Hello all,
While this will be posted a few months post, the 2026 Grand American has just finished. It was a great shoot once again with 10 days of fierce competition. The numbers were down slightly, but kept pace reasonably well with previous years. Certainly the economy and some wet weather were to blame, but we did not have the usual blistering heat.
The weekend before, on the other hand, was almost unbearably hot. The Central Zone and AIM Grand were held over the 3-4 days prior to the Grand, and it was some of the most impressively oppressive humidity I have ever experienced. Despite being underwater Saturday morning, Brittany was able to host the Singles with a late start. This produced some great scores, including the Central Zone Singles Champion, Nick Nenne, with 200 and 150 in the shoot off. Wyatt Williams also performed well with a 199, and a Junior Gold sweep with Handicap and Doubles wins Sunday. Noah Goeddel finished the AIM Grand with an event Runner-up finish in the Doubles with one of only 2-100s in the Doubles.
The Grand was filled with great performances by numerous Illinois shooters, too many to mention. But performing at the highest level at the World Championships is worth mentioning. The following Illinois shooters took home hardware at some point during the Grand: Lonny Terzo, Braden Weidner, Wyatt Baine, Patrick Murphy, Kevin Wunder, Ian Lawrence, Kevin Huelsmann, John Upcraft, Coltyn Schutte, Wyatt Williams, Mark Fielder, Larry Norton, Ty Deterding, Steven Margherio, Michael Hathaway, Brian Hezel, Michael Neudecker, Tony Fortino, Randy Cordray, Riley Kaufman, Landon Ufer, Samuel Graceffa, Danny Newport, Richard Samples, Aidan Ireland, John Kraucunas, Paul Cusack, Brooke Weidner, Landon Sievers, Noah Goeddel, Randy Miller, Mike Westjohn, Harold Niebrugge, Greg Hogue, Ron Wolf, Michael Gill, Mason Bartlow, Myron Little, Joseph Bohannon, Larry Brown, Mark Blythe, Nicholas Benkovich, Tony Jones, Drew Beisiegel, Tom Dennis, Kevin Atteberry, Chris Deterding, Brayden Deterding, Austin Kuenstler, Ronnie Ruebhausen (good job Dad), Frank Payne, Justin Dewitt, Kendall Diercks, Samuel Rains, Stanley Crow, Adam Stuckemeyer, Denise Dressler, Robert Randall Jr, Joseph Pearce, Blake Hadley, Daniel Simmons, Billy Wirth, Joe Terzo, Jace Cross, Jerrod Vaupel, Dave McCuan, Jared Coats, Lauren Dunn, Kathy Turpin, Dalton Apple, Mike Dennis, Nick Nenne, and Kenneth Rigler. 73 shooters from Illinois brought home trophies. We have an incredible amount of talent in this state, and it makes me incredibly proud to see those Illinois names on the leaderboard and trophy list. One special shout out to Justin Dewitt for breaking 100 in the Doubles Championship and being in the shoot off with only 10 others for World Champion.
A number of milestones have been reached or will be soon: Joy West, Patrick Murphy, Mason Bartlow, and Landon Sievers with 25k Singles, Randy Redfeairn with 25k Handicap, Lawrence Nemec with 75k Singles, David Peace with 75k Doubles, Dan Staker with 75k Handicap, and Tad Horton and Douglas Porter with 100k combined registered targets.
Now is the time to return home, retool and refocus as the target year turns over on September 1. The Illini Indian events, including the Pow-Wow, are featured heavily in the months of September and October. Make it a point to go to local shoots and support your clubs. The Indian organization is one we are lucky to have to help promote the sport in this state.
Finally, I want to take a moment to recognize an organization that has grown tremendously with a mission I think all shooters can get behind. Many of you have probably seen or heard of Trap Life 24/7 by now. I know personally I was not familiar with their mission at first. Joe and Stephan Terzo, Northern Zone residents (along with occasional troublemaker and Indian Chief scribe Lonny Terzo) created this group to help foster and promote a welcoming environment in the sport of trapshooting. I think most can agree trapshooters are a friendly bunch, but getting started can be intimidating if you don't have a guide or someone to show you the ropes. Their goal is to have a set of shooters, of all ability and experience, to be available to show any shooter the ropes or be open to answer questions. One positive experience is often all it takes to have someone want to come back over and over, but unfortunately one negative experience may turn someone away for good. Having a dedicated group that is invested in being approachable and knowledgeable is a boon for the ATA. We are lucky that they call Illinois home. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram and meet some of their sponsored shooters at shoots around the state and the country. Plus they have some pretty cool swag and merch.
