MAY 2017 • NEBRASKAland 67
1,150 competitors at the Cornhusker
Trapshoot, half as many as now. In the
more heavily populated eastern third of
Nebraska, where many teams belong
to the Eastern Nebraska Trapshooting
Conference, the growth has been
phenomenal. In the last 15 years, the
conference has tripled in membership
from 500 to more than 1,600,
necessitating dividing the conference
into three divisions and expanding the
weekend tournaments to two days.
What is happening in Nebraska is
also taking place nationally, especially
across the Midwest. I attended the
Minnesota State High School Clay
Target League championship several
years ago and was astonished to see
more than 5,000 competitors. This
summer they are expecting over 8,000.
Minnesota's league is managed by
the USA High School Clay Target
League, which now has affiliates in
20 states. The Scholastic Clay Target
Program, a youth development program
established by the National Shooting
Sports Foundation, is another major
player, with its national tournament in
Ohio attracting thousands of shooters.
Others compete through their 4-H
clubs, with the 4-H Shooting Sports
National Championships now held
at Heartland Public Shooting Park in
Grand Island each June.
So why this sudden interest in trap
shooting? Ted Vasko, Creighton Prep's
head coach, points to the "all inclusive"
nature of the sport. "Most coaches do
not cut athletes from the team. Everyone
gets to participate." This contrasts with
the hyper-competitiveness and early
specialization of more traditional sports,
making it difficult for many to get
playing time or even a spot on the team.
All-inclusive also means young
women competing alongside young
men. Marian High School's long-time
head coach Bruce Esser points to the
increasing participation by girls as a
major factor in the growth of the sport.
"From my perspective as a girls' school
SPECTATORS watch as trapshooters ready to shoot at the Cornhusker Junior/Senior High School Trapshoot in Doniphan.
