With Jack Zimmerman retiring as Cleveland’s trap coach last spring, the trio of Ben Miller, Parker Bonogofsky and Brandon Ellickson are mentoring the Clippers this year.
But none of the three are shooting from the hip. All were top marksmen for the Clippers before they graduated in 2018, and all have been involved in the program as volunteer coaches in the last two or three seasons.
“Jack definitely left some big shoes to fill, but I think all of us are capable and definitely up for the challenge,” said Bonogofsky.
The three said they wanted to give back to a sport they benefited from.
“It was a sport I enjoyed and did well and got better at it,” Miller said. “Everyone should learn how to shoot a gun safely.”
Participating this year are 43 shooters, the most ever since Zimmerman started the trap program in 2014. Three are seniors, four are juniors, nine are sophomores, seven are freshman, 10 are eighth graders, four are seventh graders and five are sixth graders.
Junior Abigail Osness and sophomores Kendra Zimmerman and Kayla Bauer are the females on the team.
“There are lots of new kids, lots of new faces that I have never seen and don’t know, but it is great to see the sport growing,” Bonogofsky said. “They are very strong shooters, very responsible shooters, so I think the future of the trap team looks very good.”
The coaches said that while some students might not be cut out for traditional sports, like volleyball, football and basketball, they can gain the benefits of being part of a team as a trap shooter.
“Trap’s pretty inclusive,” Ellickson said. “You don’t have to be tall or fast. If you put the time in, anyone can shoot well.”
But being a good trap shooter requires learning proper technique.
“Follow through is a big one,” Ellickson said. “They always want to stop their swing halfway through it. If you stop, you lose your lead, and then you are always behind it.”
With the higher participant numbers, Zimmerman is glad to have volunteer coaches Caleb Hankins (2020) and Tim Ellickson with parents helping out on the scoring stands. Dave Voss is the range safety official.
Reserve week at Le Sueur’s Caribou Gun Club last Wednesday, where the scores are only counted if a week is missed, was a good week for shooting, Bonogofsky said. The mean score was a 33.
“The wind was coming from the back, so it is not affecting the clays so much. It was a lot better than last week when it was cold. The cold really affects kids standing out here.”
With rounds of 22 and 25, senor Dakota Alitz was the shooting star in reserve week. One behind him with 46s were sophomores Noah Hermel and Nick Simonette.
Senior Martin Gibbs and junior Gabe Sullivan knocked down 44 clays. Sixth grader Jake Mueller shot a precocious 43.
Junior Dylan Zimmerman and eighth grader Kaden Schmidt each were 41 for the day. Sophomore Reid Knish, freshman Nathan Seeman and seventh grader Brunson Gibbs connected with 40 targets.
Sophomore Riley Kriha and eighth grader Cole Stocker had 39s. Senior Tanyon Hoheisel and eighth grader Tanner Simonette had 38s. Freshman Judd Gibbs and sixth grader Jarret Thoms shot 37s. Sophomores Cooper Arnold and Blake Gibbs each shot a 36.
Scoring a 35 were junior Derek Miller, eighth grader Chase Bock and his sixth-grade brother Gauge Bock and seventh grader Austin Anderley. Eighth grader Henry Boelter and sixth grader Jeremy Miller each scored a 34.
Freshman Caleb Possin hit 33 targets, and his classmate Mason Kluntz connected with 32 as did sixth grader Urijah Hoheisel. Freshman Max Esser shot a 31 as did eight grader Zayden Linder.
Junior Adam Seeman and eight grader Colton Tousley each had a 29. Kendra Zimmerman led the girls with a 28. Greyson Tomaszewski shot a 27 while eighth grader Charlie Maxfield and seventh grader Aiden Giese each had 26s.
Bauer hit 23 targets as did eighth grader Marshall Heldberg. Zander Hoechst scored an 18, Osness and junior Alex Johnson shot 16s, sixth grader John Ritchie scored a 15, and freshman Dylan Thompson shot a 12.
Today (Wednesday) is the first of five weeks of competition.
Senior Dakota Alitz led the Clippers with a 47.
Sophomore Noah Hermel connected with 46 clays.
Sophomore Nick Simonette tied his classmate with a 46.
Junior Gabe Sullivan hit 44 targets.
Rookie Jake Mueller, a sixth grader, shot an outstanding 43.
Eighth grader Kaden Schmidt had a 41.
Freshman Nathan Seeman scored a 40.
Seventh grader Brunson Gibbs shot a 40.
Sophomore Kendra Zimmerman knocked down 28 targets.