photo by Jeff Helmkamp
Tatiana Gargac of Alton shoots trap on Sept. 9 at the Winchester Trap and Skeet Facility in Cottage Hills. Every Thursday from Sept. 5 to Nov. 7, high school club shooters participate in a trap and skeet league at the facility.
Visiting the Winchester Trap and Skeet Facility in Cottage Hills on a Thursday evening, the sound of constant popping might instill thoughts of someone trying to use up leftover fireworks.
That “pop, pop, pop” sound is the firing of shotguns from the high school trap and skeet shooting league, which schedules fall and spring seasons. The trap league has 12 club teams split into 2 divisions, red and blue. Alton has 3 squads, while East Alton-Wood River and Civic Memorial each have 2 and Marquette Catholic has 1. Southwestern’s 2 teams, Carrollton and Tri-County make up the other 4 squads.
“There’s a lot of activity out here on a Thursday night,” said Don Moyer, one of the co-head coaches of the AHS trap and skeet team. “After lacrosse, shooting sports are the fastest-growing high school sports in the country.”
The trap league, which started the 2019 season on Sept. 5, competes every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and runs through Nov. 7.
The new 4-team skeet shooting league features teams from Alton, Southwestern, Tri-County and Carrollton, who shoot around the trap schedule.
The difference between skeet and trap shooting is in trap, one clay pigeon is released from a single location, but comes out at different angles from an oscillating, ground level machine. It launches disks rising up and away from shooters, who form a line behind the release point.
Skeet has 2 locations releasing clay pigeons, which travel in a crossing pattern for shooters, who are arranged in a semi-circle between launch points.
There are between 3 and 5 shooters for each team at a time during trap and a maximum of 5 shooters during skeet.
The league comprises club teams, so none of them are directly sponsored by the schools. Winchester provides teams with guns and ammo.
“One thing nice about this is Winchester takes responsibility for everything. They provide guns for kids who don’t have them and provide ammo at a discounted price,” Moyer said.
One comment heard over and over at the range is the respectfulness and obedience of the young shooters.
Marquette head coach Tom Flemming, who tied for the junior championship of Illinois when he was in high school, explained before anything else, kids participating in trap and skeet are taught gun safety.
“A lot of these kids come out and have never shot a shotgun before, so they learn first of all safety and then we go to learning the basics, how to stand and mount the gun, etcetera,” Flemming said.
EA-WR head coach Dave Owens noted the behavior of the kids is one thing making the sport great.
“What I love about trap is the ethics of the kids that come out and do this is phenomenal. Sure, they are high school kids and they like to have fun, but their manners and their sportsmanship are impeccable,” Owens said.
Flemming has a deep connection to the sport and takes pride in teaching kids the right way to approach handling a firearm.
“I have studied this sport all my life, had instructors from all over the U.S. and Europe. I really enjoy it and it has been something that was passed down for generations and I like passing it on to these kids,” Flemming said. “I have never had any problems with any of the kids, they are all good kids.”
Boys and girls compete side by side in trap and skeet, making it one of the only truly co-ed sports available at the prep level. This year EA-WR has two girls and Owens has enjoyed watching them take on the challenge of participating — and succeeding — in a sport with boys.
“(The girls) first time being out here assume this is a guy’s sport. The first time they out-shoot a guy, you see their spirits come up,” Owens said. “Seeing that smile on their face knowing that they beat a boy, it is uplifting for them to have that accomplishment.”
In all, the trap and skeet league attracts a wide range of participants. Several of the kids at the facility are athletes from other sports; others are just out here and want to try something different.
“It’s good clean fun,” Flemming said.
Trap league standings as of Sept. 12
RED DIVISION
Alton No. 2 (3-1)
Alton No. 1 (3-1)
Bethalto Claybusters (3-1)
Southwestern No. 1 (2-2)
Marquette Explorers Blue (1-3)
EA-WR Oiler Maroon (0-4)
BLUE DIVISION
Carrollton (4-0)
Southwestern No. 2 (3-1)
Tri-County (2-0)
EA-WR Oiler Gold (1-3)
Bethalto Hot Shots (0-4)
Alton No. 3 (0-2)
Skeet League Standings as of Sept. 12
Tri-County (4-0)
Southwestern (4-0)
Alton (0-4)
Carrollton (0-4)
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