DECEMBER 2003 NEWSLETTER
© Bruce Buck, editor

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: Last month each and every one of you received a
separate Connecticut Travelers Membership Renewal Form in an official
looking window envelope. Many of you have renewed, using that
coupon….Thank You ! If you have not yet renewed, there will be one, and
only ONE more renewal notice sent to you in another official looking
window envelope. If you have renewed recently and still receive another
notice….don’t panic…they crossed in the mail. Use the coupon NOW…we want
you back, but there are throngs of traveler wannabe’s lining up for your
spot. Current members who have not mailed their 2004 renewals to be
received by January 31, 2004 will be dropped from the rolls.

So, this is the final notice for 2004 membership renewal. We very much
hope that you will stay with us. Avoid being a lost Traveler.
Hup-hup-reup!

From the interim editor’s desk: As we go to press, Editor Bruce Buck is
preparing to undergo open heart, valve replacement surgery . All of us
at the towering Reload office complex join with the entire Traveler
family in extending our sincerest good wishes for his total success and
comfortable, speedy recovery.



CTSCA Club Championships
East Mountain Preserve
Nov. 16, 2003
By Lans Christensen

With eager anticipation, 130+ Travelers arrived at the new and improved
East Mountain to vie for the prestigious Club Championships. After the
two previous soakings at recent shoots, everyone was well prepared and
thankfully it remained cool and cloudy for the day with only a brief
shower. Well fueled on one of Chef Mark’s hearty breakfasts, we got the
word from Bruce G. and hit the stands. Changes and improvements were
immediately evident. First, generous size tables were placed at every
station. No more bags in the mud…no more bags on the benches…Miss
Manners will be so pleased. Target changes were significant too; not
just minor moves of traps and stands, but truly a new look. For example:
#3 which always threw a long-flying pair from the right, now had
shooters looking back over their left shoulder for a high, arcing true
pair that sliced away on two different orbits. A good pair of seemingly
straightforward trap targets were presented against the hillside at #7.
The first bird went out so straight and flat that any excess gun
movement up to the bird carried you over the top for a miss, high. Good
old #8, with the driven pair is a signature station and remains
unchanged..and still makes anyone with back, neck, shoulder issues
wince. Even though it hurts, it’s still a good opportunity to put an “8”
on your card. There is a veritable rabbit warren at #10 and #11….both
throw rabbits but are in complete contrast. #10 was the talk of the day:
Two pair of gravity rabbits rolled “almost” 180 degrees back at the
shooter. Every single one of our squad would crush the target in a cloud
of shot…only to have the bunny roll unbroken out of the hail !!#?! I
figured full choke might be the answer to the edge-only SOB ( I used LM
at the time) but we heard of a shooter that ran the station using skeet
and waiting for the last possible second before the wretched thing went
to ground behind a hay bale. Even our HOA Champ admitted to letting one
of these get away. In contrast, #11 threw a hot, fast following pair of
crosser rabbits barely 10 yards away..big difference but we all got some
revenge here. Noteworthy at the next station was one of John Lawlor’s
trademark knuckle-ball, Do-Do birds thrown simo with a going away bird.
Good pair, and always fun to watch the Do-Do collapse in a cascade of
orange peel. One of our best shooters proclaimed station #1 as the most
subtle and deceiving of the day. A simo pair of battues, but the orange
staying as a crosser and the black slicing away at a slightly slower
pace. We had both come up with the same game plan, and both wound up
changing plans mid-station. “Dead pair” but too late. The 14 station
course proceeded with great efficiency, and we were back at the
clubhouse in record time. Mark had a hot chowder waiting which kept
everyone happy. He followed with a fine roast beef, nice side dishes,
and a killer pie. Remarks about the day and the shoot were universally
positive, and thanks and praise must be extended to George Holomakoff
and the whole East Mountain Crew for a great job. We also extend
congratulations to our HOA Champion for 2003, Dean Anglace, now one of
the very special back-to-back shoot winners, and definitely a shooter
who has found that zone of confidence and comfort, supported on a base
of good skills and mechanics. Nice job!

HOA Dean Anglace 94

Cl 1 1st Jeff Ledgard 92
2nd Kurt Anderson 90
3rd Paul Fostini 86

Cl 2 1st Mike DeJohn 85
2nd Jasen Jasensky 85
3rd George Ostrander 85

Cl 3 1st Gene Csicsak 85
2nd Craig Hovey 82
3rd Steve Cambria 80

Cl 4 1st Edie Ellis 72
2nd Dave Moehrke 70
3rd Don Brenton 70

Cl 5 1st Fran Duigan 66
2nd Lewis Pennel 63
3rd Frank DeMayo 61

Cl 6 1st Justin Bates 53
2nd Donna Galotto 42
3rd Debbe Christensen 40

Lady 1st Stefanie Stauffer 78
2nd Anna Maria Collins 70
3rd Susie Clarke 69

Mesdames Fran Gallogly 69

Veteran 1st Vin La Scalza 90
2nd Joe Maresca 89
3rd Len Bates 84

Sen. Vet Al Anglace 85

Junior 1st Mike Fabano 69
2nd Geoff Cornwell 64
3rd Luke Sproviero 64
4th Trevor Moehrke 52

