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The team then returned to practice at
Burlington Conservation Club to prepare for nationals. After two
weeks of shooting, they cleaned their guns and loaded vehicles
for the seven-hour drive south to Sparta. Once there, they
joined a competition with teams from Alaska, California, Maine
and points in between.
"They were doing terrific, but we still didn't know what
the kids were going to be able to do next," Wondrash said.
They were about to enter the biggest stage known to
trapshooting. The recently-completed World Shooting and
Recreational Complex in Sparta is the world's largest shooting
venue. It features 120 trap fields extending 3.5 miles. "It
was pretty exciting," said Jake Wedmen, an outgoing senior.
"We had never seen anyplace that big.".
But the kids just did what they had all year - they went out and
shot great scores. A dozen parents and other fans had
accompanied the team to Sparta.
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"I was one of the blubbering
moms, crying in the stands," Sue Kojis said. "People
can't imagine how proud and excited we were."
The conditions were "hot, hot and hot," said Wondrash,
who kept his shooters hydrated with at least five gallons of
water each day
The SCTP nationals is a team format event shot over two days.
Each team consists of five shooters. Each shooter shoots 100
targets a day.
After the first day, the Demons had done what nobody could have
predicted - they ended in first place. The second day, they
ended in first place, too, but with a stomach-wrenching twist -
they were tied.
The Steeleville FFA from Missouri had shot extremely well the
second day and evened the score. After two days of shooting,
both teams had broken 947 of the 1,000 targets they
attempted. |
The teams then went to a shoot off, with
each competitor shooting at 25 targets.
The Missouri team broke 118 of 125, just two better than the
Demons. Although it was painful to be so close to a national
championship, the Demons knew how much they had accomplished in
such a short period of time. According to NSSF records, it was
the highest finish ever for a Wisconsin team.
Burlington High School now has some new hardware for its trophy
case. "It was just phenomenal," Wondrash said. "I
think the kids slept with the medals on the first two
nights."
"But it's just the beginning for us. We're only losing one
shooter off the team to graduation, so we're going to be mostly
whole for next year." |
