Shoot History

The second biggest trapshooting event in the world is known as the Preliminary Handicap (today it's called the Remington Nitro 27 Handicap), held at the Grand American in August of every year. It precedes the Grand American Handicap.

From 1900 to 1997 the event was called the Preliminary Handicap but from 1988 to 1997 Budweiser took over the sponsorship and was called the Budweiser Handicap. From 1998 to 2002 the name returned to the Preliminary handicap with no corporate sponsor. From 2003 to present Remington has sponsored the event, calling it the Remington Nitro 27 Handicap. The first event was held in 1900 at the old Interstate Park in New York City. It has been held every year since then with the exception of 1919.

That first event was won by H. H. "Tarheel" Bridges of Teaboro, NC when he broke an 89x100 from 18 yards and collected $75.33 and a fine gold medal. The future classic only drew 70 shooters. But the Grand American Handicap the following day drew only four more gunners. Rolla Heikes from Dayton, Ohio won the Grand American Handicap on the final day of the tournament when he smashed 91x100 from 22 yards. Rolla won $131.25. From this inconsequential start, the event has grown to 4,819 shooters in 1999 at the 100th Grand American, and 2,303 in 2007 at Sparta.

Pennsylvania Winners

It took 29 years (1929) for the first Pennsylvania gunner to claim the title. John B. Fontaine of Philadelphia (left), breaking the first 75 straight, finished with a  99x100 from 21 yards to win the title over 978 shooters. He had to shoot in high winds and a light rain. He was also an ATA official, serving as a member of the ATA Handicap Committee. Fontaine had the only 99 to win without a shootoff. John was a well known Pennsylvania shooter and highly respected by everyone. He loved trapshooting history and It was his first trophy at the Grand American of any kind. He had attended the Grand every year from 1918. Fontaine finished his career by shooting at over 255,000 registered targets. 

It took another 22 (1951) years before another Keystone state gunner led the leader board when the smoke cleared. Left hander Walter McVay (right) of New Providence broke a 99 from 21 yards to claim the big prize and $1000.00 in prize money. He was the father of 8 children and a garage owner in his hometown. He had to beat four others in a one round shoot-off, breaking a 25x25. The event had grown to 1,472 shooters.

In 1957 Arlen Kimmell of Valley View broke a 98 to claim the title over 1,827 others. Only 2 others broke 98's and Kimmell (left) was forced into a one round shoot-off. He missed two targets in the shoot-off but that was good enough to claim the title and almost $7,000.00, the largest purse in the history of the event to that time. Tall and stocky built, Kimmell spoke with a strong "Dutch" accent like many folks in Valley View, a small town near Hegins, the live bird shooting capital of the world at the time. Pennsylvania Hall of Famer and former state singles champion Robert Miller also hailed from Valley View.  When asked about his victory he said he was out late the night before, shooting practice targets at Troy. The 39 year old Kimmell was a steel company inspector and drove 54 miles to work, getting up at 4:15 am daily.

In 1968 John Morelli (below) broke the 10th 100 straight since the first shoot back in 1900. Morelli, a calm, self assured 13 year old Little league pitcher from Pittsburgh not only broke a hundred straight but he than broke 25 more in a shoot-off to secure the title over 2,550 shooters. The severe heat on that day did not seem to affect the 8th grader and it took him several days to realize what he had accomplished. During the race his squad was at times filled with confusion as several squad members shot out of turn. His friend and advisor Lou Silvioni, who was old enough to be Johnnies grandfather, had to talk his parents into letting him come to the Grand with him. Lou gave to the boy advise and encouragement all down the line during his historic run for glory. He had promised the boy that summer he would buy him a new over/under shotgun when he broke his first hundred straight, and he paid off. Johnny had broken a 97 in singles earlier that year along with a 94 in handicap. Never did Lou dream it would be in handicap that would result in his gift to the youngster. He shot from 18 yards and was the youngest shooter to ever win the Preliminary Handicap. Earlier that year at the Pennsylvania State Shoot, young John won the Sub-Junior singles award in the Singles Championship, winning that award in 1968 and again in 1969. In 1970 and 1972 he made the Sub-Junior All American Teams. 

