Trap shooting on target in Decatur

— While not what usually comes to mind when thinking of high school sports, trap shooting has become the newest school-sanctioned sport in Decatur.

Local teenagers formed a Decatur community team, led by Decatur High School ag teacher Lisa Barrett, during the spring of 2010. The team won the school board’s approval to become a school-sanctioned sport last November.

This year’s team is made up of about 20students in grades six through 12, Barrett said. There is a junior high division for students in sixth through eighth grades and a senior high division for students in ninth though 12th grades, she explained.

Because it is a school-sanctioned sport, students can be provided with transportation to and from events. Students will no longer have to pay travel expenses out of their own pockets either. Travel and lodging will be paid for from a school account funded by the fines the Game and Fish Commission collect in Benton County, Barrett said.

As a school-sanctioned sport, students will also be required to keep their grades up in order to participate, giving them an extra incentive to achieve academically, Barrett said.

Trap shooting gives kids who want to learn to shoot the resources and an opportunity to shoot under adult supervision and guidance, Barrett said.

“I’m a firm believer that if you teach the kids how to handle and clean a gun, it will prevent all this (accidents and violence),” Barrett said.

Students must complete a Hunter Safety Course before they can join the team and begin practice. Barrett is also certified to teach hunter education in Arkansas.

The team has had great support from several parents too. In fact, some parents come to all of the practices to help out, she said.

The Decatur team will compete in the regional meet at Remington Field in Lonoke on May 20 and 21. If the team places well in the regional meet, it could move on to compete at the state meet in June.

Sports, Pages 10 on 04/27/2011