Published: May 14, 2008 03:04 pm            

Trap shooters win debut match

By CHARLES PENDELL

Sports correspondent

SPARTA — In its first-ever trap competition, the Hamilton County Fox Fire junior varsity scholastic trap team finished first in its division out of 10 teams and about 200 shooters Saturday at the Sparta World Shooting and Recreational Complex.

“These kids just made our day," Fox Fire head coach Gary Nelson said. “They are a great bunch of kids, and we all are so proud of them. They are only going to get better.”

Fox Fire's Squad 1 consisted of squad leader Dirk Lowery, Matt Owen, Caleb Miller, Levi Hybbert and Ross Welch.

Owen broke his first 25 out of 25 shots, and Miller finished fourth in a shoot-out for top gun.

“Nerves were at an all-time high as the team started the first 25 of 100 targets," Nelson said. “This was all new to them, and Sparta is such an awesome place to shoot. They shook out the jitters and began doing what they were trained to do, and that was break one bird at a time. That is exactly what they did in breaking their way to the J.V. Division title.

"The team motto is 'If you fall, we’ll carry you'; we are a team.”

Saturday's meet marked the first time the newly formed Hamilton County trap team had competed against anyone.

Trap shooting competition is broken into squads of five shooters at five different stations. The shooters must have either a 12- or a 20-gauge shotgun.

Each shooter calls for a “bird” — a clay target — which travels at 40 mph; the shooter tries to shoot the bird with one shot. After the five shooters have shot, the teams switch stations.

Each shooter is required to have eye and ear protection, and they aren’t allowed to load their guns until it's their turn to shoot.

There are 27 members on the Fox Fire team. Chad Payne is the shooting sports director. Nelson is the head coach, with Mark Folden and Mike Lewis serving as assistant coaches.

Trap shooting is a sport, so letters will be given at the end of the year. As participants in an extracurricular sport, team members may also be tested for drugs, and a "no pass, no play" rule is also in force.

“Since this is the first year for this team, our team is classified as first-year shooters and must compete as a junior varsity squad," Payne said. “They can compete as a varsity squad next year.”

The Fox Fire squad will be in action again June 14, then will head to the state tournament June 28 at Sparta. The squad practices at the Carmi airport at its shooting complex every Tuesday afternoon.

“We encourage the parents to come over to watch these kids in practice," Nelson said. “These kids raised a lot of eyebrows on Saturday. ...These kids are very capable of placing at state.”

        

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