Welcome to the Three Lakes Trap Club!
The Three Lakes Trap team provides an opportunity to compete against other schools and pursue improvement in a discipline where competition is at the highest levels across the world. The Team’s primary focus is on the safe and responsible handling of firearms while learning the intricacies of shooting form, vision, body movement and concentration.
The Three Lakes Trap team is part of the Scholastic Clay Target Program, (SCTP), whose mission is “to provide, promote and perpetuate opportunities for young athletes to safely and enjoyably participate in a high-quality, team-based sport. SCTP requires that coaches are NRA-certified shotgun coaches who understand and follow range safety protocol and etiquette as well as complete the Double-Goal Coach: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons course. SCTP is the official feeder program to USA shooting and a path to the US Olympic Shooting team. The goal of SCTP is to help young athletes reach their potential of becoming the best athletes — and young adults — they can be.
The Three Lakes Trap team is also a member of the Northern Wisconsin Clay Target Conference (part of the SCTP), and is in the Red Division (Northeast) of the conference. This conference consists of 48 teams across northern Wisconsin, and is just one of the conferences in the state for trap shooting. In 2019, more than 1,400 athletes from around the state competed at the state championship shoot at the Wisconsin Trap Association Home Grounds in Rome, Wis.
The season for the Three Lakes Trap team starts in mid- to late March. Athletes practice once per week, shooting two boxes of shells (or rounds). The first three weeks are practice, and the coaches teach technique, stance and the discipline needed for the sport. In Week 4, one round shot becomes a scoring round for competition. Most competitions are virtual, meaning all team members shoot for score, the scores are entered into a computer, and the results tabulated for the competition against that week’s opponent. The five highest scores in each category are used for the team score. This means that on any given week, each athlete has a chance, based on their performance, to be in the Top 5 and have their score counted. Various tournaments are also held for head-to-head competition around the state. So far, Three Lakes has only attended our Division Shoot-Off, which is held yearly, and an SCTP tournament held at Padus Gun Club in Wabeno. These shoots typically consist of 100 targets, or four rounds, completed in a day, and tax the concentration and stamina of the shooters.
Trap is not an inexpensive sport, there are fees for the SCTP, which include insurance for each shooter, shells, targets (birds), as well as tournament entry fees. This can easily add up to over $300 per athlete. However, the Three Lakes Trap team — through fundraising efforts — covers all costs for all athletes, giving every student an equal chance to participate.
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