**Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect the correct type of gun used in the sport.
BY RILEY WILSON
Wyatt Johnson aimed his shotgun just above the trap house and sharply yelled, “Pull!”
The clay disc rushed across the overcast sky. Johnson immediately pulled his trigger, almost instantly shattering the disc.
The Eudora High School sophomore is one of the most promising members of the school's trap shooting club, which is in its second winter season.
The Cardinal Clays is a trap shooting club for Eudora High School students started by School Resource Officer Caleb Lewis and Detective Daniel Flick of the Eudora Police Department.
Trap shooting is a competition where a shooter stands a distance from the trap house, which is where clay discs are released that shooters aim to hit. Twenty-five discs are thrown per shooter and they get one chance to hit each disc. Shooters complete two 25-disc rounds.
Johnson hit all 25 discs in a recent competition.
“It felt pretty awesome. It was my first time,” Johnson said.
He said he’s already looking forward to his next goal of hitting all 50 discs this year.
Johnson said he’s been trap shooting since he was young but joined the Cardinal Clays two years ago.
“I just love coming out and shooting. I think it’s really fun,” Johnson said.
Lewis and Flick started the program in spring 2018 after seeing Baldwin City had a trap shooting team.
“I knew there would be a lot of kids interested. Being in a rural area, there’s a lot of farm kids around here,” Lewis said.
All students, whether familiar with guns or not, must complete several firearm safety courses before they are allowed at the shooting range, Lewis said.
The Kansas State High School Clay Target League requires all students to complete the Student Athlete Firearm Education Certification, an online firearm safety course.
Lewis said they also make Eudora students take a hunter’s safety course in addition to the certification to get hands-on experience. After completing the courses, the team has a range safety day where they learn about safe gun handling, different types of shotguns, range rules and more.
“This is a good way for those kids to get familiar with the firearms so they’re not as curious. It’s a good educational tool for them to have,” Lewis said.
The team has grown since its first season going from 19 to around 40 members. Two of the original 19 members were girls and now there are eight.
Flick said this sport draws in students who want to get involved but may not be traditional athletes.
“It’s a good sport for kids who want to be involved in a sport that may not necessarily be football or baseball,” Flick said.
The Cardinal Clays team is one of 43 in the Kansas league.
The team has practice and competitions every Wednesday. Competitions are done remotely at each team’s range then digitally uploaded and compared to other teams.
For more information on the team and competition updates, go to the Cardinal Clays Facebook page.
Reach reporter Riley Wilson at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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Wow! I had no idea!