Trap and Field's Around the ATA article from the Atlantic Provinces ATA Delegate
March, 2018
Hello from the Atlantic Provinces.
The Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association has a new website – shootatlantic.com. Check it out and let us know what you think. The main reason for the update was a technology upgrade that makes website updates much easier and faster – after all what’s the sense of having a website if it’s not current? Along with the new streamlined menu, we have included an expanded image gallery and more space for local club content. There’s some missing information with our annual shoot results, so if you have anything you would like to share please feel free to contact me.
An Atlantic Provinces Hall of Fame is also in the works for 2018. The timeline is to have it in place for our ATA Provincial Shoot over the Labour Day weekend. One thing I have discovered as a director of the Atlantic Provinces is that we know little about our history and our local knowledge is closely tied to the current group of active shooters. New shooters coming on the scene have no idea about the contributions that shooters like Kent Brunt, Ian Ross, Don Stevens, Dave Anstey and Dave Williams made to trapshooting in the Atlantic Provinces and that needs to change. It will be a big task but I am confident that it will be worth the effort. Stay tuned to shootatlantic.com for more information as our Hall of Fame takes shape.
The Highland Gun Club located near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia has been busy preparing for the 2018 Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Championships. This will be their first time hosting our annual shoot and from all accounts things are shaping up well. The Highland Gun Club was founded in 1958 by a group of local outdoorsmen who were interested in some off-season shooting practice. Using their own resources, they located a suitable property and equipped it with 2 skeet fields, 1 trap field and a small storage building. With continued support from dedicated club members, the club has grown to include a modest clubhouse and covered deck, 3 trap fields, concrete walkways on all fields and a 5 stand course. Atlantic Provinces Secretary-Treasurer and the 2014 Canadian Handicap and 2017 Canadian Open Singles Champion Doug Blades heads up the club and is one of the main driving forces there. If you’re looking for an excuse to visit eastern Canada this year, attending the 2018 Atlantic Provinces Shoot is as good of a reason that I can think of. That and maybe the seafood - lobster being the main fare. You can also explore the Halifax, South Shore, Annapolis Valley and Bay of Fundy regions known for their scenic coastal drives, wineries, whale watching, the highest tides in the world, the largest number of lighthouses in any Canadian province and a rich maritime history including the famous Bluenose fishing schooner and legends of pirates.
It will be early March when this goes to print, so spring in the Atlantic Provinces will only be 6-8 weeks away if we’re lucky. Our contingent of shooters from SW Nova Scotia will be just coming back from Tucson and the Spring Grand and - not to be left out in the cold - the guys from Newfoundland will be eagerly awaiting their trip to the Silver Dollar for the Southern Grand. Updates on their travels will be posted on our webpage under the APTA Abroad section - so stay tuned.
For more information on the Atlantic Provinces Trapshooting Association visit shootatlantic.com.
Regards,
Andrea
Andrea Bassan
ATA Delegate - Atlantic Provinces
shootatlantic.com