Remington Gold at the 1912 Olympic Games

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Drew Hause
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Location: Arizona; heart in Kansas
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Remington Gold at the 1912 Olympic Games

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June 17, 1911 Sporting Life
On the subject of the shooting rules to govern the Olympic games, an interesting communication from Mr. Edward Banks, the noted du Pont man, is appended:
Wilmington, Del., December 9. Editor Sporting Life
I have noticed from time to time brief notices of the plan to take a team of amateurs to Stockholm, Sweden, to attend the Olympic Games next year. So far, however, I have failed to see any special reference to the conditions that will govern trap shooting contests at the above meeting, and it has occurred to me that probably it will be of interest, not only to those who are thinking of crossing the water to fight for trap shooting honors in behalf of the United States, but also for those who are compelled through business or other reasons to stay at home, to know just what the conditions are under which those competing for the individual and team championships will have to shoot.
On the other side of the Atlantic they know next to nothing of automatic traps, and the Sergeant System is a stranger to them. They have five firing points in a straight line, five yards apart, just as we used to have them years ago. Instead of having only one trap in the pit at each firing point they have what might be called a battery of three traps, so that, say, for instance, if a man at No. 1 position calls "Pull" and a target breaks in a trap, he can call “Pull” again immediately and get another trap from the battery of three at that point. In other words, there are 15 traps instead of five, as we used to have them, i.e. they have three at each firing point instead of one. The main point for intending competitors to bear in mind is not so much the fact that the targets are thrown fully 60 yards, which is further than they are in this country, but the most important feature of all, namely, that all competitors must adopt the “gun below the elbow” style of shooting. This looks like going back almost, as it were, to the principles of the Middle Ages, but as a matter of fact, in England and on the Continent of Europe, trap shooting is looked upon not so much as a recreation in itself and a sport to be pursued as we do over here, but rather as practice for game shooting, so that the “field position” has been selected to prevail in the Olympic contests to be held at Stockholm next year.
In a copy of the Sporting Goods Review, published in London, England, on October 10, last, there is a little over two columns of notice given to the booklet recently gotten out by the du Pont Company entitled “The Sport Alluring”, which is criticised quite favorably in, an editorial way, and in which, when comparing trap shooting conditions in England and on the Continent with the conditions prevailing here, particularly with reference to the Olympic contests next year, the Sporting Goods Review makes the following notation:
The conditions of the Olympic competitions at Stockholm are, in the main, those usually adopted in England, there being 15 traps to the five marks, but a point which is of considerable importance, and will need careful attention by the competitors of all nations, is that the “gun below the elbow” position is insisted upon. Game shooters, on first taking up clay bird shooting, invariably decry the “gun at the shoulder” position. If they continue to take part in competitions they end by adopting it, because there is no doubt at all about its advantage when conditions are “known traps” and what might be called the “flushing point” of the bird can be covered.
It is my impression that this “gun below the elbow” idea in connection with these competitions is something new, and that no such restriction prevailed when Walter Ewing, of Montreal, Canada, went over to England three years ago and won the Individual championship for his native country, the Dominion of Canada. I have written Mr. Ewing asking him to advise you by mail as to what the conditions were when he shot for and won the championship at the Olympic Games in England. Yours truly,
EDWARD BANKS.

Charles Billings of the New York Athletic Club was chosen by the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union to select participants
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collec ... 289/rec/24

Forest & Stream, January 20, 1912, “Trap Shooting at Olympic Games”
Rules & Regulations
https://books.google.com/books?id=lUkcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA90
https://books.google.com/books?id=lUkcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA253
https://books.google.com/books?id=lUkcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA282

June 22, 1912
Just before the departure of the American Olympic trap shooting team, C.W. Billings, captain of the team, broke 95 out of 100 at the New Jersey State Shoot, shooting Olympic style. F. Hall broke 129 straight, using only one barrel in one string of 25. Three members of the team, D. McMahon, R. Spotts and E.A. Renney, use Remington automatics.

Trapshooting: The Patriotic Sport summary
https://books.google.com/books?id=6aQvAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA157

GOLD Charles W. Billings, Ralph Lewis Spotts, John H. Hendrickson, James R. Graham, Edward Francis Gleason, and Frank Hall
“The Fifth Olympiad: The Official Report of the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912”
Ralph Spotts is on the left holding the Remington Automatic; Jay Graham 3rd from left.

