MARENGO – Centerburg’s Kinsey Duzan, a 13-year-old trapshooter, put on an impressive display by hitting 174 out of 200 targets in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National Team Championships on July 14-17 at the Cardinal Center.
That score placed Duzan 11th among individuals in the ladies intermediate/entry level class. What makes this incredible is that Duzan only started trapshooting as a sport in March. With only about four months of experience, she placed highly in the nationals, which many call the SCTP Super Bowl.
Duzan had a strong first round and then battled the winds on Day 2, managing to hang on. Duzan was thankful she didn’t have to face all of that competition alone.
“It was all the support I was getting,” she said. “My coaches and teammates have been so positive and have helped me so much.”
Duzan, who also competes in cross country, swimming and 4H, was introduced to trapshooting in 2020 during a visit at her grandfather's. At first, it wasn’t a hit.
“She said, ‘No, it’s not really my cup of tea,’” recalled her father, Stacy Duzan. “She didn’t have much success with it. Later that day, she was talking with my dad and she said, ‘You know, I think I’d like to try that again.' Then she went out and broke 13 straight (clay targets) or something like that.”
After that, her grandfather sent the gun home with her. She shot a few rounds with her father after she got home, and they both decided that she would join Centerburg Youth Shooting Sports (CYSS), which she did this past March.
“It’s a great sport with great people,” Stacy Duzan said. “Most of all, it teaches very good values to the kids, as well as the responsibility.”
As one of about 20 or so new faces at CYSS this year, the coaches and her teammates quickly made her feel at home.
“My teammates have been so positive,” Kinsey said. “They are very accepting. They’re always there to pick you up or high-five you.”
The CYSS team of Duzan, Jake Barrett, Emma Parsisson, Mason Schucter and Tayden Johnson combined to place 11th in the intermediate/entry level division.
Madison Oswalt, 14, a Clear Fork High School student and a member of the CYSS, took the high all-around score in the Intermediate/advanced class. Shooting in her fourth nationals, Oswalt shot a total of 192 out of 200 targets. That’s a 96 percent performance.
“I just went there and shot,” Oswalt said. “I didn't think about too much else. I was a little nervous. I practiced inside of other trap shoots that I was going to (before Nationals). There was only some wind. We just missed the rain.”
Oswalt, along with CYSS advanced teammates Morgan Powell, Lane Hughes, Kyle Pope and Benjamin Harris, combined to place fifth in the intermediate/advanced class.
For Oswalt, the secret to successful trapshooting is between the ears.
“It's a mental game,” Oswalt said. “I just try to relax and have a routine going. I just keep talking to myself and telling myself what to do. I make sure I'm doing everything right. I make sure I’m aiming in the right place. That can be based on the weather. It's important how you hold your gun.”
The same goes from those who are relative beginners.
“There really isn’t a secret,” Kinsey Duzan said. “You just have to be mentally strong. So, if you miss two birds (clay pigeons) in a row, you don’t just keep missing. You just have to trust your gut when shooting. I’ve seen people get upset and start missing birds over and over.”
The CYSS rookie team of Logan Gray, Jake Nieset, Jaxon Oswalt, Heidi Duck and Massilyn Ricketts placed fourth.
