Trap Shootings in Highschools

Trap shooting is a growing sport in Oregon high schools, with 54 clubs participating in the Oregon State High School Clay Target League. There are 53,250 students participating nation- ally in the sport that’s known for being inclusive and safe. The League website reports no injuries since 2008. Students can do this sport from sixth grade through high school. College scholarships are also available for top competitors.

Competitors shoot clay targets (pigeons) that are 4.33 inches around. The shooting team usually stands 16 yards behind the throwing machine inside the trap house at five stations.

The person who starts on the first station is called the squad leader and they lead all the shooters on that round. In each round the team shoots 25 shells (or one box of shells) in total. The targets launch out at 42 miles per hour from all different angles so no station has an advantage. After a competitor shoots five shells at a station they rotate to the right to the next station until they have shot at each station. Even though the squad leader isn’t at the first post/station they will always shoot first. When the whole squad is finished shooting they will walk off the stations to check their score.. A perfect set is 25. Trap shooting competitors you usually use 12 gauge but sometimes people will use a 20 gauge. A typical trap gun has lots of different adjustments so you can make the gun fit you just right. Some adjustments a trap gun can do is: move the comb/cheek plate up and down, move the butt plate at different angles left and right to fit your pocket and also move up and down. You can also move the sight rib parallel or slanted to the barrel to help you float the target better. Floating the bird means that you lead the target because the target fly so fast. You also float the target so you don’t lose where the bird is.

Trap shooting is a great alternative sport for those who are not a fan of traditional high school team sports. Anyone can do the sport whether or not they are athletically gifted. Trap shooting can also help with improving hand-eye coordination, developing discipline, responsibility, and building confidence. This sport can be a great place to make friends of all ages and has good relationships with people. Additionally, trap shooting promotes firearm safety and responsible gun ownership Mykael Graham, one of the top female shooters on the Echo/ Stanfield trap shooting talks about how it has changed her life:

“I think that trap teaches you how to be on a team with all different ages and having good safety with guns. Trap helps you get out of the house and helps with other sports too. Trap being in schools can get more people into shooting and get the idea of how to properly shoot guns. Trap shooting has personally changed my life by being more and more patient. Trap has also helped me with hand eye coordination to have a better softball game.” ~ Mykael Graham (Senior)

Other students add their thoughts to trap shooting:

“On my trap team, we often talked about how to handle guns safely. One time during trap practice, a teammate forgot to check if their gun was empty. Our coach stopped everything and used it as a lesson for all of us. No one got in trouble, but it reminded us how important it is to always follow safety rules. That moment made me realize that owning and using a gun means being careful all the time—not just when you're shooting.” ~Violet Scott (8th Grader)

“Being in trap I have learned important gun skills. It has also taught me that you have to be patient. I would tell a new shooter to take your time and make sure you’re ready for the bird before it comes out. Having a trap for school is good. It gives students an opportunity to play sports where they can be outside and not have to be physically active. I would say trap is both a team and an individual sport. Your scores rely on what you get but also affect how good the team does. I feel like kids are starting to learn gun safety more and at a younger age as well.”

~Shelby Blanchet (Sophmore)

Two of the coaches from the Echo/Stanfield trap team added their thoughts to the values of trap shooting as a school sport:

“I decided to be a trap coach because I enjoyed it as a kid. Trap lets you meet people that you never knew you could bond with. You can also develop great friendships through friendly competition. I know guns have a bad rep., but with trap being a school sport, guns are becoming less scary to non- shooters.”

~Micheal Hampton (assistant Coach on the Echo/ Stanfield trap team)

“I decided to be a trap coach because my whole family shot trap. It was something I really enjoyed as a kid. Trap made me better at other sports also. Trap helped me pick what college to go to. Trap lead me to becoming a teacher. Trap teaches how to compete. You celebrate wins and you also work harder to beat the competitors you lost to. I think trap being in schools helps people who did not grow up with guns get the chance to be able to be involved in the sport."

~Savannah Shorts (assistant Coach on the Echo/ Stan- field trap team)