Son's Team Won State!
 

For three days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), my Son's High School Clay Target Team competed for the state title. The team competed in Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Our team took 2nd for the past 2 years and frankly they were getting tired of that post. Some of the kids that shot decent all year stepped up and rocked it while others who are studs stalled a bit. When it was all said and done the team took the title!

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Last year was my Son's first year. He shot a 62 in Sporting Clay. This year he shot a 90! Last year he shot in the high 40's low 50'for trap and sheet. This year he shot 84 and 86.

It wasn't without heart ache. His best friend Kyle lost his mom a coupe weeks ago. Kyle is one of the best shooters in the state if not country. He squaded with Max for all the shoots. While Kyle shot well he didn't shoot like he normally does. His mom was on his mind.
Here Max talking him through it.

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All things got better when the trophies were presented. Here they are with the goods. The team took 1st in Sporting Clay, 3rd in Trap and we lost 3rd in Skeet because we were in a shoot out for it and one of the leaders on our team took off early. We were down a man for it and lost birds. We took 1st overall.

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Max was able to meet Vincent Hancock - who won 2 gold medals in 2 Olympics and will shoot in Rio. He actually lives abut 20 minutes from us.

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Below is Max with Sean MacClenndon who also shot in the Olympics. He has shot with Max and will coach him some in the fall.


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The course was touch. Strange thing is that Trap is easiest but our team doesn't do as well compared to Skeet and Sporting Clays. They do real well with sporting clays. They stations were tough this year. They had Midis mixed in and many refs didn't call any dusting. Effected everyone. He saw each of these flights in his show pair. Some were ridiculous but he used great choke selection and kept his cadence and stance in check. Highest score was a 96 / 100. He shot a 90 / 100. He was tracking for a 95 which would have had him second in the state till the last station. He only dropped 5 till the last. The last station had 5 report pairs with the first being a rabbit which skipped stupid. The report clay was going away and was a Midi and if you got up early on the rabbit it was a swing to the right. Not intuitive because of the angle the rabbit took. If you waited, the rabbit might or might not skip. It was a beast. He dropped all the rabbits but got the Midis. Even with show pairs and tracking who shot before you, you combine the 104 F temps, 100% RH, shooting 200 clays the day before and just shot 90...misses at that level are mental.

Even so, he did fantastic and I could not be more proud of him. How he shot, how he was with his friend...it was very emotional but I wouldn't let him see the tear.

There are 7 basic types of clay targets for clay target shooting, which simulate many different types of game.

Rabbit - A rabbit is a strong flat 110mm clay designed to bounce along the ground at speed. Often unpredictable with a bounce when you least expect it.

Teal - A Teal clay simulates Teal duck, and flies straight up in the air, often at great speed, usually falling on the same path as it went up. These fast clays are challenging for many shooters.

Quartering - A quartering clay will be either coming towards you at an angle, or going away at an angle. Only by looking where it come from and where it lands can you really work out the exact path it is taking. Quartering clays usually need less ‘lead’ than you think.

Driven - A driven clay simulates game on a shoot being driven towards you. Driven targets can be tricky because they disappear behind your gun barrels just when you need to be able to see them! Driven birds need a swing through technique for this reason.

Incoming - Incoming clays take many forms, and can come from all angles, but basically head towards you, often hanging in the air before dropping to the ground. They are often taken for granted and missed through a lack of concentration.

Going away - Clays that are going away get small very quickly so you need to be on your toes when you call pull.

Loopers - Loopers are very often quite far away, and often ‘quarter’ towards or away from you for added complication. There are different techniques for hitting loopers depending on whether you favour shooting them as they rise, when they reach their peak, or as they are dropping.

That kind of looks like the stadium at the National Shooting Complex off of Roft Rd. in San Antonio. Home of the NSSA/NSCA. Is it?

Yup! That's the one!!!

Cool. That is a great place to shoot. Congrats to your son and his team!

Kids doing good things with guns....gotta love it!

Congratulations to you and especially your son!

Congratulations Mike! Is this going to cost you another gun purchase?

I'm thinking Browning "Diana Grade" at the least.

Congrats to you and your son!

He wants a Krieghoff. I think not...

He shoots a Browning 725 Citori. Gonna need new pins soon. 15,000 shells will do it.

I really loved my K-80! Great gun!! Far more durable than my Citori XS Skeet.

Found a few for under 7 but otherwise they are just too expensive for me.

Congrats on the win. A proud papa as you should be.
I started shooting skeet again last year after about 25 years of not shooting. Totally into it. Found a brand new Browning four barrel skeet set, (I know tubes are all the vogue now), down there in Tx. I'm shooting my first 4 gun shoot next weekend.
You are so right the mental aspect of the game. Concentration, concentration, concentration on technique and the bird. Which is certainly easier said than done. Really awesome he starting shooting so early in life.
(I say the Krieghoff for a graduation present!) Just a thought SmileWavy

Lots of win in this post. Congrats!


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I think when you break 90 it becomes a game of mm. Choke selection and emotions begin to play a huge roll. Technique will get you to the 80s but the finer things get you be nationally ranked. It will be fun to see his progression in the next 12 months. Like golf, shooting is something you can do well into old age.

Ok, Luby.

I relent. Kudos to you, sir.

Very nice! Congratulations to your boy!