MARCH 2006 NEWSLETTER © Phil Steinkraus, Editor
ANNUAL MEETING EARNS HIGH MARKS
By Lans Christensen
The Traveler’s ship of state calmly sailed into port and docked for the nineteenth
time at our Annual Meeting, held February 19th at Mid-Hudson Sporting Grounds, in
New Paltz, NY. This gathering of the membership produced meaningful dialogue,
challenging questions, and marked significant progress.
In past years, the Traveler mantra has been If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and this
certainly worked for a long time, but problematic trends have become evident and to
continue with a policy of complacency would allow Travelers to stagnate as a club.
With that in mind, President Al Anglace called the meeting to order and put us face
to face with the issues confronting CTSCA’s future.
His opening address included a reading of our mission statement, and like the
constitution of the United States, our robust document still rings as true as ever
and needs no amending. Al also graciously described that in his role as president it
is “his privilege” to lead the Travelers and promised to make 2006 a hallmark year.
The 2006 CTSCA survey asked all the right questions and though only 71 were returned,
the responses were revealing and we believe representative of the whole
membership. At the very core of our concerns is the drop-off in shoot attendance that
has become increasingly evident. The survey sought to find reasons for this trend,
and in the same vein, ways to improve our events. Al stated that both “management and
scheduling” must be improved. The survey also suggests that conflicts with other
shoots are a leading cause of lower attendance. A welcomed and progressive
breakthrough will be the new “Express Saturday” shoots. These quicker moving, lower
cost events will be a positive addition to this season’s calendar and will be held
between our normal monthly events, thus providing even more options and flexibility.
Another new feature will be NSCA target registration. Our thanks and gratitude go out
to the seventeen volunteers who stepped in to make this happen.
Committee reports followed…. Cyndi Dalena desperately needs help in maintaining
membership and shooter records as her position with NSSF has become increasingly
demanding. Cap’n Don Brenton reported on spring and fall trips--details to follow in
upcoming issues of Reload. Speaking of Reload, an appeal for new writers was recently
made. The monthly shoot reports can always use some new perspective, or if you have
an article idea, gripe, rant whatever—let’s have it. Reload belongs to all of us and
everyone who participates in our shoots has something to contribute. Al also thanked
the people that help make the Travelers wheels spin--none more so than Donna Galotto,
who is always on duty to provide whatever is needed. Travelers survives on membership
participation but there is only so much we can ask of these stalwart volunteers. It’s
time some new people stepped up to the plate to bring new energy and ideas to our
mission.
Finally, as the meeting wound down one last significant motion came from the floor
which was immediately seconded and passed into law. There will no longer be a
Mesdames class at our events. Rather, the women’s class will award four places. With
only a small number of women regularly participating at CTSCA shoots, many felt it
diminished the spirit of friendly competition to break our fairer concurrent down
even further into separate age-based classes.
The meeting was characterized by thoughtful, articulate dialogue from both the floor
and Travelers board members, and sets a high tone for the season ahead. We are all
fortunate to be passengers on this ship and we look forward to the twentieth voyage.
JOE BATTLE 1944-2006
Connecticut Traveler Joseph William Battle, of Pleasant Valley, NY died Wednesday,
Feb.1, 2006 after a long struggle against cancer. The son of Roger J. Battle and
Christina Hogan Battle, Joe grew up in Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Prep where he
distinguished himself as an athlete and briefly held the New York State High School
record in pole vaulting.
Joe saw combat in the Vietnam War serving with Army Special Forces as an airborne
Medical Specialist and A-team Chief Medic. Upon return to civilian life, he entered
medical research and nursing, helping to develop the hyperbaric chamber. He also
assisted Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz at Maimonidies Medical Center in early attempts at
heart transplants, including the first infant-to-infant heart transplant. Joe also
worked as an ER nurse at Belvue, Maimonidies and NYU Medical Center and served as a
NYS Certified Patient rights advocate or Ombudsman.
