Stand and Take Five It seems inconceivable that a Scotsman living in Canada could change the way claybird shooting is practiced in the United States. But after Raymond Forman invented five-stand sporting, it took American shotgunners less than 10 years to totally embrace the sport. Eight traps are positioned around the shooters. A decade ago, Forman worked for the hunter education division of the Alberta Department of Environmental Protection. When asked to critique its firearms training program, he suggested switching from trap and skeet to sporting clays, to spur interest and to provide better training. But no ranges were available. "I was teaching elementary shotgunning to five young teenagers, using a trap field, and they really looked bored," Forman told me. "Then it just came to me." His idea: Compress the dimensions of sporting clays into trap-field size. Five-stand sporting utilizes five shooting stations, from which shooters see targets fly on paths similar to those on sporting-clays courses. Those five stands are in a straight line a few yards apart, similar to trap positions. But an array of traps around those stands provides a variety of target presentations--crossing in either direction, incoming, or going out overhead. A setup using six or eight traps creates hundreds of possible combinations for doubles. Bird Brains: An initial problem with five-stand was controlling the traps so that each competitor shot the same combinations at some time during a match. "Trying to work out a schedule for just one squad, playing with a bunch of buttons, a pencil and piece of paper, required about two and a half hours of work," Forman explained. "I knew that electronics could take care of that, and finally ended up with a rudimentary control that would do the same exercise in a few seconds. I named it Bird Brain. I was trying to bring some fun into shooting, which was becoming a dreadfully serious sport." Bill of Fare: Knowing or not knowing where the targets are coming from is an important distinction in five-stand competitions. In one version, a menu attached to each stand gives the sequence of singles and/or doubles thrown. In the other, you won't know until the targets appear. The latter system is used for international five-stand shooting. Five-stand tournament in Columbia, MO: Layouts don't require much more room than trap courses. The National Sporting Clays Association has licensed Forman's trademark, and has stimulated the installation of five-stand layouts at many sporting-clays ranges affiliated with that organization. They use the known menu system, and require either six or eight traps. Through Clay-Sports International, Forman has been involved in the design and construction of about 80 five-stand courses in the United States, on which he encourages the un-known-target shooting. "There are probably merits to both, but I prefer the unknown sequence because it's more fun. I think you actually become a better shotgunner if you don't know where the targets are coming from." Sporting Effect: Building a five-stand course on a sporting-clays range may be detrimental to its health. Shooters tend to take the path of least resistance, opting for five-stand because it requires less physical exertion and takes less time to complete. In some instances it has severely reduced use of the sporting clays trail, despite the fact that most shooters believe that sporting is more fun. The traps are a major expense; six throwers and a control box cost from $20,000 to $25,000. But five-stand is excellent for teaching shotgunning mechanics. It can duplicate the flight path of most gamebirds, and a troublesome shot can be practiced over and over. It makes for good competition, and is ideal for those who can't or won't walk a sporting-clays course. ß Rangefinder To find a five-stand range near you, contact the National Shooting Sports Foundation (203/426-1320), Clay-Sports International (403/949-3654) or the National Sporting Clays Association (1-800/ 877-5338). ⌐ 1997 The Hearst Corporation. All rights reserved.