Atlantic Provinces

Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.

It has been a busy summer for trapshooters across Canada so far. Quebec held their ATA Provincial Shoot June 24-26 at the Club de tir de Valleyfield, and the Calgary FC in Calgary, AB, just hosted a very successful and well-attended Canadian Trapshooting Championships June 29-July 3. Other recent provinical shoots inlude: Alberta, July 20-24, Edmonton GC; Saskatchewan, July 14-17, Regina T≻ Ontario, July 28-21, Hamilton GC, British Columbia, Aug. 20-21, Vancouver GC; and Manitoba, Aug. 26-28, Winnipeg T&SC.

The last of the 2022 ATA Provincial Shoots is the Atlantic Provinces shoot scheduled for Sept. 1-4 at the St. John’s R&GC in St. John’s, NL.

Complete results of all Canadian ATA provincial shoots are available on the provincial association’s webpages. You can find a complete list on www.shootcanada.ca under the About Us and Provinces section.

Atlantic Provinces shooters Aubrey Spinney, Ken d’Eon, Garry Nickerson and Gerritt Van Raalte attended the 2022 Quebec ATA Provincial Shoot. Aubrey Spinney, from Argyle, NS, won non-resident singles runnerup with 193 and non-resident handicap high gun with 97, matching Quebec’s handicap champion Jake Levin’s score. Congratulations, Aubrey. Good shooting!

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

By the time you are reading this, you are back from another year attending the Grand American in Sparta, IL. Hopefully you renewed old acquaintances, like I did, with shooters from all over the map. I will not get into if you won a trophy; the level of competition increases each year out there. Dealing with fuel costs, inflation and ammo costs, it is a wonder we could set aside some money for attending the Grand or trapshooting at our local club.

Well, we are in a heat wave here in the Middle Atlantic states with temperatures in the 90s. On my way home yesterday from the ATA Eastern Zone, held in Bridgeport, NY, my vehicle’s temperature readout posted a 98 out in western New Jersey. Speaking of the Zone, the weather was dry, for a change, until Sunday afternoon, when I was shooting the handicap. We all got wet, and it did not last but four or five minutes a couple of times during the hundred; more rain was forecast there, and by then, I was on the road home. Fellow Delegate Brian James from Pennsylvania posted a 97 in the event to take the Zone handicap title, and I won the senior veteran award on Sunday.

In the August contribution to Trap & Field, I forgot to mention the winners of the North-South Trophy. The team from the south won it again this year. Team members are Robert Jarvis, 197; Michael Chiarella, 195; Zac Wojnar, 195; Rick Batesko, 193; and Carlos Gomes, 193.

Thirty-six shooters from New Jersey attended the Pennsylvania Grand up in Elysburg July 1-3. Al Raimo led the trophy count with three, Batesko won two, and Isaac Mansoura, Caitlyn Barton and Ray Dirisio won one each.

Eleven shooters from the Garden State drove to Bridgeport NY, for the New York State Shoot July 5-10. Batesko led the trophy winners with four, Dave Brown Sr. won three, Joe Sissano and David Brown Jr. won two, and Gene Moir Jr., Justin Malone and Angelina Moir won one.

The New Jersey Garden State Grand was held July 15-17 this year. Again, George Petronis of The Gun Shop in Vincentown (609-859-1997) donated 30 flats of Fiocchi ammunition. We continually thank George for his dedication to supporting the NJSTA for more than 25 years.

Scott Kalnas broke his first 200 to capture the Garden State Grand singles title in Saturday’s 200-bird race. During the same event, Santo Farro broke his first 100 straight, ending with a career-high 197 to capture the junior trophy. In Friday’s singles, four were tied with 99s, with Rangel Queiroz winning the carryover. Rickey Fortner of Delaware won the handicap, and Scott Kalnas topped the doubles. Saturday’s handicap was won by Gary Crouch of Maryland with 97, Sunday’s singles were led with 100s by Carlos Gomes and Marc Invidiato. The main handicap was won by Vinny Barranco of New York with 97.

Target attainment certificates were sent to the following shooters from New Jersey over the last couple of months: Emily Malone, 25,000 doubles; Batesko, 25,000 singles; Brian Skeuse, 25,000 singles and handicap; Tony Pietrofitta, 25,000 handicap; Justin Malone and Dominic Cerrato, 50,000 singles.

Pine Valley is holding their club shoot Sept. 3-4 with the Lady Bird Shoot on Labor Day, the 5th. The Northeastern Grand is a week earlier this year; Sept. 6-11 at Bridgeport, NY. Pine Belt’s club championship is Sept. 17-18. Pine Valley is having the 2023 northern zone satellite shoot Sept. 24-25. The North Jersey CTC will be holding the 2023 New Jersey ATA northern zone shoot Sept. 23-25 at the Fairfield location. There will be all open trophies on Friday, and zone resident trophies and open trophies on Saturday and Sunday, so all New Jersey shooters from the southern zone, along with New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland shooters, may win an open award.

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

Joe Sissano

Eastern Zone Vice President

New York

Greetings from New York State. I hope everyone got out and shot plenty of registered targets during the 2021-2022 target year and had some really fine scores. Now that the new target year for 2022-2023 started on Sept. 1, I hope everyone keeps shooting until the weather turns. If you are an annual member, be sure to pay your dues before starting to register birds this target year.

Some achievements for New York shooters for target attainment must be recognized. John Bach registered his 25,000th singles target, Deborah Bell and Jack McIlroy registered their 50,000th singles targets, and finally Cliff Haaf registered his 75,000th singles target. In handicap, William Kutch and Jerry Quintal registered their 25,000th targets, and Brian Luther registered his 50,000th target. Finally, Don Rada registered his 25,000th doubles target, and Dave Clary registered his 75,000th doubles target. These are great achievements. Good going and keep registering those targets!

The 161st annual state shoot is now history. The tournament was conducted July 5-10. There were a total of 711 shooters during the championship events, making the shoot a Competition Factor 4 for All-American points. The weather was excellent during the week.

In the Singles Championship, Casey Luttrell had the lone 200 straight and became the singles champion. Michael Fox Jr. had a 98 in doubles and won in a shootoff against myself and became the doubles champion. I became the veteran doubles champion. In the Handicap Championship, Louis Kobielski Jr. had a 96 from the 27-yard line and became the handicap champion. Finally Michael Fox Jr. was the all-around and high-over-all champion with 390×400 and 961×1,000. All trophy winners can be viewed on the New York State ATA webpage www.nysata.com and in Trap & Field Magazine. Good going to all.

The election of Alternate Delegates was held on Saturday, July 9. Travis Dann and Todd Hosbach remain as Alternate Delegates. I remain as the Delegate.

Ceremonies were held after the Singles Championship was completed and before the shootoffs. Ronald McDonald, chairperson, and eastern zone director Susan Gullotta thanked everyone for the contributions to the Ronald McDonald House charity. The high-average shooters, New York State Team members and New York State All-Americans for 2022 were introduced. Officers and directors of the New York State ATA were introduced. Finally Gullotta and Justin Slater were inducted into the New York State ATA Hall of Fame. Congratulations to all.

Thanks must be given to all who worked and helped, making the tournament a success. Without everyone’s teamwork and assistance, the shoot could not have been conducted. Thanks for all your hard work!

Please remember that the 37th Northeastern Grand American will be held Sept. 6-11 at our homegrounds in Cicero. We hope you all plan on attending.