In his spare time Joe also worked as a sculpture, exhibiting and selling his work in
Manhattan.
In recent years, Joe taught Emergency Medical Technician courses at Dutchess
Community College and was a member of the Pawling Fire Department Rescue Squad.
An NRA life member, Joe was passionate about shooting and over the years competed
with rifle and pistol in addition to shotguns. For the better part of a decade, Joe
was head shooting instructor at the Pawling Mountain Club, in Pawling, NY.
Joe is survived by Sharon, his wife of three years, and two adult children from a
previous marriage.
: Condensed from the Poughkeepsie Journal
CLAYSHOOTING USA DELIVERED
It’s over! The free trail subscription for Clayshooting USA will stop after this
issue. If you liked the past two issues why not subscribe?! We’re headed for another
great year of shooting and no one else covers it like Clayshooting USA!
THE EYES HAVE IT PART II By Al Anglace
In last month’s issue, I stressed the importance of the eyes in shotgun shooting and
want to emphasize on the impact the eyes have on your performance.
Sporting Clays is a demanding game. The mental effort you must put forth to be a top
performer is something often overlooked by most casual shooters. My personal opinion
is that they haven’t yet discovered the overwhelming importance of committing the
eyes to a hard focus on the targets. I also want to re-emphasize that it is the eyes
that will be the greatest determining factor in shooting good tournament scores.
Simo pairs! Wow, you lose a bunch of those second targets during a round and often
can’t understand why. Eyes again! Let’s delve into trying to understand why, but
first let’s be realistic—you’re still going to miss targets after this but let’s just
hope you’re missing for a reason other than maintaining hard focus on the target.
When you call for the simo pair, your first shot is a carefully choreographed attempt
with the full swing of the gun and attention to detail derived from your pre-shot
routine. Maybe you ride that first target a little too long and are slow in pulling
the trigger. Now you’re late getting onto the second target which perhaps you can’t
even see that well, and are firing at a blurred image—is it any surprise that when
you flail away at this bird it fails to break? A couple of things happened here that
you weren’t prepared for which drastically changed your game plan allowing you to
lose control of your second shot.
Want to improve your success on true pairs by twenty five percent? As you all know,
the eyes are the rear sight of the shotgun. Therefore if this complete sighting
apparatus isn’t in focus we can’t expect consistency which is the key to good
shooting. The progression from first shot to second is controlled by the eyes. “No
kidding!” I hear some of you saying but the reason we have more misses on those
second shots than we’d like is usually due to your eyes not attaining a hard focus on
the second target. We need to prepare for the second shot with the same deliberate
mental focus we use for the first. Like a pool player setting up for ensuing shots,
think about where you want to break the first target to most easily move onto the
second. When viewing the presentation, imagine your optimal timing to take that
second target and most importantly, establish some reference points for where you
want to visually pick up the second bird. When you do all this correctly, the second
shot will seem quite automatic, even though you’ve used your mental preparation to
correctly execute two separate shots with distinct and different hold points,
insertion points and swing movements. Last but not least, don’t pull the trigger
until you see the correct sight picture. Now I never want to hear anyone complaining
again that they couldn’t see the second target on the pair.
Comments or questions? I will be happy to hear from you. Aaa738@aol.com or snail
mail: 91 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT. 06776.
Good shooting and Break ‘em one at a time!
BEST FOOT FORWARD WITH SPORTING FOOTWEAR
By Peter Hamilton
As I fumbled through my first year as a sporting clays shooter, I also slowly made my
way through the checklist of gear required for all of the four seasons that we shoot
in. Navigating most of the list was fairly easy until I got stuck on one essential
item I had overlooked from the beginning: Proper footwear.
