Minutes of October 2, 2021 ISTA Board of Directors Meeting held at Downers Grove Sportsman’s Club
Meeting was called to order by President Charlie Bickle
ROLL CALL
Southern Zone: Dennis Baker, Bill Duncan, Ned Meyer by phone, Frank Payne
Central Zone: Steve Carver, Mike Dennis, Bill Maiden, Kevin Wunder (ex)
Northern Zone: Charlie Bickle, Patrick Haskins, Bill Huhn, Stan Systo
Others: Joan Davis, ISTA Secretary, Dan Schocke
SECRETARY’S REPORT – Ned Meyer made a motion to waive the reading of the minutes and accept the minutes as presented by email from the Secretary; seconded by Bill Duncan. Motion carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Ned Meyer reported the following: Edward Jones investment account, cash & money market, etc...Bill Duncan made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report; Pat Haskins seconded the motion. Motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS
State Shoot -- Shoot-Offs – Mike Dennis discussed with the board how, a few years back, the Directors at the time agreed if the Doubles Championship, which had been held on Friday, could be moved to Sunday so all championship targets could be shot on the weekend, they would commit to staying to the end of the shoot on Sunday. This year, there were only two or three Directors left at the end of the shoot. If the Doubles Championships stay on Sunday, all the Directors need to recommit staying to the end.
State Shoot Trophies (Quantity Compared to Other States & Lost/Given Out Incorrectly) -- Mike Dennis passed out a document showing trophies other states give to their in-state and out-of-state shooters compared to Illinois. It shows not as many non-residents are coming to Illinois as previously thought. With trying to save money on trophies, there was a suggestion to give a Championship only trophy in the Elder category which would be a savings of $600. It was suggested to cut back a little at a time. Mike will go back to see how many trophies it would save if first place only was given for non-residents, and he would send that info out to everyone. For the 2021 trophies, there was a cost savings around $4,000 less than what we previously paid Diane Casa. In addition to that, there was also the savings of her room & board for the week.
Dan Staker won the Sub-Vet trophy for Class Doubles Event 10, but did not receive his trophy. He would like to have the trophy so Mike will order it. There was another man who didn’t receive his trophy either but said he would just take the money instead of buying a new trophy. For the 2022 State Shoot, Mike is going to have the trophies delivered to him a month early so each box can be labeled to cut down on the number of errors when distributing.
Update on HOF Brick Fundraiser – Bill Huhn reported the fundraiser is moving a little slow. Currently 33 bricks have been sold for a total of $6200. Bill said he has heard some say when they know the building is going to be a reality & there will be a sidewalk, more people will donate.
Secretaries Minutes on Website - There was a suggestion for the board minutes to be posted on the ISTA website. The board agreed to have them posted and Dan Schocke created a location on the website for the minutes, however, the board does not approve the minutes until the next meeting which is sometimes several months later. Joan asked for clarification as to whether she is supposed to post the minutes after the meeting or only after they have been board approved. The board agreed the minutes should only be posted after board approval.
NEW BUSINESS
Hall of Fame Nominees – Nominations were voted on & those nominees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2022 State Shoot. It was also decided to have cake and ice cream for the induction ceremony again this year.
Zone Shoot – Shoot Offs – Charlie Bickle discussed shoot offs for all Champions at the Zone Shoots – including all Classes, Categories & Yardage. Northern Zone has only had shoot offs for the High Over All Champions and Singles Champion. All other Champions have been decided by reverse score. Charlie asked what the other two zones do. It was decided that any Champion will be shot off and all runner ups would be reverse score for all three zone shoots.
Gries Trust – Ned informed everyone by email that he spoke with the Walter Gries trust fund attorney, Thomas Janssen, who indicated he is going to close out the trust and is working with the Illinois Attorney General to review the Gries Trust before the funds are sent. According to Thomas Janssen this could take several months before the funds are available. There was a suggestion if the money is given back, to have it deposited in the Hall of Fame Bldg fund. Mike Dennis reported he has heard there is a lot of push back from Central Zone shooters who think the money should stay in the Central Zone & not deposited in the Hall of Fame Bldg fund. Mike suggested having the Central Zone membership vote to see what they want to do with the money & have the vote at the 2022 Central Zone Shoot. Mike said he talked to the Central Zone Directors and if the money stays in Central Zone, they want to hire someone to manage it. This is on hold until ISTA hears from Thomas Janssen and/or the Illinois Attorney General.
State Shoot – Vendor Fees – Some of the vendors were told by Susie that their fees were going to increase for their vendor tents and campers. Some vendors are upset and said they cannot afford to come if it’s going to go up as much as was told. Ann Dee Larkin agreed & said they couldn’t afford it either. Ann Dee also talked to Mike Dennis in Nebraska, and said she would be putting together what she pays at other state shoots and give it to Michelle & Susie. Terry Jones of Terry’s Gun Vault said two years ago he paid $165 for his tent only & did not camp. The new t-shirt vendor paid $185 for only a tent and did not camp. He didn’t understand why he was paying the same as someone who camped. The board wants to talk to Michelle at the next meeting about the vendor fees and the electric costs of the campers.
ATA DELEGATE REPORT – Bill Duncan reported they did not have a meeting at the Grand due to some members having COVID and instead had a video conference call two weeks later. ATA has about $25 million in the bank. Their money increased $5 million due to an increase in the stock market. They are continuing to use it as a war chest in case they have to move the Grand out of Sparta. At the Grand, classified shooters were down 19% from 2019 but the number of entries were only down 6%. The five satellite Grands were up a little. In 2019 across the country, there were 38.8 million targets thrown. In 2021, 33.8 million targets were thrown. In July ATA sends every delegate a letter with all the proposed rule changes so everyone can think about it for a month before the meeting. A day before the meeting, all the zones get together and discuss how they want to vote. One thing they voted on was if a sub-junior kid signs up for the ATA and before they receive their plastic membership card, they have a birthday qualifying them to be a junior, do they have to move up or can they remain a sub-junior. It was voted they can remain a sub-junior for that year. However, a day before the meeting this year, they threw in a rule change that was not on the previously shared list. It was to raise the daily fees a dollar and raise annual dues $10. This would only be for the adult members, however, 45% of ATA’s shooters are kids. The additional money would primarily go to the account which pays the salaries & maintenance of the ATA building. That is the only account the ATA has that is in the red. They are having trouble keeping people and hiring people because the salaries are low. The delegates voted it down. Bill said he has been thinking about how they could raise more money since the vote and he is going to propose for adults to go from $20 to $30 a year; kids from $12 to $20 and ask lifetime members if they would commit to donate $50 a year for the next 10 years to help get this account out of the red.
Next ISTA Meeting – December 11, 2021, at Scheels, 3801 S. MacArthur Blvd, Springfield, IL
ADJOURNMENT - Motion to adjourn was made by made Mike Dennis; Steve Carver seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted by Joan Davis, ISTA Secretary