If anyone would like to have something written in one of these articles, please contact me at [email protected] or phone me at 585-519-9543. Please stay healthy, safe and in good spirits. May God bless you all.

Dave Cichelli

ATA Delegate

Ontario

Greetings from Ontario, Canada.

As I write this article in late July, our Ontario shooters are in the middle of our short but intensive shooting season. It seems that apart from a few small competitions that start in the spring, everything seems to happen in July and August.

About a dozen shooters from our province attended the Canadians this year. It was a satellite venue shoot, and the participants overall were about double prior years. In Ontario, many skeptics of the workability of satellite venues are now believers.

I am actually writing this article while attending our ATA Eastern Zone Shoot at Cicero/Bridgeport, NY. We have about 10 Ontarians in attendance. Next week is our provincials following immediately thereafter with the Grand. We used to have about 125 Ontario shooters at the Grand when it was in Vandalia. We will be lucky to get 15 to 20 in Sparta.

The border is still a challenge but not impossible. But to cross to the States takes lots of advance planning and obtaining an ATF permit. Coming back has required a cell phone, usually an iPhone, and you must have the ArriveCAN app and download all the relevant vaccination information and update it online within 72 hours of return to Canada. I don’t need to remind you of other challenges to our sport—inflation, unfavorable (for Canadians) exchange rates, scarcity of ammunition. It is hard to attract new shooters, and our seasoned shooters increasingly want to shoot close to home.

Although we had only a handful of Ontario shooters at our Zone competition, the preliminary information I have indicates that we did well with lots of distinctions. Pete Tsementzis won the HAA. On the championship singles, Lloyd Beecraft won the veteran category with 197, also veteran HOA, HAA and handicap. Chris Tsementzis topped the junior gold category with 197, and Chris and Pete Tzementzis combined to win the parent-child event. Pete and his daughter Anastasia won this distinction in 2017. As far back as the records go, the only other parent-child winners from Ontario were Drew and Paul Shaw in 2005 and 2006. Paul won the senior vet HOA, and Dan Gris won the veteran Doubles Championship. There may be others as well for our province, including many preliminary event winners.

The Singles Championship was shot off by Dave Bicknell (CT) and Robert Nihtila (MA). What was most unusual, but quite entertaining, about this shootoff is that Dave and Robert switched guns. It ended quickly.

I hope everyone who attends the Grand has a successful competition.

Paul Shaw

ATA Delegate

Pennsylvania

Following the Pennsylvania State Shoot, we had 68 shooters attend the Maryland State Shoot. Twenty-One Pennsylvania shotgunners brought home 43 trophies, led by Bethany Breighner (nine) and Joesph Breck IV (five). Bethany claimed category HAA, and Joseph earned the Event 6 Doubles Championship along the way. Travis Foose paced all shooters in the Handicap Championship to win non-resident high gun with 97, while Brandon Hood (three) and Justin Slater (two) captured class HAA prizes, and Luke Dudash (three) and Sheldon Hostetter (two) earned category HAA wins. Our other PA winners were: Dawson Schoffstall (two), Ben Snyder (two), Jacob Edinger, Gerald Dellafera, Donald O’Conner, Nicole Hood, Carolyn Sukel (two), Mary Ann Cacciola, Jeff Love, Michael Benlock, David Stancavage, John Lavrich, Brian James, and Kelly Ramsey. Congratulations to all Pennsylvania winners!

The same week saw 72 shooters head east to the Ohio State Shoot, having 22 cleaning up 68 trophies. William Ross (16) and Deborah Ohye-Neilson (13) led the barrage, while capturing category HAA and HOA trophies. Brandon Deal (four) and Wesley Beaver (three) earned class HAA prizes, and Evan Wirth (three) and Chris Vendel captured class HOA awards. Special congratulations to Ian Darroch in claiming Event 10 handicap champion with 100 straight from the 27-yard line, which completed his ATA Grand Slam! Other trophy winners representing Pennsylvania were: William Natcher (three), Donna Natcher (three), Mark Hall Jr. (two), Chance Chase (two), Raymond Gourley (two), Jerome Stefkovich (two), Cody Davis, Ken Darroch (three), Nicholas Rozzi (two), Edward Bayer (two), Donald Neilson Jr., Dylan Buhay, Bruce Schmidt, Jason Ketchel and Richard Baker. Congratulations to all of our PA trophy winners in Ohio.

Back to Elysburg for the Pennsylvania Grand. Congratulations to our title event champions: Brandon Deal with a 199 plus shootoff for the Singles Championship, Cody Davis with 98 and shootoff for the doubles, and Chris Vendel cleanly winning the Handicap Championship with 96, the HAA with 390 and the HOA with 770. Impressive shooting by all! Attendance for the PA Grand was down overall by 89 entries with 1,973 compared to 2,062 in 2021, which was down by 4.4%. Championship events were also down 43 entries this year with 884 compared to 927 last year, resulting in a drop of 4.6%. Overall attendance for the championship events earned the Pennsylvania Grand an All-American point factor of four. After the PA Grand, 32 shooters headed north to the Empire State for the New York State Shoot. Twenty-two Pennsylvannia shooters earned 92 total trophies during the festivities, led by category shooters, Breck (13) and Ohye-Neilson (13), who captured the category HAA and HOA as well as Event 3 doubles and Event 4 singles, respectively. Cody Davis (five) earned Event 9 doubles high gun to go with his class HOA win, while Vendel (six) earned runnerup in the overall non-resident HAA and HOA. Frank Pascoe (seven) captured category HAA and HOA, while Richard Baker (three), Travis Foose (two) and Genevieve Davis added class HAA and Luke Cowart (three), category HAA. Donald Neilson Jr. (six), Evan Wirth (seven) and Sheldon Hostetter (four) earned category HOA trophies, while Jonathan Hannahoe earned a class HOA win. Chase (three), Ian Recla (five), Ross (three), Timothy Burnett (three), Brian Snyder (two), Carey Clark, David Snyder, Brad Hitchcock (two) and Joe Mizikowski round out the PA shotgunners earning wins in New York. Congratulations on a fine shoot by all!

Two weeks later, 42 shooters again landed in Cicero, NY, for the ATA Eastern Zone, with 22 shooters winning 63 trophies. Championship event wins were earned by Breck (seven), pacing the Doubles Championship with 99 to go along with his category HAA and HOA wins and Brian James (two) captured the Handicap Championship with a shootoff of 97s. Chris Vendel (eight) earned runnerup honors in the HAA and HOA, while Ohye-Neilson (nine) earned Event 1 singles champion and category HAA and HOA titles, and Cody Davis (two) paced Event 2 for top doubles honors. Wesley Beaver (five) earned class HAA and HOA wins, while Evan Wirth (four) and Nicole Hood (three) captured class HAA titles. Special event honors during the Singles Championship for husband-wife were won by Neilson and Ohye-Neilson. Other Keystone shooters with wins at the Zone include Ron Ostrowski Jr. (three), Richard Baker, Jonathan Hannahoe, Genevieve Davis, Sheldon Hostetter (two), Richard Shuman (two), Joe Mizikowski, Neilson (two), Celeste Fantanarosa, Brandon Hood (two), Ian Recla (two), Brian Snyder, Wayne Kreisl and William Ross (three). Congratulations on a fine showing at our Eastern Zone!

By the time you’re reading this article, all the major shoots will be completed at the PSSA Homegrounds for the target year, and the Grand American will be in the record books. I’ll be able to report on the Summer Championships, the Grand American and the Westy Hogans. Until then, safe travels and good luck!

Steve Ross

ATA Alternate Delegate

Alabama

The 123rd Grand American is in the record book! I hope everyone who attended had the opportunity to show off their shooting skills, collect a trophy or two, and meet new friends. Go online or check Trap & Field for the results.

The first of this month started the 2023 target year, and there are a lot of shoots still out there. Now will be a good time to call a friend and take them out and introduce them to trapshooting.

Please read the rulebook.

The White House has finally released a statement explaining why gas prices are at an all time high. Joke of the month: “Gas prices are high due to gas prices not being as low as before. To get back to lower prices, we have to acknowledge gas is high, which is the opposite of low.”

Word of the month: Cut awf: To switch off. “It’s too bright in here, honey. Why don’t we cut awf that light bulb.”

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

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

Wayne Sartwell

ATA Delegate

Florida

Hello all from the most Southern, Northern State!

We had a couple of shoots worth mentioning this month (July). Yes, they all are worth mentioning, but I mean stand-outs.

Imperial Poke GC: Imperial Poke shot their first Big 50 and had a great turnout. If you have not shot there, you would really enjoy the friendly folks.

Flagler S&T: Don Kerce was called out by the AIM kids (Eustis GC) director Bruce Formhals claiming they could whip the Flagler S&T shooters and wanted to prove it. What! I’m a Flagler S&T shooter. Bring it! So on July 2 we settled it. Look at the associated photo, and you’ll see who the winners were. I have to agree with W. C. Fields about kids.

I am also proud to announce that Denise Reynolds shot her very first 25 straight. Remember, she put her shooting career on hold for the last three years to concentrate on being secretary of the FTA. So well done!

Southern Zone: This was a tough shoot, and Florida is always at a disadvantage. Before I get into that, let me give a thank you for all of the Florida participants. It was hot; we had lightning and thunderstorms, and yet shooters from all over Florida drove to the Dollar to survive the elements to represent us.

What I mean by Florida having a disadvantage in these Zone shoots is because of our small amount of shooters compared to the other states. For an example, total HAA shooters: Kentucky, 362; North Carolina, 240; Florida, 152. Total HOA shooters: Kentucky, 931; North Carolina, 595; and Florida, 319. Florida had just one AA shooter (Dax DeMena) to start with. Chris Molina and Lew Carns ended up as AA by the end of the shoot. Kentucky and North Carolina had plenty of AAA and AA shooters competing from the start.

We had a few resident shooters who really stood out. Molina has really been on fire the last month or so, and he showed up for the Zone. He shot a 99 in the Event 1 singles, a 96 in Event 2 handicap, another 99 in Event 6 singles, 197 (100 straight the second half) Event 7 Singles Championship. Gary French shot his first 100 in Event 6 singles and 99 in his first 100 in Event 7 on Saturday. Thomas White ran the first 100 on Event 7 Saturday and ended up with a 197. Side note, Molina and White shot off for high honors, with Chris winning by one shot. Stetson Lee is another shooter who is on fire. This was his last event as a junior. Stetson shot a 195 in Event 7 and was tied in the Zone for B class junior. Patrick Larsen shot 97 in Event 8 doubles (don’t know why he has such a time with singles). James Shoemaker shot 97 in Event 2 handicap.

Below are the winners for the Silver Dollar site:

Event 1 singles: A, Lew Carns, B, Molina; C, Richard Mottola; D, Ron Burdick. Event 2 handicap: Shoemaker, Molina, Carns, Larry Crismond. Event 3 doubles: A, Butch Romania; B, Mike Cieslik; C, Scott Somero; D, Mike Reynolds. Event 4 Doubles Class Championship: women’s, Charlene Muzzey; senior vet, Romania; veteran, Larsen; A, Cieslik; B, Gary French; C, Jim Cummings; D, Henry Gainer. Event 5 Dixie Handicap: winner, Andy Kotsaftis; women’s, Alberta Brooks; senior vet, Crismond, veteran, Mike Reynolds; 19-21, Dan Levison; 22-23, Carns; 26-27, Cieslik. Event 6 Singles Class Championship: women’s, Charlene Muzzey; senior vet, Ralph Osgood; veteran, Mike Reynolds; AA, Demena; A, Molina; B, Shoemaker; C, French; D, Claudio Ronchi. Event-7 Singles Championship: winner, Molina; junior, Lee; women’s, Charlene Muzzey, senior vet, Bill Bezubiak; veteran, Bill Carlson; AAA, Demena; A, White; B, Somero; C, Mike Reynolds; D, Jeffery Taylor. Event 8 Doubles Championship: winner, Larsen; junior, Lee; women’s, Bonnie Cobado; senior vet, Jack Schumpert; veteran, Alex Riera; AA, Romania; A, White; B, Shoemaker; C, Demena; D, Gainer. Event 9 handicap: winner, Lee; runnerup, Gainer; third, Cieslik; fourth, Ben Schumpert; fifth, Romania; sixth, Osgood; junior, Daniel Anthony; women’s, Cobado; senior vet, Bezubiak; veteran, David Muzzey.

Congratulations to all!

One more thing, Charlene Muzzey, as you can see from above, has really been shooting well lately, and apparently Scot Lauderback as gotten his “mojo” back. He told me so.

Below are Florida representative winners at the Zone: Event 6 class singles: D, Claudio Ronchi. Event 7 Singles Championship: C, Mike Reynolds; D, Taylor. Event 8 Doubles Championship: C, Larsen; chair, Larry Whightsil. Event 9 Handicap Championship: Lady I, Cobado.

Jimmy P. update: Jimmy has gone to the neurologist three times now. He was under the impression that they were going to do some kind of laser treatment, and they are now, but they wanted to try pharmaceuticals first. Finally they are going to do the laser treatment. The condition that Jimmy has is called trigeminal neuralgia and is also known as the Suicide Disease. I didn’t know it was that bad. Look it up.

He is really having a time trying to shoot left-handed. God bless him for trying! Jimmy is still not comfortable shooting for score. He is still stuck on 98,850 singles targets. Maybe next month. (See May 2022 issue for back story.)

Thoughts (needs repeating): Florida Trapshooter’s Association is an organization that all Florida shooters are a part of. The organization, in one form or another, has been around for over a hundred years. Members, please learn about the workings of the organization. Please read the by-laws (found at floridatrap.com/fta-by-laws). Ask ex-officers for a rundown on how the business works. You may be called upon to serve or have ideas to better the FTA. Don’t be shy.

I will try to keep all of you informed and entertained with what’s going on in Florida. I want to especially recognize shooters and clubs.

My e-mail is [email protected].

Thanks for the opportunity to serve.

Mike Reynolds

ATA Delegate

Kentucky

Greetings from the Kentucky Bluegrass with the unbridled trapshooting spirit. Since the last week of June through July, there has been lots of trapshooting going on. Beginning with the Kentucky AIM Shoot June 28 and the Kentucky State Shoot beginning on the 29th and ending July 3. Both shoots saw slight increases over last year. The AIM shoot saw 115 young athletes compete, with James Malin (junior gold) and Drake Reynolds (sub-junior) breaking 200s.

