Coronavirus rules may force 2020 trapshooting championship out of southern Illinois
Rules about the allowable size of public gatherings enacted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to slow the spread coronavirus have cast doubt over whether the Grand American World Trapshooting Championship can be held in Southern Illinois this year.
Some local lawmakers fear those restrictions may drive the Amateur Trapshooting Association’s annual championship from Sparta’s World Shooting Complex to another state, a decision they say could cost the region millions in economic impact.
The ATA has sent two emails to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources asking that it make a determination by June 15 on whether the 121st annual Grand American will be allowed to take place. This year’s competition is scheduled for August 5 through 15th.
During a virtual press conference, State Senator Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo and representatives Teri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, and Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, called for the state to allow the Grand American to go forward as scheduled.
“The ATA will still move forward with the event in a different state,” Schimpf said.
The three lawmakers said even with the championship not scheduled until late July, they don’t believe the region will be able to accommodate a crowd, based on Pritzker’s five-phase plan to reopen the Illinois economy. The region is currently in phase 2 of 5 in the governor’s plan. Large gatherings cannot resume until phase 4.
Schimpf said the event is a major boon to the local and regional economy. The event is the largest trapshooting event in the world with an estimated regional impact of between $20 and $30 million. In Sparta, the annual event typically provides $25-30,000 in sales tax, he said.
Schimpf, Bryant and Reitz also speculated that if the ATA were to host the competition in another state, it likely would not return to Illinois. Martin said it could cost the area almost $30 million in revenue if the event left the 1,600-acre property in Sparta.
The $50 million complex opened in 2006 and holds 120 shooting fields, several fishing lakes and an event center.
ATA Executive Director Lynn Gipson, however, dismissed any speculation that the ATA would leave permanently. The association has a contract with the State of Illinois through 2026. Beyond that, he said the organization doesn’t want to leave Sparta, where it’s planted its headquarters.
“We’re not going to leave,” he said, adding that the ATA is “firmly” headquartered in Sparta. “We’re willing to do whatever we need to stay here. This is where we want to have it.”
In 2016, the ATA faced a similar decision when the World Shooting and Recreational Complex was shuttered during a state budget disagreement. The competition went on as planned, however, when a deal between the city of Sparta and the ATA was reached.
Gipson said the ATA also isn’t trying to pressure the state. If the event can’t be held, however, the ATA needs time to give vendors and competitors a fair amount of time to plan for an alternative.
He said the emails the ATA have sent to the state have gone without response, but have been mostly informal. The organization plans to send an “official request” in the coming days.
Gipson said The June 15 deadline is the longest the ATA can wait for an answer due to planning requirements for vendors, competitors and the organization itself.
Four other sites have approached the ATA with interest in hosting the competition if it cannot be held in Illinois, Gipson said. Gipson said the ATA can move the competition temporarily without being in breach of its lease with the state.
As for public health concerns, Gipson said trapshooting competitions can easily be done while observing socially distancing standards.
Participants are spaced apart in their shooting stations with more than six feet between them. Even teams of five are kept at a distance and don’t share equipment, Gipson said.
Judges sit away from the teams and the few spectators that attend are positioned away from the competitors.
“We can maintain the six-foot distancing with ease. This is a no-contact sport and we’re outside,” he said. “We just want to award our world champions.”
What’s most important to the ATA, Gipson said, is that the tournament happens.
“The goal of the executive committee is to have a Grand, if not here then somewhere else,” he said. “It’s never not been held. Through both World Wars, the other pandemic, depression — there’s always a Grand American.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM.