2022 – Grant Leister

2021 – Ted Carwile

Ted Carwile has been shooting registered targets for more than 20 years, and through the end of the 2020 season, he has amassed 106,700 singles, 94,250 handicap, and 85,600 doubles targets.  Ted is showing no signs of slowing down as he ended the 2020 season with the highest singles average of his career.  Ted hit 97.5% of the 4000 singles targets at which he shot.  Over the years, he has made it to the 27-yard line in handicap, ran three 200 straights in singles, ran one 100 straight in doubles, and countless other 100 straights in singles.  Ted was a member of the ATA All American Senior Veteran Team in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Mr. Carwile amassed well over 30 trophies over the past 20 years at the Virginia State Shoot.  Some of the more notable include: 2018 & 2016 Sr. Vet Singles Champion, 2019, 2018, & 2016 Sr. Vet HOA, and several Sr. Vet High All Around trophies.  Ted has also won numerous other trophies at the Grand American, various other state shoots, and large tournaments.  During the past 12 years, Ted was on either the Veteran or Senior Veteran state team for 11 of those years.

2020 – Danny Sirk

Danny began shooting register trap targets in 1997. Since that beginning, he has fired more than 100,000 registered targets across the three disciplines and has destroyed the majority of them. Danny’s consistency has been and continues to be remarkable as he has been on a member of the state team every year since 2005. He shows no signs of slowing down any time soon as he ended the 2019 shooting year with a 97.45 singles average, 90.36 handicap average, and a 91.25 doubles average.

2019 – Robert “Bob” Brino

Bob began registered trapshooting in 1993. He is currently the shotgun sports chairman of the Arlington-Fairfax Izaak Walton League (AFIWLA) club in Centreville, Virginia, as he has been for 25 years. This chapter is the largest in Virginia. He has served as the trapshooting shooting director for the Fairfax Gun Club in the past as well. As AFIWLA chair he is responsible for all shotgun activities at the club. They will have three registered shoots per year and a winter league that is always at capacity that includes trap and skeet. It should be noted that this league shoot has been running for 40 years. Mr. Brino is heavily involved in the Crushin Clays tournament that is an annual event at AFIWLA. This charity shoot, sponsored by the Virginia Shooting Sports Association and the NRA, is for the benefit of St. Judes Children’s Hospital. This has been going on for over 20 years and has raised almost $400,000 for the hospital. Throughout his time as a VTA officer, he has served as vice president and two terms as president. During his terms as president, he worked very closely with the management of Winchester Gun Club, the home ground of the VTA. This cordial relationship goes a long way to ensure successful VTA shoots at Winchester. He was responsible for the beginning of physical improvements to the Winchester Club as supported by the VTA. A successful shoot is of the highest importance to a shooter. Bob has also been the AFIWLA gun club representative to the VTA. The “reps” are actually the VTA’s board of directors

2018 – Gary Funkhouser

Gary has been a member of the VTA since 1992. In his earlier years, his 16-yard average was never below 93 and peaked at 98. However, Gary’s nomination and selection were based on his support of the VTA and all trapshooters.  Here are some of his many accomplishments.

1. Gary became Manager of the Winchester Gun Club in 2004 and is still the Gun Club Manager. 
2. He was elected to the WGC Board of Directors in 2004 and is still serving as a Board Member.
3. He was elected as President of the Winchester Gun Club in February 2012 and served thru 2015 while continuing to serve as club manager.
4. To this day, he continues to oversee all the operational needs for all the VTA shoots as well as all the WGC shoots. This is no small task as he makes sure that both the facilities and equipment are always in top notch condition for all the shoots.

Everyone realizes that Gary is an outstanding candidate for the VTA Hall of Fame. Not only on his accomplishments but in the manner, he has done them. His qualities of longevity, integrity, reliability & outstanding leadership have made a significant impact on the Gun Club. He is an exceptional role model for both new as well as long time members of the gun club and VTA. He demonstrates a true devotion to the promotion of a successful VTA. 

If you are a competitive shooter, it means you want to go to a venue that welcomes you with excellent shooting facilities and skilled staff. While WGC has probably the best background and shooting facilities in the Commonwealth. Gary maintains the traps to a high degree of excellence. He is there early before every shoot to check equipment and set targets. During the shoot he keeps a watchful eye on the line and is quick to respond to problems. He even has the ability and skill to manufacture trap machine parts.  This is a financial benefit to the WGC.

Management involves more than facilities and equipment. It means people. Over the years as manager Gary trained many young people to be the trap “help”.  This training involved more than teaching a person how to score, and load traps. He has the ability to mold these young people into responsible and respectful human beings. These are life skills will follow these WGC “kids” throughout their lives.

Gary is hands on.  Not only does he direct activities and duties, he is there with you.  He willingly takes on any task, and doing so, makes everyone’s jobs easier.

2017 – Andrea Smith

Andrea Smith served as President of the Virginia Trapshooting Hall of Fame from 2005 through 2015, and continues to serve as Vice Prresident. She continues to hold silent auctions to raise money to assist the different youth groups which are supported by the Hall of Fame. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Shooting Sports Association to protect trap shooter’s rights and protect the rights of all Virginia gun owners. Her devotion to trapshooting is unsurpassed as she has worked with the Virginia Trapshooting Association in many areas, placing vendors into appropriate spaces and other campground functions. Her expertise in holding registered trap shoots at the Piedmont Sportmen’s Gun Club over the past several years throughout the winter months has enabled many shooters to acquire sufficient targets to avoid both yardage and classification penalties.

2016 – BRUCE CLEVENGER

Bruce’s service to the Virginia Trapshooting Association (VTA) and the Virginia Trapshooting Hall of Fame (VTHOF) has been mostly through his many contributions at and for the Winchester Gun Club (WGC). He has served in many capacities over the past 20 plus years at WGC, from director to President and is currently serving as a VTA Trustee. His biggest contribution is ongoing, that being his Tuesday Night Summer League Trapshoot which averages around a dozen full squads weekly from mid-April to late September. This has provided a much needed income to WGC and next to the Virginia State shoot provides the club with its second largest annual monetary gain. He also has expanded the league to include several squads of junior shooters and works with the AIM program to promote and fulfill the VTHOF commitment to youth shooting program. For more than twenty years, Bruce has assisted and provided support to the VTA and WGC; he continues to work with the different group to improve the facility, equipment and grounds.

2015 – BLAIR SURBER

Blair Surber started trapshooting in 1986 and since then has amassed more than 124,000 singles, 102,000 handicap and 83,000 doubles targets shot at, joining the quarter million club in 2007. During his shooting career, he participated in and won major trophies at the North East Grand, the Southern Grand, the Empire Grand, the South West Grand, the Grand American, the Heartland Grand, the Southern Zone, and at several state shoots. 2009 was an outstanding year for Blair, during which he won six Grand American trophies, was the Southern Zone Singles Runner-up Champion with a score of 200 plus 200 extra in the shootoff, and ended the year with a AA-27-AA classification. Blair was Captain of the 2010 ATA Senior Veteran All American Team and was on the 2011 Senior Veteran first team. He served on the Winchester Gun Club Board of Directors, and as a VTA Trustee for 2 terms

2014 – GLEN FUNKHOUSER

Glen Funkhouser joined the ATA in 1988. He started shooting registered targets in 1989 and shot his way to the 27 yard line by 1991. Glen has been on every Virginia State Team since 1991. He maintained a 99.7 singles average in 2003. Glen won all three Virginia State titles multiple times: singles in 1997, 2003, 2004, and 2012, handicap in 2007 and 2008 and doubles in 2005 and 2010. He won the state all around in 2010. In 2013, Glen won the sub veteran singles class championship and singles championship on the way to winning the sub veteran high overall and high all around. He won multiple events at last year’s Hall of Fame and Old Dominion shoots. He also holds several zone and Grand American trophies. Glen is a member of the Winchester Gun Club and serves on the Board there. In addition, he is a youth instructor and coaches new shooters. He helps train participants to score, work in the trap houses and run score sheets during registered and non registered shoots. Glen Funkhouser was inducted into the Hall of Fame because of his exceptional efforts both in shooting and in working and promoting the sport of trapshooting.

