Minnesota Spring High School trap shooting has become a popular, and one of the fastest growing, sports in the state of Minnesota. It started in 2001 with just a few kids and teams. It continued to grow through the years, hitting 340 athletes in 2010. Through the next four years the number of athletes roughly doubled each year, reaching 6,100 in 2014. In 2015 there are 8,600 participating student athletes representing more than 235 trap teams and 25 skeet teams. Collectively, these athletes will pull the trigger some 6 million times at a clay target that is 110 mm wide, 25 mm high, and being thrown across the sky at a speed of 42 mph.
Upon completion of the spring league, all shooting teams are invited to the individual and team competitions at the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League (MSHSCTL) Trap Shooting Championship. This event is expected to include more than 5,000 student athletes and 20,000 attendees over the five day event.
Minnesota was the first state to start and recognize the clay target league as a high school event. Wisconsin now recognizes it and it is now their fastest growing sport with 450 athletes representing 25 teams. This is North Dakota’s first year with just over 100 student athletes from 4 different schools. The leagues even offer a $2,000 dollar scholarship to eligible student athletes.
– Larry Knott, JETPUBS Inc.