Amateur Trapshooting

ATA

(some ATA articles are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format)

American Trap Shooting official events and rules are governed by the Amateur Trap Shooting Association or ATA. The ATA is generally considered the governing body of American trapshooting. Another governing body is the Pacific International Trap Shooting Association (PITA) which is active mainly in the western US. PITA rules are nearly identical to ATA rules.

The ATA also runs the Grand American World Trap Shooting Championships, which is held every August. After decades in Vandalia, Ohio, the "Grand" moved to the new World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. The Grand Trapshooting tournament attracts as many as 6,000 shooters for the thirteen day event, which is billed as the world's largest shooting event.

Trapshooting is conducted in rounds of 25 or 50 per Trap Field from 5 different stations. Typical trap shooting events consist of 100 or 200 targets.

ATA, about the Amateur Trapshooting Association

1 oz loads, mandatory reductions, lead alternatives
By Tom Acklin ATA President

Shoot for the money, Options explained...

By Tom Acklin
ATA President
ATA Executive Committee
Chairman, Competitions and Industry Advisory Committee
Senior member Rules Committee

Subject:

1oz loads
Mandatory Reductions
Lead alternatives

(FC comment: This material, sent to committee members, is made available to all interested parties for your information and input courtesy FieldandClays. Feel free to cast your vote on the survey page. Tom and the committee will be monitoring the results).

Click here to the survey

To: All respective ATA Committee members
From: Tom Acklin

Gentlemen,

I’ve heard growing sentiment through out our membership that reduction of lead shot would be acceptable to more and more members. We all are aware of the extensive work done by Past President Gene Clawson on this subject (1oz and 7/8^th oz loads) and I believe time is drawing near that we implement change. I hope that Gene would share that excellent and extensive work with all of you. 
(FC comment: If provided, this work will be published on FieldandClays)

There are several factors to be considered:

There is growing environmental concerns that we will face very soon. Whether we like it or not lead in it's present form will become an environmental nightmare. We need to get together with our counterparts in the clay target sports as well as industry to sponsor research into containing the effects of Lead (Pb) for you chemists out there. I believe we have a responsibility to do this. Our shooting sports, as we know them, could be in serious jeopardy otherwise.

Secondly we can keep our collective heads in the sand about leveling the (handicap) playing field. Yes, we can increase target angles, distance, and height. But from the work of Clawson..et all, the one simple factor is less shot. It does not effect Singles or Doubles; in fact it probably will increase scores in those events. However, the leveling factor on a less then prefect day in Handicap is the payload of shot to the target. (FC comment: If 1oz or 7/8th oz rules are enacted a 2 to 4 year phase-in period would be appropriate).

I also agree with Past President Nightingale about some form of Mandatory Reduction. I don't want to get into that argument now, but believe that in some form it has it's place.

I am inviting all of you to think about the One (1) ounce load and it's effect on the game. Also I would like your input on sponsoring research into lead or other alternative shot components. And thirdly, the use of modified Mandatory Reductions. Unfortunately most of you know the top shooter who will resist the change because of the money factor. They like fleecing the sheep. 
(FC comment: If mandatory reduction is enacted a modified version would probably be appropriate such as; only after two 1000 target reviews and an average below an 85% breakpoint).

We are the ones who have to make the judgment call on our rules and the game of Trapshooting.

All I ask is due consideration and a little forward thinking.

Tom Acklin
ATA President
Chairman, Competitions and Industry Advisory Committee     

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ATA is THE AMATEUR TRAPSHOOTING ASSOCIATION

The Amateur Trapshooting Association serves as the faithful protector of the sport of trapshooting.  As the largest clay target shooting organization in the world, the ATA governs the sport's rules and regulations and seeks ways to further enhance the sport and increase participation.  
 
The ATA was founded in 1900 as the American Trapshooting Association and later changed to the Amateur Trapshooting Association in 1923.  A Board of Directors, composed of state and provincial delegates govern all ATA policy matters.  The Executive Committee, which is comprised of one representative from each of the five Zones, provides stewardship for the association throughout the year.  The organization's day-to-day business is guided by an Executive Director and a team of professionals at the national headquarters in Vandalia, Ohio.  

Last year, 54,208 members participated in some 6,275 registered tournaments throughout the North America.  In total over 1,300 ATA affiliated gun clubs threw 82,480,480 clay targets.  

The ATA Homegrounds in Vandalia is also home to the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships each August.  This annual event draws nearly 6,000 competitors and showcases some of the best shooting talent in the world.  
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