LaurenHicks

For many students, the weekends are time for relaxing and catching up on homework. But for 14 Marian trap shooters, they spend their weekends at the shooting range.

“I started my sophomore year when I saw the stand at the club fair,” senior Lexi Stockton said. “I always liked shooting guns since I did it with my uncle when I was little,” she said.

This season, Stockton has had multiple first place finishes, both in singles and  part of a squad.

Stockton said that her favorite part of the sport is the blue vest that gets bought for you the year after you join the team.

Junior Ashley Bialas is also on the team and has been enjoying the success this season.

“The team is a lot closer this year and team bonding has been fun. Everyone had just had a good season,” Bialas said.

Bialas started trapshooting when she was in middle school, inspired by her older sister.

“My older sister, Natalie, did it here at Marian. She graduated in 2014,” Bialas said. “I signed up for the juniors program in fifth grade because I wanted to be just like my sister. I tried it and liked it so now I do it in high school too.” 

Sophomore Kelsey Rudloff also started the sport before high school.

“I started being involved with trapshooting going into 8th grade. There was a summer ‘crash course’ if you would. My dad saw it on Facebook and thought I would like it,” Rudloff said. 

Rudloff said her favorite part of the season has been how supportive the team is to each other when they win awards. Their biggest meet so far was in Valley when they won 30 awards.

On May 1, 14 girls on the team competed at State. Each girl prepared in a different way.

“I practiced every day beforehand,” Stockton said.

“I got a lot of sleep and stayed on top of my homework,” Bialas said. “I also made sure that the people going to State for the first time were prepared. It’s kind of scary, and I didn’t want them to forget stuff.”

Rudloff also tried to take the week easy before the big meet. She said, “I prepared for state by resting. The more I shoot, the more strain I put on my shoulder, which results in me shooting worse.”

However, State looked a little different than a usual meet for the Marian/Duchesne Trap team.

“We couldn’t shoot alongside them at State,” Stockton said. “Marian and Duchesne wanted us to be separate schools at State, meaning we wouldn’t share medals, which is kind of disappointing since we missed the Duchesne girls who make our team best.”

Bialas was also a little upset by this news as she has become very close with the Duchesne girls. 

“I’ve met a whole bunch of girls and made a ton of friendships,” Bialas said.

Even with the loss of some team members, the Trap team was still ready for State.

“This sport has taught me a lot of life lessons, like how to celebrate others and be mentally tough,” Bialas said. “I felt very prepared for State.”

At State, Marian kept up their 22-year winning streak with the Marian Blue team winning the second place Female team award. Members of this team included sophomore Lucy Peklo, junior Jane Rohling, Stockton, Bialas and Rudloff. They also won the second place team award in Handicaps and 16’s out of the 1,459 competitors at the meet in Doniphan. Over the whole season, Marian Trap Shooters have won 116 awards.

The three trap shooters have advice for any girl who may want to join the team.

“They will give you all of the supplies you need, so you don’t have to buy a gun or vest if you want to try,” Stockton said. “Just do it! Come try it and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go again. It’s fun!”

Bialas shared similar advice. “It doesn’t cost anything to come try. You’ll just be losing two hours of your Sunday. A lot of people will be surprised by how much they like it,” Bialas said.

Rudloff agreed as well, saying, “Come and shoot with us in the summer! You will get a rundown and shoot five shots on your first day. If you don’t like it then, it doesn’t matter; we totally understand.”

If you are interested in joining trap shooting, summer practices start on June 14 at Harry A. Koch Trap & Skeet Range at Seymour Smith Park, 6802 Harrison St. in La Vista. They practice every Sunday after that from 10 a.m. to noon.