Through all the sports activities offered here at South–soccer, theatre, basketball, etc, a new club has stepped up to become the next prime target of interest: American Trap Shooting.

American Trap Shooting is a sport where participants use shotguns to shoot clay targets, which are launched from a “Trap House” which contains the small machine that throws clay targets into the air. The goal of trap shooting is to shoot, and break, as many clay targets as possible. A squad of up to five shooters stands at one of five stations which are arranged in a semi-circle around the trap house. A shooter will give a verbal command, which results in the launching of a target. The machine will launch the target at a random, unpredictable angle, so the shooter doesn’t know the flight path before launch.

Freshman Evan Whatley joined South’s clay target team with no prior experience in the sport.

“I think it’s really fun. I like getting to hang out with people and get to shoot the targets. It’s also really cool to watch yourself improve, but being able to shoot consistently is definitely one of the hardest parts,” said Whatley.

Junior Henry Kane also joined South’s clay target team.

“I’ve been hunting since I was a kid. My dad and I would go shooting sometimes, and I think it’s fun. My favorite part about clay target is the camaraderie. I’ve enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends,” said Kane. 

While clay target is just a club at South, the team still competes against other schools and participates in competitions. A competition consists of two rounds, with 25 targets per round, so everyone shoots at a total of 50 targets for a competition. When it comes to scoring, a participant’s score is their average out of 25 targets. Even if just a small piece is broken off the target, it’s still scored as a hit.

All competitions are virtual, but the state competition is in person. Something unique that sets clay target apart from other sports is that all team members get to participate in state, no matter their level. Shooters are placed into three categories based on their average out of 25. The categories include novice, JV, and varsity. 

Trap shooting isn’t a club at any other Parkway school. It was brought together by English teacher Chris Orban.

Orban said he saw students’ interest in the club and decided to help bring it to South. 

“We have had interest over the past few years. Many students participated outside of school and asked about having a team. I told [Principal Angie] Pappas and [Assistant Principal Eric] Wilhelm I knew the sport and was interested in coaching,” said Orban. 

Orban said trap shooting requires high concentration and strict rules in order to ensure everyone’s safety.

“Prioritizing safety over the competitive part is the most important thing. Shooters follow many safety precautions including only one person shoots at a time, no loading until it’s your turn, and load one round at a time when it’s your turn. When you’re not shooting, nothing’s loaded, and the gun is always pointed downfield. Shooters should know where the target is and what’s beyond the target. They always have eye protection and ear protection. Everyone goes through safety training before they start,” said Orban.

Within South, students have shown a lot of interest in clay target, with already having 14 students on the team in its first year. Many of these students joined with no experience in the sport.

Freshman Jack Reich joined with no experience. 

“I had no sports going on, so I thought it seemed fun to join. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about the sport and also the maintenance, like keeping the gun clean,” said Reich. 

While the club has come together well and is very successful in popularity at South, many of the members agree that they hope the sport begins to grow in the coming years. There aren’t many schools in the St. Louis area that have trap shooting teams.

“I hope it becomes more popular within the school and other schools so that we can have more competitions,” said Kane. 

South’s team currently has no girls, and Orban believes that more girls would add to the team. 

Any South student is welcome to join the Trap Shooting team, whether they have experience with the sport or not. They will be provided with any information and even equipment that they may need, once they join. 

“All they need to do is contact me. There are some forms for them and their parents to fill out before we begin the spring season, then safety training, and then they’ll register. We practice year-round as weather permits. The main season is March through May and then fall season is September through October,” said Orban.

Whatley said the team is continuously looking to expand and branch out to lots of students from every grade level, no matter their knowledge or skill level within the sport.

“I hope that it stays a club and that everybody finds enjoyment out of it. I think if people want to get involved they should,” said Whatley.