by Jerry Tracewell
Volunteer Asst. Coach

In case you haven’t heard, thanks to Todd Byerly (pictured on the right) and with the help of our CC School Superintendent, Mike McFalls (pictured on the left), and the unanimous approval of the School Board, Custer County Schools is adding a trap shooting team as a new student activity. Todd is the organizer and volunteer head coach of the team that will compete against other schools in the Colorado State High School Clay Target League; there are approximately 12 other schools in the state with either established teams or teams in formation. The CO State League is a subordinate organization of the USA High School Clay Target League that was incorporated in 2012 and now has more than 33,000 student participants in 1,100 teams spread across 25 states. Student teams practice for three weeks during March and April before beginning competition shooting within their respective states during April and May. Then, in early June, there is a State Championship Tournament for all students who wish to attend.

Membership on the team is open to any student from age 12 through 19. At this time, we have seven students who have completed registration for the team and another seven students in process. We estimate that the team will have 15 or 16 student members. The CC Board of Commissioners has given its permission to construct a trap range on county-owned property near the landfill. One of the most expensive items for this project is the target thrower itself, which has already been donated to the team by a local Westcliffe businessman.
However, there are several other team “start-up costs” such as the cost of ammunition, clay targets, shooting vests/hats and shell pouches, which brings us to the underlying purpose for this article. The Sangre Cristo Sentinel has graciously committed to hosting a fundraiser to help the team get started. The way this will work is that we are appealing to the citizens of Custer County (or anyone else who might want to help) to donate money to the team for purchasing items like those listed above. All donations of cash or checks will be collected at the Sentinel office. Checks must be made payable to “Custer County Schools” with a notation of “Trap Team.” Because your donation is to the Custer County Schools, it is tax deductible. You can also mail your donation to the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel at PO Box 179, Westcliffe, CO 81252. All monies collected by the Sentinel will be delivered to the school for depositing in the trap team’s school-managed bank account. Thank you for your support. For more information about the Colorado State High School Clay Target League, go to coclaytarget.com.