Juneau youth trap shooters succeed at state competition

In its third season, the Juneau Youth Trap Club has found success at the Scholastic Clay Target Program State Competition at the Birchwood Shooting Park in Chugiak. The team competed in trap, sporting clays, skeet and trap tri team events.

Juneau’s team features 25 shooters, 12 of whom travelled to the event. Ninety-eight competitors from 15 teams squared off June 8-12.

“It was just an all-around adventure and a great experience for the whole team,” coach Mark Kappler said.

Part of the adventure for the team, in addition to driving from Juneau to Chugiak, was competing in the sporting clays event, which some describe as “golf with a shotgun.”

“It’s like a golf course where you have to go to a tee and stand, and you have to shoot some sort of presentation, whether the clays go from flying in the air, to floating on the ground to two crossing paths,” Kappler said.

The Juneau team doesn’t have a sporting clays course in town, but set up a makeshift course in preparation for the competition, which featured 14 different stations. Despite lacking sporting clays equipment, three Juneau athletes placed in the event, with Kiana Allen taking first in the Novice Ladies category, Harrison Holt taking second for Novice Men and Mia Hines placing third for Junior Varsity.

John Morris, after securing second place in trap and trap tri categories statewide, travelled to San Antonio for the USA Youth Education in Shooting Sports Junior Clay Target National Championships. Morris placed 20 out of 44 overall competitors, and 13 out of 23 in the class senior men’s ranking.

Juneau Trap Club 2016 SCTP results

John Morris, Senior Varsity Men: 2nd Trap, 2nd Trap Tri

Brice Norton, Junior Men: 1st Trap, 1st Trap Tri

Maele Allen, Junior Men: 2nd Trap

Mia Hines, Junior Varsity Ladies: 2nd Trap, 3rd Skeet, 3rd Sporting Clays

Harrison Holt, Novice Men: 2nd Trap, 3rd Trap Tri, 2nd Sporting Clays

Kiana Allen, Novice Ladies: 2nd Trap, 1st Skeet, 1st Sporting Clays