Have slingshot, will travel: Fans gather in East Huntingdon for annual tournament

Nathan Masters believes the hallmark of a great slingshot is the same as that of a great marksman — consistency.

The North Carolina resident demonstrated with a slingshot made from a forked branch.

“This came off a tree, but it could outshoot — in the right hands — any other slingshot here,” he said.

He would know. He not only owns SimpleShot, a company that makes and sells slingshots, he’s won the East Coast Slingshot Tournament four years running.

He hopes to defend his title this week in Westmoreland County. The East Coast Slingshot Tournament is held yearly at the East Huntingdon Sportsmen’s Club. The 11th annual tournament will take place Friday and Saturday.

It usually draws about 50 tournament shooters, plus about 20 people who shoot for fun, organizer Bill Steiner said. They come from all over the country — and sometimes from overseas. The tournament has had competitors from England and Germany, Steiner said.

Some competitors arrived Wednesday. They spent Thursday at the club, practicing and hanging out with friends.

“We just get together and have a good time,” said Jeff Poorbaugh of Alverton. “I don’t know where else you’d find a bunch of nuts who’d travel so far to shoot ball bearings all over the place.”

The competitive slingshot community is a tight-knit group, Steiner said. The tournament is a chance for enthusiasts to see close friends they only get to spend time with once a year.

“These people eat, sleep and breathe slingshots,” he said.

Slingshots are a way to connect with their childhoods, and with a piece of American history, competitors said.

“We have a really strong cultural heritage of a forked stick and a rubber band,” Masters said.

Many competitors hunt small game with slingshots.

There’s nothing like the feeling of hitting a target at range, Steiner said.

“A lot of people get into this because they had slingshots when they were little,” he said. “And they discover that there’s a group of people that like to shoot slingshots, and you get back into it, and it just takes over.”

Steiner said he hopes to see the community grow. Some of the old guard has died or are too old to participate.

Jay Schott, founder of the East Coast Slingshot Tournament, died in 2011 at the age of 71.

Poorbaugh attended one of the early tournaments out of curiosity.

“We came up to see what was going on, and Jay (Schott) put a slingshot in my hands, and that’s when it started for me,” he said.

The caliber of competitors has improved over the years, he said.

“The talent of the people has just advanced so far,” he said. “There’s not just one or two people running away with it every year.”

The public is invited to attend. Events will be held all day Friday and until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Shooting on the practice range is free for children under 12. Adults pay $10 for a day or $15 for both days. It costs $30 to compete in the tournament.