Two articles in, you are probably going to realize I am a bit more verbose than Bill was, but if you like short and sweet, unfortunately you are stuck with me for a while. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything or if there is anything else you would like to hear about in these columns. But for now...
Shoot well, and see you out there
Michael Ruebhausen, MD
Illinois ATA Delegate
Hello all,
I wanted to first introduce myself. My name is Mike Ruebhausen, your new ATA Delegate for Illinois. I am incredibly humbled to be serving in this capacity, and I will do everything I can to serve the shooters of Illinois the best I can. For those who do not know me, I have been registering targets since 2002 and am a lifelong resident of Illinois. During the hours that I am not shooting, I am a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Decatur, IL.
I want to thank Bill Duncan for his years of service to the ISTA and ATA. It is intimidating to follow in the footsteps of someone who has served so admirably, but I will do my best.
Shooting across the country is at its peak right now. This is an exciting time with many Illinois shooters performing well over many of the largest state shoots. The Ohio State Shoot was highlighted by Steven Margherio breaking all of the Doubles and winning the non-resident Doubles Champion. Garrett Helms won the out-of-state Handicap Champion as well. And Ian Lawrence has continued his shooting tear with runner-up in the Singles Championship. Mason Bartlow also broke his first ever 100 straight from the 27 during the back fence shootout, though this was not a registered event, so it unfortunately does not yet complete his Grand Slam. He's saving that for next month.
Ian Lawrence also continued his great shooting in Wisconsin, winning the Singles, Doubles and HAA and runner-up in the HOA. Coltyn Schutte, one of our outstanding Junior shooters, had a great Wisconsin shoot, breaking an incredible 1072 in the HOA, with several personal bests, including a 99 in Handicap for Champion in one event. Other notable scores included Dan Staker breaking a 98 in the Championship Handicap and Mike Dennis with a 199 in the Singles, winning Senior Vet.
Iowa and Indiana also had several shooters bringing home trophies, including Steven Margherio once again winning the Doubles championship in Iowa. There are too many other trophies to name, but Mike Dennis, Mike Hathaway and Mark Fielder all represented well in Indiana bringing home trophies. The sheer number of trophies and awards being won across large state shoots is a testament to the quality of shooters in our state.
As I write this I am about to head to the Central Zone shoot. There are numerous sites to participate, but Brittany always has a strong showing and great target presentation. It is a great place to stop on the way down to Sparta for the Grand. The Grand begins later next week, and I look forward to learning more about the current financial state and business operations with the ATA and reporting back to the shooters. It appears the organization is in a solid place financially.
Keep in mind the local clubs that are the lifeblood of this organization. Support your local clubs as much as you can, including registered shoots throughout the year. Bring a friend when you go and encourage them to join. Each club gets complimentary memberships, many of which do not get used. We all start with a first shoot, and a local club where you felt welcomed is often the ignition for the passion many of us have for trapshooting.
Shoot well and see you out there.
Michael Ruebhausen, MD
Illinois ATA Delegate
Hi, everyone. I am going to begin with a report about the Illinois State trap shoot. It was an interesting week to say the least. We went from monsoon rains to gale force wind with also some pleasant weather mixed in for the week. Through it all, the shooters showed up and shot well. In the Illinois AIM shoot, the winners were, in Singles, Braxton Dent won In-State and Hunter Alber won Out of State. In Doubles, Lucas McVaigh won In State and Grayson Bradshaw won Out of State. In Handicap, Reid Henry won In State and Carter Spangler won Out of State.
In the Illinois Vintage trap shoot, Tony Fortino won the Singles and Handicap, and Rodney Johnson won the Doubles.
In the Illinois trap shooting Championship events, in Singles, Mason Bartlow won In State and Micheal Day won Out of State. In Doubles, Ian Lawrence won In State and Ricky Marshall won Out of State. In Handicap, Ian Lawrence won In State and Parker Lewis won Out of State. In the HAA, Ian Lawrence won In State and Izaac Zihlman won Out of State. Finally, Ian Lawrence won In State HOA and Keith Ditto won Out of State. Congratulations to all the winners through the week. Ian Lawrence has been on a tear this year. We are going to start to call this shoot the Ian Lawrence Invitational. Emma Smith and Nick Nenne both shot their first 100 straights over the course of the shoot.
