ON TARGET TRI-COUNTY SPORTSMEN’S LEAGUE 8640 Moon Road  Saline, Michigan 48176 Telephone (734) 429-9561 http://tcsl.org February 2015 President’s Column In case you missed the January 2015 Membership meeting, let me share some information with you. Member of the Year awards were presented. Jerry Chie and Shelly Coburn were the recipients of the awards. Jerry has been a member of TCSL since 1976. During those 39 years as a member, he has been President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, a member of the Board of Directors, Kitchen Chair, etc. When I decided I was going to run for TCSL President I went through the Washtenaw County Health Department records to get an understanding of TCSL’s record in terms of the kitchen inspections. I went through the year-end financial reports to understand the income and expenses from hall rentals. I went through past newsletters and realized a new walk-in refrigerator had been proposed and approved a number of years ago. I reviewed environmental reports and I talked to members, past officers and past directors. It became clear to me that renting the hall was a time consuming task and one that generated a decent amount of net income for the club year-in and year-out. It also became clear to me that without the right person as Second Vice President, I would have no time to do anything other than oversee hall rental. So, I asked Jerry if he would be willing to step up for one year and be the Second Vice President so that I did not need to spend all of my time learning and dealing with hall rental issues. I wish I could tell you that Jerry spent weeks thinking about it, that he talked to his family and friends, that he consulted with his primary physician, that he checked his 2014 calendar for availability and then he made a well thought out and researched decision to run. Instead of all of this reflection and based upon his commitments to TCSL, Jerry said “yes” without consulting all of these people as he once again stepped up to help TCSL. He agreed once more to commit one heck of a lot of hours and efforts to help TCSL continue to exist and grow. During 2014 Jerry was responsible for bringing in a lot of money, bringing in a lot members, the first to bring attention to the fact that 2014 was our 75th anniversary, committing more than 500 volunteer hours, coming in early to help with events, staying late to help clean up from events, sitting next to me during board and membership meetings to gently “nudge” me when I was off track and he has agreed to run again in 2015. A significant amount of time the first year as President is spent getting to know people, President’s Column (Cont.) understanding the procedures in place for a lot of different actions or items (e.g., liquor license renewals and regulations, reviewing the budget, preventive maintenance, safety issues, dealing with issues that pop up unexpectedly, etc.) I spent a lot of time at the club trying to help, but also just observing. The more I hung around the club, the more I saw Shelly Coburn at the club and she was there wearing different hats throughout the year as she worked on different projects. Shelly was there for Saturday club rentals; she got a lot of members through the SafeServ program; she worked on the 75th Anniversary committee and event; she suggested, organized and followed through on putting dry wall on the upstairs wall and painting the upstairs; she helped get bids for upcoming projects; she cooked lunches for classes that she was not even participating in; she volunteered wherever needed such as in membership; and she provided extremely valuable insight on an assorted list of tasks and ideas. Behind the scenes and without any public recognition Shelly has performed a lot of tasks, such as making a layout of the upstairs to scale with templates of the furniture so that arrangements for upstairs rentals could be easier, putting together the visual displays for tables at the 75th anniversary event, driving to Jackson to get food to use at events, driving to Ann Arbor to get food, calling vendors, and gently pointing out areas that could use some attention or changes. During 2014, Shelly volunteered for more than 300 hours even though it was a year when she was also assisting in her daughter’s wedding planning, the wedding ceremony, and the reception dinner. There is no question that Shelly put in a lot of time and energy to help TCSL. Shelly has been a member since 2009 and my guess is most