Aberdeen Roncalli’s Isaac Price is used to getting things done through the air. The recent graduate was a pole vaulter on the track and field squad, and this past weekend he was busting clay targets during the State Trapshooting tourney at the Aberdeen Gun Club.
Price noted one thing in particular that the two events share in common.
“The one major similarity is it’s heavily affected by wind,” Price said, during Sunday’s windy elements.
There is one other noticeable thing that the two activities share.
“They’re both mental, very mental,” Price said. “I like them evenly, I would say, but I do kind of like pole vaulting a little bit more, since I’ve been doing it for a little bit longer.”
Price described the difference between missing a vault and missing a target and having to refocus on the next attempt.
“It’s kind of the same feeling, but not exactly like it,” Price said. “It’s the same feeling, but slightly less, because you have more chances than just the three (in trap).”
Price also ran cross country for the Cavaliers.
“Cross country there’s not really much do to with the wind in that,” Price said, “but it is definitely mental, and how you prepare during the offseason does affect how you run during the season.”
Because track and field and trapshooting both take place in the spring, it made for some longer days for Price and some creative scheduling.
“It’s definitely hard to do both at the same time, but I always seem to have time to make it here, since it’s immediately right after (track) practice,” Price said. “I know that I have another hour before I’m actually done with sports for the day.”
Price, who will attend Dakota State for Cyber operations in the fall, said trapshooting plays a role in one of his other hobbies.
“Trap shooting definitely has helped me whenever I go hunting,” he said, “and I do occasionally like to go hunting. I mainly hunt pheasants, so there’s some cross.”
Dave Vilhauer
MANAGING THE MENTAL GAME
Webster sophomore Ava Bjerke is a trapshooting state tournament veteran with this being her third year. She said the tournament gets easier over time.
“After the first one, it’s definitely easier,” Bjerke said. “The nerves go away and you’re way more used to how things flow.”
Bjerke says that to succeed in the tournament, it’s more about the mental component rather than the physical side.
“It’s more of a mental battle,” Bjerke said. “If you miss one target then sometimes it can really mess you up. So you just have to focus on each shot and not worry about the last one.”
Bjerke was doing well following that path to success.
“I shot my average and then my second round I shot above that,” Bjerke said. “So, I’m satisfied with my performance.”
Bjerke got into the sport because of her family and hasn’t looked back.
“My dad encouraged me to join because he has always had a huge thing for shooting sports,” Bjerke said. “So, he got me to do it when I was in eighth grade and ever since I just loved doing it.”
One part that Bjerke enjoys is just the tournament itself.
“It’s really fun, you get to meet a lot of people,” Bjerke said. “And it’s fun to shoot a little extra, and it’s just a nice day to spend outside.”
Cordell Vitense
COMMUNITIES JOIN FORCES ON THE LINE
Bowdle has long been a cornerstone school when it comes to shooting sports. However, when the high school closed last year, the Bobcats were left without a school name for the State Trapshooting tournament.
Enter neighbor to the east, Edmunds Central, where most of the former Bowdle students attend.
“Bowdle’s high school, they’re classroom sharing now with Edmunds Central,” said Bowdle assistant coach Barb Kaiser. “Edmunds Central was gracious enough to let us use their title and their name.”
As a result, the shooters are competing with Bobcats shirts, with no team school mentioned.
“It’s Edmunds Central Bobcats,” Kaiser said. “We just got new uniforms last year, so they were nice enough to let us use their name with our mascot.”
Kaiser was serving as scorekeeper on Sunday at the event. She said the biggest thing is to concentrate on the action and not get distracted.
“Sometimes it’s a little harder, depending on the day,” Kaiser said. “If it’s overcast it’s a little harder to see the clays break. Sometimes if they powder them, it’s pretty easy to tell. Sometimes you got that clay that’s hit a little bit, and it just shifts. You have to pay attention.”
The Edmunds Central Bobcats have 26 shooters this season, which also include three students from Hoven, some from Selby and one from Eureka.
Even though the number of overall students at Edmunds Central is small, the Bobcats shot against much larger teams on Sunday because they have a higher population of kids in the sport.
Kaiser explained why the sport is so popular.
“It’s something different and you don’t have to be super athletic to be able to do it,” Kaiser said. “So, everybody has kind of that fair chance to be competitive and get out there and have some fun. And it’s just fun shooting a gun sometimes and seeing what you can do.”
Dave Vilhauer
WOLVES ON THE RANGE
A bunch of members of the Northern State football team once again volunteered at the trapshooting tournament, including defensive back Kegan Mountain.
It wasn’t Mountain’s first experience volunteering at the tournament.
“In the summer of 2024, one of the football coaches hit us up and asked if anybody wanted to work out here and I did, and I’ve been back ever since,” Mountains said. “It’s just been fun running around doing what I can to help and meeting new people.”
This year, Mountain’s job was keeping score for trap and skeet, and helping with merchandising.
“It’s been awesome,” Mountain said. “You get to meet a lot of new people, and I get to keep working for Jerry (Brick). Jerry’s a great guy and it’s just been great.”
Even though it was his third year working the tournament, Mountain still faced some challenges.
“Well, I don’t really know much about the sport,” Mountain said. “I’m kind of learning as I go, so that’s been a little difficult. But I’m learning.”
Mountain has been extra busy these last few days as football practice for the Wolves started on June 1.
“I’m exhausted,” Mountain said. “These are supposed to be our two mornings off, but I’ve been up early. But it’s going good.”
Mountain is looking forward to spending the rest of the summer with his teammates.
“I’m just excited to be around the guys,” Mountain said. “We all go home for May and everyone came back in June and the guys will just keep flooding in, and just seeing them and around football and growing as a team is fun.”
Cordell Vitense
SHOOTING IN THE WIND
Trap shooting is a sport that can be drastically affected by weather, and this weekend at the state trapshooting tournament, the wind and the heat were prominent.
Yankton eighth-grader Hayes Altman described the pros and cons of the wind.
“The wind is kind of double-sided,” Altman said. “One, it feels good because it’s hot out, but the bad thing is it does affect the clays a lot. They’ll be going super high, so you have to adjust to that. So you really just want to aim a little higher.”
Then there was the heat to compound matters.
“For me personally, the heat makes it a lot harder,” Altman said. “You’re wearing shooting glasses and they tend to fog up a lot. My last round, they fogged up so bad. But yeah, it really affects me.”
Trap shooting can also be physically demanding and Altman said his arms took the brunt of that.
“I mean, you’re holding up that shotgun for a while,” Altman said, “and it’s got a kick to it.”
Altman says that being out in the heat all weekend can take not only a physical toll, but also a mental one.
“I’d say it does hurt you mentally,” Altman said. “Sometimes you can be like ‘Oh man, I just want to be done.’ ”
Despite dealing with all the challenges, Altman still enjoyed the tournament.
“It’s kind of intense,” Altman said. “But we’re really just here to have fun. You’re here to represent your school and everything, and just to have a good time.”
Cordell Vitense
To see complete tournament results, click on the following link:
https://sd.usaclaytarget.com/trap-shooting-tournament-leaderboard/
