CEDAR RAPIDS — The only sound is the buzz of cicadas in the shooting range. Everything drops to a silent stillness with the range waiting in anticipation. A shotgun sits rested on Alannah Mahoney’s shoulder, meticulously aimed toward the trap house. All it takes is Mahoney to say one word to end the still picture – a trap house sitting in front of a small forest at Otter Creek Sportsman Club in the outskirts of Cedar Rapids.

“Pull.”

The trap shoots out a clay pigeon – the target for Mahoney. She tracks the target with her eyes. Peering through her glasses, her cheek resting against the laminated wood that makes up the cheek piece. Her index finger traces the trigger as she steadily tracks the pigeon gliding through the air at 42 mph.

She uses her aiming beads to line the shotgun up with the pigeon. A process completed in mere milliseconds.

Mahoney squeezes the trigger and a “bang” rings through the air.

The recoil of the gun shoves the stock into Mahoney’s shoulder. Mahoney’s intense focus on the target now changes to anticipation of the clay pigeon breaking.

“I just think about staying smooth and focused,” said Mahoney, “I try to trust myself since I’ve done this thousands of times.”

300 BBs fly in line with the clay pigeon, find their target and the clay pigeon floating in the air splits into three pieces. Each piece glides, spinning down to the ground in a separate direction.

Mahoney lowers her gun. She unloads the empty shell and places her barrel on the magnetic cover. She turns around with a smile and sense of accomplishment. Mahoney just hit her 50th pigeon in a row, a new personal best. Though Mahoney had never done that before, she never wavered in her routine and focused on a reset between each shot.

“I just try to start fresh each time. Past is in the past you know,” said Mahoney, “When I’m trying to focus, I like to repeat the same thing and make it instinctual.”

In the fall offseason for the Solons trapshooting team, the athletes are getting essential practice to be successful in the upcoming year. They practice every Tuesday for two hours. The practices imitate the trap shooting meets the team will compete in this spring. Each athlete shoots multiple rounds of 25 shots and rotate shooting positions every five shots.

One of the most important topics during each practice is safety. The athletes take many safety precautions when shooting trap. They use a magnet to cover the muzzle of the gun when moving with the gun. Each athlete has eye protection and ear plugs they must wear while shooting. They also discuss the safety of handling a gun and never load She uses her aiming beads to line the shotgun up with the pigeon. A process completed the gun unless they are set up to shoot.

“The only sport safer is billiards,” said Eric Bilskie, the head coach of the Solon trapshooting team.

Many of the athletes come from a leisure activity enjoyed by many in Iowa: hunting. The experience shooting a gun while hunting makes it a bit easier for the athletes to begin competing in trap. It is not the same as hunting deer and turkey but has similarities to hunting duck.

The season begins in the spring and ends at the beginning of June. Solon’s team has practices every Tuesday in the fall to keep the shooters fresh throughout the offseason.

The sport is very friendly to beginners. In the beginning of the spring season the team hosts two practices strictly for beginners. They teach the safety rules and the basics of shooting the gun safely and accurately. This provides a smooth entry to the team for anyone who wants to be on the team that has never shot a gun before.

Competing in the sport is the same as joining a community. The meets provide ample time to talk with teammates, other athletes, and their coaches. The community aspect of the sport makes the waiting in between shooting light-hearted and takes the pressure off from the intensity of the next box to shoot.

“The best part is the team and the stuff we come up with to do at meets to pass time,” said junior athlete Allen Shima.