Minutes: September 30, 2022
WTA Meeting
September 30, 2022
Homegrounds & Zoom Meeting
The 09/30/22 Board of Director’s meeting of the Wisconsin Trapshooting Association was called to order at 9:04 am by Ken Michels, President. Directors present were N/E Ken Michels and Andy Wondrash (zoom), S/E Director YZ Weisensel, Bob Ebbers, N/W Tate Barwald (zoom) and Aaron Katzenberg (zoom), S/W Tyler Buchanan and LaVerne Lehmann, ATA Delegate Kevin Doerring (zoom)1st Alt. Delegate Tyler Buchanan, Treasurer Taylor Katzenberg (zoom), Executive Assistant/Shoot Coordinator Amy Jenkins. Absent 2nd Alt. Delegate Fritz Thistle.
Also present were: Glen Grabski, Chops, John King, Jeff and Deb Goehring, Roger Lemke, And Hall, Bill Ohrmund, Tom and Nora Bristol, Gary Witzke (zoom), Matt Riffe (zoom).
Meeting started at 9:04 am.
Treasurer’s Report:
Checking account $135,500, Camping $49,200, Savings $13,500, Expansion fund is $62,500. Summit Loan is $637,500. Target stock in July was $15,000. Everything has been paid to date. Recob’s has been paid. Electric from July/August was $12,500 and is paid. Fall Classic was $3500 after expenses. Doubles were a disaster with people shooting on squads they were not signed up on. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that; squads were to sign up and shoot together, when everyone was available. Taylor suggested shooting doubles first next year. The target fee added money came to $1300; she suggested taking this off the program. If you don’t play options and shoot a good score you still win money. But with the added money there is enough to pay out with the additional donations. A claim was filed with the insurance company to replace the transformer that was struck by lightning. Partial payment was received from the insurance company less depreciation and the deductible. Jeff asked about checking with the insurance company about getting reimbursed for the sites that we were not able to rent out during this time and the lost revenue.
Tyler made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report. YZ seconded. So carried.
Secretary’s Report:
State shoot camping forms are still coming in. Forms are due by October 31. Amy received word that the workers that stayed this summer will be returning for next summer. They will need seven to ten sites arriving sometime in April and staying multiple months. Amy received a request to have the bunker open this fall and winter for a group of kids that are from the Phillips area. Tate stated that the money taken in would likely not cover the snowplowing costs. The driveway needs to be plowed in order to get the propane truck in here, but it would not be cost effective to keep the bunker open.
Old Business:
TV Responder / Antennae:
Kevin doesn’t know anything about this as he has not spoken with Tom. He thinks maybe we need to look elsewhere if we want to display scores across the TVs for the state shoot. Ken said that ScoresR has a website to view scores but you need wifi.
Grants Update:
Ken will contact the point person from Mid State to get the grant information for the Adams Cooperative information. We did not pursue the grant with the DNR. Ken doesn’t think it would have covered a storage building as the stipulations are very strict. It does allow for trap replacements though; we should plan to apply for the grant next year for some replacement traps.
Entrance Canopy / Landscaping:
Some of the landscaping was completed in front of the building since the last meeting. The sidewalk will still need to be poured. John Coniff was not present to give an update on the canopy. Discussion was held about moving the food vendors to the west side near the building. Tate said that we will need to take gravel out of the current food court as it is too high; this would be the eating area for shooters. Ken will contact the township for whomever graded the road and see if they can get that area to grade so the landscaping can be completed, hopefully yet this fall.
