A Wayne State College freshman has started a shotgun sports team that will compete in trap, skeet and sporting clays events later this year.
This new club sport was started by criminal justice major Hayley Long and a few of her friends. It now has 17 members, according to a college media release.
The team is a part of the Prairie Circuit Conference, which consists of schools from Nebraska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa and Kansas. The new team anticipates competing in those states, as well as locally against college teams such as Midland, Doane and Concordia.
While members are only practicing because of COVID-19 travel restrictions for the rest of the school year, beginning this fall they will be able to attend at least five competitions a semester. The ultimate goal is to make it to Collegiate Clay Target Championships in San Antonio, Texas.
The majority of club members come from Nebraska except for a student from Forest City, Missouri.
All members of the team are required to have a hunter’s education certification (or the equivalent certification from their home state if they are not a native Nebraskan) to join Wayne State’s shotgun sports team. All members also must attend one “shotgun safety and range etiquette” class each semester before being allowed to participate.
Many of the inaugural members are students who previously competed in high school trap shooting, so they are excited to see a sport like this offered at Wayne State, according to the release. In addition to collegiate competition, they will educate members on sporting device safety, team etiquette and the fun and thrill of the sport.
The team’s primary practice location will be the Northeast Nebraska Shooting Association (NESA) range, a private facility near Pierce. The NESA range features a single trap and skeet range, as well as a sporting clays field. This is the only location with all three college disciplines in Northeast Nebraska.
* * *
Want to learn more?
For information about volunteering as a coach or fundraising opportunities to offset the cost of equipment, contact club president Hayley Long at halong01@wsc.edu or visit www.facebook.com/WSCShotgunSportsClub
