Many area schools offer a spring sport beyond the conventional ones such as track, baseball and softball.
WESTBY, Wis. (WXOW) – Many area schools offer a spring sport beyond the conventional ones such as track, baseball and softball.
Trap shooting has had a surge in participation both locally and nationwide. The USA Clay Target League says:
- 49,377 athletes are registered to compete
- 9,985 coaches facilitate teach the sport
- 1,625 teams compete at the high school and college levels
One such school includes Westby, which started its program more than a decade ago. Head Coach Joel Jepsen said it started out as a family affair before growing to what it is in 2024.
“My oldest was 13 at the time and wanted to start shooting a little bit,” Jepsen said. “My wife and I shot trap a little bit with clay target sports. He said he’d like to start and he had some friends that wanted to do it. So about 11 years ago, we had five kids that had interest in shooting and then it just blossomed from there. Every year there’s a few more and now we’re up to 33 shooters.”
Those athletes range in age from 5th grade to seniors in high school. Westby also has participants from neighboring districts such as Viroqua and Cashton.
Many of them have picked up significant lessons along the way.
“I’m outdoors a lot and I like shooting shotguns,” Cashton freshman Jack Christensen said. “It’s pretty fun. Do a lot with hunting and every other thing like that. It offers a lot of things. You’re not working with a team all the time. It’s helping you be more independent and stuff like that.”
While some may believe being around firearms that are constantly being fired, the USA Clay Target League says there have been zero reported injuries in trap shooting since 2008.
“Shooters are required to wear eye and ear protection,” Jepsen said. “It’s loud noises going off. Any of the shotgun sports are actually relatively safer than say basketball or baseball. There’s fewer injuries in trap shooting. If we see some possible issue, we are right there with the shooter to make sure that nothing happens.”
The Westby team competes at meets virtually, meaning the shoot by themselves at their home facility and compare scores with other schools in their conference.
Many of the athletes are highly competitive and aim for a high score every time.
“When I’m at the line and I say ‘pull,’ that target is shattered,” Cashton junior Max Christensen said. “It feels good because you know you’re getting better and you’re feeling more consistent with your shots. Duck hunting is similar because the target is also flying through the air. This can help you with your aim and have a more consistent shot to be able to fill your tags.”
While Max Christensen says guns are a part of the culture for rural communities, no experience is needed to start competing.
“We have kids that grow up hunting and fishing and trapping that know know guns fairly well and love the sport,” Jepsen said. “We have kids whose parents have never shot a gun come down and experience it for the first time and they fall in love with it.”
Westby will take part in their conference meet in Black River Falls on Sunday. The state meet is in June in Rome, Wisconsin. There are no qualifications to compete and all athletes are welcome to participate on the highest stage.
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