New Business:
Matt Riffe:
Matt thanked the board for letting him speak today. Residency requirements were brought up at the last meeting. He is under the impression that some people had an issue with his being a Wisconsin resident. He has been in the area since 1990. He started shooting trap in Eau Claire in 2001. He has attended 17 Wisconsin state shoots. He has a property in Wisconsin and in Minnesota. He has shot as a Wisconsin resident since 2001. Because it is a border town, there are some different rules. In his area, students can choose to go to school in Wisconsin or Minnesota. Shooting is a lot of work and he doesn’t do it for the accolades. He does it because all of his teammates are from Wisconsin. Matt’s ATA card states he is a Wisconsin shooter. Kevin stated with dual residency it comes down to where you pay your taxes at. Aaron stated that what the ATA card says it what we should go by. If the ATA isn’t going to police it, why should we. Why wouldn’t the WTA want more Wisconsin shooters? Bob said that Matt has been shooting as a Wisconsin resident for 20+ years. Matt’s situation is very unique, and he has been a Wisconsin shooter for a long time. Tate asked if we are going to go down this road every time someone else wants to be a Wisconsin shooter? Their ATA card says they are from Wisconsin why wouldn’t we just go with that. Tyler said that the all state team committee will have to review the applications to make sure they are a Wisconsin resident. Tate said so a shooter can shoot all year as a Wisconsin resident, pay the WTA membership fee and maintenance fees but at the end of the year they are going to be told that all of their targets that they shot in Wisconsin will not count towards the all state team. Tate said the simplest decision would be to use whatever is on file with the ATA. Must be a resident for six months according to the ATA.
YZ made a motion that Matt Riffe will remain as a Wisconsin resident/shooter. LaVerne seconded. So carried. Any future issues like this will have to be brought to the Board for discussion and approval. Tate did not agree with reviewing each case individually.
Trapline help:
Taylor suggested that we need to find someone to manage the trapline help; similar to Brian and this person would keep track of the hours, do the W9 forms and give all the information to Taylor for payment. Kids can be paid in cash for the May and Fall shoot; however, Taylor will not be present for the other shoots, so checks will need to be mailed. The current team leaders are not interested in doing this. She suggested it being a person that is compensated as it is a lot of work. Ken said that it didn’t sound like the two team leaders were interested in helping us find replacements for them. Tyler said that it would be nice to have multiple people be able to do this so you aren’t looking for one person to be here for all of the shoots. This won’t be solved today so the group should think about it and come back for discussion at the next meeting.
Expansion:
The expansion will be put on hold indefinitely. The plan is still to have the engineers level the land in the spring. Discussion was held if this could be used as farm land then. Tate said that we likely would need to have it surveyed. There would be costs to do this, but we need to determine if the savings are worth it. If it saves us $500 a year, it wouldn’t be worth it. Ken will follow up and talk with the Town of Rome to see if there is any way to reduce the taxes. There is a driveway off highway 13, but Tate said we would need to contact the state to see if that is still active. Tyler will follow up on the driveway to see if it is active or not.
Campground maintenance:
Jeff and the caddy were working on trimming trees this fall. Other maintenance items need to be done in order to maintain the campground for the upcoming season. Picnic tables need to be replaced. Some campers said they didn’t use the table because they didn’t know if it would hold them. Jeff said the dirt is washing away from the side by the shower houses. There are many stumps that need to be pulled. Some of the fire rings were ran over this season and the site signs were knocked over. Ken said maybe the grant from Adams Cooperative would allow us to purchase some tables. Once Jeff pulls the stumps, he will need some fill for the holes and sand doesn’t work. There is fill here, but it will be a lot of wear and tear on the skid steer. The campground roads need work as well; we may need to hire someone to redo the roads. Chops will contact Melissa from Hoffmann Trucking. We have two new fire rings and no picnic tables. Tyler will talk to someone that makes fire rings. There will be some expenses this fall and spring in order to do some improvements to the campground.
