About Us

WHO WE ARE

The OSTA promotes trapshooting as an enjoyable sport with a signature of safety and good sportsmanship. Our officers and board are committed to serving Ohio shooters and their clubs.

With a storied history that began in 1887 — 50 plus years after trapshooting made its U.S. debut at Cincinnati’s Sportsmen’s Club, the OSTA — has grown from a small, dedicated cadre of enthusiasts to a booming, influential voice for Buckeye shooters. Grand achievements too many to mention have occurred since our humble beginnings, from the first automatic trap machine, to the first women’s shooting club and the debut of doubles trap.

Our state has always been big on trap. It’s as if the two were made for each other.

The Past
In 1880, seven years before OSTA was founded, history credits native son George Ligowsky with inventing the first clay target. Until then, glass balls were used to spare live pigeons. His targets were made entirely of clay, baked like bricks to harden. The target purportedly rang like a bell when hit but was almost impossible to break. Eventually, he used limestone and pitch, but the word “clay” stuck.

In more modern times, the Amateur Trapshooting Association, the sport’s faithful ambassador that sets rules and regulations and promotes participation worldwide, chose Vandalia, Ohio as its headquarters in 1924 before moving to Sparta, Illinois.

The Present
Like Vandalia, Columbus also has hosted the ATA’s Grand American, undoubtedly the largest shooting tournament in the world. And In 2005, the OSTA collaborated with the Fishburn family, to develop the largest private range in the country- Cardinal Shooting Center. The Ohio State Trapshooting Museum is headquartered there, and several notable tournaments have occurred, including the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation’s National Championships and our own State Shoot, one of the largest trapshooting events in the country- second only to the Grand American.

The Cardinal Center is Ohio’s showplace for shotgun sports, and the OSTA is glad to have forged a partnership with landowners Jack Fishburn and the late Karen Fishburn. Together, we have created one of the finest shotgunning facilities in the country. Besides impressive shooting ranges, the center also offers an indoor heated pool, a lake, lots of outdoor activities and family-friendly camping facilities.

The Future
The future of trapshooting rests with the youth of our state. That’s why the Ohio State Trapshooting Foundation and its member clubs promote several youth programs. We also urge you to get behind fundraisers sponsored by the Ohio Trap Shooting Foundation, which provides scholarships to student athletes and encourages future participation in a shotgunning tradition so many of us hold dear.