The New York herald., 1921-12-18
TRAP SHOOTING DOG NEWS
TRAPSHOOTERS CAN
FIGURE OWN RATING
New System Offers Quick Clas-
sification on Yardage
Mark Basis.


tons resulting from the third annual
meeting of the general committee of the
American Trapshootng Association held
recently in New York is quite so inter
esting to the trapshooters of North
America as that under which they will
be handicapped and classified during the
season of 1922. The reconstruction of
the standard system brought about the
four big results which follow:
1t is easier TO obtain an official aver
age. Every trapshooter who has OBJ
tained an average may figure out be-
forehand his yardage mark and his
class. Every trapshooter of known abil-
ty but without an average may be
handicapped and classified by COM
mittee appointed for that purpose. The
so-called dark horse has heen guarded
against. for the twenty yard rule still
will hold good in the case of q shooter
whose ability is unknown.
While there was objection to the
standard system this year, it also was
realized by persons who make a deep
study of the clay target sport that IL
was move in the right direction and
that II would be entirely wrong to de-
stroy 1t. Yet it was admitted that the
system worked a hardship upon some
shooters who either were beginners or
were residents of sparsely settled dis
tricts where registered targets were diff
icult to find in sufficiently large num-
bers to permit niInrods to make official
averages.
Kept Many shooters Away.
This year it was necessary for trap
shooter to show a total of 1000 regis
tered targets shot at during 1920 an6
1921 TO obtain an official average, an,
I, ha ha nd
cap and class. Unless such tot'
could be shown the nimrod was placed
no closer to the trap than the 20 var,
mark. and perhaps even further back.
Naturally this kept many shooters from
participating in the handicaps and the
classification shoots. Moreover, whether
or not q trapshooter had an officia
average, it always was possible for tha
handicap committee to place him fur
ther back than the average or the PEN
atty called for
The members of the general commit
tee at their session at the Pennsylvania
Hotel in New York, December ] and 2.
concluded that trapshooter's skill
could be determined on 800 targets just
as readily as upon 1000. so the number
of registered targets required for an Of
ficial average was reduced. This ac-
ton makes it possible for every nimroS
in North America to get an average,
because all of the registered targets
shot at during 1921 will count, In other
words, if trapshooter shot at 300 reg
istered targets during the year OF 1921
he would be required to shoot at only
800 more to get an official average that
will handicap and classify him durini
next season. Or If a trapshooter shot
registered targets during 1921 he woult.
start the 1922 season with an offici; Il
average All official averages change
monthly after May j. and whether they
go up or down depends entirely upon
the skill shown by the shooter.
Therefore every trapshooter. because
all of them keep their own record OF
their scores for personal reference. will
be able to figure out in advance his
yardage and class before he attends a
championship event. In the future the
handicap committee will not have the
privilege OF putting him further from
the trap than the mark his average
gives him, because he may follow strict
ly the following handicap table,
% yards-a6 per cent. and over.
% yards-4 per cent. and under 9s.
21 yards-92 per cent. and under 81.
20 yards-o0 per cent. and under ~.
10 yards-SS per cent. and under 80.
IS yards-S6 per cent. and under SS.
II yardS-N per cent. and under 80.
16 yards-below 81 per cent.
Where the shooters are divided into
five classes at classification shoot in
which there are 100 or more contestants
the shooters will be classed as follows:
Class la per cent. and over.
Class 80 per cent. and under 81,
Glass 3-s6 per cent. and under 90.
Class 4--S2 per cent. and under 81.
Glass 5-under So per cent.
In a shoot of the same kind where
there are 40 contestants and less than
100 there will be four classes SO per
cent, SS per cent, SO per cent. and un-
der SO per cent. will be the dividing
lines.
Trapshooters who have found it inn
possible because of Illness or any other
cause to shoot at the required number
OF registered targets. and thus obtain
an official average. may be handicapped
and classified by the handicap commit
tee. provided the contestants ability is
we'll known to the committee.