With all the shooting #3 of 5 did between April and June, using our Groupon was the last thing on our minds, but with the season now well in our rear view mirror and the Groupon’s expiration date looming – we set a date and planned for a day on the range.
Since #3 of 5 shoots Trap (as opposed to Skeet or Sporting Clays) I called the Horse & Hunt club ahead of time and inquired about substituting Trap for Sporting Clays. They were happy to accommodate our request. (Trap is less expensive than Sporting Clays).
We arrived at the Horse and Hunt Club and checked in at the Clubhouse. The clubhouse staff were very friendly and helpful. I again explained that we wished to substitute Trap for the Sporting Clays, and without a blink, got us set up, provided us a score card, gave us directions to the Trap ranges and wished us luck!
Both of their trap ranges were open, so we selected the “Lower” range (since it was at the end of the road). The range overlooked a beautiful slew!
With only two of us (and no “official” to judge and keep score) we decided to each shoot a full round (individually) while the other kept score, then alternate.
#3 of 5 shot first and scored 17/25.
I shot next and ALSO scored 17/25.
#3 of 5 shot his second round and scored a 22/25.
And now the pressure was on! We tied the first round, then #3 of 5 amped up his game and pulled off a 22! There was a lot of “smack talk” back and forth as I took to the first shooting stand!
I was going to “SCHOOL” this youngin’ and remind him who’s boss! That was, until…
I shot my second round and… Scored a (measly) 14/25… (sigh)
I suspected that I would not hear the end of it – and I was NOT disappointed. Now all filled with the machismo of victory, #3 of 5 was all smack talk …
By the way and for the record…
I “let” him win by throwing the round. It’s all about his… uh… Self esteem building – yeah, that’s it!! Self esteem!! That’s what a good father would do… Right?RIGHT??!?!
We headed back up to the clubhouse and were given our voucher for lunch at Trgger’s Saloon and Supper Club. We headed upstairs and seated ourselves.
#3 of 5 chose the “California Burger” (no mayo). I on the other hand wanted to go a little more “exotic”. I enjoy trying less “common” meats, so I selected the “Elk Camp, No Bull” burger – It’s 1/3 lb ground Elk and Bison (with no beef) garnished with Bleu Cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and thinly sliced sautéed onion strings.
When the waitress brought us our food, I could not believe my eyes! These burgers were HUGE and there was a heaping helping of perfectly seasoned fries as well! I had intended on taking photographs, but in the end – my hunger and the DELICIOUS aroma distracted me.
The Elk Camp, No Bull burger was AMAZING!! It had the distinctive Bison flavor, the bite of the bleu cheese came through and of course the mushrooms! I LOVE mushrooms!! I would not only recommend it, I would order it again!!
Like I previously stated, the portions were HUGE – and by the time I was finished I was feeling more than full – in fact about thirty minutes after I finished eating I started feeling ill from having eaten so much. I should have split my lunch into two portions and brought the rest home!
I found the staff at Trigger’s (just like at the clubhouse) to be equally kind and friendly! My overall experience with the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club was a very positive one! I am so glad I purchased the Groupon – and I sure hope they do it again this winter!! Groupon or not, we will be back! Back for some shooting time, and back for Dinner at Trigger’s!
When we left the Horse and Hunt club I really felt like I had to get out and walk a little of my lunch off… What better way to do that then a little GeoCaching on my way home. Since the following Saturday would be INTERNATIONAL GEOCACHING DAY, I wanted to get a little “warm up caching” in beforehand. It was the perfect solution!
#3 of 5 and I found two quick GeoCaches on our way home – one of which surprised me a little when I first stumbled upon it! It almost looked like it was being guarded!
It was the perfect ending to a great afternoon with #3 of 5!
In 2008 the league consisted of 3 teams. In 2009 the league consisted of 6 teams. In 2010 the league consisted of 13 teams. In 2011 the league consisted of 29 teams. In 2012 the league consisted of 57 teams!
So this year’s Tournament was going to be held at the Alexandria Shooting Park in Alexandria Minnesota (If my memory serves me right, we were told it is the largest trap range in the state of Minnesota). With over 900 shooters from 57 teams registered, Alexandria Shooting Park’s NINTEEN trap fields, and available RV parking made it became obvious choice!
