OSF History

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By Lou Anderson (assisted by Clare Maitland and Rudy Schulze)

Back in the 1950s shooting associations were mainly local - like the Metropolitan Sporting Rifle Association, Twin City Rifle Association, Niagara District Sporting Rifle League, etc.. The Canadian Civilian Association of Marksmen (CCAM) was the national governing body, but the associations operated pretty much independently.

In the winter of 1958-59 four shooters (John Hope, Ted Harrison, Jim O'Connor, Rudy Schulze) met with a view to creating a provincial organization. Sadly, Rudy is the only one left. Then in 1959 at a match at Norwich the Ontario Sporting Rifle Association (OSRA) was created to organize Sporting Rifle shooting in Ontario. The OSRA then began co-ordinating matches, establishing consistent rules, and the like. It also established the John Hope trophies. International style shooting, then known simply as Match Rifle, was quite separate and operated mainly under the CCAM.

The OSRA operated successfully and as time passed it seemed reasonable to have a provincial body for both Sporting and Match Rifle shooting. The OSRA discussed this through 1964 and 1965; and in September of 1965 the restructuring of the OSRA was approved. The Ontario Smallbore Federation (OSF) was fomed with John Troulitakis as its first president. By this time the CCAM had become the Shooting Federation of Canada (SFC). It was definitely a time of change.

Since that time the OSF has worked to supervise and encourage smallbore rifle shooting in Ontario. Only a few highlights of its activities are:

operating coaching, officials, and Junior programs,
operating annual Indoor and Outdoor Championships,
working with the Province on grants,
working with the Province operating the rifle disciplines in the Ontario Summer and Winter Games,
operated trials for the teams competing at the Canada Games,
participated in operating the Crosman Airgun Championships.

In 1983 the OSF was incorporated as a non-profit organization.

The last OSRA president was Herman Weber; OSF presidents have included John Troulitakis (3 years) Bruce Wilkins (1), Bob Moon (5?*), Al Cordy (5?*), Sue Esseltine (1), Fred Binding (7), Bonnie Gauthier (7), Bill Szulga (1), Clare Maitland (2), Norm Botts (1), Josie Pascoe (3). *(My records are uncertain about 1973 to 1975.)

These pages do not necessarily represent or express the official views of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, the Ontario Smallbore Federation, the Ontario Rifle Association, the Ontario Arms Collectors Association, or any of the clubs described in these pages. This is not an official project of any of these organizations or clubs.