The Coeur d’Alene Trap and Skeet Club hosted close to 150 young competitors from across Idaho last week as the State Youth Championship drew shooters ranging from as far south as Pocatello to as far north as Sandpoint. The three-day event ran May 14 through 16.
The youngest participant was 13 years old. Boys and girls competed across trap and skeet disciplines, with several standout performances marking the weekend.
Parker Martin shot a perfect 100 in trap. Describing the mental discipline required in those final moments, Martin said: “Don’t think, just trust it.” He credited family for his love of the sport. “I want to follow in my brother’s and dad’s footsteps,” he said, adding that he hopes one day to compete professionally.
Caden Hess, a senior competing with the Hayden Longshots, hit 25 consecutive targets without a miss. The achievement carried extra meaning. Hess had been looking for a new shotgun and discovered one his late father had bought. He used that gun to shoot his perfect 25. “It’s honestly awesome,” he said. “Getting it with my dad’s gun is even more awesome.”
Jack Grant turned in a 98 out of 100 in trap and 47 out of 50 in skeet. “The bad days are not fun,” Grant said, “but today was a pretty good day.” Both Grant and Hess put in serious range time on weekends, working through hundreds of rounds in preparation for competition.
Coaches Emphasize Character, Not Just Marksmanship
Club President Tom Bosenko described competitive precision shooting as rooted in “mindset, focus and routine.”
Rhonda Harvitt, coach of the Hayden Longshots, said the sport builds more than shooting skills. “These kids learn safety, responsibility and discipline,” she said.
Brian Martin, coach of the Coeur d’Alene High School Skeet and Trap club, framed his involvement as a personal obligation. “It is my chance to pay it forward,” he said. “When you see a group of girls, and you follow them around and see them improve, it is an amazing thing.”
Events like this one reflect the kind of community-centered tradition that North Idaho has long supported. Young people learning firearm safety, competing with discipline, and honoring family ties in the process is exactly what Second Amendment culture looks like at its best. These are not statistics in a political debate. They are kids with coaches, families in the bleachers, and shotguns passed down from fathers.
The Coeur d’Alene Trap and Skeet Club provided the grounds and organization for what has grown into a statewide gathering of Idaho’s next generation of competitive shooters.
