Inaugural shooting competition sees good turnout

The sound of gunshots echoed through the surrounding forest at Otter Creek Sportsman's Club this weekend as men and women yelled 'pull” and took aim at bright orange clay pigeons being launched into the air.

The Paralyzed Veterans of America National Trapshoot event wrapped up its three-day competition Sunday with the handicap event. Don't be fooled by the name though. Just because many of the competitors made their ways around in a wheelchair or with the help of prosthetics, the handicap trapshoot event means that competitors must start at least 18 yards from the trap and can get up to 27 yards, with distances varying on the skill of the shooter. Shooters stand 16 yards from the trap for the single and doubles trapshoot events, which were Saturday.

'They (the veterans) don't slow down for anybody,” said Jim Russo, president elect for the Otter Creek 2014 board of directors and an Air Force veteran. 'This event is just phenomenal.”

The three-day event, which included a pistol shoot Friday before the trapshoot events Saturday and Sunday, attracted about 40 competitors.

'It's going to be a lot bigger,” said Andy MacDonald, associate director of shooting sports for Paralyzed Veterans of America, of his hopes for next year's event. 'We encourage everyone to come out and shoot with us.”

This was the first competition held in Iowa for the Paralyzed Veterans of America's national shooting sports circuit, and Russo is hoping to see more competitors at next year's event. Russo did not compete Sunday, but said that he plans to shoot at next year's event.

The competition is open to anyone, not just veterans or veterans with spinal chord injuries.

'I think it's really nice,” said Gary Trenkle, an Army veteran who came to the Iowa event from Springfield, Ill. 'All of the people have been very nice.”

Trenkle, who said he travels to several of the competitions throughout the year, scored a 99 at Sunday's event out of a possible 100 points.

Each shooter got to take 25 shots in each of the four rounds, totaling 100 shots altogether. If the shooter hits any visible piece of the target, which were being launched into the air at 65 feet per second Sunday, it counts as a hit.

Trenkle said that the sport is like any other, 'You've got to practice, practice, practice.”

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