Last year the ATA extended its agreement with the state of Illinois, keeping it at the World Shooting Complex until 2026 with an option to extend its contract after that.
All that was left of the ATA was its offices at 601 W. National Road in the building that also houses the ATA Hall of Fame. Lynn Gipson, the new executive director of the ATA, announced recently the offices will soon be moving to Sparta. That will mean the loss of eight local jobs. One employee has decided to move to Sparta.
The building — with a few changes and updates — is the same one erected by some of Dayton’s leading industrialists, including Charles Kettering, Frederick B. Patterson and Frank Huffman in 1923. What happens to it after the ATA leaves? Don’t be surprised if it is torn down by the city, despite its history.
The ATA Hall of Fame probably will leave soon, too, although there is no building selected in Sparta for it to relocate its many artifacts.
Gipson filled the executive director’s position which had been vacant for more than a year. He will not relocate to this area, but will be moving to Sparta. One of his first assignments was to move the offices to Sparta.
“When I came here, I told the staff what was going to happen,” Gipson said. “I wanted everyone to know. I didn’t want any rumors going around. I told them we would be moving within the next couple of months.”
Gipson, 53, is multitalented. He operates a gun club north of Kansas City, owns a gun sales outlet and is half owner of a lead reclamation business. He has worked at the Grand, running the shootoffs, and was assistant tournament director last year. He is also developing new software for the ATA and the Grand.
He sold guns at the Grand in Vandalia two years and shot in 12 Grands here.
Gipson also hopes to grow the sport, which had its “glory years” in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“I don’t know that we will ever see participation like we had at one time in Vandalia, but I’ve learned that if you can work with what you’ve got and be successful, then everything else comes after that,” he said. “You can dream, but you have to be realistic.”
He said the encouraging sign is the large number of kids now shooting in various programs around the country.
Scholarship offered: Applications are being accepted for the annual Larry A. Hart Memorial Scholarship worth $500. Applicants must be Ohio residents who have graduated or will graduate from an accredited high school; any person who is or will be enrolled in an accredited college and will be pursuing a career in the field of law enforcement or natural resources.
To obtain a scholarship application, write to the Larry A. Hart Scholarship Committee, 120 Wayne Ave., Eaton, Ohio 45320, call (937) 456-5371 or visit dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=19719.
The deadline for applications is March 15.
Outdoors columnist Jim Morris can be reached through his website at www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-dayton/jim-morris or by email at sports@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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