I was completely amazed by the size of the park! During the tournament I took my GPS out and measured the sidewalk from the first trap to the last trap. The trap field is a whopping .41 miles from one end to the other. It took me over seven minutes to walk from one end to the other!
If you are interested, at the bottom of this post you will find a link to the GPS data overlaid onto an interactive map (EveryTrail.com), and a video I shot of my walk from one end to the other…
Since we do not really take “vacations”, the Mother of Five and I made the necessary arrangements (vacation requests, hotel reservations, and pre-planning) to make a mini-vacation out of the weekend.
The Tournament was held on Saturday June 9th and 10th. We left on Friday the 8th and took the scenic trip to Alexandria. Once there we checked into the hotel and waited for a couple of other team families we knew were attending to arrive for some “fun”.
The final week of shooting with the team (prior to the State Tournament) was called a “state tournament warm up” shoot. Since the regular season was already complete, the final team shoot was about relaxing and having fun. Family members were invited to shoot along with their sons/daughters. Actually, I was pretty stoked about shooting with #3 of 5 – since I have not done any trap shooting for DOZENS of years!
The first two rounds of trap I shot (at the “warm up” shoot) was a 19/25 and a 17/25. It was a TON of fun!! I was expecting a score in the 10-12 range, so in addition to the fun, I had the added surprise bonus of pretty decent scores!
After the “warm up” shoot, a number of dads (myself included) thought it would be fun to shoot with our sons on the Friday afternoon before the state tournament in order to get our kids a feel for the different venue.
I did my best to line up four father/son teams, but due to some bad timing I ended up shooting with #3 of 5, and one of the assistant coach’s son. Shooting along side #3 of 5 made me very happy! It was one of the best afternoons I have had in a long time! We got to hang out and visit, talk trap shooting and life in general, and shoot together! What more can a feller like me ask for??!?!
Oh yeah… As a bit of frosting on the cake I shot a 19/25 and then a 24/25!! I shot a perfect sore all the way up to #23. Once I realized a “perfect score” was just a few shots away I think I really started psyching myself out and missed that 23rd shot… Arrrrrgghhh!!!
Once we finished up our warm up shooting, we headed back to the hotel and met the rest of the family for some dinner and then a swim in the pool to help cool off! (This was the hottest weekend of the year so far – the pool felt GREAT!)
Soon, it was time to get some rest and get ready for the big tournament in the morning!
On the morning of the tournament we headed out to the shooting park and located Coach Jeff Will’s RV where he was gathering the team for a pre-tournament meeting and instructions. The kids were all given their squading (the groups of 5 that shoot together) and a few complementary gifts given out by tournament sponsors. (photos below)
(All photos are clickable for larger versions – and have commentary available if you hover your cursor over them)
Once the teams were prepped and the time came for Opening Ceremonies. The Director of the Minnesota State High School Trap Shooting League (Jim Sable – seen in the left photo below) addressed the teams. This was followed by the singing of the National Anthem while three members of the United States Marine Corps (in full class A uniforms) held a flag ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, the teams were directed to their traps, where family and friends set up to watch the day’s events - and the shooting quickly began.
The first squads to shoot was the Novice shooters. Each Novice Squad shot two rounds.
Once the Novice squads shot it was time for the JV (Junior Varsity) shooters. #3 of 5 qualified as a JV shooter this year. Each of the three JV squads shot two rounds.
Left photo – Head Coach Jeff Will (far right of the photo) and Assistant Coach Tim Will (far left of the photo) gave the squads some last minute pointers.
Right photo - #3 of 5’s squad up on the line. #3 of 5 is on position two (second from the left).
Photos below - Various shots of #3 of 5 shooting and then returning to the staging area after his rounds. If you look close enough in the top left photo – you can see the smoke from the muzzle of his gun and then a blur of the shot after leaving the barrel (a little further left).
A complementary lunch was provided to the shooters by the local chapter of the 4-H, so after his first two rounds of shooting, #3 of 5 went get lunch. I knew the line was going to be very long so I went with him to keep him company. It took us almost an hour to make our way through the line! It was fun hanging with #3 of 5 while we waited, and it was while we were waiting in line that we were first noticed something very interesting. (Something we later discovered to be a Sweets Kendamas – more on that down below.)