Through the three warmer seasons, I became uncomfortably aware of the inadequacy of
my existing footgear. While my twenty-year-old Danner mountain boots were perfectly
suited for slogging through a mile or two of ice, snow, mud and dirt while enjoying
the outdoors in the colder months, they were far too heavy and well-insulated to be
worn the rest of the year. Spring through Fall, I had worn what was already in my
closet, namely Asics trail running shoes and an old pair of Timberland moccasins with
waffle soles. While the running shoes were good for walking from station to station
on a hot day and the moccasins held off the dust and dirt fairly well, neither of
them gave me anywhere near the stable platform to shoot from that I had enjoyed with
the hunting boots. Another problem was that I am hard to fit. I have narrow heels,
am wide across the ball of the foot and have very high arches. This makes me step out
of the heels of a lot of shoes, occasionally causing blisters. I also walk on the
outsides of my feet, putting stress on the ankles.
It was not until November, while working my way through Robert Churchill’s Game
Shooting (which I’ve been told by several modern instructors, is the Bible of bad
shooting habits,) that I was presented with my solution. Churchill states, “I
personally prefer boots and anklets to shoes and gaiters. A boot feels lighter than
a heavy shoe because of the better support round the ankles and, when walking heavy
ground, is much less tiring to lift,” and also, “The only disadvantage I know about
them is that they take longer to put on and take off.” Not so big a disadvantage,
considering the length of an average day of shooting.
One thing that always strikes me out on the course is the wide array of footwear worn
by shooters, and the ever-expanding selection of specialized outdoor footwear
available that could potentially be used to walk around a dirt trail for a few hours.
In the three warmer months, I had seen people shoot with: Swiss mountain climbing
boots, L.L. Bean gumshoes, water sandals, regular sandals, nylon light hikers,
zip-and-buckle quail hunting boots, walking shoes, moccasins, rubber Wellingtons,
running shoes, camouflage deer hunters, safari trackers, multiple variants of the
ubiquitous “chukka”, and orthopedically correct looking things that I’ve seen on more
than a few hospital workers. After observing this, I decided that the matrix of
selection could be broken down into the following elements: fit, durability, ankle
and arch support, flexibility, style, breathability, weight, insulation, color and
fashion. Taking what seems sensible advice from old Churchill, I focused on the
first three, and decided to concentrate on the light, ankle-high alternatives; light
hikers and chukkas, both of which are FITASC approved. This was going to be easy.
The light hikers have a few advantages over the leather chukka, which is a
more-or-less sturdy, ankle-high version of a moccasin. The hikers are usually fairly
light, as their name suggests, and they have pretty good ankle and arch support.
They are really just stiff, high-top running shoes but with more support. Being a
combination of nylon, Gore-Tex and leather, they are also cooler than the chukka in
the summer months. In the short-run light hikers are probably the better choice, as
they have the edge in weight and comfort. Everyone from L.L. Bean to Nike makes them
and they seem to really be in style at the moment. My major reservation about this
category is that they quickly deteriorate well inside of what I consider to be a
reasonable length of time - five to ten years. In short, I tried on several dozen
pairs of these, none fit me terribly well, so I moved on to the next category, the
chukka, meaning “ankle high leather boot”.
I discovered again that in this popular category there are an overwhelming number of
choices available, especially if you look on the internet or at catalogues.
Virtually every outdoor retail vendor sells some version of this boot, and they range
from the high quality, ultra-conservative offerings by Gokey and Filson, to
cutting-edge looking hikers by Ecco and Timberland, with athletic soles that bulge
out and dozens of high-tech sole compounds in all shades. You can get them made of
anything from suede to hippopotamus.
My first few retail stops were my last. Timberland, which popularized the chukka in
the first place, had more than twenty models that fit that category. Some of them
looked okay, but either did not fit, looked like they would go with a fuzzy yellow
hat, or the store was out of size12’s. I had a similar experience at REI and a few
other places, so I began to scour the internet, which was even more futile for
searching out just the right boot. Everyone, including Dunn’s, LL Bean, Cabela’s and
Filson had identical moccasin style low boots, with and without Gore-Tex for a fairly
reasonable price. It seemed the more effort and time I put into it, the more variety
I was faced with and the further away I seemed to be from simply buying a good pair
of boots. By now it had become much too convoluted a task, so I decided to revert to
desperate measures; I asked my friends what they like.
