One of the pioneers in South Dakota high school trapshooting will undergo a change for the first time since the sport’s inception.

Bowdle will have a new coach and a bit of new look as well after the high school just finished its last year of operation.

Jerry Beadle, the only coach Bowdle has ever had, is stepping down after a decade with the program.

“I’ll have a little extra free time on Sundays and Wednesdays, since that’s when we practice,” Beadle said “so it’ll be nice.”

Not only will Beadle be gone, the school had its last graduation last month. Bowdle will retain its elementary school, so the plan is to keep a trapshooting squad under the Bowdle name and allow kids to continue to participate even if they can’t go to school in Bowdle.

That has been the norm in years past, regardless of where kids attend school.

“We’re not going to let that die. … All the local communities have really supported our program. We have kids from Java area, Selby area, the Hoven area that have all joined our team over the years and been a part,” Beadle said, “because their schools don’t offer it or they’re closer to Bowdle, so they decided to come to our school and do a co-op with us.”

One of those individuals is Drake Hirsch, who is from Java, goes to school in Selby, and competes for Bowdle. The seventh-grader enjoys competing in the sport.

“It’s fun and you get many opportunities to shoot,” Hirsch said.

When asked about keys to being a successful shooter, Hirsch responded, “Take your time and take deep breaths.”

When he’s on the line, Hirsch said he focuses on the pigeon when he shoots.

So what’s he think about while he’s waiting for his his turn?

“Am I going to hit it or am I going to miss?” Hirsch said.

Beadle said that trapshooting is the most popular sport in Bowdle. He expects that to remain strong, even though Bowdle will no longer have a high school.

“The kids are still so passionate about it, no matter where they shoot or what town they have to go to,” Beadle said. “They’ve been shooting since they’ve been sixth-graders, so they’re into it. This is something they look forward to and work hard all summer and spring to get here.”

Beadle shared some memories from the early days of the sport and how the Bowdle program kept improving.

“We were very unorganized, I’ll tell you that, the first couple years,” Beadle said. “And then we had really good coaches that stepped up and helped us out. After the third year we kind of had our stuff going and we got to state. We brought home a lot of hardware every year we’ve been here, so it’s been good.”

FROM GLOVE TO GUN

One of Aberdeen Central’s top shooters this year was also a key member of the Golden Eagles softball team as well.

Addison Ward wrapped up her prep career on Saturday with a second place finish in the girls’ division with a score of 98.

“It’s very much a mental game, especially out there,” Ward said referring to the shooting line.

Ward found a way to help remain calm when she’s competing.

“What I do is I remember a song that I listened to earlier in the day or maybe my favorite song,” Ward said, “and I kind of just try to play that on rewind in my mind, just to kind of distract me.”

There was a large gallery on hand Saturday to watch the action, so Ward had another element to try and block out.

“Sometimes you do turn around and you’re like woah, but most of the time when you’re on the line and you’re kind of locking in, you kind of forget what’s all behind you,” Ward said. “It’s nice that you’re facing forward and you don’t really have a reason to turn around, so you don’t have to look at all the people who are watching you.”

Ward, who has hit a career best 99 out of 100 targets, said it’s a bit easier hitting a clay pigeon than a softball.

“With trapshooting, you shoot the same angle every time,” she said. “You just don’t know what angle it’s going to come out of. … I feel like in softball you have a little less time in between to think.”

Interestingly enough, softball and trapshooting both had its state tournament on Saturday, which could have led to a bit of dilemma had Central qualified for the state softball tourney.

“Me and my parents talked about it, and we made the choice that if it came down to it, we’d do both,” Ward said. “My parents would come and drive me up here to do it.”

FINISHING ON A HIGH NOTE

Groton senior Turner Thompson capped a memorable high school shooting career by nailing 99 out of 100 targets for second place in the boys’ division,

Thompson, who won a state championship in 2023, has been one of the state’s premier shooters for the past four years and is always expected to have a top score.

