MOOSE JAW — A Moose Jaw resident has captured one of the most prestigious titles in trap shooting, recently earning international recognition for both his skill and his hometown.
Joe Binetruy, 56, won the Grand American Handicap Champion title at the Grand American World Trapshooting Championship in Sparta, Ill., that ran from July 29 to Aug. 8. Facing 1,771 competitors from across North America and abroad, Binetruy broke 99 of 100 clay targets at 27 yards to advance to a dramatic shoot-off that decided the winner.
“There were five people tied with the 99,” Binetruy said, recalling how his near-perfect round was only the beginning. The tie forced a sudden-death shoot-off, where he calmly shattered another 25 straight targets. One rival matched him shot for shot, setting up a second showdown between the two remaining competitors.
“So then it was down to the two of us,” he said. “We went to another shoot-off of 25 (targets) and I broke 24 — he broke 23.”
The narrow victory marked the first time a Saskatchewan shooter has ever claimed the Grand American Handicap Championship, regarded as the most difficult and sought-after title in the sport. He’s also the fourth Canadian to earn the title since 1900.
Trap shooting is a clay-target discipline that tests precision and consistency. Competitors fire shotguns at clay discs launched from a small “trap house,” with the targets flying away at varying angles. In singles, shooters stand 16 yards back and take turns hitting one target at a time, while doubles see two targets launched simultaneously.
The handicap event, considered the toughest test, places shooters at staggered distances between 19 and 27 yards based on ability, creating a level playing field.
“Usually the handicap is the most prestigious event, and that is the toughest one … to win and break good scores,” he explained.
Binetruy has been active in the sport since 1985, regularly shooting on weekends throughout the summer. He previously competed at the world level once in 1999, but this was his first trip to the new Sparta venue.
Having first competed at the world level in 1999 with little to show for it, Binetruy’s return to the championship was a hard-fought redemption, culminating in one of the toughest victories of his career.
“I missed about my seventh bird out … and then waited about two and a half hours for the shoot-off,” he recalled. “You have to try and prepare mentally … to be able to shoot, and hope you don’t go out in front of everybody and make yourself shoot like 16 out of 25. That wouldn’t be very good, because there’s a pretty good audience watching the shoot-offs too, right?”
Despite the nerves, his consistency held. For Binetruy, the victory is a career highlight on top of numerous provincial titles in singles, doubles, and handicap shooting.
The achievement also shines a spotlight on the Moose Jaw Trap and Skeet Club, where Binetruy is a longtime member. Located just east of the city, the club operates two trap fields and one skeet field, with shoots Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
Binetruy said the sport’s biggest challenge in Canada is attracting new competitors, and he hopes his achievement helps raise awareness.
“In the U.S. it’s different. They’ve got high school and college teams, and they can get scholarships and all that for shooting — but there’s nothing like that in Canada,” he said.
For Binetruy, who travelled with friends from the Regina Trap and Skeet Club and never expected such a result, the win served to remind him why he competes.
“Never did we expect anything like that … to come back with a championship — that’s quite a thing.”
To learn more about the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships, visit ShootATA.com. For more information on the Moose Jaw Trap and Skeet Club, call 306-694-8093.
