Spring Break
Sharp shooting puts Trap and Skeet team in 5th at Nationals
Scott Johnson
Issue date: 5/1/98 Section: Undefined Section
When Colorado State University's trap and skeet team traveled to San Antonio, Texas, two weeks ago for the Intercollegiate Clay Target Championship Tournament, the team had a national championship in its cross hairs.
When it returned from the trip, the club team had shattered enough clay pigeons for a fifth place finish Ñ its highest placing ever in the four-day national tournament.
"This is by far the best we have ever done," said team president Andy Holland, who has been with the team the past five years.
Besides the overall finish out of 20 competing schools, a team consisting of Sara Potterfield, Andy Holland, Jim Travis, Ian Freehill and Kurt Janz, walked away with first-place in the sporting clays event. This was the first time CSU has finished in the top five in one of five scoring events. The Rams finished sixth overall last year.
The Rams also took third in American skeet, fourth in international skeet, sixth in American trap and seventh in international trap.
Holland and Potterfield described the international events as faster and just overall more difficult than the American events. Holland said the sporting clays event has a more unpredictable release for the targets.
"It's sort of like hunting. The targets are supposed to simulate the flight patterns of birds," he said.
Of the 92 individual participants that competed in all five events, Freehill finished seventh with Holland coming in 17th.
With this year's team heavily weighted with seniors, Holland is hoping to attract new members for next year's squad.
For those interested in joining the team, the Rams practice every Saturday morning at Buckeye Trap and Skeet, or call 204-4979 for more information.