There were 390 shooters in the championship singles and 341 for the ’caps. We saw 282 shooters in the championship doubles. The handicap champion was Kevin (Tank) Polson after a lengthy shootoff. Jacob Senters, last year’s champ, was runnerup.

The championship singles saw 16 shooters break 200s. The eventual resident champion was Blake Williams, with Andrew Tilford as runnerup. Class winners were Tracy Hope, AA; Bobby Fowler, AA runnerup; Jarrod Everly, A; Gerald Shockley, A runnerup; Dustin Powell, B; Charles Patrick, C; Drake Reynolds, sub-junior; Elijah Wilson, junior; Preston Philpot, junior gold; Caroline Hope; Lady I; Martha Humphrey, Lady II; Richard Langdon, sub-vet; Shelby Elkin, veteran; and Robert Dyer, senior vet. The championship doubles saw Jordon Foley repeat his last year’s performance, with Keith Ditto taking runnerup after a lengthy shootoff. HOA honors went to Keith Ditto, with Polson a close second. HAA honors saw Andrew Tilford, champ, and Ditto, runnerup. Non-resident winner was Austin Jacob. I can say that this year’s state shoot was the smoothest and most enjoyable I can remember, thanks to the efforts of President John Kerr and the rest of the board, scorekeepers and shooters themselves. A big shout-out to everyone involved.

Immediately following the Kentucky State Shoot was the Indiana State Shoot, which saw Ditto again take HOA honors as a non-resident.

The ATA Southern Zone followed, with Kentucky shooters at the Berea site taking 12 of the top 15 slots in the final HOA. Malin and Jordon Foley tied for the top spot with 972s. Another real highlight was Ricky Fryman finishing out his ATA Grand Slam with 100 in the Event 5 ’caps. Overlapping the Southern Zone was the Wisconsin State Shoot, which when all was done, saw Ditto take runnerup to Chase Horton in the HOA with 1,078.

As you read this, the 2022 Grand American will be history. I hope everyone made it over for at least some of the events. Until next month, stay healthy, shoot often as you can, and I hope to see all on the line soon. If anyone has news they wish to share with their fellow trapshooting friends, please e-mail me at [email protected]. I apologize for this report being somewhat shorter than I would have liked, but I had to get it in to beat the deadline; it is because of circumstances beyond my control.

Vernon R Anderson

KTL Board Member

Mississippi

The new shooting year is underway, and what a way to start! Our Coast R&PC is offering its Fall Classic Sept. 9-11. I know; I reported to you last month that the Fall Classic was to be in October—nay, nay. I did not know at that point that the shoot had been moved to September. Nevertheless, September it is, and I know you will not want to miss it. Coast R&PC is a great trap venue, and the surrounding area offers excellent accommodations, sun and sand, and seafood restaurants, all at their best. Come on down to Biloxi and join in some good ole southern trapshooting.

Also we begin the new trapshooting year with Big 50s weekly on Thursdays at Capitol GC in Jackson. Not only Big 50s, but the first Saturday of each month are scheduled at Capitol, featuring 300-target programs. One day, 300-target programs are also offered at Coast R&PC on the third Saturday of each month. Check ’em out. Don’t let these trapshooting dates pass you by.

For those of you who live in the Biloxi/Gulf Coast area, I understand that Coast R&PC has some league shooting opportunities that you might be interested in pursuing. Contact Brian Harmon at 228-249-6803 if you are interested.

On a final note, I know it is early to think about state trapshoots, but the 2023 Mississippi State Trapshoot is again scheduled over Memorial Day weekend, as in the past. It will be at Capitol GC in Jackson, and the trappers there are already planning and preparing for another great trapshooting experience. Put this shoot on your calendar and start making your plans accordingly. As always, happy trappin’!

Jerry Tharp

ATA Delegate

South Carolina

Our 2022 trap year is winding down. The Zone Shoot is behind us. Weather was good, although several days were hot, no thunderstorms. Attendance was down. High gas prices, high shell prices, high target prices seem to have taken their toll.

North Carolina has opted out of holding the Zone Shoot next year. The South Carolina board members at the Zone Shoot, together with board members who couldn’t be there, were contacted via e-mail to discuss the details of South Carolina holding the Zone Shoot next year. There was considerable discussion, with input from members of the North Carolina board. The final decision was that South Carolina will not host the 2023 Zone Shoot. There were multiple negatives, the primary being it would be a money losing proposition.

South Carolina had 32 shooters at the Zone, with a good number of trophies coming home.

The Grand will be history by the time you read this. I am hoping for good weather. With the high heat the entire U.S. has had, we may have another repeat of Year 2 at Sparta; I hope not.

Greenville GC just completed their first trap league. Thanks to Rich Dunn from Spartanburg, together with Dave Reynolds and Mike Williams, for their organizing skills.

Each week (10 total), 25 singles and 25 wobble targets were shot—a lot of fun and challenging. After shooting was complete, the front porch of the clubhouse was full of laughter and lies. The last night was a pizza dinner and awards. A great time.

Mid Carolina has gone to all Big 50s during the summer heat. Great move.

I shot with Rodney Raines at the Zone; he’s on the mend. I think your prayers helped. Please keep Rodney and Dave Reynolds on your prayer list.

Keep shooting; remember, “use it or lose it” goes for everything.

Jim Faber

ATA Delegate

Tennessee

Well, let’s start the new target year off with a list and locations of the three Satellite Grand dates in September: the 37th Northeastern Grand, Sept. 6-11 at NYSATA Homegrounds, Bridgeport, NY; 44th Southwestern Grand, Sept. 12-18 at Kansas TA, Sedgwick, KS; and 24th Dixie Grand, Sept. 27-Oct. 2 at North Carolina Homegrounds, Bostic, NC.

Also Hog Heaven has a shoot Sept. 15-18 at White Pine, TN.

For the next three to four months, I’m going to share some research on various gun clubs that have hosted the state trapshoot. Steve Williams and Bob Pierce (both longtime members of the Nashville GC) deserve all the credit. Both have served as president of the Tennessee State Trapshooting Association as well.

Nashville GC and other organizations around Nashville: From at least 1883, the Nashville GC shot at the privately-owned Spring Park in Edgefield at 14th and Fatherland Streets. Here they shot live pigeons, glass balls and clay targets. In the following year the NGC began shooting at Glendale Park, at the corner Glendale Lane and Scenic Drive.

From 1889 to about 1896, there were clubs going, and the newspapers at the time stated that Nashville’s population of 120,000 should support numerous trap clubs. Sportsmen in west Nashville formed the Rock City GC at Cherokee Park. The Old Hickory GC had traps at the end of the Nolensville Pike streetcar line.

The Belle Meade GC, organized in 1897 among “young society men.” Their private club was on the grounds of Belle Meade Plantation. They shot both live pigeons and clay targets, and it was active through the 1920s.

The State Fair GC at Cumberland Park at the fairgrounds was established in 1914 and lasted 10 years. This place was the scene of the 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1921 state shoots.

The modern Nashville GC was organized in 1924 on the Noel Estate on Woodmont Boulevard near Benham Avenue, where the 1929 state shoot occurred. The club found a site on another Noel property in 1930 on Caldwell Lane near Lealand Lane, at the rear of of the Oriental Golf Club.

