The Cardinal Clays trapshooting team claimed second place in its conference during the fall season, with a handful of athletes reaching the podium and senior Ethan Feuerborn claiming second in the state.
The team has seen continued growth and had 21 athletes this fall. A bigger team meant the Cardinals competed against tougher competition. Athletes shoot two rounds of 25 each week across five weeks. Their average is compared across the conference and state.
Feuerborn averaged a near-perfect 24.8, helping him claim first in the conference and second in the state in the boys division. Juniors Parker Devore and Kade Lindsay both averaged 23.7, good for a third-place tie in the conference. Senior Evie Hayes finished third place in the girls division with an average score of 23.2
Feuerborn said he has focused on blocking out comparisons while trying to improve his score.
“I just kind of think about improving myself,” he said. “I don’t really think about, like, competing against other people so much. I just try and shoot the best that I think I can.”
Feuerborn fought through an injured knee last year, something that showed head coach Caleb Lewis his determination.
“He’s had to, you know, shoot from a chair before, and then walk from line to line with crutches,” Lewis said. “To see how he adapts and adjusts, and still be able to compete at a high level, is just super awesome to watch.”
Growing up bird hunting, Feuerborn said he naturally transitioned to the trap shooting team and quickly discovered he had a knack for it.
Hayes also grew up hunting and said she has been soaking up ways to improve her craft.
“Just getting at that repetition of doing the same thing every time,” she said. “Getting a little better at it, trying new things and learning from anybody around me that will give me a tip.”
Trap shooting is a mental game, the athletes said. Even if you’re not the biggest, fastest or strongest, you can excel by working hard.
Lewis said it was good to see the team continue to grow. Hayes, for example, used to average a score of around 5, and now averages 23 and is eyeing her first perfect 25.
Lindsay said the team environment has helped everyone improve, especially as the number of athletes keeps increasing. The Clays are in their eighth year.
“I think it’s more of like a solid mindset of how we all work together,” Lindsay said. “Like, if someone shoots not necessarily bad that day, but not what they wanted, we can kind of encourage each other to go out the next day and kind of shoot again or go out that Saturday and try to shoot better.”
The team is turning its attention toward the spring season, with the national competition in Michigan on the horizon in July. A couple of the team members have competed at nationals before and said the sheer amount of people can be overwhelming.
“When you go and shoot there, every team’s there,” Lindsay said. “You get to see everyone shoot and you get to connect with them.”
The national competition features 3,000 of the best clay shooters from around the country.
“The pressure of a competition feels really different,” Feuerborn said. “It’s really hard to shoot your regular numbers when you’re under, like, the stress of nationals.”
But as the spring season rolls through, the team is already preparing to do its best.
“You’ve just got to make it where you peak at nationals,” Hayes said.
Lewis has set his goals high, too, hoping the team can keep improving and qualify for the championship day at nationals.
“That is an ultimate goal for me: To have all of our kids that go to nationals, I want all of my kids to qualify for the championship day,” he said.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