members don’t know that she has never been to orientation and doesn’t have a range pass. She belongs to TCSL and volunteers so much of her time and energy because she likes what TCSL stands for and she likes the fellowship/family attitude that exists here. Compared to Jerry, she is representative of some of the newer members of the club. Members like Jerry and Shelly are the reason TCSL is a special club. They certainly have different interests and different personalities. One is more out-spoken then the other (Can you guess which one?). One more reserved than the other (How about guessing who?). They have different approaches to life and they have different skill sets. Yet despite all of the difference between the two, they have the common denominator of being willing to step Take your sweetheart to the range on Valentine’s Day! President’s Column (Cont.) up and volunteer, as well as to make sacrifices of their own time and energy for the betterment of TCSL and its members. It was an honor and privilege to give both Jerry and Shelly the Member of the Year award. The special recognition they received is well deserved. The next time you see either one of these outstanding members, please take the time to thank them for their commitment to TCSL, give them a pat on the back, and congratulate them for their awards. As I reflected on TCSL and was selecting the member of the year, I wondered how the community and our neighbors would view TCSL if they were assessing local businesses and trying to select the “Business of the Year”. How do you define a good business neighbor? Perhaps good criteria in determining a good neighbor would be seeing how active the group was in the community in terms of volunteer activities or sponsoring events. Let’s take a quick look at some of the community activities conducted by or sponsored by TCSL: AA Chamber shoot; Milan Rotary dinner; York Township Polling Place; Friends of the NRA dinner; host of Women on Target; Host of Take Your Kids to the Range; MUCC dinners; sponsor of youth baseball team and, fund raiser for American Heritage Girls. Look at York Township, one member is the Supervisor and multiple members are on different York Township boards. TCSL members are on various local non-profit boards, working on non-profit projects and visible in countless other activities. It’s clear that TCSL is not just a business in existence for 75 years but also an active, good neighbor to our community, so each of you should be proud to be a member of TCSL, proud to be a community member of TCSL. 2014 Suggestion of the Year award went to Sharon Burkhardt for suggesting that in November we have a “trade or vendor” show at the club so that members can come to the club and at the same time check out multiple vendors to see what is available in terms of firearms, sporting equipment, archery, etc. Sharon received a $250 gift card to Cabela’s. The suggestion program is continuing in 2015 so keep your eyes and ears open, as well as your thinking cap on, then drop your ideas in the suggestion box. February 19, 2015 from 12pm–8pm we are having club elections. Please take the time to come out and vote. It is understandable that members can’t make it to every board meeting and membership (continued on page 2) President’s Column - Reminder - (Cont. from Pg. 1) meeting due to work conflicts, family responsibilities, scheduling conflicts and being active in other groups. At the same time, behind the scenes there is a lot of work being conducted by TCSL volunteers on a day-in-day out basis, some of which is discussed or reviewed or voted on at board and membership meetings. Officers and board members walked the property last spring to inspect the conditions of our ranges and the property. Officers and board members can be seen at breakfasts, steak fry Fridays, committee meetings, shopping for the club, submitting reports, teaching classes, helping at club rentals, conducting orientations, working on the grounds, and at an assortment of other tasks. So, please take the time out on February 19 to vote for the simple reason of letting the board and officers know that you recognize, appreciate, and approve of their actions. In other words, let your vote be a “pat on the back” to these members for a job well done. By the time you read this, the ground hog will have made a prediction concerning the length of winter. Either way, the majority of the winter season is behind us so now is a good time to make sure your firearms are