Gallery • 12 Photos

Sharee Roman

Head Coach Dan Nicolai talks to veteran and novice shooters how to aim their sights for the clay.

“Pull!” A bright orange disk shoots into the sky followed by a shot still audible through the earplugs and earmuffs. It shatters and falls to the ground amongst the other fragments scattered across the field.

This year is only the second year the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Trap Team has been recognized as a school sport. However, the team has been around a lot longer than that. When the SPA Trap Club first placed the Blue Sheet announcement asking for interested students to join in 2009, plenty of students arrived at the Minneapolis Gun Club on Saturday eager to learn and shoot. Back then the club had the numbers and the dedication from members to become an official sport, but the school wanted to make sure that they were well established and weren’t going to fade away.

Sophomore Riley Tietel has been committed to the team for five consecutive years. Because he was there before and after the switch from club to team, Tietel has come to realize how much he enjoys the change.

“I think it’s really cool that it became an official sport because it helps diversify [both] the sports we have and also the people of SPA,” Tietel said.  

Over the years, the numbers have fluctuated because of departing seniors, people losing or gaining interest in Trap. There are a total of nine members on the team this year. Despite not being the team’s peak year, junior Turab Naqvi feels that it’s good to see new and seasoned players on the team.

“We have [different] people this year; there’s a lot of new faces. [The team has] been [changing each year], which is really great. Also, since last year, we have made each other a family. We [have] built a better relationship with everyone and [they] are ready to go with anything,” said Naqvi.

Unlike other sports that compete and have rivals, the SPA Trap Shooting Team don’t see who they shoot against. The only competition where an individual might recognize shooters from other teams is in state. Every week, a person records every individual’s score on a sheet and sends it in. The advancement to state or not is based on the shooter’s individual record of targets hit throughout the season. Assistant Coach Dave Doubbles believes it is critical to have good team sportsmanship in a sport where the shooters compete and practice against each other .

“It’s a team sport because you’re [going to] defeat yourself if you view it as a competition against your own team mates. It’s [also] a team effort by contributing the best you can do,” Doubbles said.  

The St. Paul Academy Trap Shooting Team values safety, and most importantly having fun with one another. The team doesn’t officially select captains, but different people have demonstrated strong leadership roles. This year Naqvi and Tietel have taken up these positions and are aiming to create a fun and inclusive environment for everyone.

“I want to make sure everyone is having fun and improving throughout the year,” Tietel said.

“Having fun is the most important piece of this team because if you’re not having fun, you’re not going to win. Everyone has their off days, you need to make sure you’re enjoying it if you want to have a great day,” Naqvi agreed.

The team practices every Saturday from 10-12 at the Minneapolis Gun Club located in Prior Lake. Spectators are welcomed but must provide their own ear protection.