I am writing this in late April and I am amazed, as everyone else is, at the shutdown of shooting across the country. I was at the ATA website and saw page after page of cancellations and postponements. I think there is no doubt that this will be a year where we will not shoot as much as we expected. If worst comes to worst, and we are forced to stay close to home, then please try to support the local clubs in your area. They are going to need your support more than ever.
The Southern Grand in Florida was able to take place in March and several Illinois shooters did well. Hannah Martin won Lady I Preliminary Doubles. Bill Jordan won Class C in the Class Singles. In the Christiansen Handicap, Hannah Martin won the event and Mike Dennis won the Veterans category. In the Handicap Championship, Mike Jordan won the Senior Veteran category.
Other notable accomplishments are Steve Brink is about to shoot 75,000 Singles and Denise Dressler is about ready to shoot 50,000 Handicap targets. Ian Lawrence placed second in the All-Around Junior category. Many other Illinois shooters made the lists of their respective categories. Good shooting everyone. You make us all proud.
I am now going to talk about something near and dear to my heart -- a new Illinois Hall of Fame. When the Illinois State Shoot moved to Brittany Shooting Park in 1999, a small room was built in the corner of the clubhouse. We have used that room ever since as the Hall of Fame. Because we have such a long and rich history in Illinois, we have outgrown the space. The Illinois Board of Directors has voted to raise money to build a bigger and better building next to the ISTA building at Brittany. You can go to the ISTA website to see a drawing of the building we are planning to build. With the economy shut down now, I know money is tight but please consider donating, in the future, when you can, to help us. Next month, I'll talk about the way you can donate money.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate
As I sit down to write this, the coronvirus has swept across the planet and turned our lives upside down. Here in Illinois, we are on lockdown, and I'm afraid registered trapshooting is going to take a major hit in our country. As much as I am going to miss seeing all of my friends at shoots, I want them alive and well when this is all over. So please be patient, smart and safe as we wait for this pandemic to pass.
In February, I went to Tucson, AZ, for the Spring Grand. If you have never been to the Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, you need to put it on your bucket list. It is a world class shooting facility with every shotgun shooting discipline available to you. Illinois shooters did well there. Chase Horton won the Preliminary Handicap, 27 yard group. Frank Haynes won the Sub-Vet award in the Prescott Handicap. Dave Huber won the Vet trophy in the Pleasant Valley Handicap. Ziggy Tkaczenko won the Chair awards in Class Doubles, HOA and HAA.
I want to do a shout-out to Steve Brink and Denise Stultz. Steve is about ready to shoot 75,000 singles targets and Denise will soon shoot 50,000 handicap. Too often we reward scores and forget about dedication. Congratulations to both of you on these achievements.
Over the next two years the Illinois Board of Directors will be raising money to build a Hall of Fame at Brittany Shooting Park. The Hall we have now at Brittany is too small, and we need to build a bigger and better building. We are in the process of creating a GoFundMe account at the Illinois State Trapshooting Association webpage. I plan on updating each month on how things are going. Please plan on giving what you can. The history of Illinois trapshooting is rich and we need a proper hall to display it.
Bill Duncan, Illinois ATA Delegate
My name is Bill Duncan and I am the new Delegate for the State of Illinois. As you know, Lauren Mueller has taken a new job as the Executive Director of WSRC in Sparta. She is also getting married in September. Life has caught up to Lauren and she no longer felt she could be a Delegate. Thanks for your service, Lauren. I will do my best to make you proud as I take over.
First, let me say how excited and humbled I am to be your Delegate. I promise every Illinois Shooter I will do the best job that I can. To do this, I am going to ask for your help. Please feel free to contact me any time you have questions and concerns. This way I will know what you want the ATA to be doing for Illinois and you.
Illinois is blessed to have 18 All Americans and 4 Captains for their respective categories. They are: Chase Horton - Open First Team; Lauren Mueller, Elise Baker and Hannah Martin - Lady I First Team; Reagan Armburst - Lady I Second Team; Janice Rigler - Lady II First Team; Sue Staley - Lady II Second Team; Ian Lawrence - Junior; Garrett Helms - Junior Gold; Brian Hezel - Sub Vet First Team; Frank Haynes, Dan Staker and Dave Dressler - Sub Vet Second Team; Frank Payne - Veteran Second Team; Mike Westjohn and Charlie Bickle - Senior Vet First Team; Ziggy Thaczenko and Larry Norton - Chair Shooter. Chase Horton, Ian Lawrence, Mike Westjohn and Ziggy Thaczenko are Captains of their categories. Good shooting one and all. You have made all the rest of us in Illinois proud.
If you shoot 20,000 or more targets in a target year, you are a mega target member. Illinois has seven. They are: Todd Whitaker, Lawrence Gillum, Mike Dennis, Mike Walker, Leland Hassler, Garrett Helms and Marvin Kuebler. Great work guys! If any of you would like to adopt me and take me shooting, give me a call.
Sadly, I have to report the passing of four gentlemen: John Evans, Randy Cornmesser, Robert Burg and Chuck Mellott. They have all lived and shot in Illinois through the years. Rest well men. Break lots of 100 straights in Heaven.
You can contact me at
Bill Duncan, IL ATA Delegate
Hello Shooters!
Wanted to start with a few reminders: the board is working hard at getting the IL Hall of Fame (HOF) building going! They are going to start a GoFundMe page for anyone who is interested in donating. If you don't have the money but want to help, it will require a lot of labor to get it built! Ask your director how you can help! I've been getting a lot of questions about the dates for the 2020 state shoots. The AIM state shoot will be June 13 & 14 and the ISTA state shoot will be June 15-21. Tickets will be sold at the classification counter the 13-21 for the Kolar shotgun for the Gun Club Fund raffle that will be drawn at the Grand. If you want any ahead of the state shoot, contact Bill Duncan or Joan Davis, ISTA Secretary. They are $20 per ticket.
As many of you have heard, I did fill the Executive Director position for the WSRC. I started mid-January. Because there would be a conflict of interest and I'm going to have a lot on my plate, I decided to resign from the IL Delegate position. Bill Duncan was the 2nd alternate for the position, so he will be stepping up and taking on the role. That being said, this will be my last article. I want to thank all of you for the support along the way! I truly enjoyed my time and will still see you around at the shoots!
Lauren Mueller, Former ATA Delegate
and WSRC Executive Director
Hello shooters!
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Now that it's a new year, it's time to revisit your goals from last year. Did you reach a couple small goals? If so, congratulations! If not, were they too much? Did you not try as hard as you could have? Whatever the problem may have been, it's time to evaluate. Set a couple small, achievable goals that will help you reach your long-term goal and keep working at it. Don't be afraid to reach for the stars for the long-term, but remember there are a lot of steps you'll have to take to get there.
One goal I heard was reached was that Jason Hassler broke his 25,000th singles target. That takes a lot of dedication to the sport and a big milestone he can check off his list! Congratulations!
The ISTA Board is still looking for donations for the Hall of Fame Building. They are looking at more affordable means to get the building costs down. If you made it through Christmas and still are in the giving mood, let one of your ISTA Directors know and they will get the money to the right place!
Don't be afraid to reach out with any questions or comments about what's going on at your club. You can email me at
Happy Shooting!
Lauren Mueller, ATA Delegate