Bliss teams vie for trap and skeet championship

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jarred Woods | Staff Sgt. Ronald Trujillo, a squad leader with the Warrior Transition Battalion, shoots at a clay pigeon during the Commander’s Cup Trap and Skeet Championship held at the Fort Bliss Rod and Gun Club, Oct. 22, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jarred Woods, 16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

10.27.2014

Story by Sgt. Jarred Woods 

16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT BLISS, Texas - The sportsman stills his breath, steadies his stance and then says ‘Pull!’ The target flies though the air in an uncertain path, getting ever further from its foe only to be cut to pieces as the shot hits its mark.

This scene unfolded countless times as several teams competed in the Commander’s Cup Trap and Skeet Championship held at the Fort Bliss Rod and Gun Club Oct. 21 through 22.

The overall winner was the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade team with a total score of 368. Second place went to the 5th Armored Brigade team with 344, while the Warrior Transition Battalion team clinched third place with 335.

Trap and Skeet shooting, a hunting inspired activity, employs clay disks referred to as ‘birds’ or ‘pigeons,’ which are sent flying though the air as participants try to hit them with a shot gun. The main difference between trap and skeet is where the pigeons are thrown from.

The targets are sent into the air with a throwing device through a small window in what is referred to the high house and low house located on either side of the skeet field. A person has 25 targets in a round to hit as many as possible.

Although the 11th ADA remained squarely in the middle of seven teams after the first day during trap shooting, they dominated the competition by more than 40 points in skeet shooting on the second day.

“I’m an avid shooter, yet only half of our team had ever hunted before,” said Capt. William Gooding, a commander with the 11th ADA and team coach. “I gave them about an hour and a half long class on trap and skeet shooting and leading techniques. We shot around 20 rounds of practice prior to the competition, and we shot almost every day.

“You don’t have to be a hunter or an avid outdoorsman to enjoy shooting weapons,” added Gooding.

Although trap and skeet shooting may seem like a specialized activity, even a novice shooter can participate in the sport. Just because the sport is open to beginners though, does not mean it doesn’t present its own challenges.

“Not everyone gets the chance to shoot a shot gun,” said Staff Sgt. Ronald Trujillo, a squad leader with the Warrior Transition Battalion and team coach. “It gives people a chance to shoot something that’s not in their comfort zone.

“If you’ve never shot skeet or trap, it does take a lot of practice,” Trujillo added. “It takes a lot of time and work, but once you get into it; there’s no feeling like being a part of a team. This gives everyone a chance to build camaraderie with each other and have a group event.”

This year’s competition marks the second year that trap and skeet shooting has been included in the Commander’s Cup sports series.

• Date Taken: 10.27.2014
• Date Posted: 10.29.2014 17:20
• Story ID: 146497
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US