Top Shots Represent Thurmont at Area Trapshooting Events
by Alisha Yocum
Members of the Thurmont Top Shots, part of the Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman’s Club, recently competed in several local and regional trapshooting tournaments.
Trapshooting is a shooting sport in which participants use shotguns to shoot at clay targets, often called “clay pigeons,” that are launched into the air from a single machine called a trap house.
The targets fly away from the shooter at varying angles and speeds, and the goal is to hit as many as possible. Shooters typically rotate through five shooting stations arranged in a semicircle behind the trap house.
First up was the Pen-Mar Regional Youth Trap Shoot held in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, at the Glen Rock sports club and hosted by the Mason-Dixon Clay Busters. The conditions were not ideal, as the team shot all five rounds in the pouring rain, with the final results being Chris Apperson, 80; Bradley Brauning, 68; Gabriella Brauning, 60; Eli Yocum, 79; and Morgan Farmer, 78.
A week later, on May 17, another squad of shooters competed in the annual ATA Strawberry Shoot, hosted by the Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman’s Club. This time, competitors faced the opposite conditions, shooting in intense sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures.
The team again posted solid scores with Chris Apperson, 90; Landon Hahn, 87; Gabriella Brauning, 79; Bryce Yocum, 69; and Bradley Brauning, 73. Morgan Farmer shot in a different squad, with a score of 78.
Some of the team will be attending the upcoming Maryland State AIM Championship, held at Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman’s Club, where again several Maryland and area youth teams will participate.
Members of the Thurmont Top Shots at the Pen-Mar Regional Youth Trap Shoot: (from left) Chris Apperson, Bradley Brauning, Gabriella Brauning, Eli Yocum, and Morgan Farmer.
Members of the Thurmont Top Shots at the Thurmont Conservation and Sportsman’s Club Annual ATA Strawberry Shoot: (from left) Landon Han, Bryce Yocum, Bradley Brauning, Chris Apperson, and Gabriella Brauning. Not pictured: Morgan Farmer.