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Jay Graham

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Drew Hause
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Re: Remington Gold at the 1912 Olympic Games

Post by Drew Hause »

Lord Westbury Clay Target Challenge Cup, held by Walter Ewing was awarded to Jay Graham
http://olympic-museum.de/prizes/1912/ch ... s_1912.php

Live action (the first minute) from the Stockholm Olympics, courtesy of Swedish Olympian Hakan Dahlby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... 1422579428

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AMERICA WINS
“With Jay Graham Leading, Wearers of Stars and Stripes Smash 532 Out of 600”
Stockholm, Sweden, July 2. Special cablegram to Sporting Life.
The United States today upheld its right to be recognized as the foremost nation of the world in trap shooting when the American team captured the world’s team competition in the Olympic game. Wearers of the American shield shattered 532 out of 600 targets, Great Britain being its nearest rival with a score of 511. Germany was third, having shattered 510.
America’s victory was all the more sweeping in view of the fact that Jay Graham, the great amateur of Long Lake, Ill., wearing the colors of the Chicago A.A., was high gun with 94 out of 100. Charley Billings, of the New York A.C., captain of the team, and the man through whose efforts the team was made up, was second with 93. It was a typical American victory, accomplished with American guns, shells and powder, and aroused great enthusiasm both among the foreign spectators and the American athletes and friends who arrived on the “Finland” on Saturday.
The Americans, despite the fact that the style of shooting with the gun below the arm-pit and two shots permitted was fairly new to them, shot with all the ease and freedom of their ordinary style. The scores of the American team follow:
Jay R. Graham, Chicago A.A. 94
Charles W. Billings, New York A.C. 93
Ralph L. Spotts, Larchmont, Y.C. 90
John H. Hendrickson, Bergen Beach G.C. 89
Frank Hall, New York A.C. 86
Dr. E.F. Gleason, Boston A.A 80

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Victory of United States Makes Clean Sweep in Trap Shooting
“Glory for American Gun, Shell and Powder Makers”
Stockholm, Sweden, July 6. Special Cablegram to Sporting Life.
After a three days contest against his American teammates, and the pick of the world’s competitors from every nation of Europe, Jay R. Graham, if Long Lake, Ill., representing the Chicago A.A., won the Olympic individual trap shooting championship at clay targets on July 4. Graham fittingly celebrated America’s natal day by finishing the third stage of the shooting with an aggregate score of 96 out of 100 targets. Behind him came Goelden, of Germany who had made a hard race throughout. In third place was Blau, of Russia, who just beat out several American shots.
Graham’s victory made his second triumph of the Olympic games. The Illinois amateur had already made the high individual score of the contests in the team race early in the week when America’s team, consisting of Graham, W. Billings, R.L. Spotts, J.A. Hendrickon, Frank Hall and Dr. F. Gleason, had won the Olympic team championship. On that occasion Graham scored 94 out of 100. In the individual championship, Graham improved his shooting considerably. The event stretched over three days, which hampered Graham and prevented him from getting one of his famous long runs.
The first stage of the shooting was on July 2. Conditions called for 20 targets in two rounds. In this Graham tied with Dr. Gleason and two Germans, Goelden and Zeidlitz, each breaking 19 targets. Thirty-six shooters broke 15 or better and were eligible for the second stage which was shot on July 3. This stage was at 30 targets. Graham and Gleason went into the lead, each breaking 28 out of 30 and setting their total at 47 out of 60. Goelden only broke 25 and dropped back to third with a total of 44. On Independence Day the final stage was shot and Graham got into the swing, scoring 49 out of 50. He was forced to do his best because the German, Goelden, proved a good competitor, getting his 50 straight and making his total 94. Dr. Gleason fell off and Blau nosed him out with 91. The first big double victory for the American team was the subject of rejoicing among the big attendance of American spectators and athletes, and a big banquet was held on the evening of the Fourth of July.
THE AMERICAN TRAP SHOOTERS were the guests of honor and they were raised by the representatives of every nation. Palmer, of the Great Britain team, in his speech, said the American team is unquestionably the finest in the world and added that they won the clay target competition on merit. Manader, a well-known English shot, said that Graham is the finest individual shot he has ever seen.
In accomplishing his great victory Graham used Du Pont powder, a Remington pump gun and U. M. C. shells. All the Americans used Du Pont powder in the team race and American guns and Remington-U.M.C. shells.

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The team was coached by George Lyon, a Remington professional representative
http://blogs.library.duke.edu/rubenstei ... ng-legacy/

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