Owatonna Clay Target Team Receives NRA Grant

It's the largest team at Owatonna High School with 88 student-athletes in 2021. Some years the roster goes more than 100 deep. The Huskies went to the Minnesota State High School League state tournament in 2021. And they are about to get better. The Owatonna clay target team announces a grant from the NRA Foundation that will allow them to purchase equipment to help train their shooters.

A news release from the team says, "Simply put - very cool and extremely helpful." The club will purchase Garmin Xero Trap Shooting Trainers, "a device that allows our athletes and coaches to see in real-time where their shot pattern is in relation to the target as it records the athlete's reaction time."

"The data gives our athletes and coaches confidence in what we as a team are trying to teach and develop...They will see extensive use with both our fall developmental team and our spring competitive team moving forward."

The NRA Foundation Grant Program "benefits a variety of constituencies throughout the United State including children, youth, women, individuals with physical disabilities, gun collectors, law enforcement officers, hunters, and competitive shooters," according to the news release.

OHS competes in the largest class during the spring season. Clay Target divides into classes based on the number of shooters on a team, not school enrollment. The Huskies are a two-time participant in the MSHSL season-ending competition.

Coach Mike Kingland told the OHS Magnet student news organization, "It looks easy when you just watch it. But it’s not and a lot of times the struggles you know, with new athletes, is a lot of fundamentals.” About 12,000 athletes participated across Minnesota in 2022, keeping clay target, or trap shooting, as the state's fastest-growing sport.

“It’s you out there. You know, basically, you’re competing with yourself," added Kingland.