Trap team opens for signups

A local trap team is looking to add more members to their roster.

The SEMO Youth Shooters trap team will open for signups for their 2024 season on Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Poplar Bluff Gun Club. The SEMO Shooters extend their invitation to new members from the fourth grade to collegiate students in Poplar Bluff and surrounding areas.

“We’re excited to kick start our upcoming trap season,” coach Sandy Pike said. “Our team is open to anyone who’s interested in trap shooting. Members can also attend any school, as long as their parents are willing to get them to our practices, which are at Poplar Bluff Gun Club, twice a week.”

The SEMO Shooters range in age from nine to 18 and hail from the surrounding areas of Poplar Bluff, Greenville, Naylor, Wappapello and Puxico. They have 23 kids who practice twice a week and compete in about seven to eight competitions yearly.

Pike said trap shooting is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, and Poplar Bluff has had a team for many years. There are many benefits to joining the SEMO Shooters, such as learning the proper techniques and opportunities to play at the collegiate level. Pike said colleges are now offering scholarships for trapshooting, and the SEMO Shooters have already had one shooter sign up to shoot at Drury University.

“We teach and encourage gun safety, good sportsmanship and being a team player,” Pike said. “We spend a lot of time together, so we become like family. Trap is a sport you can continue throughout your life, regardless of age. It is also an outdoor sport, so you get to spend a lot of time outside.

“We require our members to become hunter safety certified and do some community service. Colleges are also beginning to offer scholarships for trapshooting, and because our team competes and places at the national and state levels, we have recruiters who will come and watch our kids shoot and follow their careers.”

After signing up, members will need a 12-gauge shotgun, ammo, a shooting bag, ammo holder, ear protection and eye protection. The SEMO Shooters require members to shoot 100 rounds per week, and participate in competitions ranging from 100 to 200 rounds starting out. Practice will be every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning in March, with the season usually ending in October. Members will stay pretty busy as they will compete in at least one shoot a month, traveling to Linn Creek, Missouri, Jonesboro, Arkansas and Sparta, Illinois, along with some competitions at their home range of Poplar Bluff Gun Club.

For anyone who’s on the fence about trap shooting, Pike encourages them to stop by and see the action for themselves.

“I would invite anyone who’s interested to come out and visit with us and talk with some of the other kids and parents,” Pike said. “We don’t expect anyone to go out and buy everything if they’re unsure. We will have some guns available to try. This sport is physical, as you are standing and lifting a weapon 100 times, but it’s not as physical as football or basketball. We look forward to seeing some familiar faces and a lot of new ones.”