"ATA Delegate's Newsletter"
by ED WEHKING
WESTERN ZONE
& UTAH ATA Delegate
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Email to:
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Thanks & keep shooting 'til
Mickey says stop!
ED WEHKING
Western Zone &
Utah ATA Delegate
May 2021
Trapshooting season has finally started in Utah. There were plenty of shoots to attend during the latter half of March and all of April.
Purgatory Clay Sports started the flurry and held their annual three-day shoot. Turnout was only mediocre. Not sure if it was because of Covid or lack of shells.
Ogden Gun Club was up next, and the weather was very nice. During the handicap event, 13-year-old Daxton Cook broke 100 from the 19-yard line! Dax was shooting with his father Tye and sister Tyeli. Mom was also on hand to watch the squad celebrate the nice family affair.
First photo is of Daxton, second photo, left to right is Morgan Bohn, Tyeli Cook (sister), Mandy Cook (mom), Tye Cook (father), Daxton.
The following week was Golden Spike Gun Club’s turn. Saturday’s attendance was about as expected, six squads, but Sunday, there were only three squads, which was sad because the weather was great.
Spanish Fork Gun Club held a two-day shoot in mid-April with a nice turnout, twelve squads. One of the highlights was Steve Ottesen breaking a hundred in the singles on both Saturday and Sunday. Another high point was Tye Cook (father of Daxton Cook) breaking 99 in the handicap from the 20-yard line! I would venture to guess that we may be seeing the Cook family a lot more this year.
Now onto some sad news, Lawrence (Larry) Sims passed away on Friday, April 16. Larry had been sick for the last few months and recently suffered a stroke. He was born on September 19, 1934. He was 86 years old.
The old-timers in the state will certainly miss this colorful person. Back in the day, Larry could hold his own at any shoot. He started registering targets around 1972 and registered his last in 2018. He had amassed 42,975 singles, 58,175 handicap, and 26,650 doubles targets.
Larry became a regular fixture at Lee Kay Shotgun Center the last ten years, and would usually shoot at least twice a week. If I was there, I would always join him in a round of whatever he wanted to shoot, and he would always join a few of us in a round of doubles. He could still break very good scores. The last time I shot with him was around March 1st.. He was always happy to be there and still had some of his great stories to tell to anyone willing to listen.
One of my fonder memories of Larry was watching him and Doug Devries in a singles shoot-off at the old Salt Lake Gun Club in the latter part of the 1980s. It was pouring rain, and they shot at least three rounds and kept tying, so the gun club manager, Larry Mitchell, crowned them co-champions.
Larry will always be remembered for driving his
older Cadillac, smoking cigars, wearing a
cowboy hat, and always having 100 dollar bills
in his money clip.
I will always remember Larry as being one of
the colorful ATA characters in Utah trapshooting
history. I am glad to have been a friend of his
and will miss seeing him every week at the
gun club.
Services were held April 23, 2021, at the Mount
Olivet Cemetery. Pall bearers included; myself,
John Vosnos, Byron Nielsen, Doug Devries,
and Bruce Bachman.
Rest in peace, Larry!
