President’s Message

(November 2025)

The club hosted our first annual high school trap invitational on November 2. It was a huge success. In attendance were teams from Saint Charles Sports Men’s Club, Cornerstone Batist School, Stillman Valley High School, and Hononegah High School. Congratulation to Saint Charles for winning the tournament and to the individual winners as shown below. Thanks to Ben Ratzer for organizing and coordinating this event and to all of his helpers which are too numerous to name. I couldn’t be more pleased with the success and turn out and look forward to hosting our next tournament.

Boys:

1st – Luke Kruse – St. Charles – 94

2nd – Ayden Doucette – St. Charles – 84

3rd – Jake Fett – St. Charles – 84

Girls:

1st – Aubrey – Hononegah – 71

2nd – Abby Auestad – Cornerstone – 69

3rd – Hynlee Hanna – Stillman Valley – 67

Annie Oakley Winner

Braeden Vaughan

In the near future, a new camera system will be installed in the club house, barn, and handgun range. I want to thank Jeremy Hernandez for putting together the quote and plan for installation.

As required by our insurance company, all members will be required to sign a liability waver once a year. The waiver will be included on the dues renewal invoice which will be mailed in mid-December. Please sign it and return it with your payment.

We are in the process of developing a program to allow members to pay membership dues by credit or debit card. There will however, be a 3% fee for the transaction. More to follow as plans become firm. You will still be required to complete the information form and sign the waiver as mentioned above. The complete documents can by returned via USPS mail or by putting it in the deposit draw in the club house. Dues will not be accepted without the signed waiver and completed information form.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact 

George Ketter at 815-631-9366, Caleb Davis at 815-243-1483 or Greg Baylander at

815-494-7321. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection and a $25.00 annual fee (cash or check).

2025 Projects

• Repair skeet houses – completed
• Refurbish trap voice calls – Completed
• 5-Stand shooting building – TBD
• Electrical power to 5-Stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap house 2

2025 Events – all events completed

Remember gun safety is our number 1 priority.

Rockford Skeet Club Mission Statement

The Rockford Skeet Club’s mission is to promote clay target shooting and complementary shooting sports. The objectives are to promote those characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, team-play, and self-reliance which are the essentials of good sportsmanship. It is the duty of all members to contribute to the wellbeing, to protect, to grow, and to enhance the club and its membership.

Best Regards,

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

RCS BOD, November 4, 2025                                                                                                    

• PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Steve Wiltgen, Caleb Davis, Bill Shold, Ben Ratze, Mike Buckman
• and guest Jeremy Hernandez

1.     Meeting called to order at 5:30 by President Sam Valenza

2.     Minutes of September– Approved, 5-0

3.    Treasurers Report:  Approve 5-0

New Business:

1. New member orientation video – In process
2. School trap team invitational – HUGE SUCCESS
3. Boy scout merit badge – Completed
4. Skeet league will be on again next year  

      5.   Water filtration for main water – looking into

      6.  Orientation/safety rules form updated – Completed

      7.  Annual waiver for all club members. Starting 2026

Projects for 2025

• Trap voice calls – completed and working well
• Repair skeet houses – Completed
• 5 stand building – TBD
• Electricity for 5 stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap houses – field 1 completed
• NSSA dues paid – Completed
• Furnace service – Completed
• New first aid kits – completed
• Replace cameras Yes 5-0
• Setting up dues payment via internet 5-0

2025    Events

         All completed

Meeting adjourned at 6:30

Next Board meeting December 2   2025                                                                     

Respectfully submitted – Caleb Davis, Secretary       

President’s Message

(October 2025)

The club hosted our annual steak lunch for the landfill folks in appreciation for all that they do for us on Friday September 26. This year they removed a berm and put in the parking lot for the 5-stand venue, mowed the long grass beyond the skeet and trap fields, unloaded the targets from semi-truck, and loaded the skeet houses with targets all at no cost to the club. They are terrific neighbors and friends. 

