Lady II runnerup. Everly was veteran champ with 96, and Bobby Fowler was third in junior gold. Beddow claimed 21-22 third. In the Event 6 doubles, we saw Henry Winn break into the winner’s column with 98 to claim AA runnerup. In the Event 8 handicap, Bobby Fowler won eighth with 97, and Dan Ryan claimed third in the 25-26 yardage group. Melissa Tracy Marr was Lady I runnerup. Futch was veteran runnerup with 97. In the Event 9 doubles, Ditto claimed third with 99. Kevin (Tank) Polson took AA third with 98. Holland was sub-junior runnerup with 96. In Event 10 singles, Holland took sub-junior runnerup and Cox sub-vet runnerup, both with 100. In Event 11 ’caps, Humphrey was Lady II runnerup; Tristen Miles claimed junior third and Everly veteran third. In the Event 12 doubles, we saw Ditto take event third, this time with 100. Yours truly claimed senior vet third with 96. Event 13 was the Blaser Handicap. Humphrey landed Lady II third, while Holland was sub-junior champ with 98. Event 14 was a doubles event, and the only Kentucky shooter claiming a trophy was Drake Reynolds, sub-junior runnerup with 99.

Event 15, a 200-target singles event, saw only one Kentuckian place. Robert Dyer claimed senior vet third with 198. Event 16 saw several Kentucky shooters place, with Aaron Willoughby taking event runnerup with 99. Michael Castle claimed eighth with 97. Humphrey took Lady II honors with 94. Bobby Fowler claimed junior gold third with 98. Event 17, the Doubles Class Championship, saw only one Kentucky shooter place. Richard Wilson won AA champion with 99. Event 18, the Champion of Champions, saw Tony Willoughby claim the sub-vet runnerup prize. Event 19 handicap saw Ditto claim third with 98 and Wilson take sixth with 97. Sara Williams secured the 19-20 championship with 96. Thomas R. Crossland placed third in the same yardage group. Reynolds earned the sub-junior third-place prize. Anderson won senior vet third with 97. Event 20, a doubles competition, saw Elijah (Eli) Wilson claim Class A third with 98. Reynolds came through again to take sub-junior champion with 99. Dyer broke 97 to claim senior vet third.

Event 21, the World Clay Target Championship, is a 200-target championship event. Chuck Minyard broke them all to claim AA champion. Chuck was the only Kentuckian to win a trophy, but four Kentucky shooters broke 199s and deserve high praise: Ditto, Eli Wilson, and Henry and Reid Winn. Great shooting to all.

Event 22, the World Doubles Championship, saw much excitement for Kentucky shooters, with Henry Winn taking event runnerup with 100 plus shootoff. Bobby Fowler claimed AA runnerup. Eli Wilson won the Class A championship. Nolan Hardesty was Class B fourth, and Dyer won senior vet runnerup. Event 23, the Preliminary Handicap, saw Aaron Willoughby win fifth with 98. Bob Carver was the 23-24 champion with 96, and Jamie Hardesty took runnerup in the same group. Humphrey captured the Lady II championship with 95. Beddow was senior vet champion with 99, and Dyer claimed senior vet third with 95. Event 24, the Grand American Handicap saw Bobby Fowler shoot a 99 and win the junior gold category. Tristen Miles shot a 96 and placed 10th in the event. Dylan Hill took 11th. Eli Wilson was the 25-26 champion. Ditto was the 27-yard winner. Matthew Long won junior third with 97. Trace Hardesty was fifth in 21-22 with 95.

The 2020 Grand American was indeed “GRAND.” However, personally, I missed the Sparta Grand and the personal aspects of the traditional Grand. Kentucky shooters represented the sport and themselves very well and will continue to do so wherever the grand sport of trapshooting occurs. Praying for a more traditional year in 2021.

Until next month, shoot every time you can and support local clubs and youth teams across the state and country. In the meantime, if you have news that you wish to share with your trapshooting colleagues, please let me know at [email protected] or 270-227-2262. I wish everyone excellent health with many, many smoked targets.