Top Left – Having made it through 3/4 of the line, we were now getting close! Top Right – Another view from the line, this one of the RV parking area. Bottom Left – Team Jordan’s shuttle from the shooting area back to the Coach’s RV and staging area. Bottom Right – We finally made it!!
After lunch, the Novice squad each shot one more round (for a total of three rounds / 75 shots each), followed by each of the JV squads shooting another two rounds (for a total of four rounds / 100 shots each)
You can see #3 of 5 again staging at station 2 (second from the left) as his shooting began. Be sure to check out each of these photos – showing the clays in flight… You can see the blaze orange “UFO’s” flying and #3 of 5 moments from destroying them!
Each photo in this post should be “clickable” for a larger version.
When it was all said and done, the shooters returned to the team staging area and the squads / teams got some photos in.
Top left photo - #3 of 5’s squad. (#3 of 5 is the left most shooter). Top right photo - #3 of 5’s squad with Coach Jeff Will standing to the left of #3 of 5. Bottom left photo – MOST of the JV shooters (a couple were missing) – the left most shooter in this photo just so happens to be #2 of 5’s very good friend – and I am happy to say that on his fourth round he shot a PERFECT 25!! Way to go! Bottom right – State Tournament logo on a shirt each of the students received.
#3 of 5 ended the Tournament with a 22/25, 22/25, 19/25, and 16/25. Final Score 79/100. Tournament average 19.75
This placed him ranked 113 out of a field of 333 shooters. The highest score in the JV division was a 93. Here is a little break down of the score and then the number of shooters with that score. 93-1, 91-4, 90-8, 89-5, 88-2, 87-5, 86-6, 85-11, 84-5, 83-18, 82-12, 81-15, 80-15, 79-11. There were quite a few more, but I got too lazy to count past #3 of 5’s score…
Novice and Junior Varsity did their shooting on Saturday, and the Varsity teams shot on Sunday. So, once #3 of 5 was done shooting for the day it was time to head back to the hotel. We had time to clean up and allowed #3 of 5 to choose our “dining adventure” for the night. He choose “China Buffet”.
After dinner we headed back to the Shooting Park Clubhouse where some entertainment was scheduled. The opening act was a member of the Sweets Kendamas team. What is a Sweets Kendams you ask??
Kendamas is a handheld game/trick of skill (think Yo-yos, diablos, juggling, etc) with a little hammer with cups and a spike and a ball attached via string. Sweets Kendamas is a local Kendama business. Be sure to Check out some of their videos!
After the Sweets Kendamas guy finished wowing us with his tricks, comedian Cy Amundson took the stage. Cy did a really GREAT job – keeping the comedy family friendly and getting everyone laughing.
We did not attend the Varsity Shooting afternoon, choosing instead to let the kids finish out the trip swimming in the pool before we had to check out of the hotel and head home.
There is one last event still planned for the 2012 season – the annual season wrap up picnic. That is later this week. I was unable to attend last year’s picnic – so this will be a first for me! I’m really looking forward to attending this year’s picnic!
Before I end this post – I really want to acknowledge and thank the three Jordan High School Trap Shooting Team coaches! Head Coach Jeff Will, Assistant Coach Tim Will, and Assistant Coach Lance Schmitt. These guys really put a lot of time and effort into the team and each of our young shooters – and I for one am very grateful and appreciative of it!
As promised here are some of this post’s “BONUS FEATURES” – the EveryTrail GPS data overlaid on a satellite photo of the Alexandra Shooting Park, followed by a low quality (cel phone) video of me taking the walk. I had the GPS in one hand and the cel phone video camera in the other. This may help you grasp just how HUGE the Alexandria Shooting Park really is!
I have not posted much (if any) about #3 of 5’s Trap Shooting season this year (at least not yet).
So, let my FIRST post about the 2012 Jordan, Minnesota High School Trap Shooting team be one of congratulations!!
