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Photographer Henry Collin chronicles one of the more unique sports at DHS – Trap Shooting
WRITTEN BY SAM BURGOS AND CONOR SWEENY
For Sophomore Nathaniel TerBush, the camaraderie and the team aspect of trap shooting are what make it such an enjoyable sport for him. For those that don’t know, trap shooting is a sport in which clay disks called clay pigeons are launched into the air, then shot with shotguns; Dexter, accordingly, has a trap team. The trap team competes in the USA High School Clay Target League, which grades 6-12 can compete in. Since trap is such a foreign sport to most of the high school, there aren’t a lot of members on the team, and practices are only one day a week, which is different from basically every other sport in Dexter. The sport is extremely unique and has its pros and cons. Since it’s such a small sport, few people don’t know about it. Some didn’t know we had a trap team, let alone what trap actually was, which was commonly confused with track. Here are some opinions from trap team members about how it’s impacted them.
Trap for freshman Nick Hoffman has always been a part of his life.
“I started shooting trap when I was ten, and my grandpa shot trap, my dad (the current trap coach) does it, and my brother, so I was kind of born into it.” Trap for Hoffman, however, is not an obligation: “I like shooting trap. It’s relaxing to me, and I just enjoy doing it with [my teammates].” From Hoffman’s experiences, “Trap gives me something to do in the summer, and I like traveling for it and doing it with my family.”
It’s a great outlet for Hoffman, and he didn’t hesitate to say why. Trap, however, is “not a hobby, but a life sport” to TerBush.
“I was fifth going into sixth grade. I learned about the team through a friend who is now a really good friend and he thought I should give it a try. So, I gave it a few times and it was a very interesting kind of shock to my style of shooting, but then I got used to it and really took a liking to it, and I joined the team going into seventh grade. Ever since then, it’s really consumed who I am.”
For senior Whitley Fowler, trap has become very important in her life, especially since she got a competitive clay target league scholarship with Olivet (she has to practice every Wednesday).
Ever since she joined the team in 2019, she’s learned that “you can continue and do well as anything faces you… You need to give it your all like you would any other sport. It takes time and a certain level of concentration to get through it.”
Through all of her time with the sport, she has also found a lot of good friendships, and a great team environment.
“It’s given me a sense of purpose. When most sports do a lot of other things, with trap you can just go out, be yourself, and be accepted.”
Unfortunately, ever since the pandemic, trap has been more challenging than it was in the past. Not only was trap affected by the quarantine and social distancing as well as fewer members, the price of ammunition has risen due to rising costs of raw materials, and it’s been a challenge even finding a place with it in stock.
“It has gotten harder to find ammo and find supplies to shoot trap,” Hoffman said. “It’s gotten really expensive recently.”
Added Fowler: “[Rising costs have] affected it greatly as the price of ammo and everything has gone up. It was harder to track down. We’ve traveled hours to even find a sporting store that had it stocked.”
In spite of the rising costs, TerBush has stuck with trap.
“I’ve actually seen numbers of people shooting go down,” TerBush said. “Even like this, I can’t just go out every Sunday like I usually used to shoot because [my family] can’t afford it. The shells are almost $10 apiece now. We buy it at the flat. They’re getting ridiculously expensive and it’s really affecting the sport in many ways.”
TAKING AIM: Senior Trey Ouimet fires at his target during a trap practice as teammates watch on.
ON TARGET: Senior Will Durbin unloads on the target which can be seen shattering at the top of the photo.
HERE COMES THE BOOM! Senior Whitney Fowler destroys the clay target. Fowler committed to Olivet College for trap shooting.
PREPARING FOR BATTLE: Freshman Domenic Biundo gathers his gun and walks to the shooting range area.
LOADING UP: Freshman Domenic Biundo reloads his weapon and waits on standby before firing again.
THE SHOT: Freshman Kason Lambert fires at a target during an early April trap practice.
EYES TO THE SKY: Senior Whitley Fowler prepares to shoot at a clay pigeon.
RAINING SHELLS: Senior Lorenzo Biundo dumps his shells in the trash after practice.
READY… AIM… FIRE! Sophomore Nathaniel TerBush fires at a clay pigeon as a pressure wave leaves his gun.
RIDE THE WAVE: Senior Brady Daugherty fires at a clay pigeon with pellets and pressure waves that are visible.
LOCKED IN: Senior Whitley Fowler takes aim and prepares for the release of a target.
