Ida Brown practices at Hillsdale shooting center. Courtesy | Matt Muller
The Hillsdale shotgun team took first overall in both the sporting clays and five-stand events in the Spartan Series Final Stop at the Detroit Gun Club Sept. 23.
This was the team’s final National Sporting Clays Association event before collegiate competitions begin in October.
The Spartan Series Final Stop hosted 82 competitors of all ages. Sophomore Jordan Sapp won highest overall in sporting clays with a score of 99/100 broken targets, while freshman Luke Johnson won highest overall in five-stand with a score of 49/50.
“We’ve been spending most of the semester working on sporting clays stuff, so it’s good to see it paying off,” head coach Jordan Hintz said.
Junior Josh Corbin placed third in the A class for sporting clays with a score of 96/100. Seniors William Stuart and Jessica Strasser tied for first in the B class with scores of 93/100, earning Strasser the title of highest overall lady competitor. Sophomore Leif Andersen followed with a score of 91/100, placing him in third for the B Class. Johnson placed second in the C class with 89/100, and freshman Ava Downs took third and earned second highest overall lady, tying with senior Jackson Sokel at 88/100. Freshman Alex Hoffman took first overall in the D Class with 78/100 broken targets.
“The best part of the competition was shooting with my teammates,” Strasser said. “I really enjoyed competing with the freshman team members, and I was impressed by their performance as well. It was a lot of fun to watch Jordan compete this weekend too.”
Strasser says some of the team’s success comes from implementing new strategies.
“Prior to the shoot this weekend, I had been working on some new shooting techniques in practice, and I was able to implement them in competition,” Strasser said. “I was impressed with my shooting this week, and it is finally starting to feel like my technical practice is paying off.”
Multiple team members said the well-maintained grounds of the gun club made the shoot more enjoyable.
“This was my first time at the Detroit Gun Club, and they have a nice sporting clays course,” freshman Madeline Corbin said. “The weather was really perfect for a day outside.”
Junior Gavin Drill emphasized the tournament managers’ hospitality.
“Detroit Gun Club is a great host,” Drill said. “They have many shoots throughout the year, so we’re able to attend three or four of them throughout the fall and spring. They always seem happy to have us and are very inviting.”
In five-stand, Johnson took first in the C Class with 49/50 broken clays. Josh followed with a second-place score in the master class, breaking 47/50 clays. Madeline also broke 47/50 clays, earning her first place in the AA class and the highest overall lady in the event. Sapp won first in the A Class with a 47/50, and senior Ida Brown followed with a 44/50, earning third highest overall lady. Stuart placed third in the B Class with 45/50, tying with juniors Kyle Fleck and Jonathan Calabrese. Sophomore Davis Hay placed second in the C Class with a 46/50, and Sokel took third with 45/50. Hoffman earned first in the D class with a 41/50.
“Starting out seemed to be the toughest part for the entire team,” Drill said. “My squad in particular had a tough time during the beginning, but we pulled it together as we went on. Our mentality and team dynamic changed as we shot the middle of the round, and our scores dramatically improved.”
Brown said continual improvement is important for both individuals and the team.
“Overall it was a fun shoot to attend,” Brown said. “I shot very consistently in both events, however I don’t feel like I did exceptionally well in either of them. I’m looking forward to our next couple matches. I’m really working on maintaining my focus through the whole 100 targets.”
Drill said he thinks the team is at its peak performance so far.
“I’m feeling very confident in myself and the team going into the collegiate shoots this fall,” Drill said. “We have been practicing a lot of sporting clays, which will help us gain the advantage over other teams. I think the team is ready to perform at its highest level since I’ve been here, and it will be exciting to see what we can accomplish.”