Jordan High School Trap Shooting Team came in FIRST PLACE in their division!! This is the second year for the team’s existence, and to grab FIRST PLACE is an AMAZING FEAT!! This team has some skillful shooters, and a truly talented and dedicated coaching staff!!
This team ended the season with a total of 93.5 points out of a possible 105. Each week points are awarded to teams based on their performance in three categories.. Individual High Gun (which team had the best individual shooter), Top five total (the total number of hits for the top five shooters), and Team Average (the average score for the entire team).
Additionally, some members of the team received specialized awards throughout the season. Nick Torgerson was honored with the “Fifty Straight” award (a “perfect” score – hitting all fifty clays – twenty five in each round).
Nick Torgerson and Dan Schneider was also honored with the “Twenty-five Straight” award (hitting all 25 clays in at least one of their two rounds). Dan received that award TWICE this season!
My hats off to ALL members of the Jordan High School Trap Shooting Team, along with special thanks to coaches Jeff Will, Tim Will, and Lance Schmidt! These guys really do an amazing job of coaching and advocating for the team while promoting safety and fun for everyone!!
You can see just how passionate Coach Jeff Will is for the sport in this news piece. Fox 9 came out to do a piece on the Minnesota State High School Trap Shooting League on a night our team was at the range. Coach Will was interviewed!
What’s next for the 2012 Jordan State High School Trap Shooting team now that the competition season is over?? The Minnesota State High School Trap Shooting Tournament of course!!
Stay tuned – The Life of a Father of Five intends to provide coverage of this amazing event!
This week kicks off this season’s Trap Shooting Season! #3 of 5 wanted to partake again this year (which I suspected) – so this year I wanted to increase on his success from last year and upgrade him from shooting 20 gauge to 12 gauge.
Like his father, #3 of 5 is a lefty. Unlike his father I wanted #3 of 5 to have access to a left handed gun, so we started our search several weeks ago. Due to “budgetary concerns” our choices were pretty limited. It was going to be a Browning BPS (bottom eject) or Remington 870 (left eject).
We went to a couple of different stores, and had him shoulder each gun. I had him slide the action, sight down the barrel, swing the muzzle, work the safety, etc. I have always shot a Mossberg which has a tang safety. The Browning BPS uses the same style which I thought #3 of 5 would like best but in the end (all things considered) he liked the Remington 870 best. He said he liked the feel of the grip and forearm better, the lower vent rib sight picture, and felt as if the 870 was a little lighter.
Since we were fitting #3 of 5 with a right handed gun, I began my search for a left handed 870. I called and stopped in to an number of places. My experiences varied greatly.
The first serious inquiry I made was with Gander Mountain (where we were trying out the fits of the various guns). When I asked about the availability of a Left Handed 870, the staff member told me he “thought” Remington stopped making them years ago. He did not bother to look in his inventory, his order catalogue, a Remington brochure, or check with any of their other local stores. In fact, this sales representative made NO effort to help me out what-so-ever. It was not even busy at the time. He seemed generally disinterested in the fact that I was there wanting to spend some of my hard earned money thus causing me to be generally disinterested in spending my hard earned money patronizing his laziness. (Gander Mountain used to be my “go to” place for hunting / fishing / outdoor needs. My experiences with Gander Mountain have gone so far down hill – that this may have been the nail in the coffin lid for my shopping at Gander Mountain.)
Next stop was across the highway at Mills Fleet Farm (think Walmart for all your farm and fleet needs). They have a decent sporting goods department. I was helped by a very friendly fella who knew they did not have what I was looking for in stock, but thought they may be able to order one for me. He pulled out an order book confirming that info and gave me the name and number of the Department Head for me to call the next day. (He offered to have the Department Head contact me the following day, but I was still early into my search, so I thanked him, but only kept it as an option). Who would have guessed that the customer service at Fleet Farm would have FAR SURPASSED that of Gander Mountain??
My third attempt was with Cabela’s. We have two in Minnesota. I telephoned both, neither had any in stock, but I also got the same offer that Fleet Farm made (to have someone check and call me back). I have had luck shopping at Cabela’s in the past, so I decided to let them do some looking into it for me, and if they could find one, I would purchase it. I left my name and number and was told to expect a call early next week to let me know either way. Early next week passed, and another week passed with no calls from Cabela’s staff. Another strike out for the big Sporting goods chains…
In the mean time I had checked with some smaller local shops, but no one seemed to have or could even obtain a left handed Remington 870.
