Finale of the North American Cup — Parcours de Chasse

The 2009 FITASC Sporting North American Championship (incorporating the prestigious Finale of the North American Cup) was a world-class clay target shooting tournament held from May 28th to May 31st, 2009. Staged as a flagship fixture on the global clay sports calendar, this major four-day continental championship brought together elite marksmen from the United States, Canada, and international delegations to vie for top continental honors in the main Sporting discipline (Parcours de chasse). The tournament was proudly hosted at the legendary and highly regarded facilities of the Northbrook Sports Club (formerly referred to as Northbrook Gun Club) in Hainesville, Illinois, USA.

Event Highlights & Structural Parameters

Operating under the highest international framework of global target sports, this championship paired Northbrook's extensive infrastructure with rigid competitive standards:

  • Sanctioning Architecture: The competition operated under the direct international authority of FITASC (Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse), certifying that all multi-field course layouts, target trajectories, and weapon compliance parameters conformed to strict global tier-1 standards.

  • The Continental Crown: Functioning as the definitive final leg of the 2009 North American Cup, this championship aggregated points from selective continental Grand Prix matches to crown the overall seasonal cup champions in individual and team divisions.

  • Pristine Natural Terrain: Set across the venue's massive property, targets were presented over acres of rolling hills, lush wetlands, woodlands, and scenic farmland. These diverse natural boundaries allowed course designers to engineer highly realistic, deceptive hunting simulations that severely tested the visual tracking, mental stamina, and technical consistency of elite international shooters.

1. Full Event Program & Schedule

The high-stakes championship timeline allocated an extensive target menu distributed across a multi-day international schedule:

  • May 26th – May 27th (Tuesday – Wednesday): Arrival of international and domestic delegations, squadding confirmation, official shooter registry check-in, weapon safety compliance verifications, and training ranges open for practice.

  • May 28th (Thursday) — Championship Day One: Phase 1 of the official qualification course begins over specialized natural layouts.

  • May 29th – May 30th (Friday – Saturday): Middle qualification stages. Intense competitive tracking as leaders begin to separate from the field under shifting Midwestern weather conditions.

  • May 31st (Sunday) — Championship Final Day: Concluding qualification flights, followed immediately by high-stakes, sudden-death international tie-breaking shoot-offs (barrages) to determine the definitive individual and category podium positions.

  • May 31st (Sunday) — Official Closing & Awards Ceremony: Staged Sunday afternoon to honor individual, category, and national team winners, officially crowning the 2009 North American Sporting Champions and finalizing the North American Cup standings.

2. Venue Profile & Logistical Location Details

All championship rotations, multi-stand layouts, and administrative offices were hosted by one of the largest and most prestigious target-shooting clubs in the United States:

Host Venue:

Northbrook Sports Club

160 Sports Club Drive,

Hainesville, IL 60030, United States

The Northbrook Sports Club is internationally renowned for its exceptional facilities and premier layout design. Spanning hundreds of acres of beautifully diverse Illinois landscape, the facility features multiple fully automated sporting clay courses, a massive clubhouse, and extensive amenities, providing a spectacular and challenging environment for the global shooting community.

3. Organizing Committee & Registration Framework

The administrative desk responsible for competitor registry validation, international squad placements, ammunition logistics, and processing temporary U.S. firearm import permits operated under the joint coordination of the host club, the national body, and the global federation:

  • National Organizing Body: National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA)

  • International Sanctioning Oversight: Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse (FITASC)