Fundamental focus for the RHS trap team

The Rhinelander High School trap team, now in its ninth season, is off and gunning on there weekly competitions at the Hodag Sports Club. The team has 30 shooters this spring, and they will conclude league shooting on May 28-30 when they travel to Minocqua for the Great North Trap Conference (GNTC) shoot. 

The GNTC encompasses teams from Antigo, Medford, Merrill, Tomahawk, Stevens Point (SPASH), Mosinee, Northland Pines, Rhinelander and Wausau. At the end of the year, all teams have the opportunity to send shooters to the state shoot, which Rhinelander usually adds around 15 to the mix. 

Sophomore Anna Zeske lines up her shot over the trap house in a league shoot at the Hodag Sports Club on April 26.
(Photo by Bob Mainhardt for the River News)

Unlike many of the traditional spring sports, trap can be shot “virtually,” with the competing teams shooting in different locations and even sometimes different times. Each team in the GNTC has a window to report cores for conference competition, but there is no set day to shoot. Rhinelander shoots their conference scoring on Sunday mornings, and shooters get an additional two rounds of practice. Athletes can shoot ahead on Thursday evenings if they have conflicts with the Sunday morning shoot.

Coach Phil Kriesel says the shooters are starting to pick up on many of the subtle fundamentals that are associated with trap shooting. 

“First you have to kind of blow the dust off,” he said. “And then after you blow the dust off, we had a couple of the kids shoot 25s over the last prior two weeks. So they're starting to pick it up, and really, it's fundamentals.” 

Each round of trap includes 25 opportunities to hit your target. Shooting a 25 means the shooter capitalized on each opportunity and maximized the outcome. Kriesel said that especially during Thursday evening shoot-aheads, he’s had even more opportunities to work individual with some shooters on the importance of fundamentals. 

“I get to work more one on one with the kids, and just getting those fundamentals reeled in, you know, gun hold points, look points,” he said, helps the athletes in there scores. 

In addition to the weekly conference shoots on Sunday, Rhinelander will also head to Harshaw to participate in the Northwoods Invitational shoot, which is hosted by the Lakeland trap team, and Team SEaL (Screaming Eagles and Loggers) of Park Falls and Phillips. The event features different disciplines for shooters to test their skills, including sporting clays and skeet. 

Shooters can participate in any conference or invitational shoot, as well as any event hosted by the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). 

Blake Richard may be reached via email at [email protected].