With the continued development of Para Trap, USA Shooting stepped up to the mark and hosted the USA’s inaugural WSPS Para Trap event at Hillsdale.
The Grand Prix took place in early May 2022, at the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Centre at Hillsdale College, Michigan.
The Shooting Centre is the home of the USA Shooting National Team. The centre underwent major development throughout 2020/21, to install 5 new Olympic Skeet and Trap Layouts, making this the premier shooting venue in the USA, for both able-bodied and Para Shooters.
Shooters from around the world travelled to the event, and Scotland was represented by Keith White, GB Para Trap Shooter and member of the STS performance programme.
Keith has been shooting on the international circuit sine 2018, and has enjoyed great success at many international competitions over the years.
When Keith was asked why he had chosen to attend this event, he responded :
To take part in any completion for my nation and country is an honour, it helps promote shooting through all disciplines, and hopefully will enable Para Trap to take the world stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Conditions were excellent with practice taking place under a hot sun, allowing athletes to further develop their shooting abilities and adapt to the conditions.
The competition was hard fought, but Keith managed to come through, shooting a personal best of 40 ex 50 in the final to take the gold medal position for Scotland.
This is a busy year for Scotland’s Para Trap Shooters, as both Keith and Mike Drever from the STS Performance programme have been selected to shoot for Great Britain at the WSPS World Cups in Chateauroux, France (June) and Munich, Germany (July), and we wish them both every success. We also wish our third Para Trap athlete on the STS Performance Programme, Allan Ritchie, all the best as looks to find his form this summer getting back into shooting after a number of injury and surgery set backs.
Article by Keith White (Edited by Oliver Barsby)