SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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On The Firing Line

Trapshooting, pistol shoots...it might be time to give these activities a try. Whether for competition or simply for fun, you just need to concentrate!

When trapshooting, what's the most important thing to know in order to break the clay targets?

"People often expect to hear about some fantastically expensive shotgun," says Jim Russell, a long-time trapshooter and Cal-Diego PVA member. "Well, that's not it by a long shot!

"The most important thing is to acquire a positive mental attitude. Trapshooting, while somewhat physical, is primarily a mental exercise—a test of concentration. You need to blank everything out of your mind and watch the target, watch the target, watch the target! That's precisely why 'gimps' can compete with 'nongimps' and do quite well."

Evolution

After World War II, veterans with spinal-cord injury/disease (SCI/D) began playing wheelchair basketball as part of rehab—and probably because they just plain enjoyed it! The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), a fledging organization at the time (1946), fully supported the sport.

Over time, as PVA's membership grew, its sports program also expanded. And in the ensuing years, sports for people with disabilities began to include a wide variety of activities, from bowling to billiards, tennis to track and field, racing to rugby, skiing to skydiving—and much more.

In 1986, PVA began offering trapshooting in an effort to broaden its sports program from wheelchair basketball and racing. Most veterans learned shooting during their military service; many had hunted before becoming wheelchair users. Trapshooting would provide the opportunity to participate in a sport they enjoyed and serve as a venue to encourage people with disabilities to get out, have fun, and involve themselves in local community activities.

Now a sophisticated program, the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit has expanded to multiple events across the entire United States. It has, however, maintained the same friendly atmosphere that characterized its beginning.

What's Trap?

Shooters with disabilities and able-bodied shooters, whether novices or experts, can compete as equals in the recreational and competitive sport of trapshooting—shooting at clay targets hurled upward to simulate the flight of a bird. Participants generally don't need any special equipment, although some quads occasionally use special trays for their shells.

American or Down-the-Line trap is the oldest and most basic type. It is shot over one trap machine (thrower) that has a fixed elevation but constantly changing angles. Clay targets are "thrown" away from the shooters for a distance of 50-55 yards. The angles at which targets are thrown (to the left and right of the shooters) appears random and unpredictable.

­A "round" of trap consists of 25 shots, with groups of five shots taken from five shooting positions. A maximum of five people shooting per round is called a squad. Each shooter on a squad takes five shots from each of the five shooting positions. The first person takes one shot, then the second individual takes his/her turn, etc., until all five have had five shots from a given position. They then rotate clockwise to the next station and repeat the process.

American trap has three types of events: singles (also known as 16-yard), handicap, and doubles. Singles are shot 16 yards behind the trap house.

Handicap was designed so participants of different abilities could compete against each other fairly. The shooters stand farther away—between 17 and 27 yards—from the trap house. The greater a shooter's ability, the farther back he/she stands.

Doubles are shot from the 16-yard line—i.e., 16 yards behind the trap house. Two targets are thrown at the same time, one to the left and the other to the right of the centerline. The shooter takes one shot at each target and is scored for the number hit. Normally a "round" consists of five pairs (10 targets) from each of the five shooting positions for a total of 50 targets per round.

One of the goals of the PVA National Trapshoot Circuit is to enable shooters with disabilities and able-bodied shooters to compete as equals. The Amateur Trapshooting Association's (ATA's) Book of Rules draws no distinction between them.

From one coast to another, the PVA circuit lures avid marksmen and -women to compete for prizes as well as fun.


Find out results from events in Florida, California, Georgia, and Kansas. Also learn how participants avoid traffic jams when rotating to new shooting spots in the sidebar article "Dance of the Gimps."

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