The 27th Annual Ron Hoppie Memorial
Trap Shoot
Clubs are usually known as a “skeet” club or a
“trap” club; however there are a select few where the board of directors
understands that any target in the air has value. The Missoula Trap & Skeet
club is one such facility. There dedication to shooting sports and a
positive customer experience goes well beyond the bottom line. At this
year’s Ron Hoppie Memorial Trap Shoot I got a lesson on how a successful club
pulls it off.
This annual event is held Mother’s Day weekend
each year. The weather in Missoula is all but predictable, however this year
we were blessed with 75 degree weather and sunshine. The shoot runs at a
fast pace. They throw 1000 targets during the three day event including 400
on Saturday alone. You might wonder how 50 squads can shoot trap on 18 trap
fields and still end by 5:30 every day. The answer is SKEET Shooters!
The club members pitch in and have a lot of
fun doing it. At the event approximately 50 members, mostly skeet shooters
loaded trap machines, took care of the scorekeepers and attended to the
trash. Trash duty is such a hoot; I think there is even a waiting list to
get on it. The skeet shooters work the trap shoots and you guessed it, the
trap shooters work the skeet shoots. The result is a clean facility, no
broken targets, and happy shooters. As we all know if shooters are happy
they come back….and the shoot grows, as this one has.
The club attributes their success to their
members first, but throwing White Flyer Targets certainly helps. They
understand that broken birds add up and nothing frustrates a competitive
shooter more. By throwing White Flyer Targets shooters know that the club
will be throwing good targets and it helps attendance. Because of the
consistently good targets the club has thrived. They were able to buy and
keep up new automatic traps, voice release systems and a first class
clubhouse and kitchen. They even built a bunker to help aspiring Olympians.
I was told that they keep target prices down by charging a little more for
beer. The low cost of shooting and outstanding club creates a great social
atmosphere. When the shooting is done everyone sticks around to enjoy the
lavations. This sounds like a great formula for success to me.
I strongly suggest if you are looking for a
great shoot to attend next year put this one on your calendar. Just remember
it’s on Mother’s Day so you may want to invite her or at least send flowers.
