Action shooting team poses for its 2025 sports media day at the Bierman Center
Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department
Hillsdale action shooting team athletes fought through injuries and setbacks for individual placements at a sectional match in Indiana Oct. 5. Outside of competition, four athletes attended a veterans fundraiser in North Carolina.
The Chargers competed in the Limited, Limited Optic, and Open categories at the Indiana Sectional, a United States Practical Shooting Association match, Oct. 5.
Freshman William Grohs took first in the Limited Division, followed by juniors Clara Bozzay and Jianna Coppola in fifth and sixth respectively.
In the Limited Optic Division, in which competitors have extra sights on their guns, junior and team captain John Beecher placed 20th, followed by U.S. Army veteran and senior Joseph Grohs in 22nd.
According to Beecher, the team didn’t get every result it wanted but showed consistent resilience.
“Even though I think a lot of us were disappointed in how we shot, we had a lot of things that we did really well,” Beecher said. “The way the team responded camaraderie-wise, attitude-wise, was pretty impressive.”
Team captain and junior Kayla Mullin placed 21st in the Open Division, though she normally competes in the Limited Division.
“They did an equipment check and found that one of my magazines was too long,” Mullin said.
Despite this and other unexpected challenges, Mullin said the competition showcased the team’s mental toughness through adversity.
“Something that was unique about this one was that the stages were really long,” Mullin said. “But I was really proud of how the team handled themselves, even just mentally staying focused for the entire day.”
Coppola added that Mullin and Bozzay stayed focused despite injuries. According to Coppola, Mullin’s forearm ligaments were hurt and Bozzay’s foot was in a boot.
A week later, four action shooting athletes traveled to Gryphon Group Security Solutions in Maxton, North Carolina to attend the Memorial Valor Foundation’s eight annual Memorial 3 Gun competition Oct. 10-12.
Joseph Grohs, a team member and U.S. army veteran, shot at the fundraiser, while the other three athletes volunteered.
According to Grohs, Memorial Valor honors several veterans with a ceremony each year before giving money to their families. This ceremony is accompanied by a fundraising shoot and a variety of family-friendly activities.
“The whole thing is about remembering the fallen, honoring them,” Grohs said. “They’ll honor ten people each year. Every year they raise $100,000 to give $10,000 to each of the honorees.”
Grohs said that the foundation supports Gold Star families after government support slackens.
“This foundation fills a large gap that’s needed to be filled for some time,” Grohs said. “Overall you’ll have about two months where they get all the resources thrown at them, and then it just seems like they fade into the background.”
Grohs added that the Gold Star Family Shoot off allowed active-duty military personnel and other supporters to engage in friendly competition alongside Gold Star family members.
“They’ll pick one person to represent the family, then they’ll pick two of the competent competitors to shoot with them,” Grohs said.
The action shooting team partners with Memorial Valor to support both programs, Grohs said.
“There’s about a two hour ceremony at the end, where, if the families are there, they’ll come up with a speech about their brother, son, or husband,” Grohs said. “It’s very powerful. There’s not a single dry eye in the whole building.”
Action shooting competes next at the Georgia State Championship from Oct. 15-19.
