Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-26
BEGINNERS DAY SHOOTS.

whoever suggested the holding OK
Beginners Day Shoots" Is deserving
of a niche in the trapshotting Hell ofS]
Fame. for the suggestion has been o.
wonderful aid in the broadening OF thG&
scope of trapshooting in our fair landss
Beginners Days were held In l9l&8
for the first time, and at $50 clubs
6,7s4 men and 522 women participating
in firing at clay targets for the frst88
time. And as there are no backslfder&
in the sport alluring, those 1000 OddS55
shooters are still among those who fresa
quent the traps on their spare mo-
ments,
There was no question about the
success of the movement. 1t took
from the very first announcements, and
this year there was even more Interest,"
, than last. The interest Is healthy
one, too. One that will do a wonders
! full lot of good for the clubs promotssa
ling the events. Thousands of .person6i
are anxious to learn how to shoot md
wait until Beginners Day. to receives
their first lesson. because expert In
Istructors are to be found at the ciub65
at that time. s sS2
Trapshooters make no effort to cor
ner the spopg Every man or womAiia
who knows how to shoot Is willing t0
teach or instruct others, and in thi0
way healthy friendship is promoted
Trapshooters on the whole are tlyGl|
best Of sportsmen. They are always
pulling for some one to do better thar
themselves. gA
The clubs are interested in prom0t
ing Beginners Day shoots for sever
al reasons. The two clubs in every
state and the provinces OF CanadaSl
who get out the largest number OF bea
ginners receive trophies--these to III
ttshotsfor by their own members, Ever1@
club that gets out five or more beginx|
ners Is given watch fob Tie MALE
beginner who makes the best score iIi3
every shoot was given watch fob
and the woman making the best scoroS
got aNsilver spoon. And the beGina
ners usually become members OF the
clubs that stage the events SO that
the good work goes on indefinitely.
1 To stage the Beginners Fay events
| it took 1913 watch fobs. 1913 sterlinxa|
silver spoons. 80 loving ctps, for 773ss
/ persons asked permission to stage tho
events June was the month set fops
the holdineg of the shoots, but III!
many clubs wanted to hold them thai
permission was granted many clubs td
hold them whenever possible More
than 80 per cent Of the clubs have ~
ported and the average thus far han
been Is to each shoot. The sann6S
average for the 773 clubs will masS|
11.625 new shooters to the sport ALLURE
ing More than 100000 shots and 4afy
gets were fired and thrown in these
events. 81 IN
| Last year the Pehquiodue Rod ana
Gun club, of Hartford. Conn. won thes
trophy for having the greatest nums
Der Of beginners out. and the PortlandI
(Ore.) Gun club was second This
year the honors were taken by UNI
Hawthorne club of Chicago.
had Ill beginners at the traps Hie
Brookyille (Miss.) Club has los. ri
Carondelet Heights Gun. club or &Es
Louis, had the greatest number fOf
women beginners at the traps--1S.
Illinois had the greatest number of
beginners out with 68S, also the greats
est number OF women-58. Pennsyl.
lvania supplied the greatest number ofI
men-628 and the Keystone state al
SO held more shoots than any other
state-86.
The Beginners Day Shoots. are an
established feature OF the trapshootin9s
world;