We had some great shooting also at the US Open by Illinois shooters, before the state shoot. There were so many place winners that I can't list them all. However, Noah Goeddel won the Doubles Championship and Ian Lawrence dominated the Junior Gold category.
Illinois shooters have reached several milestones over the past month. William Michels reached the 25,000 Singles plateau. Richard Samples and Bryan Murphy reached the 50,000 plateau -- Richard in Doubles and Bryan in Handicap. Kevin Showalter and Tom Clark both reached the 100,000 plateau in combined targets.
Finally, I want to say good bye. I did not run for reelection to be a Delegate. I am old and tired and it is time for new blood to do the job. I want to thank everyone who has helped me through the years. You can't imagine how much it means to me.
The new Delegate is Michael Ruebhausen. Mike is a good man, and I know he will do a good job for Illinois.
Shoot well and support your local club.
Bill Duncan, Former ATA Delegate
Hi everyone. I want to begin by telling you about the Illinois Southern Zone Shoot that was held at Sparta, IL. It was typical Illinois weather. It was cold, windy and rainy but the shooters showed up and shot well. In Singles, Mason Bartlow won In Zone and Coltyn Schutte won Out of Zone. In Doubles, Tim Lewis won In Zone and Riley Kaufman won Out of Zone. In Handicap, Logan Parker won In Zone and Coltyn Schutte won Out of zone. Finally, Mason Bartlow won In Zone HAA and Coltyn Schutte won Out of Zone HAA. Good shooting everyone.
The ISTA gained 2 new Directors at the Southern Zone Shoot. Brad Mayberry and Gary Bartlow are both now on the Board of Directors. They are both good men and I wish them all the best in their new jobs.
Illinois shooter, Mike Hathaway, had himself a week at the Georgia State Shoot. He won the Out of State Veteran Championships in Doubles and HAA. He also won the Out of State Championship in HOA. Nice shooting, Mike.
Shooting is hot and heavy now in the state of Illinois. You can tell by the number of milestones reached by shooters. At the 25,000 plateau, Dennis Mills reached it in Singles and John Kraucunas reached it in Handicap. At the 50,000 plateau, Steve Brokow reached it in Singles. Chester Tripp and William Reardon reached it in Handicap. Finally, Mike Hathaway reached 75,000 Handicap targets.
Be sure and read the shoot report for the Missouri State Shoot. Illinois shooters showed up and shot out. We won so many classes, categories and yardage groups that I can't begin to list them all. It just shows what I have said all along, Illinois shooting is second to none.
The Illinois Central Zone Shoot was held at Peoria, IL. It was typical Illinois weather, clouds, sun and wind and the shooters took it all on and shot well. The winners are, in Singles, Anthony Schultz won In Zone and Adam Stuckmeyer won Out of Zone. In Doubles, Bill Christensen won In Zone and Matt Nicol won Out of Zone. In Handicap, Nick Nenne won In Zone and John Lee won Out of Zone. Finally, Dave Dressler won In Zone HOA and Adam Stuckmeyer won Out of Zone.
Shoot well and support your local club.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate
Hi everyone. I have some very sad news. Barry Roach passed in late March in Arizona. Barry was inducted into the Illinois Hall of Fame last year. I told you all about him then. I do have one more story about Barry that shows the character of the man. He was very ill last June, but he still flew out to Illinois to enter the Hall of Fame. I asked him why he went through all the hassle of coming all the way out here. We could have easily sent him the plaque in Arizona. He told me that if we thought enough of him to vote him in, then he would show up to receive the honor. It is not much but it says a lot about him. Rest well, Barry.
Unfortunately, I have to mention the passing of another Illinois shooter. Mike Rhodes, a longtime shooter died in early April. Mike was a good guy and a good shot. He is much better known for running the Gatch Lake Gun Club south of Vandalia, Illinois. Gatch did not throw registered birds but threw non-registered derbies all year long. Shooters from all over the southern zone of Illinois would show up there for a good time. Rest well, Mike.
I was shocked to find out that our executive director, Lynn Gibson, has passed. Lynn, for years, did a good job running the ATA for us. We have a really big hole to fill. Rest well, Lynn.
On a happier note, Mike Hathaway has reached the 75,000 target plateau in Singles.
Shoot well and support your local club.
Bill Duncan, ATA Delegate