2

20

YEARS OF

 FUN!

BY

T

racie Hill

For twenty years it has been my family's pride and joy to host the "All Thompson Show and Shoot".

From the beginning it was meant to be a fun, educational and family oriented event. My wife and

I have always wanted attendees to bring their whole family, including children. This is the only way

we can keep our hobby alive.

The first Show and Shoot took place in August, 1992, with I think thirty-five total people attending.

In those days, there was no TCA or TATA in existence. Heck the logo for the TCA didn't come about

until 1998 and grew out of a design for the Show and Shoot (the British Combined Operation logo)

not the other way around. The Show and Shoot logo changed years later when one of our members,

Keith White, designed the Thompson fan logo which is still in use today on our commemorative coin

(see front cover).

Later on when TCA finally got organized, they like the American Thompson Association, provided

insurance to the event, but that is all. I helped to create both organizations and I am proud of the

American Thompson Associations and its high ethical standards for the hobby.

The event has grown with our family too, with our two children jumping right into the event and

even doing their own exhibits during the show. We even added on to the "Thompson Convention

Center", our home, to make the event a success.

The shoot has changed too. Originally, we only had the morning five stage shooting. Later, the

afternoon steel plate competition was added. Finally, this year we even added a magazine change

requirement to the steel plate to keep things fresh.

My wife, Donna, has been and continues to be the driving force behind the Show and Shoot. Without

her work and dedication the event would have ended years ago. But, she loves the event, because

she claims that this is the only time I do things around the house to clean it up. She also claims that

the Show and Shoot is really a birthday party for me, which she proved this year by presenting me

with a birthday cake. The ATA also gave Donna and I a wonderful card and quilt as a gift for 20 years

of fun.

We look forward to the future!