Shooters featuring a variety of ages and experience shared a common bond this past weekend at the Aberdeen Gun Club. There were all taking their turns busting targets during the annual State Clay Target and Skeet Tournament.

For one shooter, it was an entirely new experience.

“I’ve always liked shooting. This is my first year shooting trap,” said Aberdeen Central freshman Anya Jonas. “I’ve never shot with shotguns before, so it was kind of just a new experience, and it’s really fun.”

Jonas moved to Aberdeen from Gillette, Wyo., last year and has felt right at home in the Hub City.

“I like the community. I like the people here,” Jonas said. “They’re really down to earth people, really nice to connect with.”

And Jonas has found, also very helpful when it comes to shooting.

“You really got to be paying attention and there’s lot of focus. You can’t just go out there and shoot,” Jonas said. “You got to know what you’re doing, so I had lots of people helping me, so it was really nice.”

One of those helpful teammates is Anna Johnson, who shot right next to Jonas on the line Sunday morning.

“I really like her,” Jonas said. “We both were in school together, so that was fun that she was on the team.”

ANOTHER PERFECT SCORE

One day after a shooter hit 100 straight clay targets on Saturday, another shooter accomplished the same rare feat on Sunday.

Dylan Drexler of Sioux Falls had a perfect score while shooting for the Brandon Valley squad.

The recent graduate said his prior was best was 95.

So what happened on Sunday?

“I don’t know,” Drexler said. “I just got lucky, I guess.”

He said he wasn’t even aware where he was at during the run until the very end.

“I just kind of zoned out,” Drexler said. “I was just taking it one at a time.”

He said there was a reason for that strategy.

“I knew if I was thinking about it, I was going to miss one,” Drexler said.

However, there was no zoning out on the final stage as everyone watching knew what was at stake.

“I was feeling pressure on the last round,” Drexler said. “That last five there was kind of stressful.”

TRUSTING THE PROCESS

Coaches in trapshooting are a bit different than those in sports like football, basketball or volleyball.

There no time outs or play calls. Instead, there is a pre-shoot pep talk and then it’s a matter of trusting all the things they’ve been taught.

“We do a little pep talk in the morning. Right before we start shooting we just tell them, hey, just take it one bird at a time. Stay focused on your basics that you’ve learned all year, your stance, how you put your gun up to your shoulder, and just don’t over think it,” said Bowdle coach Jerry Beadle. “Just go out and have fun. It’s a lot of muscle memory in this game. It’s pretty consistent if they just focus on those basic things that we work on all year, we don’t really have to coach them.”

Bowdle has 27 members on this year’s team and was by far the smallest school enrollment-wise competing on Sunday along with the likes of Aberdeen Central, Yankton and Mitchell.

Because trapshooting is divided into divisions by number of participants and not student body count, Bowdle is used to competing with the big schools. It was one of the 13 original schools that had a team in the first year of competition.

“The community really gets behind it and we have a lot of parents that want to see their kids succeed in this sport,” Beadle said of the popularity of shooting at Bowdle. “Of course, we live in the pheasant capital of the world, so there’s a lot of hunting going on.”

Beadle said there are a lot of things to like about the sport of trapshooting, because literally anyone can do it.

“You don’t have to be strong, you don’t have to be the tallest, you don’t have to be the quickest,” Beadle said. “The girls are out-shooting some of our boys that have been on our team. It’s an individual sport.”

LENDING A HELPING HAND

Several members of the Northern State football team were once again helping out at the state tournament.

One of those received his first experience to the sport.

“I didn’t even know what it was,” said Kegan Mountain of Omaha, Neb. “I just got the text to come out here, and I did and I’m here.”

Mountain, who plays defensive back and returns kicks and punts for the Wolves, was busy keeping track of all of the results during the event.

He was enjoying meeting new people and also learning about trapshooting.

“It’s interesting,” Mountain said. “I’ve met a lot of people and seen some new stuff.”

Mountain has never taken aim at a clay target before, but is open to the opportunity to try it in the future.

“A couple of guys offered to take me out, but I just never knew what it was,” Mountain said, “but now I do and I’m kind of interested.”

MOVING UP THE RANKS

Aberdeen Roncalli has a growing trapshooting team and those members continue to improve each year.

One of the Cavaliers is enjoying his first year of varsity competition.

“Last year I think I was a Novice shooter, which is the lowest grade of shooter,” said Owen Vogel, “and this year I really stepped it up, and now I made varsity this year.”

The soon to be freshman has past experience with hunting, and felt like trapshooting would be a good extension of that.

“Me and my dad really like to hunt and we like to just be outdoors,” Vogel said. “I thought trapshooting would be a fun way to shoot in the spring.”

Vogel noted that a state trapshooting tournament with hundreds of competitors is a much different experience than going hunting.

“It’s a lot different with all those shots and everything,” Vogel said. “Usually, when you’re hunting you’re just walking around, so even like standing still is a big difference.”

Vogel enjoys being a part of Roncalli’s large delegation of shooters.

“I’ve really been able to learn from them,” he said, “and it’s just fun competing with them.”

Vogel has not tried his hand at skeet yet, but would like to give it a try sometime.

“That would be fun,” he said. “I was watching it today. It looks really hard.”

Vogel also competes in basketball and golf, and drew a comparison between those sports and that of trapshooting.

“You have to be consistent with the way you’re shooting,” Vogel said, “and same with your golf swing and your basketball shot.”

MAKING THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITY

While Mitchell’s Andrew Haiar is confined to a wheelchair because he was born with Spina bifida, he has been shooting clay targets for the past four years.

“It’s pretty fun,” Haiar said, “I like it.”

Haiar said a key for him while shooting is to stay focused and not think too far ahead.

“I just keep on moving, target after target, one target at a time,” Haiar said.

The recent graduate, who plans on going into social work at Southwest Minnesota State, said he does not keep a running tally in his head about how many targets he has hit or missed during a round.

“After all the 50,” Haiar said of when he finds out his total. “I just wait and see what I get.”

Haiar does not let his disability keep him from competing alongside his teammates.

“I just feel like a shorter shooter,” Haiar said, “like I’m not as tall as everyone else.”

To see tournament results, click on the following link:

https://sd.usaclaytarget.com/trap-shooting-tournament-leaderboard