By Alek Fehlmann and Anna Ohashi
On April 12, Indiana Wesleyan University hosted the second annual Wildcat Invitational for trap shooting, a club that promotes campus community.
Out-of-town trap shooting teams from schools such as Purdue University, Grace College and Ferris State arrived at the Deer Creek Conservation to compete.
Kattie Sneed, an IWU professor in the behavioral sciences division, oversees the hybrid master of social work program.
She and her husband are avid shooters with a history of competitive shooting. Her husband started the trap shooting team at Madison-Grant High School, and in 2018, she started the club at IWU.
Due to some complications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it took three years for Sneed to establish the trap shooting team. Despite the struggle, Sneed continued to develop trap shooting at IWU.
“We have representation from all majors, as the students really meet across disciplines,” Sneed said.
Sneed said she has seen students grow in their confidence in addition to building community and lending support to other shooters. Sneed also encouraged students to try trap shooting in spite of any anxiety or fear they might have.
“Once you start, you will be hooked because it really is a lot of fun,” Sneed said.
The club’s first year as an established team was in 2022, and their first invitational was in 2024. Even now, Sneed pursues her vision for the IWU tap shooting club.
“We are working with the athletic director towards becoming a sport under the athletic department,” Sneed said.
IWU’s trap shooting club has received support from a variety of individuals. Coaches at other universities have mentored Sneed throughout the process, and President Kulaga purchased trap shooting vests for the team which they wore during Saturday’s invitational.
“The students have really taken ownership over the team … they really support one another and build each other up,” Sneed said.
The trap shooting club has two seasons, one in the fall and another in the spring. The team practices every Monday evening at the Deer Creek Conservation Club in Jonesboro, Indiana.
Evyn Rivers is a junior and past trap shooting participant. Rivers joined the club with no trap shooting experience after she saw the posters hanging around campus.
“It’s just fun to be able to borrow a gun and go out there and do something completely unrelated to school. I’m a nursing major, so it’s completely unrelated to anything I was doing academically. It’s good stress relief,” Rivers said.
Rivers mentioned that while trap shooting is a team sport, it is also individual because participants receive their own score.
“It’s not highly competitive unless you want it to be,” Rivers said. “It’s a fun sport to learn. Nobody there is judging you for how good or bad you are at it.”
Rivers said that the only reason she is not doing it this year is because of a scheduling conflict, or else she would be.
Sneed said she has noticed the camaraderie and supportive community the team has built.
“I even met someone who is going to be my roommate next year,” Rivers said.
Abby Huizinga is a junior majoring in design engineering and a current member of the trap shooting club. She joined the team two years ago, but she started shooting before coming to IWU with her dad, who started a team in their hometown.
Huizinga attends practice with a roommate and said she enjoys the challenge that comes with the sport.
“I like getting better,” Huizinga said. “It is nice to see actual improvement with my scores.”
Huizinga also said that there are all types of skill levels within the team, so interested participants do not need to be advanced trap shooters in order to participate. Newcomers and inexperienced shooters can learn new skills in a supportive environment.
“Everybody is super helpful there, and you don’t need anything. You just show up,” Huizinga said.
In the future, the trap shooting club hopes to become an official sports team under the athletic department.
