I had a great time and got the opportunity to spend 4 days of pretty relaxing time with my wife, and parents. Both my parents are getting up there in age (mid 70s), but are both pretty active still. I decided last year that I wanted to spend more time with them. My dad's really into sporting clays, very similar to trap, but you walk a course and get a lot of different looks at unique targets.
So, late last year I joined a course in Arizona and started shooting a little, I'm still pretty awful at the actual sport but I enjoy it. Anyway, we talked about it and if I could get in a few tournaments and enough targets to qualify for the Kansas state sporting clays tournament we would shoot together. I was able to get my 300 targets in and we entered, and planned for my mom and wife to go.
The place was amazing. It's really remote lodge in southern Kansas (Flint Oaks). This is a super cool place, rolling hills, great ponds and scenery all the way around. There's very limited cell service, and no TVs in your room. This part was nice, it forced you to disconnect and reconnect with those around you.
A few things I learned along the way
1. Your local one day tournament and a state shoot are drastically different in the difficulty of the targets. I've shot in the 70 out of 100 pretty frequently. I opened up this tournament with a 48/100. I didn't care. I was getting to spend time with my family, and frankly I haven't done this long enough to be very good. I just tried to learn different things that would help me along the way. Day 2 I upped my total to 55/100. Day 3 we shot a lot. I went 63/100 and 65/100. Then we shot Super Sport and I shot a 28/50, which was good enough to get me into 3rd in D class. Overall we shot 600 targets over the 4 days. Some of the targets were really cool. Traps set up 30 feet on lifts that came over the top and dropped so you had to lead them 6 feet underneath. Targets that rotated in the air where you needed to wait for the right time to shoot.
2. This is not a poor mans game. Most people had their UTVs and there were a lot of $20K+ shotguns running around. That being said everyone was very down to earth and genuinely good people. Everyone was willing to help and tell me things that were helpful in getting my score up.
3. Girls can shoot. The first day that I shot a 48 a young lady with us (guessing 22) shot a 85.
Overall this was a great time. I spent 4 days shooting with my dad, getting great advice. I also spent 4 days, after the shoot having drinks, dinner and stories with my parents. I think reliving the stories of your youth with family, and recalling those memories, is one of life's great joys. I'll definitely do it again, and hope to get better, but if I never do it will have been time well spent.