Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-30
WAR ACTS As STIMULUS
GUN CLUBS EXPERIENCE
UNUSUALLY GREAT YEAR
Vast Array of Figures Prepared by
Reed Shaucr Proves Wide Popu-
larity OF Snort.

iarity OF Sport.
A pcrusal OF the 1917 report OF Reed
NShancr. secretary OF the Interstate
Association for the Association for the
Encouragement of TrapshootinE, is the
best and quickest way 10 find out why
,rapshootins is the king OF sports.
Ono can set an idea. too. OF the mag
nitude OF trspshooting from the vast
array OF figures which arc most inter
est,ng, especially TO those who have
penchant for statistics. 1. is interest
ing. too. TO compare the figures for
each OF the past ave years. for in that
time trapshooting entered the front
rank as a sporting proposition.
With the entrance OF the United
States into the big shoot" there was
feeling that trapshooting would SUI
fer like other sports. but. II anything.
the war has acted as ars st,muius 10Y the
shots joined the colors but thousands
of others were taught how TO use the
that in time they. too. Will be OF SER
vice TO our Uncle Samuel.
Elihu Root some time aSo, in com;
monting on preparedness for war. said:
II know OF nothing more important
in the way OF preparedness for war
than teaching the young men Of tho
country TO shoot straight.
TrapshootinE does this. and every
gun club in the country threw its doors
and traps open 70 those who desired
Therefore in some respects 1917 was
ono OF lai6
Daments in 1917, but there wasn't as
many individual shooters as III 1916.
Five hundred and nfty-one tourna-
nents were registered in 1917: 5o4 were
held and reports were received from
125. In the 4a3 tournaments 6.l,5.S4S
targets were thrown. In 1915 the mum
~ II
When the reports from the eleven miss
ing tournaments come TO hand II is
more, than likely that the 1916 figures
The individual contestants numbered
S.7s3, while The ysar before the shoot.
7.sie. and in 1918. 7.ol4. The number
OF tournaments registered by the In
;erItate sssoe lhs1 IN as isiy was iSi S
the figures mounted to 3SJ: III 1916
they increased 10 5tS and went TO 55i
10000. 900 Target. Thrown.
Thirty-e!sht State championship
tournaments were held in 1918. thirty.
pine in ial; ior, ~ 1s,. in l:lS and
United states Navy championship as a
state tournament. Targets thrown in
isiS numbered {S.s''2p: IN od dsi ,, the
further Increased TO 4.sit.3So in 1915
and TO 6.36s,llo in 1916 and fell back
TO e,l .J.SfS IN ISl 4. nc lcNal
Of targets thrown in five years is 20
With the increase in the number Of
t,urnamcnts tho average number OF
targets at each falls a trine each year.
In 1918 the average was 1851. IN 1914.
1875; In 1915. 1850, in 1915, 1900,
The avecssc number OF entries has
increased cach year excepting 1917.
Ii 1905 the average was twcnty-scven
amateurs and four professionals. In
10 . -
amateurs anu iive professionals attend
Cd each shoot, The figures in 1916 were
forty six and six. The average at
tondanc" n, the shoots for tho past nvo
y"sts Was iorty-four amateurs and five
professionals.
Tl,c Interstate Association is the
raren- rcdy o. trapshooting. It fosters
inG snort; n,omot,ss and o rcsuia;es il;
10 !-s welfare. In 1871 it contributed
s2t,loo TO ESQ tournaments. OF which
the Grand American Handicap received
;4.0so. The association has contributed
OH an average TO 100 tournaments Il
year for the past ilvc years.
In addition to this tho Interstate As
S"ciat;on contributes trophies for rari,
t"eniE-thrcc were awarded IN 1915.
Willie The number in 1917 WAS 90. Six
lundrcn and thirteen shooters won one
cup each; 1incty-fOur shooters won two
trophies. thirty.thvcc tr;trShots Won
three trophies. sin Won four trophies
ono, won iiye and thrrc Won six. 50
"rS. The Interstate 49, oCiatlou also
contributed forty trophies 10 new gun
cl9es and thirty-si% trophies for team
Beginners DAY shoots didn't do so
we'll in 1917 compared to 1916. -Four
hundred and Iovty-two clubs conducted
shoots for beg tuners and had i.H5l men
and So1 women as entrants, compared
10 112 ciahs and ll,G2J entrants in
1916.
1870 TrnpshootinE Clubs.
.NCw rluSS +lOriD.u lslt mounted
20 so aEainss 5S7' the year before, bat
there arc more active tr"pshootins
clubs to-day than ever before -i.6lO.
More shoots were held in Iowa in
i9lI than IN any ether state. sixty
one was the number. Iowa led the year
before. TOO. with tifty-six. More money
was given 10 Illinois by the Interstate
Association than TO amy other State.
The amount VAS SJ.2SJ. Missouri was
the best moncy-gctte- in 1915. More
targets wero thrown in Ilunois-S2l, :
targets thrown in 1916. with G33.o1o.
North Carolina had the best average.
with ninety three amateurs and seven
prcfessionals. New JERSEY was high in
this respect tn. yea before.
In fourteen OF the state champion
ships there we're more than loo con
teStants, and stranS. "a II may seem,
the Oklahoma State shoot was the
largest OF AL having ~" entrants.
EishtT-e cht Of these We're residents
OF tEs state and III came from other
states. Illinois had the largest mum E
Der - hon. talent ia its shoot. with
lii marhaWcu.
These figures serve TO illustrate Just
now popular Al short trans hooiiu. is