Reflecting on the 2010 Texas State Skeet Championships

By: Joe Schram

On June 18th - 20th (last weekend), the Texas State Skeet Championships was held in San Antonio, Texas at the National Shooting Complex. If you have never been to the National Shooting Complex, you should go sometime just to see one of the country's largest shooting facilities on over 671 acres in the rolling Texas Hill Country. The National Shooting Complex offers: 

                                                                                •45 Skeet fields
                                                                                •47 Trap fields
                                                                                •5 Sporting Clays Courses           
                                                                                •2 NSCA 5-Stand Sporting fields                                               
                                                                                •75 position rifle range - 100 yards
                                                                                •75 position pistol range - 50 yards
                                                                                •Lights for after dark clay target shooting

I started shooting skeet in the fall of 1987. My then employer and long-time friend took me to the Greater Houston Gun Club one Friday afternoon and handed me a 20 gauge Remington 1100 and a case of shells. I was hooked from the start. I sometimes think that my friend took me to shoot skeet for a purpose, and not just for a social outing. I was 28 years old, and had no solid goals in life. I think my friend knew that about me and knew that skeet was just what I needed.

My first State Skeet Championship was that next summer in 1988 at the Waco Trap and Skeet Club. I loved every moment of it. I shot well for an up and coming shooter in "D" Class. I won ten silver medals at that shoot and quite a bit of money. I had a an absolute blast (pardon the pun). It was the first time I met Roy Rogers' granddaughter, Toni Rogers. I was in many shoot offs (tie-breakers) against Toni over the years, and she beat me most of the time! I was at the Dallas Gun Club's Pan American Skeet Shoot a few weeks ago, and saw Toni there. She has not been in the greatest of health, but I sat and had a nice conversation with her. We reminisced about our shooting back in those early days, and she told me that she always thought that I didn't like her because I never talked to her. I admitted to her that I was just so intimidated by her that I could never quite seem to find my tongue. Toni was, and still is larger than life. She is one of those great characters you meet in this sport.

Many years later after coming in and out of competition shooting, I find myself in San Antonio Texas shooting the State Championships once again. I did well again, collecting "B" class High Overall Average and several other medals. I had a great weekend of shooting and was pleased with my performance. I have brought my medals home to hang with the others on my home office wall. No one really ever sees them there except me. I don't place them there to brag to others about how well I shot, but as a reminder of the great times, the great people and the great stories that were told at every competition I have ever attended. The State Championships always seems to bring out the best in everyone, and I don't just mean their shooting abilities. I have several great stories from every State Championship that I have shot Always new friendships were made and new lessons were learned.

As I was sitting at this year's State Championships waiting for the shoot-offs, I realized that skeet shooting has taught me many things. For instance, it has taught me self-discipline. It has been said that skeet shooting is an exercise in self-discipline. It's hard work trying to control every single muscle in your body simultaneously and to make those muscles do exactly what you need them to at the exact moment you call for the target. Disciplining your eyes to look for the target and not to waver. Controlling your breathing and most of all, controlling your mind. Every shooter knows the importance of focus, and skeet shooting requires as much of it as you can humanly muster.

It has also taught me the importance of goal-setting. I came to this State Shoot with the goal of winning High Overall Average in "B" class, and I met that goal. Back in the fall of 1987, I was 28 years old with few goals in mind. Today I have very specific goals for my life and for my skeet shooting game. The importance of goal-setting has been ingrained in me so well, that I almost can't sleep at night if I have not met my intended goals for that day.

Skeet has taught me the importance of being an encourager to others. I have had many squad mates over the years, and some have possessed that high-energy, something special quality about them that just exuded confidence and made you want to shoot better. When it is over 100 degrees and you have missed a few targets and are struggling, it always helps to hear that voice behind you as you step onto the shooting station saying "come on now, keep working, you can do it!" I hope I have learned that lesson well enough that I am as encouraging to others as so many have been to me over the years.

It has taught me the importance of good character. Being a good sport is more than not cheating, it is also about not boasting about your score when your friend has had a tough and trying day. It is about not complaining to everyone at the shoot about the bad pull you got that caused you to miss a target, when in fact you were the one in control of the trigger. It is about being kind to the referees who stand out in the scorching sun all day long for your benefit, and don't always get a "thank you" or a "good job" even if they did fast pull you once or twice. Referees have one of the most thankless jobs there is. We need them, and we need them to know they are important to us.

Every Texas State Skeet Championships has so many great people, so many great conversations and so many great lessons learned. I watched this weekend as fathers and sons and fathers and daughters shot together. It was fitting as it was Fathers day weekend. So many of the youngsters in this sport are exceptional people. They are polite, well-mannered and are obviously growing up to achieve great things. What a great sport we have that teaches them so many of the values which they will need in their careers and their everyday lives.

I wish more people would consider taking up competition shooting, as I would like to share all the things this great sport has given me. I hope that if you are reading this, you will get up, get your kids together and head for the nearest skeet range. I believe you can't find a better, more family oriented outdoor activity for them. I believe you will see them learning important life-lessons right before your eyes. Perhaps they will grow up to achieve something great in life because of something they learned about self-discipline on the skeet field. I encourage you to involve them in competitive shooting.

Who knows, perhaps we will meet in the Shoot-Off Stadium at the 2011 Texas State Skeet Championships!

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