In 1931 the Keith-Simmons Company, a substantial hardware and sporting goods business, created the Keith-Simmons GC on Harding Road, opposite Belle Meade Plantation. The club’s name reverted to Nashville GC in 1934. This site survived until 1954. By then the major portion of Belle Meade Plantation’s property had been sold to form the residential streets of the city of Belle Meade. On the club’s side of Harding Road, the West Meade Plantation was also used for residential development. This ended what was thought to be the NGC’s permanent location. Nine state shoots had been there.

The NGC next moved in 1955 to a high-profile location on the edge of the Nashville airport, which was known then as Berry Field. State shoots were here every three years from 1955 to 1970. Inevitably, as Nashville grew, the airport expanded, and the club had to close in 1986.

NGC was homeless until the present state leased club on County Hospital Road at Briley Parkway was constructed in 1994 to 1995. State shoots have been here continuously since 2004.

Read the rulebook, please.

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

Billy Cook

ATA Southern Zone Vice President

Kansas

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Caleb Fischer; I am from Dodge City, and I am the new ATA Delegate for the great state of Kansas.

This past June we held the Kansas State Shoot, and it was a great success! In these unprecedented times of high target prices and even higher ammo prices, our board came to the decision to throw a 1,000-target HOA, hoping to make it easier for more people to attend. This decision turned out to be very highly accepted by shooters as a whole. Attendance for the 2022 state shoot continued to hold steady with prior years through the championship events.

The state shoot was a busy time for everyone, as we were able to hold our Hall of Fame banquet for the first time since the start of COVID-19, hosting 213 attendees on Friday evening. The night was full of fun, as we inducted five more shooters/benefactors into our Hall of Fame. The inductees were Kenny and Nancy Bock, Patrick Farrington, Virgil Tucker and Joby Jobson. Following inductions, we recognized the State Team as well as ATA/KTA All-Americans from the last three target years.

This September I am happy to announce that we have been chosen to host the 2022 Southwestern Grand. Dates for this shoot will be Sept. 12-18, where we will hopefully welcome cooler and calmer weather for all those attending. We have just finished 30 new camp spots as well as some much needed updates to our vendor row out front, converting all vendor spots to 50 amp. Everyone at the KTA has worked long and hard to make sure that the Southwestern Grand will be a very accommodating and successful shoot, much like our state shoot is. We hope to see everyone there!

Caleb Fischer

ATA Delegate

Missouri

July is always one of the busiest months of the shooting season, with several state shoots going on as well as the ATA Zone Shoots. This year was the year for MTA to host the ATA Southwestern Zone Shoot, with 177 of the 419 shooters competing at MTA. There were 113 Zone trophies up for grabs during the three days of competition, with MTA shooters collecting 38 and El Reno shooters coming in second with 36. Congratulations to MTA shooter Patrick Hopson, who won the Singles Championship, Doubles Championship and the all-around. Charles Stevens, another MTA shooter, collected the Handicap Championship trophy, giving MTA shooters four of the five main Zone trophies. For those of you who are not aware, the Zone shoots in the SW Zone, which comprises of eight states, rotates the shoots between states, with four states hosting each year. For instance, on even years MTA hosts the Zone shoot, and on odd number years KTA hosts the shoot. All of the scores are uploaded from each location into a website that was designed for strictly the Zone Shoots. All of the scores are merged to determine the ties and winners or who needs to shoot off for the Zone trophies. Having worked shootoffs prior to this website/program, it takes a lot of confusion and stress out of running the shootoffs. In the Southwestern Zone, we have two states, Colorado and New Mexico, in a different time zone, which can make it more difficult to time all of the shoots and shootoffs, so that there is no waiting, to determine ties and winners. Over the years the SW Zone Shoot has lost some of its luster, due to various reasons, such as travel expense and sharing the date with one of the largest state shoots.

Well, as I write this report, the Grand is getting underway, and all indications are that its going to be well attended, even with the escalated cost of travel and ammo. I have mentioned in the past that as I speak to gun club managers around the country that the smaller shoot attendance has been impacted negatively the most. It seems that shooters may be saving their money and ammo for the larger shoots. I hope everyone continues to support the smaller local clubs’ registered shoots or at least league shooting, as they need your support just as much, if not more, as the larger clubs, such as those that host the state shoots and Satellite Grands. Speaking of larger shoots, I hope you have plans to attend the Missouri Fall Handicap Sept. 19^–25. Just as a reminder, the Fall Handicap program was incorporated into the state shoot program. A postcard reminder was mailed out with additional information about the fall shoot. I hope to see you there.

If anyone has any concerns or has something they would like to have reported on, please contact me at [email protected] or 816-863-9003. Psalm 46:1—God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Shoot often, shoot well and be safe!

Stephen Ricketts

ATA Delegate

New Mexico

July 2022 was a sweaty, hot month across New Mexico. New Mexicans can take the heat. It may be all that chili we eat throughout the year.

Albuquerque and Silver City were the two host sites for the 2022 Southwestern Zone. New Mexico took many trophies across the Zone, which included: class singles: AA, Cory Dalton; B, Jason Dobrinski; sub-vet, Brett Kasten; junior, Luke Bower. Preliminary Handicap: third, Greyson Bollinger; Lady I, Samantha Rainsdon; sub-vet, Brett Kasten Jr. Class doubles: AA, Dalton; D, John Ahlgrim. Singles Championship: B, Dobrinski; veteran, Ron Heironymus; sub-junior, Bollinger. Double Championship: runnerup, Jamie Anderson; A, Billy Healy; Lady II, Mary Alby. Handicap Championship: runnerup, Anderson; fourth, Dalton; veteran, Joseph Lepeska. HAA: AA, Dalton; B, Dobrinski; D, John Ahlgrim; senior vet, James Power; sub-junior, Bollinger. HOA: champion, Dalton.

During the Singles Championship, we had two shooters break their first 100 straights, Alli Weber and Gabe Baslee. One of the highlights was the ceremonial shooting of the hats, or toe shoes for Alli.

Samantha Rainsdon

ATA Delegate

Oklahoma

Hopefully as you read this article, you are experiencing much cooler temperatures than the 105º plus we are enduring as I write this. We had plenty of heat and south winds for the ATA Southwestern Zone this year at OTSA. Of the 113 total trophies, 36 were won at our club. You can view all results on shootscoreboard.com.

Here are some highlights of Southwestern Zone winners shooting at OTSA: Event 1, four trophies went to shooters from our club; Corbin Grybowski and Robert Rimer Jr. both had perfect scores. Shay Skaggs and Rose Shaffer both broke 98 for their trophies. Pat Stacey had a good first day, breaking 98 in the handicap and doubles, taking handicap runnerup and AAA in the twins. In the Singles Championship, Dalton Jennings was AAA champion with 199, and Deborah Richter from Kansas was Lady II with 193. We had many top scorers in the Doubles Championship; trophies went to Pat Stacey, Johnny Wilson, Bill Dean, Troy Collier, Tony Fox, Kenneth Green and Clay Laughlin. We did well in the Handicap Championship also. Tad Nicholson won his shootoff to place fifth, Shay Skaggs, Lady I; Deborah Richter, Lady II; Rickey McCauley, sub-vet; Klayton McGee, junior gold. Dalton Jennings was HAA runnerup; Pat Stacey, AAA; Shelby Skaggs, Lady I; Deborah Richter, Lady II; and Laughlin, junior gold. Pat Stacey was also HOA runnerup.

