“Keep your eye on the target.” This might be a common saying, but for trapshooting, it is the most important thing.

For the Xavier trapshooting team, hard work and determination is the name of the game.

Like  many sports, trapshooting combines personal talent with team spirit.

“My personal goal for this season is to hit all 25 targets for the first time,” junior David Eberle said. “Our team goal is to win all of our competitions. In the long run, we hope to qualify and win state.”

Eberle is not the only trapshooter with high aspirations for the season.

“My personal goals this season are to improve my average score and work on consistency,” junior John Draker said. “For the team, our goals are to keep improving the team scores and place well at state.”

For many of the Xavier trapshooting team members, trapshooting has been a part of their lives since  they  were  younger.

“I would say that my parents first got me into trapshooting,” junior Curtis Wilkins said. “I started in the spring of 8th grade at Regis when they introduced trapshooting as a new sport in middle school. A few of us went out to try it, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”

Eberle also commented on the impact friends have on the trapshooting experience.

“I joined trapshooting because a lot of my friends did it in 8th grade, and they asked me to do it,” Eberle said. “I was already familiar with stationary target shooting, so I decided to join for a new challenge.”

Despite being a relatively new activity at Xavier, trapshooting is becoming more popular with each season. Xavier trap team members attribute this to the challenging but friendly atmosphere surrounding the sport.

“I would say my favorite part of trapshooting is that it’s a sport that you can do all year long and for the rest of your life,” Wilkins said. “I also enjoy the competitions, especially the state competition. You get to shoot, see all of the top shooters, and see the venders selling the newest stuff. The thing that I enjoy the most is just seeing how far I have come from shooting in 8th grade to now.”

The Saints host their next competition on Saturday, April 22, at   Otter     Creek in Cedar Rapids.

Max Hoxie

Sports Writer