Most recommended Beans and Timberlands. Browning makes light ones from kangaroo hide
that many people, including my father swear by. One sang the praises of safari
boots, the fairly expensive Courtenay Selous retailed by Westley Richards. They
looked extremely soft and comfortable, but I wondered how the impala and water
buffalo hide would hold up to wet Eastern weather. Another friend gave a testimonial
of his boots from the Danish company Ecco, which are also extremely comfortable and
waterproof, but are a bit too wide for my narrow foot. I also read several internet
reviews that reported they didn’t hold up well.
Before reverting back to running shoes, I was lucky enough to bore my old friend
Foster Blair - a Master-class shooter from New Orleans - with my story. He mentioned
that he’d had some custom shoes by Russell Moccassin Company in Wisconsin made for
him about ten years ago, and that they’d held up pretty well. I’d heard about the
longevity and good fit of their custom hunting boots from a few people, but it hadn’t
occurred to me that they could also solve my major issue, which was fit. I looked
over the website, filled out the extensive form which included careful foot outlines
and got them on the phone. They suggested sending me something off the rack to see
how I fit their sizes. They sent some Art Carter Shooting Shoes in 12c off the sale
rack, and they fit like gloves. No more waiting! Just like that -- it was finally
over. All of that exhaustive research and headaches just for one pair of shoes that
would probably last until “chukkas” are no longer available. What advice can be
gleaned from my search? Just be glad if you are lucky enough to be a standard size.
If so, decide on the features you want and buy the first thing that feels good when
you walk around the store in them. Chances are they won’t be very expensive, and
they’re probably made at the same factory in Taiwan that made the ones in the
neighboring store that you were planning to visit next.
P.S. No need to write a follow-up for very hot weather. The Nike Air LeBron III and
some brown spray paint is the obvious choice.
CLUB HISTORIAN
John M. Hachmann
March 19th is the date to remember and 88 is the number to beat!
Last year’s March Madness shoot was also held at Mid-Hudson Sporting Grounds and Jean
De Lau was the “High Over All” winner with an impressive score of 88. Lavert Cypher
followed up as Class I champion with an 80, Dean Anglace took 1st place in Class II
with a score of 77, Matt Canale captured 1st place honors in Class III with his score
of 73, Kevin Kruelski shot a 69 to gain bragging rights in Class IV and Class V was
won by Gary Fox with a 57.
Any club member who would like to see their name in print on the “Bragging Rights
Board of Fame” is welcome to come on down to New Paltz and give it a try on Mrach
19th. I know that I try hard every month, but somehow never seem to make it. Maybe
next time!
HISTORIAN GOES ON TOUR
I would like to take this opportunity to do a brief commercial for my new friends at
“Square One Cattle Ranch & Sporting Clays” in Lake Placid, Florida. My wife Susan
and I, along with Ron and Kay Leonardi, took a few days for ourselves and ran away to
Florida on a short but wonderful “Sporting Clays Vacation”. We shot at the
aforementioned “Square One Ranch” and “Oh, how sweet it was…”
Mother and son team, Daphne and Philip have set a wonderful course, not very
difficult, but few targets were gimme’s. Shall we say that they were “Travelers
Tenderized Targets”. All stands faced out into the cattle fields, outward from a
beautiful oasis of Palms, Oaks, and Palmetto Trees, many with Spanish Moss dangling
down and glowing in the sunlight. What a picture perfect setting. The only thing
that was nicer than the course and the landscape were these two fine people.
Square One Ranch is located on SR70 approximately 30 miles West of Lake Okeechobee.
