Shooting sports team right on target in home meet at Mormon Trail Lake

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Nichols of the Atlantic News Telegraph covered this event, gathering much of the information and comments included in this report.

A group of area teens proved last Saturday that they’re right on target in their sport as the end of the season looms ahead.

The CAM shooting sports team welcomed several other area schools to a trap shooting meet on their home field at Mormon Trail County Park near Bridgewater.

While the team is a 501c3 club that uses the CAM name and mascot, they have several members of their team who are from Nodaway Valley and many other schools.

“Here’s my opinion on what it takes to be successful in trap shooting. Like in any other sport, it requires a combination of physical, mental and technical skills,” CAM head coach Chuck Kinzie said. “Things such as fundamental shooting skills, consistent practice, mental focus, patience and persistence are just a few of the contributing factors to being a successful trap shooter. We have another great group of kids this year who are respectful and fun to coach.”

While Saturday’s event was a trap meet, others the team participates in are skeet meets or sporting clay meets. All three are shotgun sports. In trap shooting, targets are launched from a single location and usually move away from the shooter. In skeet shooting, two targets are launched and cross paths in front of the shooter. Sporting clays more closely simulates conditions an outdoorsman would see when hunting.

“We have a lot of solid shooters again. We’re getting here to about three-quarters of the way through the season. A good portion of our consistent-practicing and regular meet attendees are shooting their personal bests right now,” Kinzie said. “On the trap side, that’s two rounds of 25 for a total possible score of 50. Most of them are shooting in the mid to upper 40s, so that puts them in position to contend individually at every single meet.”

CAM’s Dylan Dreager of Atlantic was runner-up on the boys side of the meet with a 47, just two behind Kasey Christensen of Harlan’s 49. Others from CAM in the top 10 were Tyler Buboltz of Griswold (46), Blake Edwards of Nodaway Valley (42), Mark Kilborn of Nodaway Valley (41), Creighton Kinzie of CAM (39), Haydon Sickles of Nodaway Valley (38) and Ayden Goetz of Nodaway Valley (38). The CAM boys were team champions, scoring a 215 of 250.

Results from the girls side of the meet showed CAM’s Alyson Dreager of Atlantic (35) finishing third, behind Katy Kelly (41) of Missouri Valley and Cadence Jahn of Logan-Magnolia, who are both with the Loess Hills team.

CAM has three more trap meets it will face this season with the next one hosted by Harlan at one of the larger facilities they’ll shoot at, Shelby County Trap and Skeet. They will also shoot at a few sporting clay and skeet meets before the regular season ends. All three disciplines have postseason state meets that occur in June.

“At the next couple of practices we’ll focus on the little things as that’s kind of where we’re at now with most of our seasoned shooters,” Kinzie said. “We want to do the little things right to allow the big things to happen: stance, hold point, being ready for the clay before they call for it and follow-through.