A team of five Summersville High School Summersville’s recently added to the community’s reputation of producing top-notch shooters.
The squad took first place in the FFA division of the “singles” category in the 2015 Grand National Youth Trapshooting Championships Aug. 1-4 at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill.
In singles competition, targets are fired at by shooters standing 16 yards from the trap, with one shot fired at each target. Summersville team sponsor Bill Holden said the squad hit 926 out of 1,000 targets, beating the runner-up team by close to 25 shots.
The big national shoot is staged by the American Trapshooting Association (ATA) as part of its AIM program (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship). More than 1,200 shooters competed in this year’s version, in several different categories and divisions.
Summersville has competed in the event every year since 2009, and has taken second several times. Team members include Tristan Iott (junior), Ethan Dewitt (junior), Cody Brooks (freshman), Dalton Grider (2015 graduate) and Charlie Ford (senior).