Since the close of the Oklahoma State Shoot, Oklahoma has been represented very well in many state shoots near and far. Whenever Oklahoma shooters show up, you can be certain you will see high scores and likely trophies being won. Kansas had another awesome state shoot this year; 39 Oklahomans competed, claiming 25 trophies. Here are a few highlights of the out-of-state trophies: Kya Funkhouser smashed 98 doubles to claim the AA trophy in Event 6 . In the Singles Championship Rimer crushed all 200 targets and took home the senior vet prize, Shelby Skaggs won AAA, breaking 199. Laughlin claimed AA with his 199, and Johnny Wilson was C winner with 198. In the Doubles Championship, Justin Cavett broke 99 and prevailed in shootoff to claim the runnerup trophy. HAA awards went to Robert, champion; Johnny, C; and Shelby, Lady I. HOA winners were Clay for AA; Robert, senior vet; and Shelby, Lady I. Other trophy winners were Nate Hickey, Mitch Wyatt and Shay Skaggs.

There were 11 Oklahoma shooters attending Arkansas and bringing home 35 trophies. Here are some non-resident highlights: Rimer brought home 10 trophies, including, out-state handicap high gun in Sunday’s handicap, HAA and senior vet HOA. Billy Pierce was non-resident handicap winner in Event 9 with 97. Angie Cavett brought home many trophies and All-American points. In the Event 9 handicap, she posted a 93 for Lady II, and in the Singles Championship she broke 186 for Lady II runnerup. Kenyon Bert shot 196 in the Singles Championship for junior runnerup. Tad Nicholson was C victor in the Event 10 doubles; John Nicholson, D, Event 12 doubles; David Bacon II, yardage-group winner, Event 9. Other trophy winners: Justin Cavett, Laughlin, Dennis Patrick.

Oklahoma only had two shooters at Texas this year, Rimer and Laughlin. They both shot very well, bringing home many trophies. Their HOA averages were pretty impressive: Clay, 94.2% and Robert 92.7%.

Three of our best young men attended Wisconsin and shot solid scores: Brayden Bliss, Christopher Diller and Jacob Diller. Looking at the scores, it appears competition was pretty tough. Christopher broke 98 and 97 in Events 9 and 10 doubles and 198 in the Singles Championship. Brayden shot awesome doubles scores as well, 99, 98, 97. He broke a perfect score in the Event 7 singles and broke a 95.6% average on 1,100 targets.

Shay Skaggs went to the Minnesota State Shoot and shot the whole program. She did very well in all events, bringing home four top Lady I trophies. Her HOA total was 94.5% on 1,100 targets. Looking at the scores, it appears her best day was the second day, breaking her first 100 straight in the singles and topping her personal best with a 98 in the doubles.

Congratulations on these milestones: Justin Cavett, 50,000 handicap, and Clay Laughlin, 25,000 handicap. The ATA and all ATA clubs appreciate your support and admire your dedication.

Congrats on these firsts: J. T. Hearn and Anthony Talbott broke their first 25 straights at Big 50s at the Tulsa GC (both are first-year trapshooters). Johnny Wilson, shot his first 25, 50 and 75 straight and his first century at the Kansas State Shoot this year. Shay Skaggs crushed her first 100 straight at the Minnesota State Shoot. (If I’ve missed any milestones or first straights, please let me know, and I’ll include in next issue.)

Trapshooting has been revived at the Tulsa GC. Most history records and pictures were lost in the flood in 2016 (if anyone has any records, pictures, etc., please send). It seems there were a few ATA shoots around 2000, but before that, I believe the regular ATA shoots ended back in the 1980s. Over the past few years, three trapfields have been resurrected, (one new Pat-Trap, thanks to Jim Prall, Sports World in Tulsa, and one new Pat-Trap, thanks to The Friends of the NRA grant program), roll-off roofs and wireless voice pull systems, (voice pull systems, trap roofs, gun racks and scorer seats, thanks to the ATA Gun Club Fund grant program). Recently all existing concrete was removed on Trap 1 and new poured, creating a fully handicap field. The list of improvements to the club grounds that have taken place over the past few years is extensive, thanks to lots of hard work and dedicated volunteers. If you haven’t been to a shoot at TGC lately, you need to put it on your list. The next 300-target program will be Sept. 3. Tuesday evening Big 50s at TGC have been going very well. Most weeks there are nearly 20 shooters taking the line. Many good scores have been posted, and several punches have been earned.

There have been quite a few new ATA memberships this year. Ten-year-old Gavin Egner is our newest and youngest shooter. It’s a pleasure to have him join in the shooting. He is very mindful of safety and etiquette and has been improving with each round.

Here are the results from the latest Tuesday evening Big 50: Terry Dupree, 50; singles winner; Tad Nicholson/Jeff Trayer, 48, A; Art White, 44, B; Gary Stansill, 44, C; Tad, 49, handicap winner; Art/J. T., 45, short-yardage; Ray Galli, 40, mid-yardage; Jeff, 46, long-yardage. Jeff/Anthony Talbott, 47, doubles winner; Tad/J. T. Hearn, 43, B; John Nicholson/Carl Brown, 43, C.

The summer heat was intense at the Tulsa GC for the Summer Handicap July 9. Only 14 shooters came out to withstand the heat, but the targets were great, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Many went home with cash in hand. Payout was $8 per entry plus $500 Top Gun Purse for the handicap (paying champion through fourth) and a $450 chalkboard event. Altogether more than $1,600 payout, including options. Singles champion was Larry Hicks with 98; Hearn, 96, A; Richard Coit, 93, B; Clay Coberly, 96, C. Handicap champion was J. T.’s 94; Richard was runnerup with 92; Larry, 88, third; and Art White, 87, fourth. Doubles champion was Larry, 90; Jeff, 76, A; Joel Johnson, 88, B; and Clay, 85, C. J. T. was HOA with 277, (this was J. T.’s first ATA 300-target program shoot). If you have any shooting news: results, shooter accomplishments, milestones, club improvements, upcoming shoots, etc., please call, text or e-mail: 918-932-4029, [email protected].

Jeff Trayer

ATA Delegate

Texas

Well, it’s that time of year again. I’m talking about the Grand American in Sparta, IL. We are leaving in only three days. I need to be there to do classification for the AIM program. The AIM program is the youth program of the ATA. I wish they would align the AIM program classification with the ATA classification system. This would save all those youngsters who are staying for a day or so of the Grand American from having to come and reclassify. The reclassifying causes a lot of confusion with parents or grandparents. If the AIM program is part of ATA then I think the classification should be the same. Please let me know your thoughts.

I love being at the Grand (I hate getting there, and I hate the drive home). This is the place where we get to see all of our “once-a-year friends.” Of course any of you who know me know I like to eat (and it shows). I have some favorite restaurants. Don’t forget the homemade ice cream at the Butcher Block on the grounds. The peach is my favorite.

Now the time you have been eagerly waiting for (no, that would be the end of this article) or maybe not waiting for is some more of those world famous “fatman attaboys or attagirls,” as the case may be. Today they are all “fatman attaboys”. First on the list is a combined 100,000 target attainment for Greg Surber. He told me he did break No. 100,000. Next on the list is Larry Tagtmeyer for a combined target attainment of 200,000. Next is Kelly Watkins for a combined target attainment of 100,000. Now I don’t know if Larry or Kelly broke theirs or not because you guessed it, no one let me know. Congratulations to these people.

