JUNE 2005 NEWSLETTER
© Phil Steinkraus, Editor
LAVERT CYPHER, SIDE-BY-SIDE KING, CONTINUES REIGN
By Kip Allardt
The Travelers' May Minuet, hosted by Tamarack Preserve on May 15th,
challenged 61 guns, including 6 juniors. A mild but overcast, humid
morning welcomed shooters as they prepared for Bill Tracy's tricky
targets. Enough sun peeked through so that many were fooled into
leaving their rain gear in the car. That would prove to be a bad
choice. The always pristine clubhouse at Tamarack greeted the
Travelers with the usual sugar coated goodies and caffeine to
jump-start the competition. Breakfast segued onto a carefully set
13-station-course which upheld the Travelers-tough standard. he wet
weather held off for about nine stations. Once it arrived, however,
the ensuing deluge soaked us to the bone.
Thirteen Travelers took advantage of the handicap system used at all
Travelers events: three shot SxS, six 20ga. and four 28ga.. Each
Travelers shoot gives a few birds to those not shooting the
traditional 12 ga. clays guns (o/u, autoloader). Fifteen years of
data have been used to define and solidify the handicaps, which invite
those who use any other type of scattergun to compete on par with
everyone else. Currently residing on the king’s throne of this realm
is Lavert Cypher. Indeed, he once again fortified his position as SxS
Supremo by skillfully waving his 12ga Model 21 to the HOA score of 90.
Looking over the score sheet, trouble spots were many and
interestingly, not all classes found the course equally difficult.
Starting with Class 5, station 1 gave them the most trouble with a
little less than a third of the targets being hit. This was a true
pair of high, overhead, quartering incomers, which curved to the right
as they lost energy. One was a midi and the other a standard, both
cruising at treetop altitude at different speeds like a pair of driven
pheasants. Some attacked this bird as an incomer, others turned 45
degrees to the right and took them as high passing shots. Either way,
less than half of the field and only 31% of class 5 got 'em.
Classes 1 and 4 found station 11 the most challenging. The hidden trap
threw a true pair of rocketing teal, rising sharply up and away into
the sun or rain depending on when one shot them. Half the face was
visible. The right bird was straight up and away, above the brush and
the left bird slipped off to the right. Those who hesitated were
forced to take the second bird as a dropper 30+yds out.
Classes 2 and 3 found station 10 the most challenging. This was also
a hidden trap station tossing a true pair of quartering outgoers. The
first bird was on a flat trajectory at 25yds and the second was
dropping at 35. The trick was to keep one’s head down and fully
recover from the muzzle jump of the first shot. This was an easy
target to miss over the top. I know because I did it three times
myself !
HOA (90) Lavert Cypher
Class 1 CHP (85) Ted Burke
Class 1 RU (77) Phil Steinkraus
Class 1 3rd (76) Dean Anglace
Class 2 CHP (83) Ed Morritt
Class 2 RU (73) George Parsons
Class 2 3rd (73) Ed Shine
Class 3 CHP (80) Kevin Kruleski
Class 3 RU (79) Andrei Kirylak
Class 3 3rd (76) Dan Oak
Class 4 CHP (70) Pete Colomello
Class 4 RU (67) Lans Christensen
Class 4 3rd (58) Tim Tice
Class 5 CHP (65) Jason Costa
Class 5 RU (64) Augie Costa
Class 5 3rd (63) Gary Fox
Guest Champion (67) Keith Cagle
Lady Champion (78) Stefanie Steinkraus
Lady RU (73) Cyndi Delena
Lady 3rd (62) Edie Ellis
Veteran Champion (81) Jim Kline
Veteran RU (70) Marty Schroeder
Veteran 3rd (69) Fred Roesslein
Snr Vet Champion (80) Al Anglace
Junior Champion (55) Max Hachmann
Junior RU (54) Ben Slome
Junior 3rd (50) Amber Kirylak
Junior Honorable Mentions
Anthony Battaglia (47)
Colby Costa (46)
Kristen Hachmann (27)
BACK TO BASICS: SKEET AND TRAP CAN IMPROVE YOUR SPORTING
By Phil Steinkraus
If we think back to when sporting first appeared on our shores, the
skeet or trap shooter certainly went through significant changes to
adapt to this new game. They probably switched guns to something a
little lighter, with perhaps a little longer barrels that preferably
also had that faddish gizmo known as interchangeable chokes. Once the
new gun was acquired, the next task was to seemingly beat as many of
the trap and skeet qualities out of one’s style as possible. The
biggest obstacle for many was the mount. Sporting was an exclusively
low-gun game back then and referees would call it if you were too high
with the butt-stock. As a result, many new shooters became so overly
concerned with getting the gun cheeked that the possibility of
actually breaking targets rarely entered the equation!