High Guest Jim DeLuca 78


CTSCA FITASC Championships
Mid-Hudson Sporting Grounds

Our FITASC Championships had been in limbo due to scheduling problems,
But Mid-Hudson stepped up and went the extra mile to provide the
Travelers with superb targets and a flexible three day scheduling option
for the 75 target course. Our huge thanks to Mike, Peter, and the crew
for their efforts. Their courses are open on a daily basis..be there,
and start your program for 2004 !!

HOA Jean Du Lau

Cl 1 1st Owen Morrisey
2nd Steve Andiorio
3rd Mike Greco

Cl 2 1st Kevin Goodspeed
2nd John Hunter

Cl 3 1st Bob Gennet
2nd Zaid Siddig

Cl 4 1st Martin Schroeder
2nd Jim Hennion

Cl 5 1st Steve Scorzetti
2nd Gaetano Bonaquisto

Cl 6 1st Anna Maria Collins
2nd Chris Edge

Lady 1st Paula Moore


THE EYES HAVE IT
by Al Anglace

If you collected the opinions of our accomplished shooters, you would
find that they elect the eyes as the most important ingredient necessary
to hit more targets. If you don’t agree, what is your argument ? I do
agree based on the following: You have to see and understand the target
to load your brain. You must see what you are preparing to shoot. If you
don’t see it well, for whatever reason, you will miss it consistently.
Your eyes must react with the target at the right time so that you are
not trying to visually “catch up”, and so that you can bring your total
focus to bear on the target. Load your brain before you load your gun.

After you have used your eyes to develop a game plan to hit the target,
you go to the next step. No, foot position does not take precedence over
the eyes ! How do you know the proper foot position if you have not
visually established the barrel insertion point and the break point ?
The same holds for target path and speed…determined with your eyes.

One could say that once you open your eyes and get up in the morning,
you are a shooter. Well, even that assumption is wrong, but you are on
the right track if you keep your two eyes open when you’re ready to bust
clays. The largest variable when teaching someone to shoot a shotgun is
locating the dominant eye. There are many degrees of dominance, from
partial to full. You might go shooting in the morning after a late
evening and find, due to fatigue, that your usual dominant eye is being
infringed upon by your other eye. That, of course, changes what you see
over the gun. Without going into a dissertation on eye dominance, trust
me when I say you want both eyes open for better shooting results, clays
or wingshooting. Oh, and get to bed early.

Still not convinced that the eyes have it ? How many times have you
heard the phrase: “Lost….your head was off the gun”? Yes, it was due to
your eyes! It’s that hand/eye co-ordination thing…if you are not
looking hard at the target, your focus wanders and your gun follows.

There are more reasons for electing the eyes as the key ingredient of
preparation, but I want to solicit your opinions and arguments so that
we can all share in this discourse. You are always welcome to respond
via e-mail (aaa738@aol.com) or snail mail (CTSCA, 91 Park Lane Rd, New
Milford, CT 06776). Good shooting and break ‘em one at a time.




SHORT SHOTS

Shoot reservation deadline is Wednesday preceding the shoot. Use the
registration form printed in Reload. If it ain’t on the form it is
getting bounced back to you.


Koehler Shoot: Sunday, Nov. 30. Pre-register on or before Nov. 26. No
walk-ins. The form was in the Nov. Reload. This is a worthy cause and
needs your support, plus you’ve got to check out the new East Mountain.


Fairfield County Fish & Game Club has extended a generous invitation to
CTSCA members to participate in their winter league and their Christmas
shoot/dinner. See our future shoot calendar for dates and info, or reach
them at 203-426-8351.


Victory/Viper shells: Traveler Joe Maresca is offering a special on 1
1/8 oz shells in 8 1/2, 8 , and 7 1/2s.Call him at 845-928-6407 for prices
and info. Leave a message and he will return your calls regarding these
excellent shells.


GET FIT..no, not your gun..you. There are volumes of information on how
to improve your shooting, but surprisingly little emphasis on physical
fitness as another way to higher scores. It is a physical game: you
shoulder your 8lb gun at least 50 times, and you lug around 20lbs of
gear for a few hours. Fitness can be described in many ways, but your
heart is one of the truest measures..both in your maximum bpm and your
resting pulse. This is a huge topic and we may devote occasional further
space to this subject…for now, think about gaining a few birds on your
pals without spending hours and $$$ on the practice range.




