Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-07-26
ANNUAL SHOOT
| POPULAR EVENT
National Competition Has Az
eraged 405 Entries in
Eighteen Years. History

Over a period of eighteen years the
average number of entrants IN the
Grand American Handicap-the pre-
mier event of the Grand American
Handicap Trapshooting Tournament
lis 405.
No other sporting event can be
compared with the trapshooting
classic. 1t has all the other big sport
ing features backed off the boards.
No other sporting events of national
importance can lay claim to an aver
G entry list of 405 persons over q
stretch of eighteen years. Further
more. every participant in the Grand
American Handicap foots his or her
own expenses, and as the shooters
come from every city in the United
States and Canada, this Is no small
item of expense.
We figured 1t up last fall, following
the Grand American Handicap Tour
nament, that the shooters left up
wards of $600, 900 with the railroad
companies and with Chicago mer-
chants. And when you add the cost
of shells and targets to this, the fig
ures mount up quickly. Yes, sir; II
is q big event.
First In 1900.
When the live-bird shooting sport
became ~distasteful, clay target shoot
Ing began to pick up. The first clay
target tournament under the auspices
Of the Interstate Trapshooting Asso-
citation was held in 1900. This meet
attracted seventy-four entrants. The
total was seventy-five the following
year and amounted to ninety-one in
1902. These three tournaments were
held at Interstate Park, New York.
In 1903 the shoot was held in Kansas
City, Mo-, and attracted one hundred
and ninety-two entrants. And ever
since the big shoot has been held In
the middle West. This will be the
sixth invasion of Chicago, which ap-
pears to be the place that appeals
most to the shooters.
In Indianapolis. in 1904, there were
three hundred n t~hirty-six shooters.
same city drew three hundred and
hfty-two shooters in 1905 and fell back
to two hundred and ninety in 1906.
Chicago was picked in 1907 and the
entries ran up to four hundred and
ninety-f1ve. Columbus. O.. attracted
three hundred and sixty-two shooters
In 1908, n then Chicago took over
the meet for two years, having four
hundred and ffty-seven entries in
1909 n three hundred and eighty
three in 1910. Columbus came back
in 1911 with four hundred and eigh-
teen entrants. Springfield. Ill, COL
Iected three hundred and seventy
seven in 1912.
Over 500 At Dayton.
Dayton. o., was the first city to get
credit for having more than five hun
dred entrants. having flv hundred and
n In 1913 and repeating with five
hundred and fifteen in 1914. Chicago
in 1915 reached the high-water mark
with eight hundred and elghty-four.
st. Louis drew six hundred and eighty
three entrants in 1916 and Chicago
came back last year with eight hun
dred and eight.
Chicago has averaged six hundred
and five entrants in the five years the
shoot has been held there: Dayton,
five hundred and eight for two years:
Columbus, three hundred and eighty
five for two years; Indianapolis, three
hundred and twenty-six for .hree
years, and New York. eighty for three
years. And in these eighteen years,
there has only been one perfect score
Riley Thompson. from 10 yards.
in Chicago. in 1910. Furthermore. no
shooter has been good enough to win
the event twice.