News : Red Cedar trap shooters already have 47 signed up for spring season

Coaches Jeff Tilson and Chris Cantrell watch as new trap shooter Clark Robertson aims at targets.

Vinton-Shellsburg Red Cedar Shooters coach Jeff Tilson said that already, 47 students have signed up for the school's trap shooting team.

That's 17 more than the 30 who competed last year.

While a second trap house is under construction and will be ready in the spring when the shooting season begins, the additional shooters could mean a 50 percent increase in the ammunition costs for the program.

"Our biggest issue this coming year might be ammunition. With as many as 47 kids, we could have a hard time finding, let alone paying for that much ammo," said Tilson. "We used over 41,000 rounds last year-$11,261 worth, and that was for 30 kids. Ammo alone could run us $20k this coming year. But, that's IF we can get our hands on it. We were pretty fortunate this year. I started looking for ammo in January and got our order locked in before most teams had even done their sign-up. I hope I'm that lucky this year."

The higher number of shooters also means more parents may be asked to volunteer. Chris Cantrell will again help, along with Pat Jorgensen of the DNR. David Martin recently completed his shotgun instructor certification class and will be helping in a coaching capacity this coming year, too.

Several youngsters attended a trap shoot introduction on Saturday at the Red Cedar Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, where practices and home meets take place.

The Ikes are among the top sponsors of the Red Cedar Shooters. Although ther sport is an officially-sanctioned school sport, it does not receive school funding like most teams. The team must rely on sponsors and donors.

Introduction

During Saturday's event, Tilson and Cantrell offered basic lessons in trap shooting, including how to aim, as well as safety guidelines. After an indoor classroom session, the attendees had a chance to practice with the coaches. Saturday's class was sponsored by the Red Cedar Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, and the Prairie Creek Chapter of Pheasant's Forever.