Comment
Print
On a recent Saturday with a blue cloudless sky, competitors from across the country were competing in the Dixie Satellite Grand - one of the best trapshooting tournaments in the Southeast.
Throughout the week, leading up to the final weekend of competition, there were approximately 350 shooters vying for trophies at the North Carolina Trapshooting Home Grounds in Bostic.
"We are thrilled we have this facility and the location where we have it," said Jim Hughes, secretary for the North Carolina Trapshooting Hall of Fame (NCTHOF).
"The people are grand here. They love it," said Hughes of the competitors who traveled from the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Illinois and Canada to compete in the trapshoot.
"It's a great gun club, a beautiful place with the mountains in the background. A unique place and people love to come here and shoot," Hughes continued. "The people in the area have been so welcoming and this is bringing a lot of people to the area."
Hughes mentioned Bob and Carolyn Keever of Rutherfordton who were instrumental in getting the construction on the North Carolina Home Grounds, southern zone, underway in 2000. A plaque of appreciation hangs in the clubhouse, citing the couple's loyalty to the development of the championship grounds.
Hughes lives in Charlotte and oversees the three major shooting events in Bostic.
The Dixie Satellite Grand is the biggest tournament of the year for shooters in the southern zone. In addition to the Dixie Grand, the NC Hall of Fame Shoot and the NC State Shoot are also held at the Bostic grounds.
The 2024 dates are: NC Hall of Fame shoot April 18-21; NC State Shoot is June 5-9 and Dixie Grand Sept. 24-29.
While competition was going on across the long line of shooters, members of the Montreat College Clay Target Shooting Club talked about the joys of shooting and the adventures of traveling across the country with the club. They had already competed for the morning and were "hanging out" in rocking chairs at the clubhouse.
Jaycee Beckhman, a senior from Charleston and a pre-pharmacy major, loves trapshooting. She started trapshooting in 2018 after encouragement from friends.
Team Captain Brady Cox said trapshooting is "a good team sport." Competitive shooting since 2015, he said, "It's a fun sport." An environmental science major from Carrollton, Illinois, Brady said he has been interested in shooting since he was a kid with a "BB" gun.
High School senior Trinity Morris, who plans to be on the Montreat Trapshoot team after graduation, says it's actually one of the safest sports there is and she thoroughly enjoys it.
Savannah Haskell said "trapshooting clears my head."
The team has competed in areas across the country, including Las Vegas.
Across the parking area, Claudia Conrad of Forest City, was assisting trapshooters from Florida.
As a member of the Christopher Ebert Jr, Marine Corps League in Forest City, she and other members of the league worked with the association during the 2023 season, making sure everything was ready for competition.
"I enjoyed helping," she said. "If you watch some of these young kids, it is phenomenal to see all they know."
Conrad was talking with Sarah Jacobs and her husband Jake Jacobs of Florida. Claudia assisted them in purchasing coins for practice shooting.
Sarah was practicing left-handed shooting after shooting right-handed since she was 18 years old.
"So far, left-handed hasn't gone that well," she said. "But I am working on it." She was not expecting any trophies at the Dixie Grand.
Many of the athletes bring their campers and stay on site while others stay in area motels and eat in local restaurants.
Donald Webb of Mississippi, who shot a perfect 100 on Saturday, stayed at a Forest City motel and had most of his meals in Forest City during the week.
"Slim's is my favorite," Donald said, of the bar and grill owned by Thomas Melton off Powell Street. He also ate at Big Dave's.
Donald traveled with Mike Beverin and wife Paulette of Mississippi. They camped in their trailer at the showgrounds.
Mike is a Mississippi environmental worker with Mississippi Power and Paulette is a retired chemistry teacher. They love coming to the show grounds and camp each year.
"We get our camping spot a year in advance because all camping spaces are filled up a year earlier," Mike said.
"It's better for us to stay onsite," said Mike. They were heading back home on Monday after the final weekend of competition.
For this year's Dixie Grand, the Beverins had to bring their two large birds.
Most times, Dusty, a 28-year-old Congo African Grey and Ruby, an 11-year-old Timneth African Grey, stay with their "bird sitter." This year the sitter had an illness in her family and couldn't keep the birds.
Paulette said the Congo Greys don't like to travel, but once on location, they do well.
"But they don't talk much," Mike added.
Hughes said in the future, he hopes more Rutherford County residents who would like to have a part-time job during the events, will notify him.
"We would really like to find more people locally who want a part-time job to help us," Hughes said. He hopes by next season, the association will be able to hire more locals to help with tasks at the grounds.
Hughes encouraged anyone who would like a part-time job for the shoots, to contact him at JRHughes.60@gmail.com.
"Our shooters love them, they are very friendly and they want to do a good job" Hughes said of the local volunteers. "We would like to hire all locals," she said. The part-time workers receive a daily pay and lunch.
"We are looking for more locals who want to earn a little money," he said.
Hughes has been shooting most of his entire life and the North Carolina Home Grounds in Bostic are among his favorites.