The only thing I’m going to say about the rulebook this time is “read it”. Case closed. Notify the ATA office if you are refusing a reduction, please. Release squadded positions that you are unable to use. Have an up-to-date average card. Be on time for your squad.

If you have news, please let Princess or me know about it. If you are tired of the same old ramblings, then send me something new to write about.

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

Jerry O’Connor

ATA Delegate

Arizona

Smoke and chips: It’s wanderlust time, and most of the competitive action is taking place in the northern climes, such as Montana and Utah. Just remember that these are the people who return the favor when the weather turns cool. Gerry Williams made his annual trek to the Montana State Shoot and started things off right with his 3,432nd 100 straight in the opening day singles, topping all other senior veterans. That was quickly followed up with a 95 in the ’caps, tying for top gun in senior vet. Steve Haynes, who I understand may be in line for travel editor of Trap & Field Magazine, then made his presence felt. His 95 in the Montana state Cass Doubles was high for all sub-veterans. Gerry then added one more 100 in the class singles. Steve, not to be outdone, took sub-vet again in Friday’s handicap with a fine 97, earning him a place on the 27-yard line. Gerry topped off his Montana visit by winning senior veteran in the Handicap Championship.

The scene then shifted to the Utah State Shoot in Spanish Fork. Not only is that a great place to shoot, just look at the scores, but you are always greeted with a warm welcome. Event 2 was the Robert Green Handicap, and the order of finish in senior vet was Jim Sharp first, Tim Robb second and Williams third. This is only fitting, Arizona being the land of eternal youth. Don Williamson then tied for AA in the Haylie Peay Doubles. Gerry then went on a tear in the next two events, the Grayson Stuart Singles and the Preliminary Handicap. His score in the singles was 100, naturally, tying for high senior vet, and he slipped to 98. That’s from the 27-yard line, and once more he was on top of the senior veterans. It was also time for the Pizingers to make an appearance. Nathanial, who has been red hot in the ’caps, tied for high junior. He told me his secret is shooting the bird no more than three yards out of the house. Allisen Reese, whose scores are also climbing higher and higher, finished as runnerup in 19-21. Greg Holden’s 100 won senior vet in the Singles Class Championship. Wyatt Pinzinger, the other half of the dynamic duo, took sub-junior, and Gerry William’s 99 was tops in out-of-state AA.

The Singles Championship proved to be fertile ground for Arizona shooters. Wyatt P. won the out-of-state sub-junior trophy, Isabelle Ricci topped all out-of-state juniors, and Jim Sharp and Gerry Williams both broke all 200 in senior vet, with Gerry winning the shootoff. Event 11 was the Doubles Championship, and Doug Moore won the Class D out-of-state award, and Jim Copsey lost out in a shootoff for the veteran prize.

The highlight of the shoot was the Handicap Championship, and we had a pretty good day. Don Williamson’s 97 gave him the runnerup spot for out-of-state competitors. Tim Robb won fifth place, and Greg Holden lost out for sixth in a shootoff. Wyatt Pizinger won out-of-state sub-junior, and Nathanial was the high junior. Jim Sharp won non-resident senior veteran with a fine 97. In the HAA, Don Williamson was high gun in AA, Wyatt Pizinger won out-state sub-junior, and Isabella Ricci beat all of the guys (and gals) in non-resident junior.

The Western Zone is always one of summer’s most popular shoots. This year it was held at 12 locations, and the Competition Factor is 5. (Now there is always a question about how does someone from Arizona compete against a shooter from Butte or Casper for the shootoffs? This is a telephonic shoot, and a referee from each site goes out with their competitor and watches as the shooter fires at 100 additional targets, maybe less for doubles and handicap. Their scores are then matched up and a winner declared. It’s called banking targets.) Tucson was the Arizona site, but AZ competitors shot far and wide. Event 1, the class singles championship, was a perfect example. Don Williamson ran 100 straight at Butte, as did Greg Holden at Tucson and David Landwerlen in Spanish Fork. Unfortunately all lost out due to the dreaded carryover. Anthony Zaino tied for high in C, shooting in Tucson, but he was also a carryover victim.

Junior Gabriella Romero (you will be seeing her name more and more, I predict) was the junior winner in the class handicap with a nifty 99 at Tucson. Lloyd Koty lost in a shootoff for sub-veteran, despite a 97, but he did pick up some yardage, and Greg Holden won senior vet. Our newest Alternate Delegate, Sophie Nostrom, reigned supreme in Lady I, while Wyatt Pizinger was the sub-junior runnerup. The doubles ended the first day, and Sophie and Wyatt were at it again. Sophie’s 95 topped Lady I, but Wyatt was done in by another carryover. Mark Yarboro was the D class champ.

Saturday was the Singles Championship, and Kaitlin Quan burst upon the scene. Her 199 took the Lady I trophy, but poor Mark Matthews. He also shot a 199 but dropped a bird on the first shootoff round, and that did him in. Romero came in with a 198, and that gave her the Class B trophy.

The Doubles Championship got things going on Sunday. Jimmy Heller, competing at Redlands, was the high veteran. Sophie won her second Zone Lady I title in a near perfect shootoff, and Nathanial Pizinger earned D class laurels. Then came the Handicap Championship, and we had two winners. At Las Vegas, Charles Storm won one of the most contested of all categories, senior veteran, and Romero took the junior crown, edging out Nathanial Pizinger in a shootoff. In the all-around and high-over-all, it was our younger shooters who held forth. Nathanial and Gabriella tied in the HAA for B, and Wyatt Pizinger won the HOA in C. Good shooting, all!

I personally want to thank all at Tucson T&SC. They stepped in at the last minute and did their usual superb job. The turnout was surprisingly large for a July shoot in Tucson, but everything was arranged to end before things got really hot. I heard nothing but praise about how they handled things. There is not a state in the country that wouldn’t love Tucson in their backyard.

Around the state: Early fall is a great time to shoot in Arizona. It’s cooling off down south, and there are still warm breezes up north. Here is the schedule for Sept. 15-Oct. 15: Ben Avery, Sept. 17-18; Tri-State Big 50s, Sept. 18; Pleasant Valley, Sept. 24-25; Lake Havasu Big 50s, Oct. 1; Tri-State Big 50s, Oct. 2; Casa Grande’s Harvest Moon Shoot, Oct. 18; Tucson, Oct. 15-16; and Tri-State Big 50s, Oct. 16. Rio Salado has a singles marathon the first Thursday of every month, and a doubles marathon on the third Thursday. Casa Grande holds Big 50s every Monday morning.

See you on the line.

John Bergman

ATA Delegate

California

In June we had the 109th annual California State Shoot hosted in the central valley of the state at Kingsburg Gun Club. Right in the center of the state, the Kingsburg GC is nestled down in some peach orchards and the Kings River, which is great for some water skiing. The shoot is known for its extreme heat, and it never disappoints, as everyone finds new ways to stay cool. The heat does not bother me much, so this is one of my favorite shoots.

The club is clean, and the volunteers at Kingsburg keep it that way. They serve some of the best food for great prices as well. From the breakfast burritos, cold or hot sandwiches to the amazing fruit trays with the delicious dipping cream never lets you down.