With my time running out, I called Fleet Farm back, and spoke to the department head I was referred to. He confirmed the story the salesman told me about two weeks ago (that they do not have any in stock but would be willing to look into ordering one from a nearby store or Distributor). He took my name and number, and promised to call me back. (Since Gander Mountain and Cabela’s customer service failed me, I was not expecting much from Fleet Farm but I took the chance.) The following day the Department head called me back. He told me that the soonest he could get his hands on one would be mid-late May (the trap shooting season would be almost over by then). I thanked him for his effort and just before we disconnected he suggested another store for me to try (something that none of the other stores did).
He gave me the name and number for Allman’s in Morristown, Minnesota.
The next day I telephoned Allman’s. The staff at Allman’s were very friendly, and told me that not only did they have one in stock, that they had TWO of them! I was ecstatic! I told the salesman that I would likely be down sometime during the weekend to take a look at what they had to offer.
Unfortunately, I was unable to make it down that weekend, but the Mother of Five and I made a little afternoon “road trip” (lunch and gun shopping) on a day that we both did not have to work (but the kids had school). When we arrived we were greeted by the staff, and when I told them what I was looking for, another salesman from further down the counter said (in a jovial manor) “Couldn’t make it on on Saturday huh?”.
This guy remembered helping me on the phone from almost a week previously! That’s when I knew I was in the right place. I did spent a little more at Allman’s (not to mention the road trip and lunch out with the Mother of Five) – but in the end it was all worth it. While it was true that they were the only place I could find one in stock, it was also Allman’s OUTSTANDING customer service that got them the sale!
I would be remiss for not passing along a little kudos to Fleet Farm too. Their willingness to refer me on to their own completion (and calling me back in a timely fashion) has guaranteed them my continued support! What’s even better about this?? Fleet Farm is opening a new store just a few miles from my place!
It was expected to have close to 30 teams, and 500 students participating through the duration of the tournament!
It was a beautiful day, and since #3 of 5 started his Camp Akela C.I.T. training the night before, we dropped him off, but drove him back home again that night in preparation for the tournament. The arrangements were made with both his trap shooting coach and the camp staff to allow him to miss a partial day of training in order to shoot for the team. Once he finished his shooting, I returned him to camp.
It was to be a busy weekend indeed!
We arrived at the trap range, and our coach had set up his trailer and his camper as a central gathering area for the team. The coach handed out the student’s meal tickets, participation pins, covered the last minute changes to the squad line ups, told us which trap we were shooting at, then covered the entire day’s itinerary.
There was to be a commencement ceremony to the day’s events. It started with announcements by the host (The Minneapolis Gun Club) thanking the many volunteers from the club, the sponsors, the coaches, and the many people involved in making the tournament a reality. Also present was the United States Marine Corp Honor Guard who held a flag ceremony, followed by a singing of the national anthem.
With the opening ceremony complete, the teams were to report to their trap ranges and prepare for the 9am start. The Minneapolis Gun Club has 10 trap shooting stations set up in a long line. Each station has 5 shooting positions. You can get a good idea on how the range is set up from this aerial view. With fifty shooters on the line you really knew when the clock struck 9am!
We shared our trap (Trap #4) with the Worthington Team.
The order of the shooting was - Jordan J.V. Squad 1, Jordan J.V. Squad 2, Jordan J.V. Squad 3, Worthington J.V. Squad, Jordan Novice Squad 1, Jordan Novice Squad 2, and Worthington Novice Squad. Each squad fired two back to back rounds of 25 (50 shots) before moving to the next squad. Once we made it through the full rotation, the J.V. Squads shot another 50 (back to back 25 rounds), and the Novice teams shot one single (25 shot) round. The Varsity Teams shot on Sunday.
Frequent commenter here “Co-Worker” has a son on one of the other teams. Since “Co-Worker” had to work, #3 of 5 and I went down to their trap, introduced ourselves and wished him (and his team) good luck! Throughout the day I walked back and forth between the two trap ranges and watched “Co-Worker’s” son shoot – snapping a few photos, and sending his dad (Co-Worker) text message updates throughout.
