Illinois to close shooting park - location of Trapshooting national championship

[Twangbanger]

Big news in the ATA Trapshooting community:

Sparta's World Shooting Complex to close Oct. 1 - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

In 2005, the Amateur Trapshooting Association moved its championship grounds from Vandalia, Ohio to a state-owned location in Illinois, due to space and lease conflicts with the adjacent airport in Ohio. (The tournament requires a very large piece of ground). The move was deeply divisive among the members, in part due to the new location being in an anti-gun state.

Now it looks like funding problems in Illinois have closed the state-owned shooting park, at least temporarily. It apparently costs $3 million a year to run the place. It appears to have fallen into the pinch-point of a contentious Republican/Democrat budget fight.

Oy...headache. This is what you get for trusting the State of Illinois with anything.

 

[spec4]

They sure picked the wrong place to move to. This is to be expected in the socialist peoples republik of illinois, arguably the worst state in the union.

 

[Twangbanger]

It's half the tournament it used to be, and now, it may not even be that, if the Illinois legislature can't keep the supply of "other people's money" flowing into the place.

There are large facilities in Missouri and Ohio which could be developed into a potential site for this tournament, and not have the constant corrupt budget bickering hanging over your head. It sounds like some of the wiser people in the Amateur Trapshooting Association had better be exploring a "Plan B."

 

[17 squirrel]

I have a ex BIL that lives in Huber Heights Ohio, all his kids worked every year at Vandalia every year from JH up through College, He was heartbroken when they went to Illinois. His kids would give him some really awesome embroidered ball caps every year..

 

[Twangbanger]

I have a ex BIL that lives in Huber Heights Ohio, all his kids worked every year at Vandalia every year from JH up through College, He was heartbroken when they went to Illinois. His kids would give him some really awesome embroidered ball caps every year..

I worked there myself one summer. Great memories ("Butler Kickline"...yowza!).