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Events Around Iowa A portage trail will be constructed this month near the Water Works Dam north of Boone on the Des Moines River. This project is being head up by the Iowa Whitewater Coalition, a group of about 50 outdoor paddlers, who recently led the push for new warning signs to be erected near the dam in July. On Thursday August 24, more than 20 people from the community along with representatives from the Iowa Whitewater Coalition, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State University and the Parks & Utilities Department of Boone met at the Boone Water Treatment Facility to discuss building the trail. The need for the trail arose after Megan E. Pavelick, 22, died July 9 when she floated in a tube over the low-head dam and hydraulic currents swept her underwater. Pavelick was a recent graduate of Iowa State University and a former soriety member at Kappa Alpha Theta. The soriety along with Iowa State University's Outdoor Recreation Department have both agreed to volunteer with construction of the portage trail and will continue to help maintain the trail in years to come. After the completion of the portage trail several members of the committee would like to see a memorial for Pavelick along the trail and possibly hold a memorial float in her honor. For more information about the portage trail or if you would be interested in volunteering during the portage trail work day please click on the link below.
 Rain runs down your neck. A cold wind blows across the grass. Here at the state championship, competitors had to deal with the elements. Football? Track? Golf? No...more than 300 competitors braced themselves against the weather and the recoil from their shotguns at the 2006 Iowa High School Trap Shoot recently. Each shooter had to ignore the blowing rain and temperatures in the 40s to concentrate on the traphouse in front of them...and the path of the bright orange clay flying out of it on their command. Each had 50 chances to break it...or miss. "I try to keep my stance still, every time I shoot. I just tell myself to keep my head down all the time", explained Leah Goosen. The senior, from Sioux Central/South O'Brien was the top girl competing at the state shoot. She has been competing since she was a freshman. "I started with our FFA chapter annual shoot. My dad got me into it. It's fun; a good way to meet people." Most of the 'people meeting' was under umbrellas, camp tarps or inside the crowded clubhouse at the shoot; sponsored by the Cedar Falls Gun Glub. "It gives kids a chance to compete on a statewide basis", explained Kenny Rogers, meet co-director. "They shoot as a team, but also compete on an individual basis. Basically, each kid competes against himself to get a perfect score; 25 out of 25." Some schools send multiple teams. Competition consists of shooting two rounds of 25 targets; one from 16 yards, then stepping back to 19 yards. When the smoke cleared, Mason City's Zach Davis emerged with the only perfect score. Another four boys, each with 49, had a 'shoot off' for 2nd through 5th places. It took 48 to grab 6th place. Goosen's 45 was tops among the girls. Teams from across the state showed up, in school busses, vans or family vehicles. Some had trailers to hold their equipment. Some schools treat trapshooting as a regular activity. Many, though, recognize it as a 'club' type activity; providing use of the school's name, but little-if any-funding. Parents, sponsors and local merchants are a big part of a team's existence as they practice through the school year and participate in regional shoots. Outdoor groups-Pheasants Forever, the National Wild Turkey Federation, local shooting clubs and others-are a big part of the support system for high school trapshooting. In an effort to 'grow' the sport, the key is getting noticed. "We send letters to all the schools (announcing the state shoot), but if an athletic director is not interested, it goes nowhere", admits Dave Swanson, director of the Scholastic Clay Target Program, sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "We also send letters to coaches and sponsors. The kids are our best recruiters. If they get their friends interested, they can build on that." Swanson says being a hunter is not a prerequisite. Many competitors and coaches do hunt, but many others are in it for the competition of shooting. Like other school activities, preparation begins well before the state competition. "Safety comes first", emphasizes Swanson. "From there, coaches start with eye dominance; the fit of the gun against the cheek and shoulder and point of aim. We want to know that they are shooting at exactly where they are looking." From there, it's practice...and more practice. Most teams have regular practice sessions, often at the local gun club, and a schedule of regional competitions. Swanson says a typical team might go to a dozen shoots, with from 40 to 120 competitors. "On Tuesday's, we have practice. Every Sunday, we have had a competition around the state", says Matt Zeion, describing the weeks leading up to the state shoot. That practice schedule picked up, in the week before the tournament, including a practice round on the Cedar Falls course. "I think that got us ready for the way the traps throw (the clays)", offered Zeion. "I make sure the beads on my gun are lined up. I make sure I can see both sides of the (trap) house. That way, I know which way the clay is going; to pick it up as soon as possible." A statewide league has developed, with competitors logging their scores, from different locations. The top five scorers are named to Iowa's All State Team each year. The kids, parents and sponsors are sold on the program. Sponsors contribute heavily to the state competition and help out locally, too. "It is giving high school kids a low cost opportunity to be exposed to the shooting sports," underscores Rogers. "It's good to see the kids pleased with their own performance. You shoot as a team, but it is also an individual pursuit."
Team Competition
Individual Competition
Girls: 2nd place: Chandal Grandquist (Linn-Mar), 3rd place: Aubree Stoll (Sioux Central/South O'Brien), 4th place: Dana Glaser (New Hampton), 5th place: Stephanie Herr (Clear Creek-Amana), 6th place: Susan Kueter (Charles City) Boys: 2nd place: Cole Arndt (Mason City Red), 3rd place: Blake Harms (AGWSR #1), 4th place: Eric Held (AGWSR #1), 5th place: Paul Farrar (Muscatine), 6th place: Joe McIntire (Charles City) Article submitted by:
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