When turning into the driveway, watch out for the cattle! In addition to the cattle
and the armadillo that we saw, Daphne says that wild deer, boar and turkey (not to
mention numerous other species) all call Square One home. So please, if you find
yourself vacationing in Florida, make the effort to drive a little extra and visit
Daphne and Philip. I promise that you too will “Fall in Love” with the place. You
can reach them at 863-441-1946 or 1948.
In the April newsletter I will give a little information about Quail Creek
Plantation. See you all on the 19th.
VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT VERSUS SHOOTING FOR REAL
By Ben Slome
As a young person who is growing up both clayshooting and playing X-box I’ve been
asked to weigh in on the relative merits and attractions of both activities. Here are
some of my thoughts.
I’ll start with X-box. My generation has grown up with a wide range of electronic
toys, such as Gameboy, the infamous I-pod, Nintendo 64, playstation2, and X-box just
to name a few. We know our way well around these virtual worlds and have become
accustomed to going over to someone’s home and seeing at least one of these toys.
It’s certainly the norm to have at least one of these machines in our own houses and
to shape our leisure time around them.
Now to address the issue of specific type of games featured on the great Xbox - the
most popular one of them all. The games are engineered so you feel like you're
actually on the battlefield, fighting Nazis or aliens. As you play, you’ll find that
your hands will start to sweat as you grasp the controller and you won’t be able to
blink.
Playing in this virtual world your hand/eye coordination will be tested, and you have
to learn to be able to place your brain in a sort of virtual space. But when you
“die” here, there are no consequences:
You just hit the restart button, and begin again. The social aspect with friends is
easy--they come over, go up to your bedroom, crack open a coke and start playing. No
hassle, no problem.
As for sporting clays, I’ve been shooting since I was nine years old and it is one of
my favorite things to do. I am the only one of my friends who has made the transition
from the controller, to a Beretta 391, twelve-gauge and regretfully this sport is
something I have had to take part in alone. When I ask my friends if they would like
to come out and try clayshooting, they ask their parents for permission and the
parents freak out and say, “Absolutely not! Finish up your vegetables and go do your
homework.” My question to these kids always is, why would your parents prefer to have
you involved in games where winning is measured by how many of the “enemy” you
slaughter reinforcing the idea that guns are only made to kill. They won’t let you
try an activity that contains no violence, instills respect for the power of firearms
and makes you learn responsibility. Luckily for me, my parents overcame their
original reluctance to let me shoot after they saw how well I was being taught and
realized this sport contains people who care about my well-being, and treat me as one
of their own.
Playing X-box may be relaxing, but it just doesn’t compare to the adrenalin rush I
feel every time I yell “pull” and that clay target comes out and by pure instinct I
raise my gun point and fire! Nothing feels better than at that moment. Being
outdoors, learning new things--you just can’t beat it. For a city kid like me, whose
only nature experiences comes from seeing a street rat picking through the garbage,
the feeling of openness out on the clays course is just exhilarating.
On a more serious note, the discipline and experience needed to move ahead in this
sport is staggering. To be the best and the fastest, this sport is among the most
competitive and demanding I have ever participated in. Though my peers are not with
me during this game, I have made some close friends who have looked after me like I
was part of their family. On an unselfish note, I would love to see some more young
people coming into this sport--on a selfish note, I kind of like things the way they
are. As for those kids stuck in front of a TV screen, well, they just don’t know what
they're missing!
UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS These first two months of 2006 we’ve been sending RELOAD by
email, and in the case of “bounce-backs,” I’ve been following up with mailings.
However, if you are receiving RELOAD by email, it would be helpful, to keep us
informed of any changes to your email address. And, if you’d like to receive RELOAD
by email (it comes as a PDF) please let us know. Dick Orenstein, oren@umich.edu
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 online at www.ShotgunReport.com.
- - - 2006 CTSCA SHOOTING CALENDAR - - -
MAR. 19 – MID HUDSON SPORTING GROUNDS – New Paltz, NY.
MAR. 31, APR. 1 & 2 – SPRING TRIP TO THE EASTERN SHORE – Pintail Point and two other
venues to be announced.
