CEDAR FALLS —Over 3,000 kids from fourth grade through high school converged on the Iowa State Trapshooting Association for the 2022 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program Trap Championships Thursday, June 9 through Sunday, June 12. Chris Van Gorp, Shooting Sports Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was quoted by Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson as saying, “The program’s been around in Iowa for 15 years, and we continue to see growth every year. This is our record year with attendance here at the state shoot. There’s actually over 4,200 kids enrolled in Iowa in the program.”
Thirteen Solon shooters participated in the event, which featured over 700,000 clays being thrown, making it the largest youth shooting event in Iowa as well as one of the largest in the nation.
Van Gorp told Radio Iowa, “Our teams have league competitions throughout the season that are usually a 50-target event. So, they shoot two rounds of 25 targets for 50 targets total. The state championship event for our high schoolers is a 200-target event.” Shooters went through eight rounds of 25 targets per day. “So,” he added, “it’s a little more grueling, and to come out on top, you’ve got to be able to get through all eight rounds.”
In Senior/Varsity Singles (200 targets) action Cole Birky and Jack Howsare both shot 194, Landon Hummel shot 191, Ian Ressler hit 187, Ryan Bilskie blasted 182, Sam Kunkel hit 179, and Gabe Nicholson hit 154. Carter Moen (Senior/Jr. Varsity) shot 135. In Intermediate/Advanced Singles Ethan Ressler hit 169 and Allen Shima shot 157. In Intermediate/Entry Level singles competition Caden Stull and Ryder Laing both shot 170 while Aaron Greco hit 151.
In Senior/Varsity Handicap (100 targets) competition Birky shot 96, Bilskie hit 79, Hummel had 77, Nicholson shot 73, Howsare nailed 70, and Ian Ressler shot 68. In Intermediate/Advanced Handicap Ethan Ressler hit 85 while Shima hit 74.
In Senior/Varsity Doubles (100 targets) action Hummel blasted 89, Bilskie bagged 87, Birky and Howsare shattered 85, and Ian Ressler nailed 78. In Intermediate/Advanced doubles Shima hit 77 while Ethan Ressler wrecked 76.
Van Gorp told Radio Iowa one of the draws of trapshooting is the wide variety of kids who can participate. “You don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest, or the fastest,” he said. “Pretty much anybody can do it and it’s a lifelong sport. What it does take is focus and commitment and perseverance.” Safety is fundamental at all levels. “We haven’t had any incidents with our youth with the firearms. The foremost principle that our coaches teach our athletes is safety first, and then fun, and if we happen to win along the way, that’s great. But without being safe and conscientious, we don’t have a program for the kids.”
Landon Hummel, Jack Howsare, Cole Birky, Sam Kunkel, and Ian Ressler represented the Solon Trapshooting Team at the State Championships last weekend in Cedar Falls.