Hoop Building Maintenance:
Tate emailed Clear Span again this morning. He sent pictures to them. They have very little information on our building because things changed with their company right after it was built for us. They are willing to send someone up to look at it. If he decides they need to send a crew up, it could be from $2500 to $3500 to service it. He said that it should never change. At one time someone thought it was too loose and someone tightened it during the summertime, and it likely stretched the fabric. The lifespan should be 15 to 20 years. Tate did not ask anything about cleaning it. Tate is supposed to get a call back by noon today. If they do have tension it, all the stuff in the building will need to be pulled away from the sides/edges. Tate received an email and he said he will check with someone else. Clear Span basically will come up to look at it, but will charge $3000 and that would not include any work that needs to be done. He will check with someone in Stratford.
Loan Negotiations:
Ken said that the loan will be coming due next year. We will need to start planning for this. Ken will talk to John Coniff about some plans for this. Tate asked who has the signed contact for the lead reclamation quote. This could be a good bargaining tool when doing the loan negotiations. Amy emailed Fritz to get a copy of the quote. The crew has still not returned and there has been no progress on the reclamation at this time.
2023 Food Vendors:
All food vendors were sent applications for next season. Some of the vendors were not happy with this as they are due by October 15; however, it is needed because vendors book their dates in advance and by the time Nora/Tom know if they have spaces to fill, there are no vendors available due to being booked. Ken made a comment that vendors should have to determine their menu before the shoot starts so that they aren’t changing to compete with other vendors. Nora has a new vendor that was referred by Chops, Vicky’s Lunch Wagon; they will require a campsite as well. Bristol’s are trying to get a number of shrimp dinners that were served at the state shoot. Amy asked if they thought there would be enough space to move the food vendors out back. They would have four lunch vendors as well as the extras of popcorn, shaved ice, etc. Chops will check on a possible pig roast vendor. Bob will need to review to see if more electric can be added to the east side of the building to accommodate all the food vendors. One complaint of the food vendors is not being able to pull in and out every day. They need to take the trailers home to clean them and restock each night during the state shoot.
State Shoot:
- Worker that had money stolen: There was one or two workers that said they had money stolen from their bags during the state shoot and they were reimbursed. Discussion was held that the money should not have been reimbursed and if something like this happens in the future, nothing will be reimbursed.
- Hall of Fame Banquet: Date is set for 2023 on Wednesday of the state shoot. Kevin stated that there is an issue with this because of shoot offs. Tate said that we should discuss holding the banquet not during the state shoot. This will be discussed at the next meeting as well.
- Shoot off help: All directors should be present every night for shoot offs. YZ made a motion that all directors will be available every night for the state shoot. Kevin amended that if a director is not available, they find a replacement. Tyler seconded. Tate opposed; he said we can hardly get eight people signed up to be directors and now it is mandatory to work every night at the state shoot. So carried.
- Trophy storage: deferred to next meeting; John Coniff will need to give an update.
- Vendor spots/food vendors lease: There will be no lease price for vendors. Bob has two vendors that want to vend at the state shoot; gunsmith and leather goods. Amy will need to figure out if she has spots on vendor row for them as they are both will require full hookup. Chops asked if we could put something where the Kolar trailer is now and possibly move the storage pod. This area will need to be looked at as there are no hookups in this area.
- Loaders/Scorers: The school system no longer wants involvement so we will need to open up our resources to get help. Gary had a lot of youth that did not show up even after they signed up. Gary is still willing to help with this for next year but feels someone will more authority will need to be involved and take the lead on this.
- Target loading: Recobs will no longer be loading the traps. The WTA will need something to handle the loading of the houses. YZ says he has a tractor and Bob has a trailer. Maybe we could work out a plan to utilize their equipment. Jeff is still looking at prices on pods. Gary Witzke will check with the guy in Omro on a price for a pod and delivery.
PA System:
Ken said that Solaris would do a quote for the PA system and wifi together. They are local and would be able to do both; depending on the price. Bob has a contact that does PA systems as well; he will talk with them. We will need to get all the quotes and compare them before a decision is made. The guy that did the demo at the last meeting has the bigger unit to show us.
Wifi:
Ken is still getting quotes. Will compare once we have them all.
