President’s Message – September 2024

President’s Message

(September 2024)

Rockford Skeet Club will be hosting a club fun day on Saturday September 14, 2024 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. Guests are welcome. Come on out and join the fun.

The lunch for the landfill folks will be held on Friday September 20 from 11 am to around 1 pm in appreciations for all that they do for us. The club will be open to members but the club house will be reserved for the lunch attendees.

It has been brought to my attentions that there appears to be two issues that are occurring at the club. First, new spent shells were found on skeet field 1 marked with 7 ½ shot. Shot larger than no. 8 is strictly forbidden to be use at our club. This rule has been in place for many years. Second, it is rumored that some of our members have been poaching targets from the left-over targets from the preceding group. As I stated in my card reader orientations and newsletter, the extra targets are to only be used for broken birds or gun malfunctions. You are only paying for 25 targets and any additional usage other than described above is stealing from the club. If caught using 7 ½ shot or larger or caught poaching target, termination of membership may result.

Club hats and patches with our logo will be available for sale in the near future. I will provide more information regarding price and availability when known.

An order was placed for a third 5 stand remote and should be delivered sometime next week. Please remember to load the 5 stand machines when done shooting and to turn off the voice command on the remotes if in use. Also, the stands will be relocated back towards the handgun range in order to avoid shot from falling on our neighbors’ property. The folks at the landfill will be removing the berm located near the handgun building and will be putting in a parking lot. This work will be done in the near future. I want to thanks Bruce Knapp, who manages the landfill, for agreeing to do the work. Much appreciated.

The drilling of the well is now schedule to start mid-September.

There are several pallets located outside of the barn and are offered for free for anyone that wants them. Any remaining pallets will be move to the burn pile.

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

815-988-2278, George Ketter at 815-631-9366, 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.

 2024 Projects

  • Install card readers – completed
  • Repair skeet houses
  • Trap fields rewiring for card reader system

2024 Events

  • Fun days– 9/14/2024
  • Landfill appreciation lunch – 9/20/24

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