“It’s definitely a little bit of pressure. I had a really good season. I’ve had a really good season the last three seasons as far as scoring goes,” Thompson said. “I’ve been lucky enough to win state once, but you have to live up to your average and my average is perfect, so I’m just trying to do the best I can.”

Bound for South Dakota State in the fall, Thompson said he shot about 200 rounds per day for five days a week while competing for the Tigers.

“I love trap,” Thompson said. “I’m going to miss it in college.”

Thompson said he likes the fact that everyone gets a chance to compete in the sport of trapshooting.

“I really like that this is a team sport, but this is the only sport that I do where I really get to thrive, not just with my team, there’s also like an individual section,” he said. “I like that everyone in this sport, everybody’s scores go towards the team. It’s not just your best five. Your best five scores are what count, but everybody gets a shot to be in it.”

It has been quite a transformation for Thompson since his early days in the sport.

“I would say the thing that drives me in this is just the passion to get better. I’ve always loved shooting guns with what I do on horses. I do cowboy-mounted shooting, so it’s with guns,” Thompson said. “I’ve always had a love for the guns, especially shotguns. I love bird hunting, so when they told me I could do trap and skeet, I started in seventh grade.”

While success wasn’t instant, with hard work Thompson developed into an elite marksman.

“My seventh grade year I was awful. Eighth-grade year I wasn’t very good. And my freshman year I was like I’m going to figure it out,” Thompson said. “I was the first person at every practice, the last one to leave every practice. … All I did was shoot and shoot and shoot, and I finally figured it out.”

CARRYING ON FAMILY TRADITION

Amelia Hulscher of Aberdeen Christian is no stranger to shooting. The sophomore has had multiple role models while growing up.

“My dad kind of wanted me to do it and then my two older sisters did it,” Hulscher said, “so I guess I just did it.”

Hulscher, who also competes in volleyball, basketball, and track and field, said there is a big mental component when it comes to trapshooting.

“I think shooting is a lot more of a mental game than it is like a physical aspect,” Hulscher said, “because it doesn’t really matter how athletic you are, it just matters like your aim and your mental mindset.”

Hulscher tries to keep her mind one something else while shooting and not fill it up with numerous thoughts of the targets.

“I try to not to think about it, because if I think about it, I get really wound up and I overthink and I just don’t shoot good,” Hulscher said. “So, I typically just try to think of something else and just try to hit it.”

Hulscher said the large crowd gathered for the opening round of the event was different than the environment of the regular season.

“I think it’s cool that so many people find the sport fun and interesting,” Hulscher said. “It’s maybe a little bit overwhelming than like normal season, but I do like how so many people enjoy the sport.”

SKEET SHOOTING PRESENTS CHALLENGE

While most of the shooters were focused on hitting clay targets on Saturday, another group was busy competing in the skeet portion of the state meet.

Recent Pierre graduate Baxter Schrempp said there is a big difference between the two.

“Skeet is a lot more movement,” Schrempp said. “Trap kind of feels like lulled down. It takes a while to get through.”

Schrempp said skeet shooting is more challenging, because of the angles of the targets.

“It’s all about angles and where your feet are positioned and your hold points,” Schrempp said. “Trap is kind of all the same. You just kind of know where they’re going better.”

Schrempp, who started competing as a sophomore, likes shooting skeet more and it’s not just because it presents more of a challenge.

“Trap is really difficult because you’re just by yourself, there’s no talking to your friends or anything,” Schrempp said. “Skeet, you can talk about your round, and how you shot.”

Individual champions on Saturday were Dylan Harmon of Britton-Hecla with a perfect score of 100 in the boys’ division, and Zetta Kuhl of Hot Springs with a 99 in the girls’ division.

To see complete results, click on the following link:

https://sd.usaclaytarget.com/trap-shooting-tournament-leaderboard/