All State Team requirements:
It was brought up that there was some concern that women have to shoot more targets than the men after a certain age. Tyler has proposed the following changes in target requirement:
CURRENT:
Singles Caps Doubles
Men 2000 1500 1200
Lady 2000 1500 1200
Vet/Sr Vet 1500 1000 800
Jr/Sub Jr 1500 1000 800
Suggested Change:
Singles Caps Doubles
Less than 18 years 1500 1000 800
18-65 years 2000 1500 1200
65+ 1500 1000 800
Tyler stated that the Lady All State team would have two different target requirements for the same Lady team which would be determined by age (so one lady would be require to shoot 2000 singles targets and another on the team may only have to shoot 1500 singles targets. Bob asked if the Central Zone could be a qualifier as one of the required zone shoots for the all state team. Kevin said that one reason may have been that the Central zone is ran by the ATA and the zone shoots are ran by the WTA. Kevin is not opposed to having the central zone be a qualifying shoot as long as it is shot in Wisconsin.
Bob made a motion to create a Lady I and Lady II all state team. Central Zone will be one of the qualifying zone shoots for the all state team as well. YZ seconded. So carried.
Final Qualifications for 2023 All State Team Revised 09/30/2022:
- You must be a resident of Wisconsin prior to March 1st of the target year being considered.
- You must shoot the three Championship events at the Wisconsin State Shoot in the year under consideration.
- You must shoot 200 Championship Singles, a Championship Handicap, and a Championship Doubles at any of the Wisconsin Zone Shoots or the ATA Central Zone shoot that is shot at the Wisconsin Location.
- You must shoot three clubs, 400 Championship targets at the State Shoot, any zone shoot, the ATA Central Zone shoot, or a regular registered shoot would each count as one club. (Revised 09/30/2023)
Example:
- State Shoot is held at Homegrounds
- Regular Registered Shoot is held at Homegrounds (May shoot, Fall Classic, etc.)
- Zone Shoot
- ATA Central Zone Shoot
- A person could shoot both a registered shoot and the state shoot at Homegrounds and it would count as two clubs
SPECIAL CATEGORIES:
Lady 1: A female shooter, who has not reached her 55th birthday.
Lady 2: A female shooter, who has reached her 55th birthday.
Sub-Junior: A person who has not achieved his/her 15th birthday by the first day of the target year.
Junior: A person who has not achieved his/her 18th birthday by the first day of the target year.
Veteran: A person who has achieved his/her 65th birthday during the target year.
Sr. Veteran: A person who has achieved his/her 70th birthday by Sept. 1st.
MINIMUM TARGET REQUIREMENTS:
| Singles | Handicap | Doubles | |
| Mens Total ATA | 2000 | 1500 | 1200 |
| Lady 1 Total ATA | 2000 | 1500 | 1200 |
| Lady 2 Total ATA | 1500 | 1000 | 800 |
| Veteran/Senior Veteran | 1500 | 1000 | 800 |
| Junior/Sub-Junior ATA | 1500 | 1000 | 800 |
Round Table
Kevin: July will be a crowded month in the next couple of years as the ATA will need to adjust their dates to move the Grand back into August. Indiana will be after Wisconsin in 2023.
Andy Hall: He asked about the leveling of the ground and if we need to get permits. Tyler stated that the DNR was here last time and discussed with them. YZ will discuss this with the engineers to see who will be taking care of the permit. He asked how long we will hold off on the expansion and Ken said right now our numbers are not increasing so it will be indefinite at this time. He suggested trying to lock in a loan rate as soon as possible.
Tyler: Reminder to everyone to send in their applications for the all state teams. Nine applications have been received so far.
The next meeting will be December 10. We will need to determine if we are meeting at Homegrounds or Sherwood. We will close the campground and turn the water off on Saturday, October 15.
YZ made a motion to adjourn. Tyler seconded. So carried.
Meeting adjourned at 12:53pm.