MP trapshooters compete in Iowa Games

Their official season may be over, but the Mt. Pleasant trapshooters are not finished competing.

Coach John Klopfenstein will be taking at least two athletes to a shoot in Stronghurst, Ill., this weekend, and he?s hoping more will join them.

The team?s season ended earlier in July, but even before that, the shooters were looking for extra events to participate in.

One of those events was the 2012 Iowa Games Summer Satellite Trap Shoot on Saturday, June 30, at the Tri-State Gun Club in Montrose.

There, the Panther club team took a number of top-three finishes.

Mt. Pleasant squad No. 1 ? made up of JD Klopfenstein, Philip Yaley, Trevor Staats, Justin Doscher and Nathan Howard ? placed first in the team event.

In the 16-yard individual for high schoolers, Staats placed second and JD Klopfenstein took third, and they did the same in the handicap event.

In the doubles event ? where the shooters have to hit two targets that are thrown at the same time ? Staats placed first, JD Klopfenstein took second and Howard placed third.

?That?s a challenging (event),? Klopfenstein said.

On the women?s side, Ashley Hummell took first place in the open individual and in the open handicap.

Amanda Thuman of Winfield, who shoots independently, took second in both events.

?(Thurman) isn?t on a formal team, because they don?t have one out there, but we see her at a lot of events,? John Klopfenstein said.

The only schools in the area that have formal teams are Mt. Pleasant and Ft. Madison.

?It?s growing dramatically, though, and I?m hoping to get more schools on board in the area,? John Klopfenstein said. ?It?s really growing in northern Iowa.?

There were 26 students on Mt. Pleasant?s team this season.

Six seniors graduated, but John Klopfenstein expects that incoming freshmen will fill those spots.

?I?m looking forward to school signups,? he said. ?Hopefully we will get kids interested in the trapshooting program. I think there will be quite a few ninth graders -- a couple have already called me about it.?

For more on the trapshooting team, see upcoming issues of the Mt. Pleasant News.