2013 – EARL PINKARD

After setting records in skeet, Earl started shooting trap in 1987 and has been a devotee ever since. Among his many trophies are the Virginia Singles Champion in 2000, the State Doubles Championship in 2001, and the State Veteran’s Doubles Championship in 2010. In addition, Earl has been on Virginia State Teams for eleven years. Earl served as president of the Richmond Trap & Skeet Club for 10 years and has been Secretary of the Virginia Trapshooting Association for many years. By default Earl took on the role of the VTA’s shoot photographer as well as awarding all trophies. For many years VTA event winners had their pictures taken, framed and a write-up prepared and ready to be published; all of this done by Earl hundreds and hundreds of times.

2012 – DAVE HEWITT

Dave Hewitt started registering targets in 1978 and has shot at approximately 160,000 birds garnering many trophies including the Virginia State Handicap Championship. In addition, he tied for the state doubles championship. He served several years as the Vice President of the Virginia Trapshooting Association, but his primary contribution to trapshooting in Virginia has been his great efforts promoting and working for our sport. Dave’s home club is the Christiansburg Gun Club that depends entirely on volunteer workers to host 14 registered shoots annually. For more than thirty years, Dave has been a leader of these volunteers. He serves as cashier and shoot manager as well as completing the required supporting paperwork. This work requires a few hours of effort before the shoot, much time and work during the shoot and 2 – 3 hours of work after the shoot. This is what makes a shoot happen. Dave creates an atmosphere that brings the shooters back. Dave was instrumental in the planning and execution of improvements at the Christiansburg Gun Club which included new access road and walkways to the club. This was no small feat, as the Christiansburg club sits on the side of a mountain. Trapshooting in Virginia is dependent on shooting events at our many smaller clubs. These smaller clubs depend on efforts of a few hard workers. Dave has worked very hard for over thirty years so that we can drive to the club, shoot targets and then drive home feeling that the experience was memorable and look forward to another shoot on the mountain.

2011 – CAROL SMELTZER

Carol Smeltzer shot ATA trap from 1983 until 1988. During that time, she was on three ATA All American teams. She won numerous Grand American trophies including Preliminary Handicap Ladies Winner and twice was Runner-Up in the Ladies Champion of Champions event with 99 X 100. She holds the ladies national handicap yardage record of 6 1/2 yards earned in one year. She has won numerous shoot offs against both male and female All American shooters. Carol won many Virginia state titles including the Ladies Singles Championship three years in a row, as well as handicap champion and ladies overall champion. Carol shot in several winter leagues in Virginia and Maryland, coached – including at at George Mason University, and ran or helped at shoots in northern Virginia. In international trap shooting, she was a member of the US Shooting Team in 1989 and 1991 and was Ladies Champion in 1989 with a record score. At the World Moving Targets Championships in Moscow, she was a member of bronze medal winning ladies double trap squad.

2010 – BETTY FARLEY

2009 – DON JOBE

 2008 – DAVID HAKOLA

David is a life time member of the ATA and has registered over 250,000 targets. He has been shooting registerd targets since 1969 and has been a long time member and officer of the Winchester Gun Club. David previously served as the Vice President of the VTA as well as a trustee. He also formalized the VTHOF as an IRS approved, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation.

2008 – BOB BAINE

2007 – RUTH CUTHBERT

2006 – JIM DOTSON

2005 – CLAY FLOYD

2004 – PETE KETTERER

2003 – DEWEY HANCOCK

2002 – STEVE HAWKINS

2001 – PAT IRELAND

2000 – WILLIE FINCH

 1999 – ROY D. YOUNG

1998 – LARRY J. HEVNER

1997 – ERNEST FLOYD

1996 – ROBERT S. IGOU

1996 – ALBERT SUTTLE

1995 – JOHN A. LIGHT SR.

1994 – LEE COLLINS

1993 – DALLAS BERRY

1992 – ROBERT TUCKER

1991 – JOHN R. LINN

1990 – RALPH K. YOUNG

1989 – PAUL D. PLUMLY

1989 – ALBERT D. STRUBLER

1989 – MORRIS W. PHILLIPS