The next obstacle was foot position--specifically how it opened or
closed a shooter’s swing. Many skeet shooters favored a low, wide,
crouching position. Others had feet so close as to be effectively
bound together. Neither of these hackneyed positions made successful
transitions to sporting. Other shooters tried to carry over an extreme
hand-forward-on-the-fore end position that was also very effective in
restricting a shooter’s range of movement. Flash forward 15 years.
Sporting clays has become almost exclusively a pre-mounted game.
Top-level competitions most often see a HOA score in the mid 90s and
the rolls of 100-straights in competition just gets bigger. In many
respects, sporting clays is reverting to being a skeet-like game--and
this is where a proficiency in both skeet and trap suddenly becomes
important. If you talk with top level skeet shooters, they’ll tell you
their game is all about mental focus. It’s not about breaking 100
straight--any shooter worth their salt can do that. At the top level
in skeet it’s about being able to remain focused for the doubles shoot
off from stations three, four and five. That shoot off will have
spectators watching, dogs barking, car horns honking, bad lighting and
can last up to 45 minutes--and the first one who misses loses!
Of course our top-level sporting clays shooters share that same mental
focus but the difference in our discipline means we channel it
differently. Our focus (particularly in FITASC) is extremely intense
and momentary in nature: It’s make this one very difficult shot right
now versus, make this timing-oriented, but less difficult shot, over
and over.
In the same way the pianist relies on playing scales to refine
fundamentals before trying to perform an entire piece of music, the
sporting shooter should gain a proficiency at skeet and trap before
ever shooting a round of sporting or FITASC. What skeet has to offer
the sporting clays shooter is repetition. It goes without saying that
success at any level in sporting hinges on the ability to kill pair
after pair, in the same way, with the same timing. That means that
once we’ve correctly read the target presentation and determined which
technique to employ, we put the whole thing together and smoke the
first pair perfectly. After that we draw on the focus and muscle
memory we’ve honed on the skeet field and put it to work for us. For
the sporting shooter well versed in skeet, the hard part is over. We
know exactly what to do--now repeat.
The other great skeet shooting benefit I recommend for sporting
shooters is training with the little gauges--the .410 in particular. I
know a lot of shooters will shy away from this little gun, opting for
the more forgiving 28. But I would argue it’s exactly because the .410
is so unforgiving that it’s the ultimate training tool. To shoot a
standard round of skeet with it is hard enough, but if that gets
stale, we can go to doubles from every station, then gun-down doubles,
and then gun-down backward doubles! The challenges are endless and
with nearly no recoil. What all of this .410 training does for us is
to give us a solid comfort level with a pre-mounted gun, ensure a
bullet-proof, low-gun mount and guarantee we’re dead in the center of
our 12-gauge sporting targets (only after doing this do you realize
just how big a margin of error you’ve actually got!)
I’ve been throwing out a lot of training examples that use skeet, but
handicap, wobble trap and Chinese skeet (shooting trap from the skeet
stations) can also teach us about muscle memory, timing and repetitive
motion. Most importantly it teaches us not to fear angle, speed or
distance. It never fails to surprise me how group psychology can
settle over a squad and intimidate a shooter right into a goose egg on
their scorecard. More often than not, this happens on a
run-of-the-mill, long bird or a long, trap-like
presentation--particularly of it’s thrown at a funny angle.
