Oxford Sportsmen’s Club holding event for youth

Oxford Sportsmen’s Club member Jenn Harris is one of the organizers of the Junior Trap Day being held at the club on Oct. 25. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Oxford Sportsmen’s Club is aiming to encourage more young people to join the ranks of trap shooters.

The club is hosting a Junior Trap Day on Oct. 25, starting at 10 a.m. Participants will be taught how to pattern a shotgun, the fundamentals of proper stance and gun mount, and how to hit moving targets. Each participant will be loaned a gun and given a box of ammunition. There will be a fun competition between participants where they can win prizes. Lunch is provided. The event is sponsored by the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.

The initiative is one by members to grow the sport and attract new members to the club, located on Prouse Road near Spring Lake Resort.

Member Jenn Harris and club president Gary Benko came up with the idea.

“We want to try and get more youth involved in this sport because not many youth are involved in trap shooting,” Harris said.

The average age of trap shooters is 55, which she finds concerning. “We’re going to try to bring that down, or else the sport will die.”

Trap shooting is a shotgun target sport where competitors shoot clay birds in rounds of 25, with five shots each from five different positions. It’s a sport where shooters compete against themselves, but also against other shooters in inter-club competitions and in larger competitions through the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA). Trap is an Olympic sport, although at that level, competitors shoot a slightly different version of the game, which is more difficult and with quicker targets.

Harris is a relative newcomer to the sport and the club, having been a member for five years. Shaine Rogers convinced both Harris and her husband, Dan, to try it.

She found she likes the camaraderie and community feeling at Oxford Sportsmen’s Club.

“Everyone is so friendly, and helpful,” she said.

Harris is also a serious competitor and was the 2022 high overall C Class shooter for ATA in the province. She is an example of how a newcomer can become excited about the sport.

“I actually didn’t know gun clubs existed until seven years ago,” she said. “The first time I shot a gun was five years ago.?

Practice is held at Oxford Sportsmen’s Club on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

To reserve a spot, e-mail golfgirl22@hotmail.com