By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
After watching the Burlington High School trapshooting team make state, regional and national headlines for its success, Waterford started its own program just three years ago.
“When I formed this team three years ago, I was following the examples of Tom Wondrash and the SCTP,” said head coach Jim Kinateder, referring to former BHS head coach and now national director of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP).
It all paid off Saturday, as Waterford won the varsity state title at the Wisconsin SCTP State Championships, beating BHS by two targets.
“The weather was perfect,” Kinateder said. “It felt great beating a team like Burlington with their success.”
Brett Strasser led the Wolverines with a near-perfect 99 (of 100), followed a 98 by Hunter Swan, two 97s – from Travis Shecterle and Phil Davis – and a 96 from Sam Gultch.
It was a magical moment for the Wolverines, who train at the same facility as BHS – the Burlington Conservation Club in the Town of Burlington – but had never beaten the Demons.
“It was awesome,” said David, who will be headed to the U.S. Air Force Academy this summer for college. “This was the perfect time to do it.”
Strasser said, “I didn’t feel pressure at all.”
The program has grown since its inception, from 29 high school shooters the first year to 68 now in grades 6-12. That allows Waterford to now field teams not just at the varsity level, but at the intermediate (grades 6-8) and junior varsity as well.
It began to pay off before Saturday’s state title. Waterford’s JV squad won the Southeast Conference title a few weeks ago, and as Kinateder said, “our JV and intermediates keep stepping it up every day.”
The key, he said, making sure the athletes are enjoying themselves.
“I learned that you need to make sure the kids have fun while shooting, and make sure it is a positive experience for all of them,” he said.
And while beating Burlington was a huge accomplishment Saturday, it wasn’t necessarily the be-all and end-all of the season.
“Our goal is to go out and shoot our personal best every time we go on the course,” Kinateder said. “It is not to beat all the other teams. We like knowing that, win or lose, we always try our hardest.
“I feel like our team can only get stronger.”
-
-
-
-
-