NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/823575
68 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2017 coach the biggest increase has been in participation by girls. For example, in 2000 our conference had only 25 girls, but last year there were 220." Coach Vasko agrees: "The shooting sports do not limit you by size and strength. Anyone can compete." Parents and young people also enjoy the family atmosphere surrounding the sport. Keith Brunkow, coach of one of the state's largest teams at Norris High School, explains: "The atmosphere surrounding a shoot is a family atmosphere; teams put up tents, bring trailers and have cook-outs. I have parents of graduates tell me how much they miss Saturdays at the range. A few years ago a group of parents missed their Saturday shoots so much they continued meeting over breakfast after the season was over." The shotgun sports are also growing because busting clays is just plain fun. Nothing beats watching a clay turn to dust. And for beginners it's a sport where they can improve quickly and literally see their success explode in front of their eyes. In today's technology-saturated culture young people are conditioned to seeing immediate results, whether it's playing video games or using social media. Shooting clays provides instant gratification while getting young people outside and away from their screens. Regardless of the why, parents, coaches, and administrators appreciate the life skills and lessons the shooting sports teach children. Handling a shotgun at a young age demands both responsibility and accountability. Coach Vasko believes that parents feel this generation is more protected than they were and therefore not given enough responsibility. "Being given responsibility of a firearm is often the first adult thing they get to do," he said, "and despite what we are sometimes led to believe, I think young people want responsibility. I think they embrace it." Rob Cooksey, head of schools at Concordia Lutheran Schools of Omaha, started a team last year and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. "Trap shooting broadens our ability to add value to a student's education and for many students it is a primary motivation to do well in school. One of our junior high shooters was struggling with ineligibility prior to shooting. He is now doing much better after finding a home on the trap team." Another often-overlooked benefit is to the state's local gun clubs. Many clubs in Nebraska and around the country were struggling to stay afloat as membership aged and interest waned. With the influx of new shooters, clubs are now struggling to accommodate increasing demand. Some are now planning to build additional trap ranges and skeet fields. Terry Kriz, owner of Oak Creek Sporting Club near Brainard, has seen the change firsthand. "The increase in CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY shooters practice on a range in Seward County. Trapshooting is an all inclusive sport – young women are competing alongside young men – which points to a major factor in the increasing participation in this shooting sport. PHOTO BY JOEL W. HELMER PHOTO BY DOUG CARROLL