Poplar Bluff’s trap team has officially split from the R-I School District’s athletics program after a long process to do so.
“This conversation started about a year ago. We had multiple conversations with them, and we were unsure for a time which direction the school district was going to go,” said R-I Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill.
A couple of months ago, the R-I school board voted to keep its trap team, but the majority of shooters formed their own team.
“When it came right down to it, our board of directors really wanted to keep this as a viable option for school-age children,” Dill said. “There might have been a hope that it could have gone part and parcel, but it just didn’t align with the direction the school district wanted to go at this time.”
At its core, Dill said, the school board’s decision to keep its own team “was about ensuring students who are enrolled at the school have access to that as a club opportunity and a sports opportunity in which they can letter.”
One of the primary reasons the former team wanted to split from the school, coach Sandy Pike said, is so it could incorporate shooters from other schools across the region who don’t normally get the opportunity to participate in the sport.
That means there now is a high school team with five shooters, coached by Poplar Bluff Middle School teacher Charlene Mills, and a private team with 30 participants coached by Pike, Donald Cash, Jason Patterson, Clifton Hillis, Jeff Hale, Hannah Cash, Tayler Hillis and Dylan Hale, all of which are NRA Level 1 shotgun certified.
And yes, the two teams will compete against each other.
The new team, Pike said, is called the SEMO Youth Shooters.
Pike described the SEMO Youth Shooters as a “youth shooting team that encompasses all youth from the surrounding areas, from middle school through college.”
The new team, Pike added, was “started by a group of parents that wanted to promote the shooting sports to all of our youth, not just for FFA and/or seventh through 12th graders at Poplar Bluff Schools.”
The other schools still will have their own FFA teams, Pike said, but “SEMO Shooters felt like they could provide opportunities, especially to the outlying areas, for kids that want to shoot.”
Dill was grateful for those who have represented the school on its trap team over the years.
“They have a long and rich history, and we’re very proud of the kids who have participated under the school’s umbrella,” he said.
“We want to do everything we can to expand the footprint of this tremendous sport, and we hope the best for both squads moving forward,” said Dill. “We wish all of our students the best, whether they’re participating under our club or with the private organization because what we’re really about here is advancing the sport.”
The SEMO Youth Shooters hosted its first Amateur Trapshooting Association event last weekend at the Poplar Buff Gun Club, with several team members earning accolades.
Dylan Hale was the high overall shooter in singles competition and took first place in the Junior Gold doubles division.
Donnie Wondel took first place in the Junior Gold/Adult division, while Trenton Patterson earned the win in singles shooting in the Junior division.
Jace Blaich earned the win in singles shooting in the Pre-Sub division, and Hannah Cash took first in singles, doubles and handicaps in the Ladies division.
Greenville’s Layne Clubb was the high overall shooter in handicaps shooting, and Garret Cooper earned high gun and first place in handicaps at 19 to 21.5 yards, plus high overall in doubles.
Poplar Bluff Mules team shooter Jacob Jones took first place in the Pre-Sub division in singles shooting.
SEMO Youth Shooters coach and shooter Tayler Hillis also was recognized for her effort at the recent Olympic state trap shoot, where she won Ladies Gold.
“Tayler always works hard and has grown so much in her shooting career. This was a well-deserved win for this young lady,” Pike said.