GREAT FALLS — The Montana High School Association's 2024-25 sports calendar came to a close May 24, but one more state competition was held at the Great Falls Trap and Skeet Club this past Saturday as 19 schools gathered for the trap shooting championship.
"There's 2,000 teams across the country, and 53,000 kids participating in this sport," Cascade high school trap shooting coach Farrah McGregor said during Saturday's competition. "I think this one's just going to continue to grow."
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McGregor said she was very happy with the turnout of Saturday's event, highlighting that the sport doubled in the size of participation in just one year and that nearly all of the 115 athletes involved were in attendance.
"We have teams from Boulder, Jefferson, we have teams here from Columbus, we have teams here from Denton, we have teams here from Helena," McGregor said. "We don't get too far out into the far reaches, but for these kids and their families, you look at the number of people here that travel to watch these kids and support these kids, it means a lot for the sport."
Trap shooting became a high school team sport across in the country in 2004, McGregor said, and added that Montana started having teams in 2023. This is also the first season Cascade High School had an official team.
"For a couple of the kids on our team, this is the first time they've been in a competition environment if you will," McGregor said. "They come to practice and they compete and turn in scores throughout the season, but we do it virtually. So they're just competing with their team here. Belt shoots up here as well, so oftentimes there's only a couple teams a week here."
Cascade senior Hal McGregor has been involved in the sport since prior to high school.
"I finally have some people in my school who are shooting with me," Hal McGregor said. "And I can really enjoy having a good time out on the range with my buddies."
His friend and fellow senior Izaak Munski — who hadn't competed the sport until this year — joined the team in part from McGregor's influence, Munski said.
"Every day (McGregor) was telling me that I needed to get my paperwork in," Munski said. "And I was on the fence until about eight hours before it was due and then I figured, why not?"
Both also expressed how much they enjoy shooting trap.
"You can do it till you're 80, 90 years old," McGregor said. "I think it's great to see younger kids doing it, and keep the sport growing and continue to make it the phenomenal sport that it is.
"It's really nice seeing schools around the state come to Great Falls, Montana to have a good time shooting shotguns and enjoying the company of everybody."
"I think this is going to be something that I can do until I'm old and not functional anymore," Munski said. "But as long as I can stand and pull the trigger, I'll be out here."
Overall, Jefferson High School won Saturday's state competition.
