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Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood announced that the U.S. Open Trap Shooting Championships will return to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC) in Sparta, with the popular event scheduled for May 1-4.
The IDNR will host the U.S. Open thanks to the support of major sponsors White Flyer, Winchester, Browning, Remington, and Holiday Inn Express.
"The U.S. Open Trap Shooting Championships event is quickly becoming a fan favorite and one of the most popular events at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex," said Flood. "As one of the first major events of the season, we know summer is not far behind."
During the 2008 U.S. Open, shooters will compete for more than $15,000 in prizes and additional money. On Friday, May 2, the complex will host a Shooters Appreciation Party at the WSRC Events Center. Complimentary barbeque by WSRC food vendor 17th Street Bar and Grill, and beverages provided by Anheuser Busch and Pepsi, will be served from 5-7 p.m.
The 8th annual Governors Cup Shooting Challenge, a sporting clays event, will also be held simultaneously at the WSRC on May 2-3. Registration is $125 plus fees for each NSCA-registered shooter.
In July of 2006, the U.S. Open made history by being the first trapshooting event ever held at the WSRC, with nearly 1,500 shooters competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes in 10 different events.
Trapshooting is a specific form of clay target shooting and a game of movement, action and split-second timing. It requires the accuracy and skill to repeatedly aim, fire, and break a 4 1/4 inch disc, which is hurled through the air at a speed of 41 mph, simulating the flight path of a bird fleeing a hunter.
The U.S. Open is the first of three major shooting events at the WSRC in 2008. The complex will host the Midwest Classic Skeet Shoot on June 27-29, while the ATA Grand American, the world's single largest trap shooting event, returns to the WSRC on August 6-16 – the third consecutive year that the Grand American has been held at the Sparta complex.
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