NRA Shooting Sports Camp Program and the NRA/ATA Trap Camp

     On Monday and Tuesday, April 10 and 11, the Chapter held a National Rifle Association / Amateur Trapshooting Association Trap Camp.  Our crowd included several father-son combo’s, one gang of three sisters (yes, girls like to shoot too), a couple of sets of  brother and sister, and one three-generation family with dad and son joined by grandpa all the way from New Jersey!  The girls looked at me funny when I told them they might have trouble attracting dates after this camp because guys have egos that make them reluctant to date girls who can shoot better than they can!
    We started out, of course, with Using a Shotgun Safely and moved on to The Fundamentals of Shooting a Shotgun.  This fundamentals thing – pointing, not aiming; and above all KEEP THE GUN MOVING really messed up a couple of our adult coaches and junior air rifle/smallbore shooters, although not irreparably, I hope.
     Then it was off to the range.  We spent a little time on Understanding a Trap Field and then out came the shotguns and the ammunition.  And more ammunition, and then still more ammunition.  On Monday afternoon we got through a few warm-up exercises we use in the Basic Shotgun Shooting Course, and then launched into Shooting Singles from the 16-yard line.  On Tuesday, we got right to it early with Shooting Handicap and after lunch (masterfully prepared both days by Rick Kohne and his gang) brought on Shooting Doubles.
     Thankfully, by the time we got to the grand finale Tuesday afternoon, everyone was still smiling (or was it wincing over their well used shooting shoulders?).  After a bit more information on the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program, the NRA, and the ATA, we distributed the certificates to thunderous applause and regretfully said our good-byes, but not without more than a few already wanting to know when this was going to happen again.
 
     From the kids in my 20-gauge gang among the 10 juniors and the 16 adults, we consumed, on three trap fields, 17 flats of shotgun shells and targets to go with them.  OK, OK, I’ll do the math for you.  A flat is 10 boxes of 25 shotgun shells, each of which corresponds to a ‘round’ of 25 targets.  Soooo, 26 people shot at,and hit a good percentage of, FOUR THOUSAND, TWO-HUNDRED, FIFTY targets in two days. Hmmmm – now I know why we were tired when we left for home Tuesday evening.   Keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground for news of next year’s goings on.

 

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Skeet & Trap Shooting Clinics

     Clinics on introductory skeet and trap shooting will be held at the Arlington-Fairfax Chapter IWLA shotgun ranges beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, 12 August.  Bob Brino will conduct the trap clinic and John Seaberg will conduct the skeet clinic.  These sessions are intended for people new to the shotgun sports and will cover range safety, introduction to the games of trap and skeet and fundamentals of proper shooting techniques.  Completion of the clinic will provide the basis on which to build shotgun shooting skills.  The clinic is free to Chapter members, however, targets must be paid for at the range.  Participants should bring a shotgun in safe operating condition and at least 50 shotgun shells.  Interested members can sign up by contacting John Seaberg at jseaberg@cox.net