The CGSTA put on some fun events this year. On Wednesday night they had oscillating fruit salad doubles that had an amazing turnout. Then on Thursday night for a great unwind before championship events there was an outdoor movie night with popcorn and candy that also had a nice turnout. The buzz around the grounds was they planned to continue fun nights for everyone.

This year the weather was still warm. We had one day of unsettling weather with a lot of dust and wind.

This shoot should be added to the bucket list if you don’t mind the heat. But you can always beat the heat by jumping in the river when done for the day.

Chayton Vega

ATA Delegate

 

Idaho

A quick recap of the month of June following our state shoot here in Idaho. Things ramped up pretty quickly with ATA shoots in Orofino, Nez Perce and Boise, plus Troy Deary held a three-day Fourth of July Shoot. PITA also plays a big role in Idaho, so there were targets in the air every weekend.

By the time you read this in September, several significant national events will have occurred in the trapshooting world. One, the Grand American will be over, with new champions coming out on the cover of the magazine. The second one is we will have a new ATA President leading us through the next year. His name is Ed “Baby Brother” Wehking. Well, he may not be my baby brother anymore, but he is my younger brother, and I couldn’t be any prouder. After all, I taught him everything he knows about trapshooting; just ask him.

It’s Idaho in September, so beautiful fall shooting weather is just around the corner. However, as I write this article, we went from shooting in windy cold weather to blistering hot days. We just finished the ATA Western Zone Shoot, where Idaho shooters picked up a couple of nice, memorable trophies. Probably the most exciting one was the championship singles shootoff. Michael Houser from Twin Falls shot his first 200 straight, only to run another 200 before finally missing a target to give him the runnerup trophy. The following day he won the Class A doubles shootoff, having posted a 98 to start. His daughter Gwendolyn, as a junior gold, also shot a 98. We had them banking targets together, and it was fun. As they were going out on the firing line, we’d get to say, “Houser on Post 2, and Houser on Post 4.” As they would finish one round, the instructions were still the same, even though they were switching leadoffs. Okay, maybe it’s not that funny, but it was at the time! Michael is a second year registered shooter and has rocketed back to the back fence in handicap. Gwen is also an accomplished shooter, having just won the PITA state Handicap Championship with 100 straight. There’s something about family genetics.

Other notable trophies for Idaho shooters were: Event 1, Scott Kaschmitter captured Class B with a perfect score of 100. In Event 2 (handicap), Stuart Welton won fourth place, and Grant Williams took runnerup, both with 98s. Buck Gieger took C doubles in Event 3 with a very nice 96. In the Singles Championship, besides Michael Howser’s big shootoff, Bruce Bradley earned a sub-junior title with 198, and somewhere in there, I think he shot a perfect 100. Way to go, Bruce! In the final handicap event, Grant Williams took champion with 99, Welton was fourth with 98, Waylon Klundt grabbed fifth place with 97 and “Big” Jim Cahoon took vet with a respectable 96. In the end, Welton took the high-over-all and runnerup in the HAA. Congratulations to all these Idaho shooters.

Ammunition is slowly showing up, (definitely at higher prices), so hopefully we’ll continue to have some decent turnouts at our shoots.

Until the next time, good luck shooters.

Leonard Wehking

ATA Delegate

New Zealand

We’re in the middle of winter here in New Zealand. However, we have been lucky with the weather for the past couple events at the Thames club, with July 2 another fine, clear, no wind day and surprisingly warm temperatures—more like a late summer or spring day.

The proximity to the ocean and the surrounding hills seems to create a micro climate that often turns out better than forecast.

Taupo ran the Mudord Handicap event in June with challenging wind conditions. The following shooters managed to find the formula: HOA, James Sullivan; runnerup, Roger Bidois; third, Ian Evans; fourth, Steve Hanford; fifth, Mark Binney.

No results available for the Christchurch ATA club.

The New Zealand Clay Target Association held the New Zealand DTL National Championships in Christchurch on the South Island in June in some chilly conditions at times.

A big congratulations to one of our NZ ATA members, Roger Bidios, who managed to win the HOA in the doubles and single barrel events, capping off a recent run of winning performances.

Paul Basten

ATA Delegate

Utah

Registered trapshooting season is in full swing. Many state shoots have come and gone, or are being held right now.

The Utah State Shoot (Spanish Fork) is now in the books. Attendance was down about 5% from the last time it was held in Spanish Fork, which seems to be par for the course this year. However, non-residents came out in force. I believe we had close to 90 out-of-state shooters from 15 states and Canada. Wisconsin had the most non-residents with 15 shooters. Some of the non-residents had been here before, but many of them said they had Utah/Spanish Fork on their bucket list for years and finally made the trek. Most were not disappointed! Scores were high, the weather was great, for the most part, and hospitality from the club staff and state association members was top notch.

We crowned two new first-time state champions this year. Shalako Gunter is the handicap champ with the lone 99.

Chance Carter is the singles champ after breaking his first ever 200 straight, plus carding an extra 225 in overtime against Jamie Anderson, the only other in-state 200.

Sharred Oaks and Grayson Stuart each broke 99 in the doubles, with Sharred prevailing in the shootoff. Sharred also took the all-around after a shootoff with Jamie Anderson.

Sean Hawley won the high-over-all outright.

Shalako also competes in the High School Rodeo shooting competition. This year she won overall state champion. When I visited with her parents about Shalako’s accomplishments, they told me one of her trophies in the state rodeo competition was a Browning BT-99. She shot the gun approximately two rounds then handed it to her father and said, “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.” Quite impressive, Shalako.

Another highlight was the shooting prowess of sub-junior Bradley Peay. Bradley earned three yards during the week with a pair of 97s and a 98. Among the 12 events, plus the HOA and HAA, Bradley took 12 first-place trophies and two runnerup trophies! When I saw him carting off all of his booty, it was a boatload.

One of the non-resident highlights was that there were four 200 straights in the championship singles: Jim Sharp, AZ; Tyler Buchanan, WI; Scott Abo, ID; and Jerry Williams, AZ. This was Scott’s first ever 200 straight. Congratulations to all who won, or just came and had a good time.

The next shoot was the ATA Western Zone telephonic shoot.

This year we had 12 Zone sites. Turnout was very good Zone-wide. Butte, MT, had the biggest turnout for an individual location, with Spanish Fork, UT, coming in second. However, since California had two sites, they led the pack in total entries for a state. I have to brag a little on Spanish Fork GC; it was the overall leader in trophies earned at a club. This says something about the quality of the targets as well as the beautiful background.

Nick White and Dale Erickson both carded their first ever 100 straight in singles. Good shooting, guys.

Above I mentioned the three yards Bradley Peay earned at the state shoot. Well, he earned another yard at the Zone with a 99. That puts him at 25.5—long-yardage territory!

I can’t thank David Van Elgort enough for all the work he does behind the scenes to make this work for our Zone.

Be sure to check out local scores on shootscoreboard.com as well as utahtrap.com for photos and shoot information.

On a sad note, (seems I am writing sad notes all too often), Jimmy Duke of Heber City passed away June 30 at the age of 91. As I have mentioned in the past, Jimmy pretty well brought trapshooting to the Heber Valley. He was the last of the original founding fathers of the Heber Valley GC.

When I notified John Vosnos of Jimmy’s passing, John said eight simple words, “That’s too bad; he was a good man.” No truer words have ever been spoken.

Ed Wehking

ATA Western Zone Vice President