*** 2003 CTSCA SHOOTING CALENDAR ***

As the days dwindle down to a precious few…
DEC 14 DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY - MID-COUNTY, NY

*** 2004 CTSCA SHOOTING CALENDAR ***

JAN 18 MID WINTER MARTYDOM- EAST MOUNTAIN PRESERVE, NY
FEB 15 ANNUAL MEETING- EAST MOUNTAIN PRESERVE, NY
MAR 21 MARCH MADNESS - MID HUDSON SHOOTING GROUNDS, NY
APR 2~4 NORTH SOUTH SKIRMISH-SPRING TRIP TO MARYLAND
APR 18 TAX TIME REVOLT- OLD NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT
MAY 2 COURTING CLAYS- EAST MOUNTAIN PRESERVE, NY
MAY 16 MAY MINUET- TAMARACK PRESERVE, NY
JUN 13 NAT’L. WILD TURKEY FED. SHOOT- TAMARACK PRESERVE, NY
JUL 18 SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME- ORVIS/SANDANONA, NY
AUG 13~15 GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC- ADDIEVILLE EAST FARM, RI
SEP 19 SMALL GAUGE CTSCA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS- FAIRFIELD CTY. F&G, CT
OCT 8~10 ANNUAL FALL TRIP- PA & NY WEEKEND TOUR
OCT 17 OCTOBERSHUTZENFEST- MILLBROOK ROD & GUN CLUB, NY
NOV 14 DR. RUDY PASSERO MEMORIAL CTSCA CLUB CH.- EAST MTN, NY
NOV 28 KOEHLER SOCIETY FUNDRAISER-EAST MOUNTAIN PRESERVE, NY
DEC 19 DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL SHOOT /CHRISTMAS PARTY- MID COUNTY, NY
* Shoot schedules are subject to last minute change. Always consult the current edition of “Reload!” Therein lies the truth. At least as we see it. At this particular time…



*** OTHER 2003 SHOOTS OF INTEREST ***
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM

DEC 7 NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT (860-738-3619) CHRISTMAS AT THE COON
DEC 7 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT (203-426-8508) SHOOT & GAME DINNER




CONTACTING THE TRAVELERS...

CTSCA Home Office: Email <ctsca @email.com> (by far the best way) or
telephone 860-354-9351 if you absolutely must.

Membership, Address Changes and Shooting Class status: Contact Cyndi
Dalena at 860-582-3142 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Or Email
shotguncyndi@prodigy.net

Guide Book questions, contact Dick Orenstein <oren@umich.edu> or call
203-226-5251.

To place an ad, post a shoot date in Reload! or simply heap abuse on the
editor, contact Bruce Buck at tel: 203-454-1080, fax: 707-215-0668 or
email: <bcb23@columbia.edu>.





**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2003
THE DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY SHOOT
MID-COUNTY GUN CLUB
LAGRANGEVILLE, NY

It’s Christmas Party time! Our most popular shoot of the year, this is
when we honor Dick’s memory and celebrate another fabulous Travelers
year. We will also be naming our annual TRAVELERS SPORTING SPORTSMAN
recipient. There will be gifts aplenty with prizes and lots of lucky
raffles. Of course, the gifts won’t extend to the course, which will be
the usual tough love. Well, rumor has it that even course designers get
the Christmas spirit and in that spirit, this will be a fun shoot. That
means the scorecards will be kept for fond memories and for the many
raffle prizes, but not for any shooting awards. We shoot for fun this
time.

Due to its extreme popularity, this is a members only shoot. The shoot
will cost $65. This is a bit more expensive than usual, but those of you
who have been to previous Christmas shoots understand why. There are
usually just bags and bags of loot to be handed out to good little boy
and girl Travelers. Fasting for a few days before the shoot wouldn’t be
a bad idea either. The banquets that the Mid-County members cook for us
are always memorable. We must have your shoot reservations in our hands
no later than Wednesday, December 10th. No-shows and cancellations
after that date cannot be refunded and their entry fees will be donated
to our Traveler’s charity. Arrive by 9:00 AM and check your name off at
the registrar’s table. Then, and only then, can you begin your assault
on those mounds of Dunkin Donuts and gallons of Colombian dark roast
high test Java.

At this time of year, we are all mindful of the blessings showered upon
us. It is right and proper to give a little something back. The
Travelers participate in the well-known United States Marines Corps
“Toys for Tots” program. We hope that every Traveler attending the
Christmas shoot will bring a NEW, UNWRAPPED child’s toy to donate. Even
if you can’t attend the shoot, perhaps you could give the toy to a
shooting friend to bring for you.

DIRECTIONS to Mid-County Gun Club, Lagrangeville, NY: From the Route
84/Taconic intersection, take Taconic North for about 10 miles to Rte 55
East exit. Go East (right turn) on Rte 55 for about 1 mile to Rte
55/Rte 82 intersection. Turn Left and follow Rte 82 for about 1 mile to
County Road 89 on Right. Turn Right onto County Road 89 and follow it
for 3_ miles to club entrance on Right. Mid-County’s telephone number is
845-677-5736.

REMEMBER, EYE PROTECTION IS MANDATORY AT ALL TRAVELERS SHOOTS.