ESTEVAN - The Estevan Trap Shooting Club had a busy weekend Sept. 18 and 19, as it hosted several events at the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s range.
The morning started with the Rod Boll Memorial Shoot, sponsored by the Estevan Strippers old-times hockey club. Boll, who was from Fillmore, was well known in the trap shooting community, as he represented Canada at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.
The trap shooting club described Boll as a fierce competitor, but also a friend willing to pass on his knowledge and expertise.
In the afternoon of Sept. 18, the club held its fourth annual Pump N’ Thump Shoot, sponsored by Thru Tubing Solutions. The activities started at noon with 10 participants from Estevan, Virden and Brandon attending. The fun shoot is a non-registered event where all levels of shooters can have fun in a relaxed atmosphere and a chance to win prizes.
It consists of approximately 12 events over the course of the afternoon. Skills are tested by shooting targets at 16 yards. There is a progressive handicap where Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) members start at 23 yards and end up at 27 yards, and non-ATA members start at 20 yards and end at 24 yards.
There are team single and double events, so if you miss your target, your teammate has a chance to shoot the target and keep you in the competition. The rabbit thrower is always fun and provides a different challenge as the targets can be bouncing on the ground or up in the air.
Annie Oakley events are usually the favorite as entrants get a chance to knock out the other shooters by hitting targets that they miss. The last one standing has bragging rights until the next event starts.
The evening is highlighted by actual Pump N’ Thump Event held under the lights, which tests a shooter’s skills in three disciplines. The competitor must shoot 15 singles, 20 doubles and 15 handicap. Your score in the singles determines what yardage you will be shooting from in the handicap event, with a perfect score in singles getting you a spot on the 27-yard line.
The winner of the event was Logan King of Estevan and second place went to Jason Sparwood of Virden.
On Sept. 19, the club hosted National Trap Shooting Day, as 100 singles, 100 handicap and 100 doubles registered targets were thrown. The winners of the 100 Singles were: Class A, King with a score of 94; Class B, Sam Meek of Estevan, 94; and Class C, Melanie Gordon of Brandon, 80.
The winners of the 100 Handicap were Sparwood with a score of 94 from 22.5 yards and Meek with a 93 from 19.5 yards. The 100 Doubles event winners were Class A, King, with a 95; Class B, Sparwood, 86; and Class C, Barry Gordon, of Brandon with an 86.
The weekly Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon shooting is finished for the season. The club has a couple of corporate shoots booked to finish off the year. For more information on the club, contact Reg King at 306-421-1909.
