Who is the lesser shooter

Who is the lesser shooter? This a question that I think many of us should ask ourselves. Someone on another site made what I think was a very uninformed statement." Shooting games and visiting with friends is not trapshooting, but just shooting clay targets on a trapfield". Are the shooters who shoot games,meat shoots, 10, 25, 50 target money shoots a lesser species of trapshooter than the ones of us who shoot ATA? These are the shooters who actually are the vast majority of the trapshooters. They should not be looked down on,because a few of these shooters will try ATA sometime in the future. I feel that if they are shooting clay targets and visiting with shooting friends they are my kind of people. The way that guns and the shooting sports are being attacked we all should welcome and encourage every one who wants to shoot clay targets.

Over my almost 60 years of competing as a trapshooter I have won some things that have been very special to me and I have not won many things that I would have liked to win. The biggest win has been the great friendships that I have made over the years and the great people that I have been able to associate with many who are sadly not with us anymore.

As we move forward I really hope and pray that the leadership of organized trapshooting can bring back looking to better the sport, following and enforcing the rules that govern the sport, and bring back the sport to the regular ( working and weekend shooters) who used to be the backbone of the sport when there were many many more ATA shooters than we now have.

A problem for many with the Grand is it used to be a family vacation for many families and now it is just a trapshoot. I really feel sorry for many of the family members who go to the Grand now and don't shoot.

Dave Berlet

 

Dave, it is like the tree in the woods. If people like you weren't on that site would the statement have been made? The statement was made for nice people like you.

When the grand was in Vandalia they had a handicap on Sunday. The Vandalia handicap. This was for the weekend warriors. As you remember it was nearly the size of the GAH.

 

The Vandalia hdcp was on Saturday following the doubles championship and it was the last event of the shoot.

Dave Berlet

 

The Prelim Hdcp. was almost as big as the Grand Hdcp. and if I recall, Budweiser added some pretty good money.


Regards....Gerald

 

If the grand lands in OH the shoots would be huge again. On a grand scale. I see it going to San Antonio or Vegas.

As far as the shooters not shooting registered. There is just as much talent shooting the small non registered shoots.

 

That is the way I remembered it. One of the guys that shot "games" with us back then WON the caps on that last Saturday. Bought himself a new Ljutic before he went home. How about that? A "Games" shooter, someone that wasn't a real Trapshooter, won a major event at the Grand.
When I read that post about the last day being Sunday I figured they changed it.
As far as Bud putting up money, that is correct. A couple of years after I shot a good enough score to have won a few thousand more than I did. AFTER being the operative word in that sentence.

Flyersarebest

 

It was a real fun time for the family when the Grand was in Vandalia, Vandalia was a family friendly place, the ATA had things for the women Field trips, bus rides, shopping and Bingo. Plenty of places to eat in the area. This is not meant to bash Sparta just reminising.

 

Dave Belet: Preliminary days were shot on Sunday,I can't remember preliminary days, I Will guess and say, Wed, Thur, Fiday, Sat, and Sunday, were the preliminary days, before Grand Week in Vandalia.

Correct me if I am wrong Dave.

Gary Bryant Dr.longshot

 

I am not an ATA-level shooter, just a club shooter that loves the sport. Does that make me any less of a trapshooter? I don't think so!

 

The GAH was on Saturday the following years....1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2009 2010

Source: A friend of mine knows a guy name Kenny. Having it on a Saturday makes the shoot more available for the blue collar weekend shooter that Vandalia used to cater too. We have recently kicked the blue collar shooter to the curb.

Putting the GAH on a Saturday helped Vandalia get to the 5,000 shooter mark. The ATA then made adjustments to make sure we never had a crowd like that.

Some may remember the saying "the Ohio Penalty A Shooters." They were the shooters that never had enough targets to be classified so they were put in "penalty A." They only showed up on weekends for the big shoots.

Unfortunately even Ohio has now kicked that shooter to the curb. Previously if you showed up shooting 100 targets you were put in P-A unless your 100 targets was higher than A. Now if you show up at Ohio with 100 targets shot and shot a 94 on those targets only you will shoot with the AA & AAA shooters. This cuts down on the number of P-A shooters at Ohio. Unfortunately many of the P-A shooters will stay at home.

 

I seem to remember that the Grand American Handicap was shot on a Friday, the Vandalia Handicap and the Doubles Championship were shot on Saturday. This went on for many years.

 

Exactly. Great response. I'll bet you enjoy breaking a 25 or feel pretty good when you break 45/50, like so many shooters do who keep the ordinary clubs and White Flyer Targets in business.

You're a true amateur, but unfortunately, no amateur trapshooting organization speaks to you, represents your interests, or acts as a forum for the issues that matter most to your hobby.

 

Penalty shooters could not shoot for the options, and could not share Added Money.
Gary Bryant Dr.longshot

 

The lesser shooter is one who does not stay informed w/the changes made by the ATA, and fails to stand up for what is right, and what is wrong, ATA shooters shoot everything, from games to Calcuttas, he will even shoot card shoots for Hams Bacon and Turkeys, so who is the lesser shooter, the lesser shooter does not shoot Trap Targets, maybe a skeeter( pun)

Elite Shooter: He is the guy who shoots everything like Dave Berlet, and Brad Dysinger and is top dog at what he does.
Congrats Dave for your keen insight.

Gary Bryant Dr.longshot

Do you remember when Budweiser pulled out and quit donating money to the ATA because a guy from the ATA vendors rent wanted a piece % of all sales, we lost Budweiser for several years until he was fired and ATA asked Budweiser to return, His name slips my mind, he also caused the Famous
Sausage Vendor to pull out, that first year he was gone he setup across the road and ATA Officials/ Office gals/ and shooters went across the street to buy em.

Another bad decision made by the ATA, we then got Miserable Carnival/Fair food that was terrible.

Gary Bryant Dr.longshot

 

They also opted for KFC to run the Cafeteria, more money I guess.

Same with Budweiser I suppose.

Gary: Are you thinking of David Bopp ? Wasn't he ATA director for quite some time?

Regards.....Gerald

 

He might be referring to that Carson fella. Can't recall the last name.

 

They did make some bone head mistakes, but it was a great place to Shoot. It broke my heart when they pulled it out and went to Sparta.

 

Gerald: No it wasn't David Bopp, He was released by the ATA, Damn my memory fails me,
Dave Berlet mat remember his name.

GB DLS

 

That's his name Carson Woods I think


GB DLS

 

Carson Woods cost the ATA a lot of good food vendors, Carson raised the rent for them, then wanted a % of sales.
He is the one that ran off Budweiser, and Sausage Vendor,

He cost us shooters our favorite Vendor, just east of the Drive, that was good sausage sandwiches

Gary Bryant Dr.longshot