Vernon Anderson

KTL Board Member

North Carolina

Kudos to the ATA and the Executive Committee! The 2020 Grand American is now in the history books. Lynn Gipson and the ATA staff did an amazing job at organizing and running the Grand American at Linn Creek, MO, this year. The shoot went very smoothly and got finished with plenty of daylight. Squadding and cashiering were well controlled, and there really weren’t any long lines to speak of.

There were 11 shooters from North Carolina in attendance, and the NC five-man team shot well, with Jim Hughes and Noah Gouge breaking the 200 singles. Kenny Cox, Tyler Cox and Jeff Galloway filled out the team and scored 967×1,000 for a good showing from the Tar Heel State.

Jim Hughes broke his first 100 in doubles in the Target Shotguns/Precision Fit Stocks event on Friday of Preliminary Week then broke his first 200 in singles during the Clay Target Championship. Way to go, Jim! Senior vet Bill Howe broke a 96 to grab another trophy for his collection.

By the time you read this, we’ll have had our NC State Shoot and as well as the Dixie Grand. Thank you, all, for being cooperative during our shoots for maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, etc. I look forward to seeing you at shoots around the state. Shoot well, and if you need anything from me, please e-mail at [email protected].

Bob Schultz

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

“How was the Grand?”—the most-asked question upon return. The Grand was great; the ATA and the Missouri TA deserve an A+ for their efforts and results. The logistics and personnel required great planning and development.

Now the rest of the story. Weather the first two days was great, like early fall days. Day 3 started with a lightning storm that delayed the start of shooting by an hour and a half. When the storm cleared, summer weather returned, hot and humid. We had to expect it in early August.

For the most part, the fields and equipment were great. I have to take exception on both 16A and 16B for doubles (bad experience).

South Carolina had four shooters in attendance. The shoot was about 60% the size of a Sparta shoot. This was not all bad, as an 8 a.m. starting time allowed the events to finish in good light.

We have a long list of achievement milestones: Dave Reynolds, Dean Adams and Harold Smith, 25,000 singles; Randy Knight, 50,000 handicap; Rodney Raines, 100,000 singles and 100,000 handicap; Jay Willson, 100,000 combined targets. Congrats to all.

Mid Carolina continues to keep their Big 50 shoots rolling along; Greenville will resume their Big 50 in September. Belton has hit a snag that hopefully can be resolved.

I hope to see you at the next shoot.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

 

Tennessee

This month you will have to travel east to attend the 22nd annual Dixie Grand at the North Carolina Homegrounds at Bostic, NC, Sept. 29-Oct. 4. Then less than two weeks later, Hog Heaven is hosting the Mountain Days Shoot Oct. 14-18 at White Pine.

I’m sorry to report the July 28 passing of Jeff Hauskins. Jeff, 57, shot from 1989 to 2007, registering 97,470 lifetime targets. Some of his accomplishments include attaining AA-27-AA in 1993, being a member of the Tennessee state team 10 straight years from 1993 to 2002, Tennessee high singles average in 1996 with .9830, and winning the Southern Zone doubles in 1997 with 99. My condolences to his family.

Congratulations to Lucas Davis for his score of 97 recently at Henderson GC, which was more than enough yardage for a first-time move to the 27. That’s quite an accomplishment considering that he just started shooting in April 2019.

The 2020 Grand American was not the largest shoot by far, but we had a Grand this year with very few problems. Many thanks to the Missouri TA for hosting the shoot and to the many vendors that were there also. Job well done!

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

Virginia

Kudos to Lynn Gipson, the ATA staff, the Missouri Trap Association staff and all the others who made the transition from Sparta to Linn Creek possible. Transitioning something this large in six weeks is an amazingly difficult task. While I’m sure there were hiccups behind the scenes, they were mostly transparent to the shooters. Well done!

Eight of us from Virginia made the trek to Missouri for the Grand. While we shot well and had fun, none shot as well as Eli Dunphy, who was on fire. Eli won the junior champion trophy in the Trap & Field Handicap, Class A third in the Precision Fit Doubles, junior champion in the Gipson-Ricketts Handicap, Class A runnerup in the Kolar Doubles, and the 25-26 championship in the Millennium Coach Super 500 Handicap. What a great showing!

I hope to have seen many of you at the state shoot at Winchester Aug. 17-20.

George Hafkemeyer

ATA Delegate