Hi everyone. As I write this, winter has come to the Midwest with a vengeance. I'm left to have visions of trapshooting dancing in my head. I just keep telling myself it will only be a few months before we start shooting again.
I told you I would introduce you to all of the Illinois All-Americans. You can see how good Trapshooting is in our state by the number and quality of these men and women.
Open First Team
Chase Horton
Lady 1 Second Team
Lauren Dunn
Lady 2 First Team
Janice Rigler
Sub Junior Second Team
Payton Wottowa
Junior Second Team
Steve Margherio
Junior Gold First Team
Ian Lawrence- Caption of Team
Garrett Helms
Sub Veteran Second Team
Mike Hathaway
Veteran First Team
Dan Staker
Mike Dennis
Frank Haynes
Veteran Second Team
Brian Hezel
Frank Payne
Thomas Fester
Dave Dressler
Senior Veteran First Team
Mike Westjohn
Chair Shooter
Larry Norton
Congratulations to all of you! I want to give a special shout out to Payton Wottowa, Tom Fester and Mike Hathaway who made the All-American Team for the first time. I know how hard these three worked to make this team and I couldn't be prouder of them.
I also want to congratulate Marc Granrath for reaching the 100,000 Singles milestone. I am always impressed by anyone who reaches this plateau. It is a lot of targets and shows the dedication our shooters have for the sport.
I was saddened to read in Trap and Field Magazine that Raymond Plummer has passed. I did not know Raymond, so I called some friends in Northern Illinois to find out about him. What I found out was I missed out in knowing a great guy. He was a quiet, pleasant person who showed up at shoots, occasionally won and was a good friend to everyone there. In short, he was the type of guy we all looked forward to seeing when we went to compete. My condolences to all his family and friends. Rest in peace.
By the time you read this, shooting will be starting up in Florida and Arizona. Dream big, set your goals and have fun.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate