The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-28
IS
 HAVING BIG BOOM
 ALL OVER COUNTRY
(By John Philip sousa, President of the American Amateur Troop
 shooters Association.9

shooters Association.9
 Trapshooting, gaining by leaps and bounds, in the affectiohs of American sportsnen, had it's greatest year in 1915. In no other year were there so many meritofious performances, or so many noteworthy features. Every championship tourney had more An- trants than in other seasons, and the 839 entrants in the Grand American nearly doubled the list Of contestants in any perv1ous American champion-, ship.
 The advancement of trapshooting, however was noticed in other ways than besidea in the increase of mem bers. Woolfo1k Henderson, of Lexing- ton, ky, established a new high water mark for amateur shooters to try for when he amasses the remarkable av- craze of 9Ts53. and two gunuers had runs of oyer 300, the best shooting in a half dozen years.
 In compiling this remarkable aver age Henderson broke 2,731of 2.S00 targets. No other amateur ever did so well and only two professionals have bettered these figures. William H. Heer in 1911 averaged 91.75, and William. R. Crosby in 1912 averaged 97.6O. Both of these shooters, how ever, were only charged with shooting at 2,OOO targets. The best previous amateur record was made by J. s. Day in 1910. He shot at 4,280 targets and averaged 97.2S.
 Twenty amateur shooters hai1ing from all points of the United States averaged better than g. per cent for 2,O0O or more targets and the pro fessionals, as might be expected did even better, 38 of them averaging over A per cent, and 12 of the num- Der bettering, 96 per cent. Charles A. Spencer's average of 97.5 is rennarka- ble as he shot at more than 5000 targets-5,620 to be exact. V
 Lester Germans run of 372 eonsec- utive breaks in the Westy Hogan s tournament in Atlantic City last fall was the largest straight run of the year. The next best was 312 by D. J. Holland, the amateur champion of Missouri. He made this run in the Missouri state tournament last Aug ust. .S
 The record for consecutive hits is 565, and was made by=.Chanles A. Spencer, this year s high average pro- fessiqnaI champion, in Illinois in 1909. The amateur record for consecutive Graham of Chicago. ILL, in 1910. While the runs of German and Ho1- land are not records; one cannot deny that they are exceptionally good. When Guy Deering of Columbus, Ohio, averaged 90 on doubles. he set the best mark that has ever been made by an amateur during the eight years of competition.
 A brief review of. the year brings to mind many interesting things Louis B. Clarke, a Chicago banker, won the Grand American handicap after a four -cornered shootoff with M. E. De- wire, of Hamilton. Ind; J. J. Randall of Greensburg. Kan. and c. B. Hick- man of Yeoman, Ind. Clarke broke 20 straight in the shoot-off The winner was unheard of until he won the trapshooting classic Charles H. Newcomb of Philadelphia broke /99 targets out of 100 in high wind and won, the National amateur champion ship. This event brought together the champion trapshooter of every state in the union.
 William H. Cochrane of Bristol, Tenn, won the Southern handicap at Memphis with ST breaks. The Vest ern handicap was taken byIW J. 97 targets. The Pacific Coast handi- cap was won by H. A. Pf1nman of Los Angeles, Cal, after two sIloot-offs Pfnman with J. F. Ceuts, Jr., and Andrew Everett of Son Diego, Cal and H. M- Williams of the United States navy, tied for first place with 98 breaks. On the first shoot-off Couts and Pfnman broke 20 targets con- secutively and on the second effort Pfnnan broke 8 to Couts, IS.
 Good as 1915 was the year 1s16 will Joe even better. The Interstate Association of Trapshooters has been doing excellent work for years and this season will be aided in it's efforts to develop the sport by the American Amateur Trapshooters' Association re- gently formed.