All trap games invite us to play them with lots of choke and it’s that
confidence in an I-Mod or a Full that allows the top sporting and
FITASC shooters never to be intimidated by a target just because it’s
long. If shooting handicap, trap doubles and Chinese skeet teach us
nothing else, it’s that distance in and of itself doesn’t make a
target hard or easy, just different.
My psychological security blanket when I first started shooting
sporting was to roughly equate the new targets I saw on a layout with
the old ones I knew how to kill on the skeet and trap field, as in:
That quartering target looks like a 40-yard high two or that teal
looks a little like a high, straight-ahead at wobble trap.
I’d like to close by saying I realize this is all obvious for most of
the good shooters out there. Anyone really committed to this sport
would have long since exhausted all of the other disciplines in
exploring forms of practice that might bring any benefit to their
sporting games. Having said that I’ve repeatedly witnessed in
competition, supposedly well-rounded, high level class shooters bite
the dust once they set foot on an improvised sporting station that
utilized a skeet or trap field--and I mean crash and burn!
If you want to improve your sporting or FITASC and have left this
particular stone unturned, maybe it’s time to get back to basics and
start working on your first 25-straight at skeet or trap.
CLUB HISTORY
by John M. Hachmann
The birds are singing, the trees are engulfed with rich green leaves,
the pollen count is at an all-time-high and the Travelers are
preparing for their Club Championship Shoot. Based on my research,
past Championship events saw birds migrating south, bare trees and
allergies a distant memory. The Travelers Club Championship will be
shot in June this year instead of the usual November date.
Historically the Club Championship has been held at East Mountain
Preserve, dating back at least to 1999. Prior to that Friar Tuck was
our Championship Host. How the times have changed. I’ve heard that
Friar Tuck no longer has a shooting facility and unfortunately I also
understand that East Mountain is temporarily closed for sporting
clays. I am looking forward to the reopening of East Mountain. I’ll
keep my fingers crossed!
Past Championships have seen average s of approximately 110 shooters
and Cool November days. This year we will hopefully see temps nearing
80 and beautiful summer weather. Since this column is recapping our
past championship shoots, I have decided that it would make sense to
review our past “Club Champions”.
1996 - HOA Neil Chadwick (82)
1997 - HOA John DeVito (91)
1998 - HOA John DeVito (87)
1999 - HOA Neil Chadwick (92)
2000 - HOA John DeVito (80)
2001 - HOA John Lawlor (83)
2002 - HOA Jeff Ledgard (80)
2003 - HOA Dean Anglace (94)
2004 - HOA Russ Tagliareni (79)
Congratulations and hope to see you all on June 12th at Mid-Hudson.
TLC: BONJOUR FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
by Henry Nachaj
I’ve been asked by Mr. Steinkraus, our new Reload editor, to
contribute to the densification of our monthly newsletter with various
paragraphs of assorted truths, lies and various consequences related
to our sport. Since I’ll get to see my name in print and the pay is
cash—American, I’ve accepted the coveted position of writer at large.
I’m at large due to the fact that the Reload pressroom is some 7 hours
from my home here in the French speaking part of Great White North.
What will I write about? I’ve always been a great follower of The
Technoid. I strongly doubt that anybody can come close to filling Mr.
Buck’s great big boots and I for one won’t even try. We do, however,
share a passion; for loads, guns, and all the minutia that make up our
shooting world. I have a curiosity of how things work and that’s why
I have 3 patents to my name and have co-patented and/or designed at
least a dozen or so others that are useful (more or less) to our
world. I try to find simple solutions to complex problems but of
course, many times the solution ends up being more complex than the
problem.
So I will write about guns, loads, gear, shooting, my travels and
maybe even some hunting stories (for next month I’m already working on
the five things everyone should do when entering the shooting box).
I’ll also try to provide truthful answers to questions our
readership/membership may have. If I don’t know the answer myself,
I’ll find someone who does, and if nobody knows the answer, then
perhaps it isn’t the right question to begin with!
