The Cardinal Center, a SCTP Coach's Perspective

I coach a SCTP team and have been attending the SCTP Nationals in Sparta since 2010. My daughter and I made our first trip out to the Cardinal Center this past weekend to do a little scouting for our Nationals trip in July and quickly fell in love with the place. The Cardinal Center is definitely smaller than Sparta but has an endearing hometown atmosphere that is difficult to describe. The facility itself is top notch, targets, traps, equipment, staff etc. Everything about the place is done right although some of the new facilities, like Skeet, Pistol, and Sporting, are a considerable distance from the main trap line.

I jotted down a few notes over the weekend that might be valuable to other coaches heading to the shoot.

Parking is going to be limited - There were about 1,100 shooters in Saturday’s Singles event, that’s about half of what will be shooting the SCTP Nationals. If you add in parents, siblings, grandparents, coaches, etc., the Cardinal Center is going to be packed. I’ll be interested to see how they handle all the vehicles but I’m thinking it may be difficult to park close to where you will be shooting.

Limited A/C – Unlike Sparta, I could not find that big air conditioned building at the Cardinal Center to cool off. So I’m thinking a nice big shady spot is going to be at a premium.

Noise – The trap fields and sporting clays stations are extremely close to the spectators and carts. At Sparta only the shooters are allowed passed the sidewalks. Not sure how they are going to handle the traveling entourage of spectators at the Cardinal Center.

Sporting Clays – we shot stations on both courses on Sunday and they were very nice and well maintained. However, cart paths are narrow and stations are very close together in some areas. Like trap I’m not sure how they are going to handle the volume of spectators and coaches.

Skeet – houses are up and the pads looked to be done however everything out there was bare dirt. If they don’t get something down soon it could turn into a muddy mess real quick if we get any rain. Also, the road and parking lot will need to be finished.

Pistol – the bays look great but like the skeet fields everything is dirt. Road is done but parking still needs to be addressed.

Lots to do in the area – unlike Sparta the area has lots of places nearby and lots of things to do. That is a huge bonus for large groups of kids. This may be a blessing in disguise and do a lot to keep some of the traffic off the site.

Food – as I mentioned earlier there are a lot of places to eat within 10-15 minutes. However I highly recommend the “8 Sisters” grill on site. The Chicken Salad with grapes and pecans was awesome!!!! And for those with a sweet tooth you must try a Cream Stick!

In summary, the Cardinal Center is awesome and if anyone can pull off the SCTP it’s them. I spoke to many of the employees and every one of them are up for the challenge. Mr. Fishburn has instilled a great confidence in his employees. They believe in his mission and I’m convinced they will do what it takes to get the job done.

Below are a few pics from the trip...

Skeet Houses



Pistol Bays


Bunker


Saturday evening shoot-offs (perfect squad 25x5)

 

Great insight Roger, I'm confident they will have things right , right on time if not sooner ... The Cardinal Center appears to be a top shelf , first class operation and they are diligent in what they are doing to make it even better ... Time will tell but my money is on them having it just right ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

I hear the SCTP bosses have visited the place many times and had a big say in the new upgrades. Something must meet their approval or is Sparta that bad?