On Friday June 20th, I spent the morning with Trap Shooting Hall of Famer, Loral I Delaney. I was honored to have the opportunity to take a trap shooting lesson from one of the most talented trap shooters in America. So being a novice that I am, I was a little nervous and started to sweat when she arrived. However she calmed my nerves and we went about our lesson which surprisingly started off by tying my hair back into a pony tail...she said, "No distractions, you don't want your mind to think about anything but that target". She was right. Next we briefly went over a little gun safety/handling and trap shooting etiquette and then it was time for me to test my shot. 
We started off by shooting a cardboard box that was set a short 13 yards from me. I asked "Why is the box so close at just 13 yards?" I guess it's the first point of impact for a shotgun...well, I pulled the trigger and missed that box that was only 13 yards away. My father just about fell over in embarrassment...I don't blame him, but my nerves got the best of me. So I tried one more time and I hit it dead on. We then moved on to form...I didn't realize there was "good form" to shooting trap. It's similar to a golf swing in that matter where eventually it just becomes automatic but is a lot to think about at first. She suggested that I practice in front of the mirror, as she does. Good advice though I can only imagine what my neighbors will think. It was time to shoot some clay birds and as you can guess I missed the first one. From that, she gave me some of the best advice. "Don't look down the barrel of the gun but look at the tree line". Loral I equated it to pointing at something with your finger, your eyes don't follow your finger, they look at what you're pointing at. That same philosophy applies to shooting trap. So, I said "Pull!" and I hit the target dead on...wow did that feel good. As the morning went on my shooting skills improved and Loral I, my dad and I shot a round of 25. Yes, I came in last, but I did get a rhythm down and shot a few in a row even as the targets skeet quickly right and left.
One thing I can tell you is that it is obvious why Loral I is the "Tiger Woods of trap shooting". Before that clay bird got a chance to fly one second in the air, it was already shattered by her. Impressive to say the least. I look forward to taking the lessons learned and improving this summer, who knows, maybe I too will earn a trap shooting title someday. Until then, I may need to hit a few more cardboard boxes and settle for a self titled nickname to increase my confidence... "Annie Oakely" sounds good to me.
