Thanks, Drew and Ed for the information on the early shoots. Ed is correct about the date of the first "Interstate Tournament". Sousa's recollection of "around 1880" probably referred to the first clay targets thrown at a tournament at Springfield, Ohio, not the second International Tournament at New Orleans in 1885. I have the original program from the 1885 New Orleans shoot and almost got to purchase the program for the 1884 tournament. Lucky for me, all the participants and winners for the 1884 tournament were listed in the 1885 New Orleans program. The names of participants in these tournaments is a Who's Who of the shooting and gunmaking world of the day. As I recall, Fred Kimble was a referee at one of the shoots. I won't presume to develop a modern sports comparison to that interesting fact.
