Shooting Clays at State
Photos by Darren Gibbins
With summer break in full swing, hundreds of North Dakota high school students gathered in June to compete for a state title.
The North Dakota State High School Clay Target League held its season-ending event, the 2016 Clay Target League state tournament June 18 at The Shooting Park in Horace.
Bryar Hanson led Central High School in Grand Forks to the title. The Central sophomore scored 99 out of 100 in the boys varsity division to earn the High Gun Overall award.
Ambrosia Hettwer of Red River High School in Grand Forks won the girls varsity division with a score of 94. She was the only girl to score in the 90s.
"The turnout for this year's state tournament was amazing," said Jim Sable, the league's executive director," "and we're already seeing interest from other schools around the state."
In 2016, more than 400 student athletes representing 23 high schools competed in the spring season. The state tournament attracted more than 360 participants vying for team and individual honors. Additionally, more than 1,000 spectators attended the event.
The North Dakota State High School Clay Target League is an affiliate of the USA High School Clay Target League, which is a registered nonprofit organization.
The extracurricular activity operates independently of school programs and funding. Overall, 13,000 student athletes participated in 12 states in spring.
Greg Link, North Dakota Game and Fish Department conservation and communications chief, said the agency is a supporter of the program, having provided a number of grants to teams through its Encouraging Tomorrow's Hunters grant program.
"We see a very obvious opportunity to partner with an extracurricular activity that stimulates an early interest in shooting, while teaching safe gun handling, proper form and improved efficiency," Link said.
Not to mention, Link added, that every shotgun shell expended directly funds future wildlife conservation and habitat restoration.
"Because the fundamentals and foundations taught and developed as part of clay target league shooting are the very same qualities we want to instill in any young hunter just beginning their lifetime pursuit of wild quarry," he said, "it only makes good sense the Game and Fish Department sees a natural fit with this activity."