Hall of Fame

NEW KNOXVILLE –Dirk Meckstroth lets out a slight nervous laugh when he is asked about making a public speech, but the New Knoxville resident will not have a choice when he is inducted into the Ohio Trapshooting Hall of Fame June 23.

“I’m not good at that,” said Meckstroth about making speeches, “but I will probably have to make a comment or two and say how I appreciate everything everyone has done for me over the years.”

Despite being just 49 years old, Meckstroth has made the most of his more than 30 years of competing in the sport which has led him to joining an elite group of trapshooters.

In being nominated it was written that, “He is not only a very good and highly regarded comepetitor, but he is also a highly respected trapshooter. I feel that he has the credentials to be selected to our Ohio State Trapshooting Hall of Fame, and I would like the committee to consider him for this honor.”

While being proud of the recognition, the modest Meckstroth said it is humbling and he just loves to compete. And even though he may not be a man of many words, he will have plenty of people to thank for this prestigious honor and it starts with his family.

Guns have always been a part of his life. Meckstroth, who lost his father when he was 2-years-old, was introduced to the trapshooting world through his grandfather and his stepfather.

Meckstroth, who began shooting registered targets in 1982, said he tried other sports but trapshooting was something he enjoyed the most and soon found himself participating in competitions.

“My step dad, Dave Berlet, has always shot so I basically grew up around it,” he said. “I tried other sports but never stuck with them and always went back to shooting.”

Meckstroth admits it was a little awkward when he first began shooting but after gaining some valuable tips from his stepfather and other shooters he slowly began developing his ability to compete at a high level.

“My step dad showed me how to mount the gun correctly and I have had some other good shooters throughout that I have gotten to know through the years help me out to get the feel of it, so when I was 15 I started shooting competitively then.”

Dave Berlet, a Ohio and national hall of fame member, said when he mentored Meckstroth he focused on getting the gun “to fit him properly” because that is perhaps the most essential component when trap shooting.

“From there on I could help him here and there, but I know a lot of times I would say something to him to try this or that and he would go ‘yea, yea’ and that is as far as it would go. But when I a would tell a friend who is also in the hall of fame to tell Dirk, then it was gospel,” Berlett said with a laugh. “The thing is you just have to let him go.”

While Dave Berlett provided the insight into trapshooting, Dirk’s mom, Sandra Berlet, delivered the moral support. Often times she would be his “gun runner” at events.

Even though he did not have instant success he never thought about quitting the sport or never really wanted to hang it up.

Meckstroth said it wasn’t until the second and third years of shooting that he began to accummulate first place hardware.

After turning 19, Meckstroth soon made the jump to the adult category. But he said the “winning kind of slowed down in the first couple of years. He would win his classes but it took him a couple of years to garner the top trophy in the major competitions.

“I really had to work harder to compete with the men,” Meckstroth said.

But it didn’t take long and after a couple of years he was back again garnering top honors at the adult level. For nearly 30 years, Meckstroth has competed nearly every weekend from May until September.

From 1995 to 2014 at the Ohio State shoots, Meckstroth has won the Parent and Child competition 16 times and at the Grand American shoots he has won the Parent and Child four times. Since 1998, he has averaged .9890 on his last 48,500 targets at 16 yards. In the last 20 years, Meckstroth has made the All-Ohio team. The team ranks the top 10 trapshooters in the state each year.

Meckstroth keeps it simple when he prepares for competition and he becomes completely focus on his objective while making sure everything is technically in place.

Unlike most other sports, the hall of fame traditionally signifies the lifetime achievements of a person’s accomplishment whose career has been over for quite some time. But Meckstroth said he will continue to shoot for the rest of his life and he is also teaching a younger generation through his work at the Moulton Gun Club.

Being recognized as a hall of famer is a major accomplishment but Meckstroth said it is the people he has met over the years that is one of the best things to come out of participating in this sport.

Like Meckstroth’s family, the trapshooting community is tight-knit.

“It’s fun and you get to meet a lot of nice people,” Meckstroth said. “Some of the shoots are kind of like family reunion because that is only time you see some of the people. It is nice visiting with them. Everyone is friendly.”

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New Knoxville Dirk Meckstroth resident to be inducted into Ohio State Trapshooting Hall of Fame

By Jose Nogueras

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Reach Jose Nogueras at 567-242-0486 or on twitter @JoseNogueras1