Spencer Short — Staff Writer

On Saturday, October 12, Dordt’s newest sports team took on its first true competition. The Trapshooting Club, which is in its third year, normally shoots weekly at the Rock Valley Gun Club. Although competitive in nature, it is not officially ranked in any capacity by the NAIA. So instead of competing against other teams, club members compete against each other.

The club’s leader, Professor Tom Prinsen, had his sights set on something bigger: league-level competition. Armed with an arsenal of club members, the team felt optimistic as they made the four-hour drive to Grand Island, Nebraska.

Unfortunately, nature had other plans. The club members, including Professor Prinsen, agreed that this was some of the worst shooting weather any of them ever had the displeasure to perform in.

“The wind sucked, moral of the story,” said club member Jason Enerson.

The conditions were bad enough that it seriously affected the team’s ability to compete.

“The pigeon would go to the right, and a lot of the times end up on the far-left side of where it came from,” said Prinsen. “There was one time where a pigeon got shot out, the wind caught it, and it shot almost straight up.”

The extreme weather conditions caused the team to place low in the competition, but club members are still optimistic about the future.

“We aren’t the most experienced guys out there,” said Enerson. “There’s lots of room for improvement. I can’t wait to see the progress.”

Despite the weather and competition, results the club members still enjoyed the competition while it lasted. Events like these are few and far between. Clubs are discouraged to schedule activities on Sundays, when most of these trap shooting events are held. Scheduling new competition events is tricky, but attending another shoot is already in the works.

The Trapshooting Club is always recruiting new club members. All members of the club can borrow guns, partake in free safety training, and get ammo on the premises.

“We’d love to have more people,” said Prinsen. “We’ve had people who’ve never even held a gun before come out and have a good time.”

The Trapshooting Club meets Thursday nights. For more information about training, campus gun policies, or carpooling, contact Tom Prinsen at tom.prinsen@dordt.edu.