Pull! Palmer man honored with national award

Valley Life editor

For years to come, a national trap shooting award will be presented to those supporting the sport, and the trophy will bear the name of a Palmer man who has helped develop a youth shooting program nationwide.

Palmer's Dave Kaiser was presented the first-ever Dave Kaiser Trap Supporter of the Year award at the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships in Vandalia, Ohio in August.

Every year, the trophy named after Kaiser will be awarded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to the top trap supporter.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Kaiser said of having the award named after him. "I thought they only named things for people who were dead. I asked everyone there if they knew something I didn't.

"They kept it pretty quiet so I wouldn't know. I was really surprised when I found out what they were doing," Kaiser said. "It's humbling."

Kaiser has been active in shooting sports for several decades. He is the only certified skeet shooting instructor in Alaska, and he is the lead 4-H shotgun instructor for the state. He has served on various boards for several organizations, and in August he completed his term as the national president of the Amateur Trapshooting Organization. It was through his work there that he was nominated for the award.

"I was kind of the point guy in getting the Scholastic Clay Target Program up and running," Kaiser said.

That program started out with a few hundred youth shooters around the country, but it has grown rapidly. There are currently about 5,000 young shooters participating in skeet and trap events, thanks to the SCTP.

The award was given in recognition of Kaiser's "dynamic energy, tireless time and hands-on effort to make SCTP the success program it has become since its inception four years ago," said Jack Robertson of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Robertson also said that Kaiser's continued dedication to the program made him an obvious choice.

"Dave has demonstrated a great amount of faith in SCTP, from being a coach and state director in Alaska to ATA president," Robertson said. "Kaiser's dedication and teamwork to the shooting sports helped devise SCTP into an exciting competition to youths of all ages, from elementary to high school."

The SCTP is important to the growth of shooting sports in general, Robertson said.

"Very simply, SCTP is the future of our sport. Never before have we seen such an influx of youth, optimism and talent. And the best part is that while many programs tend to draw youth participation from within the racks of existing shooters, SCTP is pulling new and first-time participants," Robertson said.

Kaiser said shooting sports help teach children a wide variety of important life lessons.

"It's an individual sport, and it teaches self-discipline. These kids have an incredible amount of responsibility, a lot more than you would expect from someone their age," Kaiser said. "All of them have worked hard to earn money to shoot. They all stick with it."

Plus, he said, it is addictive. Once a student gets involved, they stick with it, he said.

At the Grand American event, more than 1,100 young shooters participated. Six Alaskans made the trip, something Kaiser said he was proud of. Fourteen-year-old Sasha Ruesch of Chugiak took the high lady handicap event championship.

"We have a couple of teams here in the Valley, and they have some in Fairbanks and one in Juneau," Kaiser said.

Teams are based on a shooter's age -- seniors are in high school, juniors are in middle school and rookies are in grades six and below.

"Most of the shooters out here have come out of the 4-H programs," Kaiser said.

In Alaska, there are between 300 and 350 shooters, with 118 participating at the state meet earlier this year.

Kaiser said having served as a president of the national organization is an example of how Alaskans can make a difference nationally.

"On the national board, my voice is just as strong as a voice from California, which has a lot more people," Kaiser said. "People can get involved and make a difference."