Though he’s relatively new to the sport, Matt Bauer won a junior division at the Canadian Open Skeet Championships last weekend at the Fish and Game Club.
“I’ve only been shooting for a little bit under two years now,” said Bauer, 18. “I went by the club one day and tried it out. I figured, ‘This is pretty fun,’ so I started shooting more often. Just practice and practice. I probably go through a case of ammo a week.”
Using shotguns, skeet competitors attempt to break clay targets mechanically flung into the air.
“It’s basically these two houses that have machines that throw the targets at around 50 miles an hour,” Bauer said. “It’s all based on what your averages are. I’m B and C class. I think I got third-place for overall. For all-around, I got highest in C class.”
He won a buckle and cash prize for his efforts.
“I did the B.C.’s a couple of weeks back as well. I got the top junior.”
About 45 shooters from across Canada — including world champion Bob LaRue of Kelowna — competed last weekend. It was the first time in 64 years the event has been held in B.C.
This year, the world skeet championships are in San Antonio, Texas. Bauer plans to wait until he’s putting together better scores to attend the event.