clean, your ammunition is well stocked and come out to TCSL to shoot a few rounds so you are ready for the summer activities. See you at TCSL. ~Steve Reed Military Rifle Match Winter Events on the 21st of February and 21st of March There have been some requests to extend the Military Rifle Match season and to have a 100yard bench rest event. We've decided to combine the two and have a 100 yard bench rest rifle match using military style rifles .30 caliber and smaller. You can use iron sights or scope (we will have a division for both if necessary) as long as you use a US or foreign made military style rifle and you supply 20 rounds of safe ammunition. The format will be as follows: Each shooter will have two targets down range. Ten rounds will be fired from the bench at the top target over a period of ten minutes for sight-in followed by ten rounds fired from the bench over a period of 20 minutes at the bottom target for record. The tightest group closest to the center wins. This match is open to members and guests and will be held on the 100-yard range at TCSL. The fee will be $10 for members and $15.00 for guests. Sign-in will start at 9am with shooting to commence at 10am. Targets, benches, blocks, and some sandbags will be supplied. You can bring your rests and any other positioning gear that you would use to shoot from a bench. A spotting scope will be very useful and may keep us from making unnecessary trips down range between the sight-in and record phase of the match. Dress for the weather because we don't want you freezing to your seat. This is meant to be a challenging as well as fun event and an opportunity to get ready for the regular Military Rifle Matches which will continue on Saturday the 18th of April. The regular Military Rifle Match season will run on the third Saturday of the months from April through October 2015. Watch for more information in the upcoming newsletters. If you have questions or need more information, you can email Mike Johnston at [email protected] or call him at (734) 730-8258. Club Elections Bill Bond reported, and the membership approved, the following slate of candidates at the January Membership Meeting:  President: Steve Reed  First Vice President: Mike Brown  Second Vice President: Jerry Chie  Treasurer: Bob Parent  Membership Secretary: Dondi Goerlitz  Recording Secretary: Steve Jolliffe  Region 1 Director: Carol Parent  Region 2 Director: Jim Mouton  Region 3 Director (one position): Earl Austin, Doug Goerlitz  Region 4 Directors (two positions): Phil Hemenway, Carlos Soto The election will be held at the club on 2/19/2015 from Noon-8pm. Bring your current membership card to show eligibility to vote. Membership Renewal Notice Renewal membership applications are being mailed out. If you get an application that is not accurate (e.g., wrong number of volunteer hours, wrong membership number, etc.) or if you don’t receive your renewal application, please immediately e-mail [email protected] and [email protected]. There is a lot of work involved in tracking the volunteer hours, mailing out the renewals, and processing the renewals when they are returned. All of this work is by TCSL volunteers so be patient as all of the membership renewals are processed. BBQ Dinner Prepared by BumSteer BBQ Saturday, April 18, 2015 Tri-County Sportsmen's League 8640 Moon Road, Saline, Michigan (734) 429 9561 This dinner is a fundraiser for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, hosted by District 2. There will be a dinner, silent and live auction, with many great items available. Doors open at 5pm, Dinner at 6pm For more information, contact Jim Pryce at (734) 368 2473 or email [email protected] Tickets from Jim Pryce - $20 each or $150 for a table of eight Paying by check? Make it payable to: Michigan United Conservation Clubs  NOTICE  Become A NRA & TCSL RSO at the same time. Saturday May 9 and Sunday May 10, 2015. 8am– 5pm each day. The NRA RSO class is “no charge” to TCSL members. Participants will pay for the AED/CPR portion of the class. Class is restricted to TCSL members and limited to 20 participants. Contact Steve Reed if you want to register for the class [email protected]. Pics of the Month Jerry Chie receives his Member of the Year Award from President Steve Reed Shelly Coburn receives her Member of the Year Award from President Steve Reed.  Attendees participate in the January 10 Safe Serve food prep and handling class.  