It’s true that trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport but what about skeet shooting? As the years go by and many of your athletes improve, I have found that starting a skeet program is a great way to give your athletes another competitive challenge. Starting a skeet program is actually much easier than expected because most of the groundwork has already been laid out through your trap shooting set up. Let’s look at a few things to consider before launching the next big thing for your team.
Who is going to coach it?
Anyone willing and eager to! Don’t be nervous that you do not have a certified skeet coach on your staff. Coaches that are willing to teach the sport will seek out the proper instructors to become certified coaches. Coaches need to be committed and open to the unique differences between skeet and trap.
Where are we going to shoot it?
Although skeet houses are less abundant than trap houses I think that if you talk to your local gun club that they would be willing to make arrangements. Most clubs want to know that there is interest before building a skeet field so work with your gun club manager if you do not have a field near by. After all, just think of how many more trap houses are available today that weren’t here 5 years ago!
Who is going to pay for it?
There are many options but consider that some athletes may choose to shoot skeet versus trap and therefore there is not much of a financial impact to the families. The price to join the skeet league, the cost of a round, and a box of shells to shoot skeet are almost identical to trap.
What does offering skeet do for the athletes?
A LOT! Skeet is a completely different discipline offering high/low side to side targets. Every athlete on your team will immediately improve their swing and reaction time. I have coached our skeet team for two seasons and have been very impressed with how the basics have been mastered. Skeet is fun because it gives the shooter a number of different angles to hit the target. The etiquette in skeet is also more inviting to those that like to shoot while being social.
When is the best time to start a skeet team?
Anytime is the best time but I always recommend fall league because generally there is more time to spend teaching one on one with athletes. Spring can be very competitive for certain athletes and that mindset can make it tough for coaches to teach a new sport.
As a coach it’s important to continue challenging your athletes so consider starting a skeet team today!