At the last minute I remembered was reminded by The Mother of Five that I could have should have invited my parents to attend, but had neglected to do so. I quickly called them up, apologizing for the short notice, and invited them to join me. I did not fully expect to see them seeing as it was so “last minute”, but was delighted to see them arrive. I do not think either of them had ever seen anything like this before and were filled with many questions. In the end – both they and I were glad that they came to see what this was all about.
In addition to providing the facility to host the Tournament, The Minneapolis Gun Club volunteers provided lunch (BBQ’ed pulled pork sammies, chips and a soda) to the student participants between the two rotations.
Here are a few photo highlights of the day’s events, followed by a little personal view on the season as a whole, from the vantage point of a participant’s parent.
(#3 of 5 is the shooter in position #5 – the closest shooter in the center of the photo)
(#3 of 5 looking back before a round of shooting was to start. Notice the safe gun handling by ALL the shooters. Coach Will is a HUGE gun safety advocate, and repeatedly stressed gun safety with the kids.)
(Now THAT is a shooting stance!)
(This is a shot of #3 of 5 preparing before his round. Notice the action open, and finger OFF the trigger? Thanks again for stressing safety Coach Will! Your lessons sunk in!)
Jordan Trap Shooting Team Novice Squad #2
So, here it is. The end of our school’s inaugural Trap Shooting season.
It would be negligent of me not to thank Coach Will, and his brother. Jeff and Tim really stepped up to the plate and knocked one out of the park. They did all the preliminary groundwork to establish our team. Without the foundation that they built, the Jordan Trap Shooting team would not be a reality.
In addition to establishing the team, the experience and instruction Jeff and Tim gave the kids was invaluable. Coach Will (on several occasions) said he is not just teaching them to shoot, he is offering them “life lessons”. I could not agree more. Cooperation, discipline, comradery, and confidence among just a few!
#3 of 5 started out this season with NO SHOOTING EXPERIENCE. He took the Minnesota Firearms Safety class, and was able to fire the shotgun three times prior to joining the Trap Shooting Team. By the end of this first season, he has fired the shotgun SIX HUNDRED times!
#3 of 5 started out this season with 2/25 and 6/25.
By the end of the regular season he had an average of 9.83/25. With his first couple of shoots so low, it was dragging down his average. He was shooting 11 and 12’s
At the State Tournament, #3 of 5 shot an 18/25, 17/25 and 12/25. (Note: His whole squad shot really low on the last round. #3 of 5’s 12/25 was the high for his squad.)
As many people who know me can attest – I am not a big “sports guy”. I seldom watch professional sports. Heck even when the Twins or Vikings are doing well, I do not pay much attention. I am not even close to what you would call a “fair weather fan”. My thought is… Wake me when they (Twins or Vikings) reach the World Series or the Super Bowl.
Despite my view on sports in general, I have always encouraged my children to participate. I attend every game I can, and feel pride when they do well – but I have never felt that feeling of an adrenaline rush from watching them play.
That was until last weekend’s tournament. While I watched #3 of 5 knock those clays down one after the other – I nearly exploded with pride!! I (literally) fought back tears. I have NEVER experienced anything like that! It was an AMAZING feeling that I hope to replicate again and again.
In order to build on this year’s success, #3 of 5’s plan is to enroll in the Shotgun Merit Badge course at Tomahawk Summer Camp. I will be checking into the 4-H Shooting and Outdoor sports program, and finally, “Co-Worker” and I have talked several times about getting together with our boys and making an afternoon out some trap range time for our sons (well, and their dads too!)
I’ll wrap up with a final (repeated, yet well deserved) volley of sharing my many thanks to Coach Jeff Will and his brother Tim along with the many volunteers who helped make this, the inaugural season, such a success for the Jordan High School Trap Shooting Team!!
Thanks also go out to the staff and volunteers of the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League, the Minneapolis Gun Club who opened up their club and were wonderful hosts, and all the sponsors of the events and the teams. You all have done so much in your own ways to help promote the future of this sport!
From the perspective of a proud father… I thank you.
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