Greetings Indiana shooters!
March has finally arrived and spring weather won’t be far away! I hope everyone had a great winter and this issue of Trap & Field finds you in good health and good spirits, anxiously awaiting the opportunity to shoot many, many trap targets without a coat and gloves on.
I know the ITA Board of Directors have been busy preparing for the upcoming year with our Zone shoots in May and then the Indiana State Shoot in July, all while striving to maintain & improve our Indiana Gun Club homegrounds. We put the order in for NO RAIN this year and feel we certainly deserve that after last year!
Unfortunately we have lost a couple of Indiana Trapshooting LEGENDS this winter. I just couldn’t believe it when I heard that Ray Strabavy had passed away in December. Ray was definitely one of the good guys and I know he will be missed throughout the trapshooting community, especially at all of the northern Indiana clubs that he frequented. I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with the opportunity to talk to Ray several times last year and get to know him. I remember him waiting patiently to shoot off the Indiana Singles Championship last year after breaking a 199 that day along with two others. He ended up with the Senior Veteran trophy that night, which allowed him to shoot in the Champ of Champions event at the Grand, something he was understandably very proud of. Speaking of Ray being proud, on the night of the ATA HOF induction ceremony at the Grand this year, Ray and I talked a LONG time about how proud he was of his son, Tom, who had just given the induction speech for his friend Ricky Marshall Jr. Then Ray called me out of the blue one day in September and before I knew it we had chatted for over an hour about everything we could think of, about his trips to Tucson & Vernal the past year, the World Police & Fire Games, about his family fishing trips up north, how proud he was of all of three of his boys and how supportive everyone had been since his wife passed away the previous year. I wish Ray Strabavy would call me right now and I’d spend however long he wanted talking about whatever he wanted to talk about. He will be missed.
On New Year’s Day, long time Wallace Traps owner/operator Charles Bryant passed. Charlie has been around the trapshooting game for many years. The ATA shows his first registered targets were shot in 1959 and he registered over 125,000 singles targets over the years, all while running one of the great Indiana trapshooting clubs at Wallace. Charlie always had great stories to tell about the glory days of trap and I know Wallace was home to some legendary money shoots back in the day. I recall showing up at Wallace for a shoot back when I first started shooting and Charlie was a most welcoming host and always remembered me when I’d go shoot there every few years. I last got to visit with Charlie when the ITA hosted our Central Zone shoot there in May of 2015 and cherish the time I got to spend with him that weekend. My condolences go to his wife Vivian and all of his family & friends that were constantly helping out around the club. May you rest in peace Charlie Bryant.
Congratulations to the Indiana shooters that made the 2016 ATA All-American teams: Chrissy Byrd, Brandon Sullivan, Devon Harris, Tank Lunsford, Jeff Webb, Garl Gresley, Jack Curry, Jerry Brown and Vern Brown.
Also I have one additional Indiana State Team member that has been added to the previously announced State Team. Congrats to Garrett Delk, who made the 2015 Sub Junior Team.
Make sure you have your 2016 calendars marked for the Indiana Zone, Indiana State & ATA Central Zone shoots, which will be held at the following clubs & dates:
South- Vincennes Gun Club, May 13-15, 2016
Central- Kingen Gun Club, May 13-15, 2016
North- St. Joe Valley, May 20-22, 2016
Indiana State Shoot- Indiana Gun Club, July 5-10, 2016
ATA Central Zone – July 29-31 at Evansville Gun Club AND St. Joe Valley
As always, never hesitate to let me know if I can be of any service.
Jason Barnett
ATA Delegate