CLC’s New Trap Shooting Club Creates Fun Competition And Family Atmosphere

Trap shooting is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, especially with youth. The spread of the sport has even reached the college level as one local school now has an official team.

Central Lakes College in Brainerd started a trap shooting club back in 2018. At first, the team didn’t actually compete against other schools, but with growing numbers, they now compete against Bemidji State University and some Wisconsin universities. While the competition is fun, it’s the family atmosphere on the team that keeps students wanting to continue shooting trap.

“We’ve seen some really good results with it, we’ve seen a lot more students coming out, we’ve seen both men and women students coming out, competing, and doing really well, and this year is the first year we’ve been competing against other colleges and universities,” said CLC Trap Shooting Club Head Coach Erich Heppner.

“The reason I think it’s the fastest-growing sport is because it’s all-inclusive, it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, if you have a physical handicap or whatever it is, it’s all-inclusive and that’s a big part to me,” said Second-Year CLC Trap Shooter Austyn Griesert.

“One thing I really like about this sport is that everyone is a huge family and if anyone needs help, people are willing to help, if you need tips on how to shoot better, people are willing to help you shoot better; it’s just a great family atmosphere,” said Second-Year CLC Trap Shooter Kassi Schrecongost.

The Central Lakes College trap shooting team is finishing up their season and has a chance to finish second in their conference standings.