Sparta, Georgia’s Lake Oconee Shotgun Team Looking to Stay on Top at the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) 2019 National Championships!
Twenty seven (27) Youth Athletes from the Sparta, Georgia Lake Oconee Shotgun Team are here at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio with one goal in mind! Equal or better that 2018 performance at the SCTP National Championships at the 2019 SCTP National Championships. In 2018, Team Oconee was the HOA Team for all three shotgun disciplines, trap, skeet, and sporting clays. In addition, Lake Oconee finished 4th overall in trap.
Steve Lane, Head Coach of the Lake Oconee Shotgun Team says, “our team worked very hard this season to prepare for the National Championships. Most of our athletes have returned from last year so we are heading into the Cardinal Center ready to perform at our best”.
In addition to the 27 athletes, Lake Oconee Shotgun Team has almost all the parents and even a few grandparents make the trip to support their youth athletes.
The Lake Oconee Shotgun Team has athletes from 5th grade through seniors in high school. Three of the team’s seniors are graduating this year, two of those graduating seniors will be members of the Emanuel College Shotgun Team following graduation.
Young Guns, Lake Oconee, Forest City and Central Georgia represent 4 of the top 5 winning teams at the 2017 SCTP National Championship out of over 200 teams nationwide. Andrew Weiche and Tate Skipper, both of Macon, led the charge for Central Georgia Elite and ended up tied for the High Over All individual honor which was settled by a shoot-off that went Weiche’s way. Ambus Powell of the Worth County Shotgun Team finished third overall. Reanna Frauens of Coral Gables, Florida, won Ladies HOA shooting for the Young Guns at Quail Creek followed by Alexis Eidson and Dallas Ward for Central Georgia Elite. Men's Sporting Clays ended in a tie between perennial Georgia powerhouses Aaron Copelan of Lake Oconee and Kevin Bandt of the Brookine Top Shots. Copelan won the shoot-off to take the title. Andrew Weiche finished 3rd. The Ladies sporting champion was Central Georgia's Alexis Eidson followed by Reanna Frauens. Ashley Blenker of Quail Creek and Camryn McCraney of Etowah Valley tied for 3rd. Sunday’s Skeet event ended with three perfect scores of 100 by Tate Skipper, Reanna Frauens and Buford’s Camryn McCraney, who shoots for the Etowah Valley Mambas. Skipper eventually won the event via shoot-off, and then Frauens defeated McCraney to win the Ladies Division. Lake Oconee Collegiate shooter Tyler Hyatt also shot a perfect 100 straight. Forest City Gun Club has a busy competitive calendar in 2018. In addition to this SCTP Regional, they hosted the 2018 NSSA Krieghoff MASTERS Skeet tournament May 3-6. In June, they will hold the Georgia State Sporting Clays Championship and in September, they will host the NSCA Southeastern Regional Championship for a field of over 600 shooters. Article by Lee Summerford, Forest City Gun Club.