Sporting Clays Season Ends 10/14/2014

The 2014 Sporting Clays season will conclude on October 14, 2014.  This season has been extremely successful for the club and provided entertainment for over 500 shooters since April 1. 

Special thanks go out to the crew who sets up and runs the sporting clays course.  This crew includes Jon Giraud, Dennis Knoll, and Pat Peck.  Without their hard work we would not have had a record breaking season.

Two New Archery Ranges Available for Members

The club has constructed two new archery practice ranges.  The first is a 40 yard range built on the upper club grounds (next to the playground equipment).  This ranges has three targets and is marked in 10 yard increments.  A second 80 yard range was constructed on the lower club grounds in the "pine plantation".  This range also has three targets and is marked in 10 yard increments. 

Both ranges support traditional, compound, and crossbow archery.  The only restriction is we do not allow broadhead arrows on either range.  Users must have a current membership or day pass.

Club Fundraiser Shoot a Success

The club conducted the annual fundraiser shoot on Aug 23 & 24, 2014.  This shoot included Singles and ATA Doubles Trap, as well as a 50 & 100 Bird Sporting Clays Fun Shoot.  A total of 87 shooters participated in this event and ensured a successful shoot for all. 

Special thanks go the Trap Support Team and the Sporting Clays Team for making this a successful and fun shoot for all participants.  Thanks also go out to the volunteers who manned the kitchen and bar.

Archery Range Upgraded

The club has rebuilt the archery range located next to the playground on the upper club grounds.  The range has three new targets and is marked in 10 yard increments from 10 to 40 yards. 

Special thanks go to Jon Giraud for heading up this project and to Ron Zeigler and Dennis Knoll for their assistance in constructing the new range.   

The club also plans on constructing a second archery range in the pine plantation this year.  We anticipate being able to provide targets for cross bows and up to a 100 yard firing line.

50-Yard Range Roof Completed

The club now has a roof over both the 50- and 100-yard ranges.  The 100-yard range roof was completed in the fall of 2013.  The 50-yard roof was completed in July 2014. 

A crew of 8 volunteers completed construction in about 5 days.  The roof covers the entire range line for the pistol, 15, 25, and 50 yard ranges. 

Special thanks go to Dale, Don, Pat, Jon, Gordy, Jeff, Ron, and Bill for their efforts in completing this worthwhile project.

Youth Trap Shooting Program

The Sparta Rod & Gun Club Youth Shooting Program begins on May 7, 2014.  Registration is April 23d from 5 to 6 pm in the lower club house.  Participants are limited to youths 12 to 17 in age who have completed the Hunter Safety program. 

The shooting program lasts for 5 weeks and the cost is $15.00 per shooter for the program.

5-Stand Season Off to a Good Start

The 2014-2015 5 Stand Shooting on Tuesday evenings is off to an excellent start. Come join us every Tuesday evening for a fun shoot from a heated and covered shooting stand. 5 Stand is a cross between Trap and Sporting Clays. Shooters engage a series of 25 targets presented as incoming, outgoing, and crossing birds. Each shooter engages 5 targets at each of the 5 stands. 

Cost is $5.00 per shooter ($3.00 for youth under 14 years old). Shooting starts at 3 pm and continues until all shooters have completed as many rounds as they want.

February 5-Stand Shoot Another Success

The club held its third Saturday 5 Stand Fun Shoot on February 1, 2014 and it was another solid success.  75 shooters participated in the event and all had an enjoyable time despite the temperatures.  The heated shooting stand did help considerably though.  We were able to break the record number participants, set in January, and look forward to the final Saturday 5-Stand shoot scheduled for March 1st.  Hopefully we will have some warmer temperatures for that event. 

Special thanks go to the volunteers who made this event another outstanding success, particularly the people who worked the kitchen and bar, registered shooters, and guaranteed a smooth flow for all participants.