The Lone Canadian,
Henry <hnachaj@hotmail.com>
GET FIT by Lans Christensen
Every monthly sporting clays publication has an article to help you
break more targets: Pull-away vs. swing-through vs. maintained,
shells, chokes and accessories, ad infinitum. I believe there’s a way
to break more targets that doesn’t involve any of the above, and is
rarely ever addressed. Simply stated, your level of physical fitness
will directly impact your shooting. Get fit and your average is sure
to go up.
If one looks at the physical demands of this sport, the need for
proper conditioning is pretty obvious: 100 reps mounting an 8lb gun,
carrying 15lbs. of ammo and gear around for 2 hours minimum (we’ll
leave carts out of the picture for the moment), and the need to make
each and every move with great precision. Add to that the need for
absolute visual and mental concentration, and you have the recipe for
a strenuous workout. If it’s FITASC, you can probably multiply the
demand factor by half again. No matter what your level of ability,
Master class or E, an increase in your level of fitness will be
rewarded by more broken targets.
The sport that most closely parallels ours, though the physical
demands are immeasurably greater, is the winter biathlon. In this
event, cross-country ski racers, carry a state-of-the-art .22 target
rifle and periodically have to stop skiing and drive tacks with the
rifle. If they miss, they have to ski a penalty loop, which may add a
few kilometers to the end of a race that is already 10K or 20K. The
key to success in this event is the ability to physically recover
almost instantly--and this is the key for clay shooters as well.
HEART RATE: Anyone who wants to embark on a program of increased
fitness should start with a complete physical exam, including the most
important factor, a stress test. This will provide the base line by
which you can measure improvement and it will reveal any potential
areas of concern. Your doctor can evaluate the exam and tests and help
in setting up a program. The stress test is done on a treadmill and is
a classic “interval” workout. It will determine your maximum heart
rate (Beats Per Minute) and how efficiently you get back to your
resting pulse. For a basic guideline subtract your age from the number
220. This will give you the maximum bpm you should achieve. This is
the “redline” and should not be exceeded. Your “target zone” is
roughly 65% of that number. For example: 220-50 (your age) = 170
(maximum bpm) x 65% = 110. The old aerobic formula states that you
should exercise at that “target zone” rate for 20 minutes, three times
a week. This is about the minimum level workout needed to maintain an
entry level of fitness, and provides a starting point for individuals
who have no fitness program in place. The benefits increase sharply as
the number and duration of each workout increases. The nature of the
exercise is up to the individual. Local gyms have a huge variety of
“aerobics” and other assorted workout classes. There is an equally
great assortment of home workout tapes available for the individuals
with enough discipline to do them regularly. The treadmill is about
the best of the indoor training aids. I hesitate to recommend
stationary cycles, as I have yet to see one that puts the rider in a
proper position. A far better choice if you own a bicycle (that fits)
is to purchase a wind trainer to which you mount your bike. These take
up very little storage space and can be set up in a convenient
spot--my favorite is in front of the TV. Walk briskly, jog, run,
bike--the choices are endless. Just remember that target zone. To make
achieving and monitoring your heart rate more efficient, get yourself
a Heart Rate Monitor. Worn like a watch, it’ll give an instant and
accurate read of your bpm and can be purchased for about $70 for a
basic model.
The great benefit to us shooters is going to be seen in the lowering
of the resting pulse, and the ability to get there quickly. That
winter biathlete we mentioned before is skiing at a pulse of 180bpm,
and can drop that to around 50 or 55 in the time it takes to unsling
and load the rifle. Their true resting pulse is most apt to be around
40bpm!
No one needs to hear another sermon about the need for less food and
more exercise. There is no easy way to get fit unless you really want
to do it, but if someone suggested it could get you more targets, you
might give it a second thought.
