President’s Message

(August 2020)

It has been brought to the Board’s attention that there are some safety concerns at the handgun range. It appears that some shooters have been shooting outside of the range house. This action is prohibited. All shooting has to be done form inside of the range house. Also the steel targets have been moved to close to the range house. Again this is not permitted as the bullets may ricochet and injure yourself or another shooter. The steel targets are only to be moved by the handgun range committee members. The paper target stands can be moved closer to the range house. I want to remind everyone that only the steel targets and paper targets are permitted on the range. No cans, bottles, jugs, watermelon, etc. are permitted. Termination of membership will be strongly considered if these rules and all club rules are violated. Safety is our number 1 priority.

There have been some issues on the 5 stand range with some member not loading the machines when finished shooting and not logging out the remotes. This range and all ranges should be left in the same or better condition that you found it in.

The skeet machines were serviced by the Promatic service representative with no major issues found. Club member Brad Yocum was trained on servicing the machines during this visit. Thanks Brad for volunteering to take on this task.

New aluminum picnic tables have replaced the deteriorating wood tables except for the two that are under the trees on the trap and skeet fields. We also have on ordered new gun racks to replace all of our wood racks. These are maintenance free racks and should last for many years. The racks should be delivered sometime next week.

The next pistol shoot is on August 22. Shooting times are 9, 10, and 11 am with 8 shooters per time slot. This will be a compact pistol shoot with barrels less than 4 inches with a 30 round course of fire. No rapid reloading. If you don’t own a compact pistol, George has 4 that you can borrow with FREE ammo. Send an e-mail to George Ketter at geosueket@msn.com to let him know what time slot you want. If you have not signed up and are interested in shooting this event please call George at 815-456-2871 or email him.

The BOD is considering having a free of charge pig roast in the fall provided that we can get a minimum of 50 participants. Members and their immediate family and grandchildren are invited. A survey will be sent out in the near future asking who and how many of your family will attend. It is tentatively planned for October 10. I will provide more details as that date approaches.

If anyone is interested in getting certified for the handgun range, please contact Milt Schwanke at 815-988-2278, George Ketter at 815-456-2871, or Caleb Davis at 815-243-1483. You will need to bring a handgun, ammo, eye and ear protection and a $25.00 annual fee.

The current clubs Coronavirus Guidelines remain unchanged and are as follows. Your cooperation in following these guidelines will help in preventing the spread of the virus.

State and club guidelines shall be followed in order to help prevent the spread of the virus. As a shooting club, we have to maintain a culture of safety in all aspects for all club members as well as those of our community and state. Given the age demographics and active participation of club members in all of our club operations, these guidelines shall to be followed. These guidelines are subject to revision as conditions change.

Club Coronavirus Guidelines

• Maintain social distancing of six feet
• Masks are not required
• Wash/sanitize hands frequently
• When coughing cover mouth and cough into bend in elbow
• Use the provided wipes/hand sanitizer to clean surfaces and remotes
• If sick for any reason or someone in your household is sick, and/or have an underlying health condition stay home.
• No shooting bags are permitted in the club house
• Clubhouse is open for bathroom use, drinks, logging rounds, and for cooling off due to the heat. A maximum of 10 people are allowed in the club house at any given time.
• Bring chairs to sit outside if desired. Club house chairs are not to be used outside.
• Food is not to be prepared in the club house.
• Soda and water are now available in the club house and coffee can be made
• If you have hand sanitizers, please bring them with you and use them often.
• Only one person is allowed in the machine houses at any given time
• Logging rounds (use your personal pen/pencil)
• Sanitize hands before and after recording rounds in the log books
• Skeet
• Three person squads are recommended with a designated puller. However five person squads are permitted with no designated puller
• Sanitize remotes after each use with provided wipes/hand sanitizer. DO NOT remove remotes from plastic bag.
• Trap
• 5 person squads are permitted
• Limit interpersonal contact maintaining social distancing when setting up and closing fields.
• Sanitize remotes before storing with provided wipes/hand sanitizer
• 5 stand
• 5 person squads are permitted
• Sanitize remotes after each use with provided wipes/hand sanitizer.
• Handgun range
• An empty lane is recommended to be maintained between shooters. However, all lanes can be used at any given time.

2020 Club Projects

• Skeet field 1 cement sidewalk from station 4 to station 8 and walks from all skeet fields high houses to the stairs – on hold
• Rewiring of skeet field 3 as a result of the installation of the new machines – completed
• Skeet House maintenance – fall time frame
• Paint propane tank – fall time frame
• Safety bars on all low house skeet machines – completed
• Seal coat parking lot – completed
• Carpet cleaning – completed
• Clean out Barn

2020 Events

• Annual Meeting – cancelled
• Cleanup Day – rescheduled to 9/26/20
• Registered Skeet Shoot – Cancelled
• Club Fun Day – cancelled
• Landfill Lunch – 9/11/20
• Pig roast – 10/10/20

Remember gun safety is our number 1 priority.

Best Regards,

Sam Valenza

President, Rockford Skeet Club

Rockford Skeet Club Mission Statement

The Rockford Skeet Club’s objectives are to encourage organized target shooting; to forward the development of 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 members now and in the future.