Scholastic shooting event draws big, little, short and tall: ‘Anyone can do this’

Some shotgun shooters stand erect and cock their right elbow upward while waiting for the clay target to arc into the sky; others hunker down into more of a squat.

The shooters in the two gun-sport contests this week come in all sizes, range in age from 8 to college, are of both genders and have all manner of personalities. And they’re all learning lessons about sportsmanship, teamwork and developing character.

Alex Dietrich, 18, of Marissa, said the sporting clay target portion of the event is like “golf with shotguns.” He and Justin Reinhardt, of Baldwin, are on the Marissa team co-coached by Alex’s dad, Todd, and managed by Judy Feig. Dietrich will attend the University of Rolla in the fall to study engineering; Reinhardt will be attending a mechanic program.

Two contests are going on this week at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta: The National Scholastic Clay Target Program and the National Scholastic Pistol Program. More than 2,000 shooters competed Friday and Saturday in American trap shooting, which is free and open to the public.

The pistols championship is in only its third year and has about 375 shooters signed up; the more established SCTP has more than 2,400 shooters competing. Prizes are funded by Larry and Brenda Potterfield, who own Midway USA, a retailer of guns and other goods. Cash prizes of up to $10,000 go to the team’s endowment, not to the athlete.

Dietrich and Reinhardt were competing in the Sporting Clay part of the contest Thursday, which they both agreed was not among their better days. Out of 100 shots, the highest either got during two days was 86. A successful shot in sporting clay needs only to somehow break the disc; as long as a visible part of the clay is removed in flight, it counts as a successful shot. That kind of shot counts no less than one that completely obliterates the clay disc into dust.

“You shot terrible,” Dietrich said to Reinhardt in a gently joking tone. Reinhardt nodded in agreement.

“Kids from all walks of life can do this,” Feig said, although later allowed that most are from farming communities and already know basic shooting, although her club welcomes those from other areas.

“If you’re the class clown or the geek, it’s just you and your gun (at the contest),” she said. “Anyone can do this.”

Feig, like many there in support of the 2,450 shooters, spent the morning in a golf cart driving among the stations and bragging about the sport. Feig has been involved in the sport for years, attending and coaching the team at events across the country.

The Marissa club’s expenses are partly covered by grants from Friends of the NRA, which provides for the ammunition, and the club also has a handful of fundraisers during the year. She said it’s an expensive but worthwhile sport, one that her son continues at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. The Belleville campus does not have a shooting club.

“This teaches gun safety and developing character,” said Shawn Dulohery, the head coach of Lindenwood Univeristy Shotgun Sports. “How can that be a bad thing?”

Lindenwood, Southeastern Illinois, the University of Iowa and Arizona State were among the colleges at the main building of the Sparta complex trying to persuade shooters to join their schools upon high school graduation. Many offer financial incentive packages to attract the top shooting individuals.

The guns, ammunition and range fees make for an expensive sport, many at the contest said.

Don Nehring, of Pinckneyville, said his daughter went to the University of Mississippi, and joked that he had to serve as a coach because of the expense to keep her shooting.

The Pinckneyville team brought 22 shooters from Pinkneyville and DuQuoin ranging from seventh-graders to seniors.

Families typically attend the national events together, where they meet others from around the country year after year.

Feig said one thing the shooters learn is how to control their emotions and bounce back from adversity, explaining that some positions are harder for some shooters, and sometimes that athlete must shoot from a certain position even if it not his or her strength.

“It’s got to be something, it’s just a passion,” she said, describing the time spent learning to shoot well and under various conditions.

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Scholastic shooting event draws big, little, short and tall: ‘Anyone can do this’."