The club will be hosting our first high school trap invitational on November 2, at 9 am. We are hoping to get 3-4 area teams to participate. We plan on giving out t-shirts and a trophy to the winner. As a result, the trap fields will be closed for member shooting until about 1 pm.

We hosted an event on Saturday October 4 for the Boy Scout shooting merit badge. We will be sponsoring this event a couple time a year. Thanks to Mike Buckman for coordinating this event.

As required by our insurance company, all members will be required to sign a liability waver once a year. The waiver will be included on the dues renewal invoice which will be mailed in mid-December. Please sign it and return it with your payment.

We now have new first aid kits in the pistol house and the club house. Thanks to Greg Baylander for coordinating the donation of these kits from the Granger Company. We will also be buying a kit for the trap range.

The water from our new well has a heavy iron content and it is staining the toilets, skinks, and urinal. We are working on solutions to resolve this issue. As a reminder, do not drink from the sink faucets. Use the reverse osmoses faucets on the kitchen sink, bottled water, or water from the water cooler for drinking and cooking.    

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact 

George Ketter at 815-631-9366, Caleb Davis at 815-243-1483 or Greg Baylander at

815-494-7321. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection and a $25.00 annual fee (cash or check).

2025 Projects

• Repair skeet houses – completed
• Refurbish trap voice calls – completed
• 5-Stand shooting building – TBD
• Electrical power to 5-Stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap house 2

2025 Events

• Landfill Lunch – completed

Remember gun safety is our number 1 priority.

Rockford Skeet Club Mission Statement

The Rockford Skeet Club’s mission is to promote clay target shooting and complementary shooting sports. The objectives are to promote those characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, team-play, and self-reliance which are the essentials of good sportsmanship. It is the duty of all members to contribute to the wellbeing, to protect, to grow, and to enhance the club and its membership.

Best Regards,

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

RCS BOD, October 7, 2025                                                                                                    

• PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Al Perry, Steve Wiltgen, Caleb Davis, Bill Shold, Ben Ratze, Mike Buckman

1.     Meeting called to order at 5:30 by President Sam Valenza

2.     Minutes of September– Approved, 6-0

3.    Treasurers Report:  Approve 6-0

New Business:

1. New member orientation video – In process
2. School trap team invitational – Is a go
3. Boy scout merit badge – Completed
4. Skeet league will be on again next year  

      5.   Water filtration for main water – looking into

      6.  Orientation/safety rules form updated – Completed

      7.  Annual waiver for all club members.  Starting 2026

Projects for 2025

• Trap voice calls – completed and working well
• Repair skeet houses – Completed
• 5 stand building – TBD
• Electricity for 5 stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap houses – field 1 completed
• RO system installed – Completed
• New first aid kits – in process

2025    Events

           Fun day – Completed

• Landfill lunch -9/25/25 Completed

            Tutorials 

• Trap   Completed

Skeet   Completed

• 5 stand 7/19 Rained out.

Meeting adjourned at 6:30

Next Board meeting November 4   2025                                                                     

Respectfully submitted – Caleb Davis, Secretary       

 President’s Message

(September 2025)

The club held a club fun day on Saturday August 23, 2025. We had a lot of members and several guests attend. Drawing for ammo and a raffle for shooting rounds were held and a free delicious lunch was served.

The skeet houses have been repaired due to rotting at the base of the buildings. They look really nice. Thanks to Bill Shold and Les Edgcomb for painting them.

The club will be hosting our annual steak lunch for the landfill folks in appreciation for all that they do for us on Friday September 26 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. This year they removed a berm and put in the parking lot for the 5-stand venue, mowed the long grass beyond the skeet and trap fields, unloaded the targets from semi-truck, and loaded the skeet houses with targets all at no cost to the club. They are terrific neighbors and friends.  

Rob Tholin and Bob Liphart will be reconfiguring trap house 2 as they did earlier this spring on trap house 1. I will let you know when work will start as no trap shooting will be allowed at that time.

The club will be sponsoring a shooting station at the Boy Scout Shoot scheduled for September 6, 2025.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact 

George Ketter at 815-631-9366, Caleb Davis at 815-243-1483 or Greg Baylander at

815-494-7321. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection and a $25.00 annual fee (cash or check).