APR. 23 – “TAX TIME REVOLT” – YE OLDE NEWGATE COON CLUB –Norfolk, CT.
MAY 21 – “MAY MINUET” – TAMARACK PRESERVE-Millbrook, NY.
JUN. 9 & 10 – CLUB FITASC CHAMPIONSHIPS – MID HUDSON SPORTING GROUNDS, New Paltz, NY.
JUN. 11 – CLUB SPORTING CHAMPIONSHIPS AND ANNUAL SWAP MEET – MID HUDSON SPORTING
GROUNDS, New Paltz, NY.
JUL. 16 – “SUMMERTIME SUMMERTIME” – ORVIS/SANDANONA, Millbrook, NY.
AUG. 11, 12 & 13 – “GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC” – ADDIEVILLE EAST FARM
–Mapleville, RI.
SEP. 10 – NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION FUNDRAISER – MID COUNTY FISH &GAME CLUB,
LaGrangeville, NY.
SEP. 17 – “SEPTEMBERSHUTZENFEST” – MILLBROOK ROD & GUN CLUB - Millbrook, NY.
SEP. 29, 30 & OCT 1 – ANNUAL FALL TRIP – Venue to be announced.
OCT. 15 – “SMALL GAUGE CHAMPIONSHIPS” – FAIRFIELD COUNTY FISH & GAME – Monroe, CT.
NOV. 19 – “SALUTE THE COLORS” – YE OLDE NEWGATE COON CLUB – Norfolk, CT.
DEC. 17 – DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY SHOOT – MID COUNTY ROD & GUN CLUB –
LaGrangeville, NY.
THIS IS A TENTITIVE CALENDAR AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR HOST RANGES’
CALENDAR. MOST SHOOTS WILL BE NSCA REGISTERED.
- - - OTHER 2006 SHOOTS OF INTEREST - - -
Always call ahead to confirm.
Sunday, Mar. 26 – Winter Triple Header, Addieville East Farm, RI.
Friday, April 14 – “Good Friday Blast”, Ye Olde Newgate Coon Club, Norfolk, CT. – 860
738-3619.
May 7 Fairfield County Open, NSCA reg., Fairfield Fish and Game, Monroe,CT
June 18 Fairfield’s First FITASC, NSCA reg., Fairfield Fish and Game, Monroe,CT
Aug 26+27 CT State Shoot, Fairfield Fish and Game, Monroe,CT
UPCOMING EVENTS AT YE OLDE NEWGATE COON CLUB
contact Joe Gimelli ( 860) 738-3619 or email: coonclubclays@earthlink.net
APR. 14- GOOD FRIDAY BLAST COON CLUB CLASSIC
NOV. 5- 180 TARGET THREE-SHOT SHOOTOUT
DEC. 3- CHRISTMAS AT THE COON
THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT
“MARCH MADNESS” Mid Hudson Sporting Grounds 411 Ohioville Road, New Paltz, New York
Sunday, March 19, 2006
March is always an interesting time of the year for many shooters. They are just
about ready to say goodbye to winter weather and venture out to the March shoot to
start the shooting year, and hope that Mother Nature agrees with them and smiles in
agreement. If you do come out, rest assured that the new owners of Mid Hudson will
entertain you with great targets and unequaled hospitality that will make it a
worthwhile gamble. We should note that the new owners have distributed many tons of
rock and gravel to improve the mud conditions at this time of year. The usual drill,
continental breakfast, 100 targets, lunch and awards. Pre-registration by WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 15, 2006.. NSCA target registration is available at this shoot. Guests are
welcome.
DIRECTIONS: New York Thruway to Exit 18. After toll, continue to Route 299, at end of
exit. Turn right onto Route 299 and go about _ mile to traffic light at Ohioville
Road (stay in left lane). Turn left onto Ohioville Road and proceed 2.7 miles to club
entrance on left. 845 255-7460.