Other News  Make sure you know your legal rights. The Reed Law Group can offer you over 20 years of experience in litigation, criminal defense, personal injury, and family law. Call us today to schedule your free initial consultation: 734-761-5860  Action Range Maintenance will occur from 9am to Noon on Saturday, March 7. The Action Range will be closed that day from 9-11am. The Pistol House will also be closed 10am-1pm for a scheduled CPL class.  TCSL Breakfast – Sunday Feb. 1, 8~11:30am. Open to public. $7 adults/$3.50 children (12 & under)/under five free.  York Township Meetings - Planning Commission, February 9; Board of Trustees, February 10; Zoning Board of Appeals, February 17. The meetings all start at 7:30pm at the York Township Hall, 11560 Stony Creek Rd., Milan.  MUCC Region 4 Meeting – 10am, February 21 in the lower level at the clubhouse. All are invited. A lunch will also be served ($6.00).  Good and Welfare – Life Member Duane Westphal died January 5th. Member Steve Sartori’s father, Robert Sartori, passed away on January 14. Call the club to notify us of illness, loss, or good news; or email [email protected] or [email protected]. Send updates on members, family, and friends currently serving in the military to [email protected]; and photos for the website to [email protected].  Anti Poaching - See an article on the results of Jim Pryce’s anti-poaching efforts here. REED LAW GROUP, P.C. 2178 SOUTH STATE STREET, SUITE A ANN ARBOR, MI 48104 HTTP://WWW.REEDLAWGROUPPC.COM/ Paid Advertisement Calling all Volunteers! We are beginning our efforts to line up volunteers for Women On Target (June 13, 2015) and/or Kids On The Range Day (June 20, 2015). If you are interested/willing/able to volunteer with either or both events, please contact Dondi Goerlitz at (517)414-3437 or by email at [email protected]. We appreciate all the help we can get with these two fun events. Paid Advertisement Membership Report Members are the Key to Success at TCSL 12/2014 1/2015 Change Regular 382 381 -1 Probationary 118 113 -5 Senior 40 44 4 Young Adult 14 14 0 Life 87 85 -2 641 637 -4 Associate Subtotal 71 71 0 Junior 20 19 -1 Honorary 3 3 0 Military 7 7 0 Subtotal 101 100 -1 Total 742 737 -5 Paid Advertisement February 2015 TCSL Event Calendar 1 Sunday 2 Monday Breakfast 8am~11:30am Tuesday 9 PPOH Class 8am-6pm Trap Noon-Done 4 Wednesday 5 Thursday 6 Friday 7 Saturday PPOH Class 8am-6pm Contact Jerry Chie for hall rental information at [email protected] or 734-483-8435,10or call the club at 734429-9561 Trap Noon-Done 8 3 11 12 13 14 First Step Pistol Class Education Committee 1-5pm 6pm NRA PPIH Class 8am-6:30pm Valentine’s Day Euchre 5-9pm 15 16 17 19 Burger Night! 20 5pm Board and Membership Meeting 6:30pm Club Election Noon-8pm 26 27 18 Safety Committee 6:30pm Presidents’ Day Trap Noon-Done 22 23 24 25 CPL/CCW Class 8am-pm 21 MUCC Region 4 Mtg. & Lunch 10am Member Orientation 9am-Noon President Appreciation Evening 5pm-12am 28 Steak Fry 5-7pm Trap Noon-Done NRA Basic Shotgun Class 8am-6pm Euchre 5-9pm Clubhouse and Range Hours Rifle and Pistol Ranges: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Noon-Dusk  Wednesday through Saturday 10am-Dusk Clubhouse: Sunday through Tuesday Noon-6pm  Wednesday thru Saturday 10am-6pm Winter Hours are here. Be alert and stop shooting by dusk. March 2015 TCSL Event Calendar 1 Sunday 2 Monday 3 Tuesday 4 Breakfast 8am~11:30am Wednesday 5 Thursday 6 Friday First Step Pistol 1-5pm Trap Noon-Done 8 9 10 11 12 13 7 Saturday CPL/CCW Class 8am-6pm (Pistol Range Closed 10am1pm) Action Range Closed 9-11am 14 NRA BIT/PPIH Class 8am-5pm Trap Noon-Done Daylight Time Ends 15 16 NRA Instructor PPIH 8am-6pm Euchre 5-9pm 17 Safety Committee 6:30pm 24 Trap Noon-Done Euchre 5-9pm 30 Trap Noon-Done Palm Sunday 25 Huron Sportsmen’s Club 1-2pm NRA PPOH Instructor Course 8am-6pm CPL/CCW 8am-6pm 20 21 NRA Instructor PPOH 8am-6pm St. Patrick’s Day 23 29 19 Burger Night! 5pm Board and Membership Meeting 6:30pm Trap Noon-Done 22 18 26 27 28 Steak Fry 6-8:30pm New Member Orientation 9am-Noon NRA Basic Shotgun IDPA Setup – Pistol 8am-6pm Ranges Close at 4pm IDPA 10am-6pm Pistol Ranges Closed 31 Announced at the January Membership Meeting… The January raffle for a Sig Sauer P220 was held and Mike Barrera was the winner. The February raffle will be for a Henry Golden Boy Eagle Scout Commemorative 22 rifle. Get tickets at the club. See the club’s new Google Calendar at http://tcsl.org for the latest updates. Add it to your Google Calendar and never miss a TCSL event!