The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-28
TRAP, GUN AND ROD
1Y TOM MARSHALL.

There are kings in the trapshoot-
ing world-men who are shooting ex-
perts under all conditions, climatic or
personal. Contesting through sue
cession of registered tournaments COW
ering months of time; shooting at
thousands of targets, thrown at diff
ferent angles and velocity, over
grounds of different contour, in a job
OF OF wind and weather. Men are
able to concentrate and so direct the
muzzle of their gun, pointing 1t at fly
ing targets, not to exceed four inches
in diameter, that there are less than
three mistakes in Judgment on every
100 targets shot. The computation
OF averages for the season of 1917
crowned William H. Heer of Guthrie,
Okla, amateur champion of the Unit
ed States, breaking 97.41 percent of p
$50 targets. Lester German, of Aber-
deem, Md, annexed the professional
seasons championship, with an aver
age of 1854 percent on 6,2S5 targets.
William Heer, the present amateur
champion, was formerly profession
al, hailing from the Sun Flower state.
He spent his boyhood days on farm
about eight miles from Concordia,
Kas. A vein of coal was discovered
on the home farm and Billy became a
miner. This work was strenuous and
he seldom swung Indian clubs for
necessary exercise.
When a trapshooting defy was is
sued to the world by the Pacific
coast contingent matching Frank
Troeh of Vancouver, Washington, in
an individual race against all corners
at 500 single sixteen yard targets for
q $4,000 purse, Billy Heer was the
man selected to pull that David work
against Goliath. He went forth with
his little sling-shot, properly fitted
with pebble land brought home the
bacon" defeating Troeh by score
Of 473 to 470, the narrow margin Of
three targets. Heer qualified as a
contestant in the National Amateur
Championship in 1918, by winning the
Oklahoma state championship. In the
finas held during the Grand Ameri-
can Handicap in Chicago he was sue
cessful over the field, breaking SO
targets out of a possible 100. He was
tied by F. S. Tomlin of New Jersey,
who succumbed to the proves of
Heer in the shoot-off. William H.
Heer is justly crowned the National
Amateur champion.
Lester German, of Aberdeen, Nd j,
landed high in the 1917 seasons aver
ages with 1854 percent. He certain
ly demonstrated the fact that he pos
sessed all necessary professional
championship qualifications. German
has been identified with the sporting
world for many years. AS the prem
Ter pitcher for the Giants of New
York, with Park Wilson as teammate
behind the bat, they put up front
that assisted materially in landing the
pennant. His debut as a scatter-gun
artist. was made upon the flats adjac-
ent to Chesapeake Bay, in pursuit Of
ducks the feathered aces of the air.
His ability to rapidly compute angles,
loads, elevation dips and velocity, put
ting into immediate action every ne
cessary faculty, requisite for sue
cessful finish, attracted the attention
of the Dupont Powder company who
Immediately put him on the pay roll
as professional trapshot. Expert
ence In the pitchers box, with his
pinch-hitting proclivities, eliminated
stage fright, making him most for
midable competitor. He is an indie
fatiguable student of the game. His
timely advice has started many ANA
teurs on tn ehighway to successful
shooting careers.