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Sporting Life, January 19, 1901 --



Sporting Life, February 16, 1901 --

Is it known exactly what the proposed handicap was that McAlpin had suggested for Money? Was it a yardage or slide penalty or a bird spot? Just curious.

It's been downhill for trap shooting ever since!

That's funny Shotgun, I was having a similar thought:-)

More information about handicapping here, mostly courtesy of Kenny Ray Estes
http://www.trapshooters.com/threads/history-of-target-handicapping.225223/#post-2134624

The real issue was that McAlpin had tried to declare Harold and Albert professionals because they ran the American E.C. & Schultze Powder Co.

Later, Harold was a professional shooter for Winchester.

"... the aged sportsman ..." He was 61!

I turn 61 in 16 days time. I certainly don't consider myself aged, though to a spotty young journalist I suppose I might be.

Bah humbug!

Happy New Year to all.

Tim

Inanimate target classification was obviously quite different than Live Bird handicapping

April 28, 1894 Sporting Life
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1894/VOL_23_NO_05/SL2305011.pdf
The new American handicap for artificial bird shooting is one of distance only.
There are now three classes. All shooters averaging 85 per cent, are entered in Class A, and must shoot at the 18-yard mark. Seventy-five per cent men and less than 85 per cent are entered in Class B and must shoot at the 16-yard mark. All shooters averaging less than 75 per cent, are entered in Class C, and must shoot at the 14-yard mark.
Shooters will be classified by the Classification Committee of the association, from the records they have made at their home clubs, or from the best information obtainable.

In that era, 61 for a working man, was much above average. Men at labor worked six days a week. Mostly ten hour days. No vacation, no early retirement, no workers comp.. Not slavery but not an easy life. So when someone reached 60 or even less common 70 it was a rare event. They are right that 60 is the new 40 or at least 50. I think 80 is about like 65-70 in those days.

Those who were not engaged in hard labor did not live much shorter lives than we do. We have more advanced medicines but eat less healthy and get less excercise.

I don't remember anyone under the age of 60 winning the HOA honor at our pigeon club's shoots. Yes, we have skilled competitors under that age. The recent charge of cheating on handicap distance against the 2014 Grand American Handicap champion is interesting reading. No fisticuffs are involved, but court action may be in the future. The "kid" and his handlers are probably correctly identified as "scumbags", since they haven't come forward to defend their conduct. I would be in favor of "fisticuffs", but that would be inconvenient for the participants.