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SCTP Championships visitors praise Sparta and Shooting Complex
article by: County Journal
Recently the
World Shooting and Recreational Complex has been finding itself under the gun
from detractors who are not sure that it is worth it’s cost to taxpayers during
these troubled times.
The complex hosted the Scholastic Shooting Sports
Foundation’s Scholastic Clay Target Program national championships last week and
the reviews from attendees and vendors were overwhelmingly positive.
Over 1,600 shooters from 38 different states attended the national
championships.
Cassandra Eppling and her teammate Morgan Dulaney, along
with their families, had traveled from Wisconsin to attend the nationals. These
young ladies have had the luxury of traveling to shooting complexes across the
nation for their competitions. Both, along with their families and coaches, gave
high marks to the Sparta facility.
“This is just the best place for a
shooter. You can shoot trap, skeet, sporting clays and handguns,” said Eppling.
“It’s all here, and the setting is wonderful—no traveling from one place to
another. The people in the area have been so friendly and helpful to us. We love
coming here to such a fine facility.”
Dulaney’s mother echoed Eppling’s
sentiments.
“We camp during the tournament, and the campsites here at the
complex are excellent,” said Dulany. “We especially like that we aren’t stacked
up on top of each other.
“The back campground gives us such a pleasant
experience. We enjoyed watching the wildlife during the evenings. Every person
that we have encountered during our stay here, whether it’s been here at the
complex or when we’ve gone into Sparta for supplies, has been very welcoming and
friendly. Our only glitch was we had a hard time figuring out where to register
to camp when we first arrived.”
Morgan Dulaney, winner of the last man
standing event Thursday evening, added, “This is absolutely my favorite place to
come. It’s a shooter’s paradise, great vendors, well- thought-out design, and
the ability to do it all right here is the best.”
Al Chickereo, a
veteran coach and attendee of tournaments at the complex, shared that the
complex itself is about as perfect as you can get.
“It is truly a
world-class facility for shooters,” added Chickereo. He also went on to share
that with each event he attends at the complex, he is impressed more and more by
the area and the complex.
A straw poll of attendees rendered nearly
identical comments from all who were asked about their feelings for the World
Shooting and Recreational Complex and the Sparta area.
The most common
complaint was a lack of available lodging for those not wishing to utilize the
campgrounds. But these complaints were tempered with comments regarding the
enjoyment of exploring more of southern Illinois when traveling outside the
immediate Sparta area for lodging.
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