2025 Projects

• Repair skeet houses – completed
• Refurbish trap voice calls – completed
• 5-Stand shooting building – TBD
• Electrical power to 5-Stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap house 2

2025 Events

• Landfill Lunch – 9/25/25

Remember gun safety is our number 1 priority.

Rockford Skeet Club Mission Statement

The Rockford Skeet Club’s mission is to promote clay target shooting and complementary shooting sports. The objectives are to promote those characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, team-play, and self-reliance which are the essentials of good sportsmanship. It is the duty of all members to contribute to the wellbeing, to protect, to grow, and to enhance the club and its membership.

Best Regards,

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

RCS BOD, September 2, 2025                                                                                                    

• PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Al Perry, Steve Wiltgen, Caleb Davis, Bill Shold, Ben Ratze, Mike Buckman

1.     Meeting called to order at 5:30 by President Sam Valenza

2.     Minutes of August– Approved, 6-0

3.    Treasurers Report:  Approve 6-0

New Business:

1. New member orientation video – In process
2. School trap team invitational – 11/1
3. Boy scout merit badge – 10/4
4. Skeet league will be on again next year  

      5.   Water filtration for main water – 6-0

Projects for 2025

• Trap voice calls – completed and working well
• Repair skeet houses – Completed
• 5 stand building – TBD
• Electricity for 5 stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap houses – field 1 completed
• RO system installed – Completed

2025    Events

           Fun day   – Completed

• Landfill lunch -9/25/25

            Tutorials 

• Trap   Completed

Skeet   Completed

• 5 stand 7/19 Rained out

Meeting adjourned at 6:30

Next Board meeting October 7   2025                                                                     

Respectfully submitted – Caleb Davis, Secretary       

RCS BOD, August 5, 2025                                                                                                    

• PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Al Perry, Steve Wiltgen, Caleb Davis, Bill Shold, Ben Ratze Mike Buckman

1.     Meeting called to order at 5:30 by President Sam Valenza

2.     Minutes of June– Approved, 6-0

3.    Treasurers Report:  Approve 6-0

New Business:

1. A.D. coaches shoot – No attendees
2. Premier Accounting Day – July 25 Completed
3. Safety officers meeting – Completed
4. Conceal carry class – July 26 & 27 Completed.  
5. There will now be a $10.00 charge for nonmembers to attend CCW class.  6-0
6. Target delivery – July 14 – Completed

Projects for 2025

• Trap voice calls – completed and working well
• Repair skeet houses – Work to start mid Aug.
• 5 stand building – TBD
• Electricity for 5 stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap houses – field 1 completed
• RO system installed – Completed

2025    Events

           Fun day – 8/23/25

• Landfill lunch -9/25/25

            Tutorials 

• Trap   Completed

Skeet   Completed

• 5 stand 7/19 Rained out.

Meeting adjourned at 6:30

Next Board meeting September 2, 2025                                                                      Respectfully submitted – Caleb Davis, Secretary       

RCS BOD, July 1, 2025                                                                                                    

• PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Al Perry, Steve Wiltgen, Caleb Davis, Bill Shold, Ben Ratze

1.     Meeting called to order at 5:30 by President Sam Valenza

2.     Minutes of June– Approved, 5-0

3.    Treasurers Report:  Approve 5-0

New Business:

1. Letters to schools for leagues – Have been sent we got a few responses.
2. Premier Accounting Day – July 25
3. Safety officers meeting – July 12
4. Conceal carry class – July 26 & 27 
5. Target delivery – week of July 14
6. New 5 stand batteries – completed

Projects for 2025

• Trap voice calls – completed and working well
• Repair skeet houses – getting quotes
• 5 stand building – TBD
• Electricity for 5 stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap houses – completed 
• RO system installed – awaiting test results 

2025 Events

• Fun day – 8/23/25
• Landfill lunch -9/25/25

          Tutorials 

• Trap   Completed
• Skeet   Completed
• 5 stand 7/19

Meeting adjourned at 6:30

Next Board meeting August 5, 2025                                                                     

Respectfully submitted – Caleb Davis, Secretary       

President’s Message

(June 2025)

