Teen Wayzata trap shooters compete against Plymouth police

Each side learned something from the other during the friendly competition, which could become an annual event.

August 10, 2016 at 2:15AM

Jim Sable has watched trap shooting become Minnesota's fastest-growing high school sport and was looking for a new way to test his shooters. Why not put them up against the local police?

On Tuesday, about half a dozen teens from Wayzata High School's trap team squared off against Plymouth police officers in a friendly competition that allowed the students to have a positive exchange with the officers — and the police to learn a thing or two from the students.

"Kids don't interact with police unless it's under the wrong conditions," said Sable of Plymouth, who runs the USA High School Clay Target League. "When they take their uniform off, they're just like everyone else."

When he heard about another state's trap shooting team partnering with law enforcement, he said, he thought it would be a good way for the teens to get to know officers, especially given recent criticism of police conduct in cities across the country.

"It's just another outreach way for us," Police Chief Mike Goldstein said. "It's kind of special to be here."

Both groups said they hope the trap shooting event will become an annual community program, linking two groups that wouldn't normally come together.

Across Minnesota, trap shooting has surged in popularity and is on pace this year to set a record for participation. About 10,300 students participate in the sport, more than the number of high school boys and girls ice hockey players combined. It's been the state's fastest-growing high school activity for eight years in a row, even if it's "kind of under the radar here," Sable said.

The only gender-neutral sport in the country, trap shooting's popularity for both teenage boys and girls has led to packed gun ranges across the metro area such as the Plymouth Gun Club, which Sable runs.

At the gun club Tuesday, students gave officers a crash course in the sport and then paired up with them as they alternated shooting at orange clay targets.

Clay targets were launched in five different directions going 42 miles per hour, challenging the officers who weren't accustomed to using shotguns on small moving targets.

An officer grimaced after he missed a target and the student shooting next to him split it into pieces.

"It looks like we're trying to show them up," Sable said with a smile. He then pointed to two officers chatting with a student, and said: "This is what I was hoping would happen."

After Orono, Wayzata was the state's second high school to start a trap shooting team. Now more than 400 schools have teams in Minnesota.

"It's just a cool sport; it's different," said Kerri Mueller, who just graduated as a top trap shooter. "It's really grown."

Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141


Samantha Stark, 14, of the Wayzata High School Trap Team, shoots trap during a friendly competition with the Plymouth Police. ] (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune) leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Wayzata High School Trap Team paired up with the Plymouth Police on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 for some friendly trap shooting at the Plymouth Gun Club. In Minnesota, trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport, with nearly 9,000 students participating in clay target shooting, m
Samantha Stark, 14, of the Wayzata High School Trap Team, shot during a friendly competition Tuesday with the Plymouth police. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Plymouth Police Officer Dave Groth, left, gets advice from Wayzata High School Trap Team member Barrett Swenson, 14, while shooting trap together. ] (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune) leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Wayzata High School Trap Team paired up with the Plymouth Police on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 for some friendly trap shooting at the Plymouth Gun Club. In Minnesota, trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport, with nearly 9,000 students participating in cl
Plymouth officer Dave Groth, left, received some advice from Wayzata High School trap Team member Barrett Swenson, 14, while shooting together Tuesday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Plymouth Police chief Mike Goldstein grimaces after missing a shot during a friendly trap shooting competition with the Wayzata High School Trap Team. ] (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune) leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Wayzata High School Trap Team paired up with the Plymouth Police on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 for some friendly trap shooting at the Plymouth Gun Club. In Minnesota, trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport, with nearly 9,000 students participating i
Plymouth Police Chief Mike Goldstein grimaced at a missed shot in a trap shooting contest Tuesday with the Wayzata High team. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Nathan Ziemer, right, 15, of the Wayzata High School Trap Team, talks with Plymouth Police officer Paul Johnson before they begin shooting. ] (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune) leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Wayzata High School Trap Team paired up with the Plymouth Police on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 for some friendly trap shooting at the Plymouth Gun Club. In Minnesota, trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport, with nearly 9,000 students participating in clay targ
Nathan Ziemer, 15, chatted with Plymouth officer Paul Johnson before they began shooting. The officers needed a little schooling in how to hit the clay targets, new to some of the cops. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Nathan Ziemer, 15, of the Wayzata High School Trap Team, sports a monogrammed ammo belt. ] (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune) leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Wayzata High School Trap Team paired up with the Plymouth Police on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 for some friendly trap shooting at the Plymouth Gun Club. In Minnesota, trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport, with nearly 9,000 students participating in clay target shooting, more than those who play boys' ice hoc
Nathan Ziemer sported a monogrammed ammo belt. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Kelly Smith

Reporter

Kelly Smith covers nonprofits/philanthropy for the Star Tribune and is based in Minneapolis. Since 2010, she’s covered Greater Minnesota on the state/region team, Hennepin County government, west metro suburban government and west metro K-12 education.

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