The sun was high as returning members, new members and curious first timers gathered to step into the shooting box themselves at the Bearcats Shooting Club Invitational on Saturday in a clearing surrounded by corn on Pelzel Road.
Parents like Bret Vincent, who also helps assist the team, said the club offers something unique for kids.
“It just teaches kids to get familiar with a firearm so they’re comfortable around it,” he said. “Gun safety’s a big thing with us. It teaches kids how to be safe around guns, how to handle [them] correctly.”
For Vincent, the sport also opens doors for all types of kids.
“You don’t have to be an exceptional athlete to do it,” he said. “Really any kid can do this. It’s one of those sports where you don’t have to be the stick-and-ball sports type. It gives them an opportunity to participate in a team environment [and] an individual environment. The only person you’re really competing with is yourself to shoot the best you can.”
Head coach Chris Krouskup has seen firsthand what the program can do for students.
“As far as their abilities on the field, I’ve seen them get increasingly better every season,” he said. “Our scores when we first started were in the 20s, and now we’re high 80s, mid-90s. Now granted, it’s taken three, four years to get a lot of these kids there, but yeah, they’ve gotten increasingly better each time.”
The benefits go beyond shooting, Krouskup added.
“As far as their schoolwork, I see less and less issues with them,” he said. “They’re more respectful because they know if they’re not, their coach is going to have them.”
Krouskup also believes that the kids learn the value of “respect for the sport” and “for one another.”
Sportsmanship is at the center of his coaching.
“If a kid takes a shot and it chips just a little bit of it, that counts,” Krouskup said. “I want my kids watching those shots to help the other shooters, not just their teammates, but the other teams, get every bird they deserve. … In the end, just come out here and have fun.”
For senior Jackson Burgess, who joined the club as a freshman, the sport has become a defining part of high school.
“I like the competition,” he said. “The competitions are a whole lot of fun. I love shooting. It’s a big part of my life and what I do. This is not the only thing I do.”
Burgess especially values the chance to test himself.
“I like competing in just anything that I do, so it’s always fun to give it your best and see where you land,” he said.
Entering his final season, Burgess has high goals for himself.
“I’m hoping for some 90s this year,” he said. “I got close a couple weeks ago when we went to our first competition [of the season].”
With a mix of new shooters and veterans, the Bearcats are anticipating another season of steady growth, competition and fellowship.
Looking ahead, Krouskup hopes the program continues to grow.
“I plan on staying with the team,” Krouskup said. “I hope that the team grows as far as size, and I get a better mix of middle and high school kids. I want to be bringing them up as young as I can get them so that by the time they get into that high school varsity, junior varsity setting, they’re competitive.”
