Student trap shooting begins at Minot State | News, Sports, Vacancies

Submitted photo Members of the Minot State University Trap Shooting Club pose for a photo after a team event at the Minot Shooting Club. Pictured from left to right are Lane Evanson, Bailey Upgren, Trinity Boivin, Peyton Lammerding, Cale Nodland, Ryan Kostenko, Logan Dosko, Tayton Vondra, Kirstin Nelson and Dakota McGee.

Collegiate skeet shooting is in its infancy at Minot State University.

The sky’s the limit for the Minot State University (MSU) trap shooting club, according to Lane Evenson and Bailey Uppgren.

The talented duo is the main reason.

“I’m looking forward to this season and looking forward to going on the shoots we’re going to do as a team.” – Upgren said. “It’s already been a good season. Our club has some experienced people and some who are new to shooting, so it’s fun to be a part of this new group. It was very exciting to be at the forefront of this club.” Evanson added. “We have been more consistent this year and hope to continue to do so. It’s really exciting to go to events as a team, put on the uniform and represent Minot State.”

Evenson and Upgren are juniors at Minot State studying computer science and early childhood education, respectively. But their paths to MSU and shooting traps for the Beavers were very different.

Evanson, this year’s club president and an early proponent of introducing skeet shooting at MSU, began attending Minot State University after high school, graduating from Berthold High School. Upon entering Moscow State University, he inquired about the possibility of creating a club to continue his successful school career.

“I started in seventh grade, so pretty early, and I got to shoot in all kinds of competitions all over the state and even in Wisconsin and Michigan.” Evanson said. “I was lucky enough to make it to the national championships a couple of times. So I asked this when I visited Minot State, what is the process for starting a club? I had heard rumors that there was interest, but I wasn’t sure. We started this last year and I think we had seven people involved. I was elected president and have been working to develop it ever since.”

Upgren, on the other hand, attended Bismarck State College after high school and was looking for a school where skeet shooting was part of her decision to attend. After completing her two-year BSC, she began looking for skeet shooting again to complement her degree in Early Childhood Education.

She had two rounds scheduled when choosing a school, but canceled the second round after visiting Minot State.

“There were only two in the state that had what I wanted, so I figured I’d take a look at both, but after driving here and meeting Lane and some of the other guys from the team and the early childhood department, I literally canceled my other trip on the way home.” – Upgren said. “It was exciting to see the direction the new team was heading in and getting to know the club made my decision to move much easier.”

Club advisor Paul Brekke, director of the Minot State Wellness Center, credits the duo with helping the club make significant progress.

“The club is starting its second year of existence and is figuring out some details along the way,” – said Brekke. “The students are excited about the opportunity to get involved and want to see it grow. Lane and Bailey have extensive experience in the sport which will help develop and grow the club.”

Although their path to MSU is different, the start of shooting on the bench is similar. Both grew up hunting and were familiar with sport shooting. For Upgren, the transition from hunting to competing was a learning curve, but she fell in love with it.

“I have a little problem with technique because I’m left-handed dominant and I shoot with my right hand.” – Upgren said. “I had a friend in high school who was a very good skeet shooter, and he convinced me to go there. I really enjoyed it my senior year and I know I always wanted to be a part of it.”

Evanson credits his father for getting him interested in skeet shooting.

“I was first taught by my father, and he coached and worked with me throughout high school.” Evanson said. “He really helped me get better at trap and competitive shooting, and I ended up getting really into it.”

Both Evanson and Upgren believe you need to have a passion for the sport, especially if you play it at the collegiate club level, where almost all practices and competitions are organized by students. MSU has one part-time coach, Jake Thrailkill, along with Brekke, but the club’s management relies heavily on students.

“I hope the program grows so we can add more coaches and add more structure, but it’s been a great program from the beginning.” Evanson said. “We now have one coach who has helped us a lot and Paul is a pleasure to work with; we appreciate them both very much. But we hope to have more coaches that will give us more opportunities to succeed and grow as shooters in the future.”

“We make a lot of schedules and work to get to training or filming; not necessarily a coach or someone who forces us to train,” – Upgren said. “You have to have the self-motivation to get to the shoot on your own, and honestly, it takes a lot of character in recording your results and all that stuff.”

Growing the club will require work from current members, but the duo have witnessed the growth of their local high school clubs and see great potential for MSU.

“I know so many people who are interested in shooting sports, there are a ton of shooters in high schools in the Bismarck area.” – Upgren said. “Having this club will only attract more people to MSU, and we hope to pave the way for this club to be a fun and exciting club to be a part of.”

They both also know there is potential for growth in the community.

“We are working on fundraising and ways to get our name out there in the community.” Evanson said. “We even work on volunteering in the community because we believe community is everything. To be successful, you need the community to support you.”

While the duo have been instrumental in the club’s success, Evanson also believes the entire group is doing their part to make this a successful year.

“This club, because it is in its early stages, is completely ready to go” Evanson said. “Everyone has a role to play in helping it grow and strengthen its ties to the community. What they do for the club is incredibly important.”

MSU’s fall roster includes Trinity Boivin, Halter Bridwell, Logan Dosko, Ryan Kostenko, Peyton Lammerding, Mason Lehmer, Dakota McGee, Kirstin Nelson, Cale Nodland, Khadin Shuler and Tyton Wondra, as well as Evanson and Upgren.