In the American Bicentennial year of 1976, another Pittsburgh gunner won the Preliminary Handicap against a than record entry of over 3000 shooters. This time it was 22 yarder Michael Hynes, (left) breaking a 99x100 and winning a two round shoot-off over three others. The new champion was in medical residency in Pittsburgh to become a surgeon and had never fired a gun until four years earlier when another medical student asked him to go trapshooting. He said he thought he had a 97 in singles at a little shoot back home several years ago. His top handicap score for the year had been a 93. Winning this event was the culmination of a great week in shooting as he broke his first hundred straight the previous Sunday in the Dayton Homecoming, than a 199 the next day in the Class Singles to finish second in Class B. On Wednesday he broke his first 200 straight in the Clay Target Championship and finished with the top Class A trophy. Later on he was awarded the Class B HOA title. 1976 was also the year Frank Little became the first 27 yarder to tie for the GAH. He lost a one round shoot-off to Frank Crevatin. The Keystone State came very close to capturing the two biggest prizes in all of trapshooting. That would come later however, in 1994, when Pennsylvania shooters won both the Grand American Handicap and the Preliminary Handicap. More on that later.

We now move ahead 16 years to 1992 when a podiatrist from Coopersburg and her office "Feet First" in Hellertown, Patrice Ryan, (below) stunned the trapshooting world by breaking 100x100 from 18 yards and a one target shoot-off to win the Preliminary Handicap (now called the Budweiser Handicap). It seems medical doctors are starting to corner the market for Preliminary Handicap trophies.  It was her first 100 straight of any kind. Patrice, a student of Frank Little, started shooting in 1989 and enjoys golf and skiing as well. In fact she and a friend played nine holes after she put her 100 straight on the board. When she returned, she learned that 27 yarder Richard Schoch tied her for the title and a miss and out shoot was scheduled for later that evening. At 11:30 PM under a beautiful full moon, she shot first in the shoot-off and smashed her target. Schoch followed and missed his first target, giving "One Shot Ryan" the huge title. She became the 4th women to break a century at yardage at the Grand American and the 25th lady to ever break a 100 straight in handicap to that time. One was fellow Keystone State gunner Bonnie Titus. Bonnie broke a hundred in winning the 1988 President's Handicap. Her husband Jack broke a 100 straight to win the Grand American the following year. Diane Arner, another women from the Lehigh Valley, broke a hundred straight in 1984 back in Pennsylvania. To this day Patrice remains the only women to win the Preliminary Handicap.

Two years later, in 1994, a 51 year old Pennsylvania league shooter from Blandon, PA (population 2,287 with one traffic light), David Sheipe, (below) won the title with 100 straight, the only one put on the board on that balmy, sunny day. Sheipe shot from 21.5 yards. Over 4,100 gunners took the line that day. For Sheipe, this was his first Grand American. He started shooting in the late 1960's while stationed in Germany. He first registered targets in 1991. He works for Carpenter Steel, a large local steel company in Reading that make stainless steel and he often goes to Canada to pursue his other hobby, snowmobiling. The event was again named after it's sponsor, Budweiser. Jean Pope of Illinois posted the first 100 straight in the event. Since then the title has been won 21 times with perfect scores. This unassuming, friendly man, still does not realize the magnitude of his victory, years after his historic victory. Several years later thieves would steal his silverware trophy but they could not steal his title. It is there for all to see and admire. 

Move ahead now the 2006 and the first Grand American at the new facilities in Sparta, Illinois. Michael Pintirsch (below) a 21 yarder from Butler, broke  the second ever 100 straight at Sparta from yardage to win the Preliminary Handicap, now called the Remington Nitro 27 Handicap, over 2,583 entries. The honor of shooting the first 100 at Sparta from yardage belongs to fellow Pennsylvania native, Charlie Berkhous, when he won the President Handicap several days before. Michael was introduced to trapshooting at age 11 by his older brother at a local gun club using only hand throwers. He began his ATA career in 2001. A league shooter and a Boy Scout instructor, he became the 8th Pennsylvania shooter to win the event. Michael is a machinist, working with lathes and mills. He is also a hunter, taking deer and turkeys with bow and arrow. His three children have taken up the sport on a recreational level. Using an Krieghoff KX-5 and Remington shells, Michael is certainly an up and coming shooter. Like all trapshooters, his goal is the win the Grand American Handicap. Pintirsch had the only perfect score and won the event without a shoot-off.