By By LARRY LYONS / Special to Daily News
After winning their first regional competition in Dundee and then going on to claim the Michigan State SCTP Championship in July, Dowagiac's Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) trap shooters set their sites on the National Championship.
This event was held Aug. 7-9 at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Ill..
This was one of the first major events held at the brand new World Shooting Complex, which is also the new home for "The Grand," one of the world's largest and most prestigious trap shooting competitions that was previously held in Vandalia, Ohio.
Thanks to the St. Deny's Foundation and the Dowagiac Conservation Club, sponsors of Dowagiac's SCTP team, and donations by local businesses and individuals, they went to this grand event in grand style.
The St. Deny's Foundation chartered a plush commercial bus for the trip and donations covered the team's entry fees, ammunition, food and lodging expenses for the three day event.
With these worries out of mind, the young shooters were free to concentrate on their shooting and to soak up the experience of participating in one of the world's largest youth shooting events.
Upon arriving, everyone was awestruck by the enormity of the World Shooting Complex. Encompassing 1,500 acres, 100 trap fields stretched side by side for three and half miles.
Vendor buildings and tents sprawled as far as the eye could see. A steady stream of trolleys wound their way around the complex like ants, transporting people to their desired destinations.
The weather was sunny and hot, over 100 degrees, and the newly planted trees along the trap fields were many years away from providing shade. Many team parents were present and they'd had the foresight to prepare for such things.
Large awnings provided by Imperial Furniture of Dowagiac sprouted up, coolers of pop and water appeared and soon burgers and dogs were sizzling on a portable barbie.
Aren't parents marvelous? Shaded, fed and watered, the kids were anxious to get under way.
Thirteen of Dowagiac's 17 team members attended. There are five shooters per squad so Dowagiac had two squads and a partial.
Of course, other teams had the same problem and two young shooters from Kansas filled out the third squad. Head coach Craig Lyons said he uses more than just shooting averages when forming the squads.
"Obviously, our best chance of winning would be to load up one squad with all our best shooters," he said. "But this isn't just about winning. It's also about developing character and responsibility. I factor in practice attendance and attitude as well when determining who shoots on which squad."
Team founder, Dr. Jim Wierman, Lyons and the other coaches and parents watched proudly as their team shot and conducted themselves well over the course of the event.
However, they were up against the best shooters in the country, nearly all more experienced than Dowagiac's first-year team, and as scores were posted it became obvious their winning streak was at an end.
Dowagiac's squad of Jason Hurrle, Konner Smith, Art Springsteen, Ryan Laylin and Jake Shelton placed 26th in the Senior Novice Division.
The squad of Nick Krizinski, Kevin Proshwitz, Andrew Seurynk, Paige Arscheene and Eric Szymonski ended in 51st place.
The standing of Dowagiac's third squad of Brandon Knapp, Kate Duszynski, Ryan Galbreath and the two Kansas shooters has yet to be published.
Dowagiac's top gun was Konner Smith with 189 out of 200 targets. Runner up for Dowagiac was Kevin Proshwitz, breaking 186 of 200 birds.
Though their winning streak was over a great time was had by all. In between rounds everyone wandered through the vendor displays in amazement. For most of them it was the first time they had seen guns that were true works of art and costing as much as a house from the world's top makers, Krieghoff, Perazzi, Beretta, Browning, Remington and Winchester.
The first evening, Beretta, one of the world's oldest and most highly regarded firearm manufacturers, sponsored a pizza party and shooting exhibition for the over 1,500 SCTP shooters in attendance.
The U.S. Shooting Team, including three-time Olympic medalist, Kim Rhode, held a free shooting clinic. The kids especially enjoyed meeting and trading pins with fellow competitors from all across the country.
The Dowagiac SCTP team closed its first season Aug. 26 with a sporting clays shoot and cookout at Rolling Hills Shooting Preserve near Marcellus.
Next year Dowagiac plans to field a Junior team (grades 6-8) in addition to the Senior team (grades 9-12).
Any Dowagiac area residents in grades 6-12 interested in participating next year should attend the organizational meeting on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., at the Dowagiac Conservation Club.
For more on SCTP go to www.nssf.org/sctp.