Club Corner: Skeet and Trap

Every Friday afternoon, approximately 10 of Yale's most dangerous athletes pile into cars and take a trip. The destination: East Lyme, Conn., home of the Yale Outdoor Education Center, the shooting grounds for the Yale skeet and trap team.

Led by their coach, Tom Migdalski, the director of Yale's club sports program, team members shoot at moving targets using 12-gauge shotguns for over two hours, then spend the rest of practice picking up empty shells and cleaning the guns. "It's a whole day's work," Migdalski said.

But team members do not seem to mind the long journey or the extensive time commitment. Max Lamont, CC '00, described the range as "the nicest facility for college shooters in the United States." Though the team is given some financial support from the club sports office, members pay for their own shells and most travel costs.

Courtesy Skeet and Trap

Skeet shooting was developed in 1920 by a group of game hunters from Andover, Mass., in order to improve wing shooting. Squads of five shooters shoot from a semicircle of eight stations at clay disks fired from either a high or low "house." The disks either come out one or two at a time.

Each competition consists of either American or international skeet shooting, or trap shooting. Skeet competitions consist of four rounds of 25 targets apiece, while trap shooting competitions include eight rounds of 25 shots apiece. Scores are tallied by adding up hits. The best skeet shooters rarely miss. Among the best Yale shooters is team captain Jim Copland, LAW '99, who shot 98 out of 100 in a recent practice.

The team consists of both undergraduate and graduate students. Lamont described the squad as "a good blend of amateur and experienced shooters." Roger Levine, GRD '03, for example, who is now working on his Ph.D., has been shooting with the team for four years. Many students, however, compete despite having no experience handling a gun. Further, the club combines the talents of both men and female shooters. The two women on the team, Loren Smith, SY '00, and Christine Barton, LAW '99, should be competitive in the national championship this April in San Antonio, Tex., according to Migdalski.

The Bulldog squad has had much success in the past. In 1976, the first civilian in 20 years to make the Olympic team was Yale's own Brad Simmons, TD '79. In 1979, Yale won the national championship.

The team competes in duel meets throughout the year. Opponents include the Hartford Gun Club and Army. Last year, Yale outshot every team but Army.

Last year, in San Antonio, Yale won the most improved team award, and people closely associated with the club feel that Yale is even stronger this year. Assessing the club's future, Lamont said, "Our top five shooters have improved a lot. A top ten finish this year at nationals is very realistic."

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