Senior Hillsdale shotgun team member Kie Kababik was inducted into the Eastern States Trapshooting Hall of Fame for lifetime accomplishments in shooting sports this fall.
“I was very happy about it. It’s a really big honor for me to have my achievements recognized at such a young age,” Kababik said. “It’s also important because I started shooting at the club where the hall of fame is located, and it’s great to be honored there.”
Kababik, the youngest ever inducted into the hall of fame, has been shooting since 2007, when he was in sixth grade. Despite not having a team at his high school, he continued shooting individually until he joined the Hillsdale shotgun team.
Assistant coach Joe Kain, who has known Kababik for 11 years, said the induction is important to his family and others who have watched Kababik develop his shooting ability. He added that Kababik worked hard to earn his induction.
“It’s really representative of his shooting, including the type of person he is and the people he surrounds himself with,” Kain said. “When he first started, he was good at one thing, but, as time has passed, he has improved a lot and expanded his abilities and what he does well.”
Team administrator Adam Burlew said said Kababik’s award helps the team in many ways, including showing younger shooters the level of accomplishment team members can reach with hard work.
“The new guys can talk to him and see how everything works. He has lots of experience and can speak intelligently about shooting,” Burlew said. “It shows that this type of thing is doable, that the next level of shooter is here among us.”
Burlew praised Kababik, who has been part of the team for their past three D-III national championship victories, saying Kababik is someone Burlew and the other coaches can count on to consistently shoot well.
“He can shoot trap better than anyone, and it’s nice to have someone we can depend on,” Burlew said. “If we’re putting money on who can shoot 100, it’s Kie every time.”