*** 2005 CTSCA SHOOTING CALENDAR ***
JUN 10 - 11 CLUB FITASC CH. - MID-HUDSON SPORTING GROUNDS, NY
12 RUDY PASSERO CLUB CH- MID-HUDSON SPORTING GROUNDS, NY
JUL 17 SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME- ORVIS/SANDANONA, NY
AUG 12~14 GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC- ADDIEVILLE EAST FARM, RI
SEP 18 SEPTEMBERSHUTZENFEST-MILLBROOK ROD & GUN CLUB, NY
SEP 30-OCT 2 ANNUAL FALL TRIP- PA & NY WEEKEND TOUR
OCT 16 SMALL GAUGE CLUB CH- FAIRFIELD COUNTY FISH AND GAME, CT
NOV 13 monthly shoot- to be announced
NOV 27 KOEHLER SOCIETY FUNDRAISER-venue to be announced
DEC 18 DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL SHOOT /CHRISTMAS PARTY- MID COUNTY, NY
*** OTHER 2005 SHOOTS OF INTEREST ***
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM
JUN 5 SHOOTING FOR A CURE, MID-HUDSON, NY, 845-255-7460
Traveler Ira Conklin runs this shoot to benefit cancer research. Please support this shoot!
JUN 5 N.E. RUFFEF GROUSE SOC. SPORTING CHAMP – ADDIEVILLE E. FARM
8 N.E. DU CHAMPIONSHIPS – ORVIS/SANDANONA, NY 845 677-9701
26 NO. AM. DU SPTG. CL. OPEN – ADDIEVILLE EAST FARM, RI
JUL 17 “PIG ROAST BLAST” – ADDIEVILLE EAST FARM, RI
AUG 27-28 CT STATE SHOOT – FAIRFIELD FISH & GAME, Dom Uliano 203-426-8508
CONTACTING THE TRAVELERS...
CTSCA Home Office: Al Anglace, email <aaa738@aol.com> (by far the best
way) or telephone 860-354-9351 if you absolutely must.
Editor: Phil Steinkraus, email philistein@aol.com
Membership, Address Changes and Shooting Class status: Contact Cyndi
Dalena at Email <shotguncyndi@prodigy.net>.
Guide Book questions, Dick Orenstein <oren@umich.edu> or call
203-226-5251.
Past issues of “Reload! are available on line at
www.ShotgunReport.com.
**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****
SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 11 & 12, 2005
Dr. Rudy Passero Memorial
“CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND”
Mid Hudson Sporting Ground
New Paltz, NY
(845) 255-7460
For those of us who wish we had more weekend events like the Great
Eastern Lobster Classic, Al has granted our wishes by creating a
Travelers Club Championship weekend this June. It will be comprised of
the 75-target Club FITASC Championship to be run on June 10th and 11th
and the 100-target, Dr. Rudy Passero Memorial Sporting Clays
Championship to be run on June 12th. There will also be a wobble trap
and a long-bird side event on Sunday.
Mike Maglio and his Mid-Hudson Sporting Grounds have hosted numerous
Travelers events over the years but this is his first time hosting
both club championships--and over the same weekend! What to expect?
Mike’s already bragging about the 60-foot towers he’s bringing in, so
it’s reasonable to expect he’s pulling out all the stops.
GUESTS ARE WELCOME AT THIS SHOOT TO ENJOY THE TARGETS ONLY. THIS IS AN
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. WHATEVER GUN IS USED THERE ARE ONLY OPEN AWARDS AND
NO SMALL GAUGE CATEGORIES FOR AWARDS.
For those who want to try sub-gauges, you shouldn’t find our usual
handicap too taxing: 16 ga. = +3, 20 ga. =+5, 28 ga. = +10, .410
bore = +20, pumps and SxS get another +5.
Please use the separate form enclosed to enter the FITASC Championship
and remember—Mid Hudson is handling FITASC entries exclusively.
Travelers are accepting only sporting clays championship entries.
DIRECTIONS: NY State Thruway to Exit 18. Continue from Toll Booth to
Rte. 299 (at end of exit). Turn right onto 299. Go to light (300
yards) and turn left onto Ohioville Road. Follow 2.7 miles to club on
left.
NOTE: EYE AND EAR PROTECTION IS MANDATORY AT ALL TRAVELERS’ SHOOTS!