Rockford Skeet Club will be hosting a club fun day on Saturday June 14, 2025 starting at 9 am until around 1 pm. We have invited NIRPC members to join us. All venues will be open. There will be attendance drawings for ammo, a raffle for $1.00 per ticket for10 rounds, and a free lunch. Also, if you break a pink target, you will receive an extra attendance drawing ticket. Please check in at the club house to receive your attendance ticket before shooting. Come on out and join the fun. If you bring a guest, please let me know by emailing me at sam.valenza@att.net so that I can order enough food.

I want to thank Craig Bergbauer for repairing the electrical pipe on skeet field 1. It is much appreciated,

The drilling of the well has been completed and the reverse osmose system for drinking water has been installed. We are now waiting for test results from reverse osmose system which should be available in the next week or so. If the results are negative, the well will then be turned on and this project will finally be completed

The trap voice calls on field 2 have been refurbished, installed and are operational. The voice calls for field 1 have been sent to be refurbished and should be returned to us in about two weeks. Therefore, if you use field 1, the pull cord will have to be used. Thanks to Rob Tholin and Bob Liphart for working this project.

A Skeet tutorial will be held on Saturday June 21 at 10 am. The tutorial will be basic Skeet shooting instructions including hold points, break points, and foot stance.  Members and guests are welcome

The night skeet light that failed has been replaced.

Club hats are on sale in the club house for $25.00 each. Put your cash or check in an envelope locate on the desk and place the envelope in the slotted drawer under the back counter.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact 

George Ketter at 815-631-9366, Caleb Davis at 815-243-1483 or Greg Baylander at

815-494-7321. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection and a $25.00 annual fee (cash or check).

2025 Projects

• Repair skeet houses and install gutters – completed
• Refurbish trap voice calls – field 2 has been completed, field 1 is in process
• 5-Stand shooting building – TBD
• Electrical power to 5-Stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap house 2

2025 Events

• Youth shooting initiative events – October?
• Fun Days – 6/14/25 & 8/23/25
• Landfill Lunch – 9/25/25
• Tutorials
  • Trap – completed
  • Skeet – 6/21/25
  • 5-Stand – 7/12/25

Remember gun safety is our number 1 priority.

Rockford Skeet Club Mission Statement

The Rockford Skeet Club’s mission is to promote clay target shooting and complementary shooting sports. The objectives are to promote those characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, team-play, and self-reliance which are the essentials of good sportsmanship. It is the duty of all members to contribute to the wellbeing, to protect, to grow, and to enhance the club and its membership.

Best Regards,

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

RCS BOD, June 3, 2025                                                                                                    

• PRESENT:  Sam Valenza, Al Perry, Steve Wiltgen, Caleb Davis, Bill Shold, Mike Buckman, 

1.     Meeting called to order at 5:30 by President Sam Valenza

2.     Minutes of May – Approved, 5-0

3.    Treasurers Report:  Approve 5-0

New Business:

1. Letters to schools for leagues – Have been sent
2. Premier Accounting Day – July 25
3. Safety officers meeting – TBD
4. Youth sporting clays initiative events – April 27 & October?
5. Club hats – Completd, cost is 25.00 each
6. Skeet field 1 electrical Repair – Completed

Projects for 2025

• Trap voice calls – trap 1 completed trap 2 sent for rebuild
• Repair skeet houses – Jay Schaack — spring
• 5 stand building – TBD
• Electricity for 5 stand – TBD
• Reconfigure trap houses – Trap 1 completed – trap 2 TBD
• RO system installed – awaiting test results

2025 Events

• Fun days – 6/14/25 & 8/23/25
• Landfill lunch – 9/25/25

            Tutorials 

• Trap   Completed
• Skeet  6/21
• 5 stand 7/12

Meeting adjourned at 6:30

Next Board meeting July 1   2025                                                                     

Respectfully submitted – Caleb Davis, Secretary