Olympic Trap...makeing the team?

TReX300

TReX300

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Does anyone know anything about what it takes to make the Canadian Olympic Trap team besides money? I went through our Olympic program in the 80's for Archery, missed going to Soel by 4 points out of 2,880.:(
Anyway my 12 yr old has set his sights on the Canadian Olympic Trap Team. Whats envolved in makeing the trials for it? I know it cant have anything to do with a shooters ATA scores as it is so different. So how do you get invited to the try outs? I cant find much on the 'net about it. The closest bunker range to us is in Toronto and that 4 hrs away so nobody around here knows much about it.
To help him out I've set up our clubs wobble trap to as close to International specs as I could for speed and angles. I got the angles right but the speed is just a little light. The targets are falling about 3-5yrds short of where they should. I've looked into knew arm for our machine thats supposed to get me the extra distance. With the machine set the way it is and him shooting his Beretta 391 RL with proper International loads he keeps his scores around 135/150. I dont know how that compares but he kicks everyone else in the clubs butt on that trap. Can someone point me in the right direction for some info? I figure if thats what he wants to do we had better start working on things now.

Thanks
Tim
 
There are two fellas at my club that have been members of the Canadian Trap shooting team, one in the sixties/seventies and the other in the eighties. Neither have gone to the Oylmpics, although one may have gone to the Pan-Am games ??( I would have to check and confirm that...can't remember). There are two others that missed the team by a hair. All four say that the politics are brutal. In fact the consensis appears to be that if you are on the Trap team and you do not have a really good chance of winning a medal the Olympic committee won't even let you go. Now from what I understand with other sports they will let you go for the experience itself, not so with trap shooting. Also it is VERY difficult to qualify from what I have heard.

If you want me to ask these fellas who to contact regarding the Olympic trap team I can. The one fella ( the guy who was on the team in the sixties) probably won't know but the the other guy would. Both of these guys are unreal shooters however the older fella does more shooting than the younger one.

Now this is only what I have heard from the fellas at my club. Claybuster may have some better or more up to date info.

Jacky
 
I know the politics are nuts. Thats why after not going in '88 by such a small amount I never tried to go in '92. Too much bull####. But I had the chance with my sport and I'll do what I can to give my son his chance if he so decides thats what he really wants. I've been explaining the amount of commitmint needed for something like that and he actually seems to really understand.
I know what they are talking about with makeing the team and not going. Even if you make a countries Olympic Team is dosnt mean you get to go. There are standards for each sport that a team or individual must meet in order to go. Even if you are the best in your country at a sport you must still be of " Olympic caliber" to go.
Any info you could come up with would really be appreciated.

Thanks
Tim
 
Tim,

You should go to the Toronto International club on a Sunday and see the guys at the bunker trap. O'Leary is the main guy for Olympic Trap and if you ever run into Paul Shaw at one of the main shoots he can tell you alot. Paul has been on the team on manny occassions and has helped to get things going for the young shooters.

Regards,
Sam
 
george o'leary at tits or try the olympic coach, i believe he is in the rcmp based in montreal..if i get some further details, i will pm you....i hear you have to buy your plane ticket and accomodation even if you get on the team
 
Im curious as to why the Olympic commity picks and chooses which sports Canadians would be allowed to participate in. Someone mentioned above that if you are not very likelt to get a medal... they would not consider sending you? That seems quite unfiar to me. In all honesty, compared to the major Olympic countries, Canada does horribly. Sure we have amazing athletes and sometimes we clean up in certain sports, but we come nowhere close to leading in the medal standings.

I wonder who chooses what sports Canadians can compete in? If "sports" like speed walking and table tennis are allowed in the Olympics...
 
Steyr101 said:
Im curious as to why the Olympic commity picks and chooses which sports Canadians would be allowed to participate in. Someone mentioned above that if you are not very likelt to get a medal... they would not consider sending you? That seems quite unfiar to me. In all honesty, compared to the major Olympic countries, Canada does horribly. Sure we have amazing athletes and sometimes we clean up in certain sports, but we come nowhere close to leading in the medal standings.

I wonder who chooses what sports Canadians can compete in? If "sports" like speed walking and table tennis are allowed in the Olympics...
Click to expand...

Now I am no expert but from what I have heard the Canadian Olympic governing body ??? does look highly upon shooting sports. Skiing, hockey running, etc more support but not shooting like trap or pistol. At the last summer games we sent more coaches and bureaucrates than we sent athletes, go figure. In fact Canada has been critisied as of late for its lack of support in general towards Olympic athletes. It is strange because I am under the impression ( and correct me if I am wrong) but the USA and other countries will send lots of shooters, some don't even make it past the first round or day, but they send them for the experience itself.

Personally it is nice to see a young fella set high goals for himself like that and it is great that he has such a supporting father. I will do the smae for my boy when he gets older. TRex300 I wish your son the best and I hope he one day wins a medal. Looks like there is some good starting info here.

Jacky
 
Canadian Trap Championship

The Canadian national team competition is set for Edmonton Aug 13th to 19th, as a former Kent rep I have a bunch of competitors email info if you want to PM me I'll speak to my contacts and find out what ever you want, but I'm pretty sure your son can come out and compete. He may have join their assn. first Just spoke to my friend who is on the team and she will answer an email, so PM me your email address and when I return from southern Alberta next wekek I will forward her address to you. FS
 
Other than money you will have to plan to make several trips a year to shoot in the few registered International Trap Events in Canada ( and in the US) as he will have to shoot a mininum number of registered targets (don't know the current number) to be invited to the team tryouts. Most registered shoots in Canada take place in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.

As the others said make the trip to TITS and try the trench there and talk to the other current and past team members that shoot there.

As to your wobble trap set up, to get the proper target flight you will really need to order some International targets to get proper speed and distance.

The reasons are the international target is slighty heavier and more areodynamic. For these reasons they fly a more consistant speed and trajectory.
If you are using ATA targets you will be probably throwing them too fast to begin with but because of their poorer areodynamics they loose velocity quickly and fall short. The result is a very fast target out of the trap but very slow at mid range and farther out with a very flat trajectory intially but a very curved one out farther. This actually actually makes the target easier to hit because at mid point it is slowing and almost floating especially the higher angles.

The International target will start out slighty slower (still very fast) but will fly a much more consistant speed and tradjectory for their whole flight and will easily go 70+ meters. For fun we used to crank them up to about 90 meters just to make it more interesting. I can tell you the hard left and rights at lowest elevation were quite the challenge at that speed.

He will find the trench different than wobble trap as the traps (as you may know already), are below ground level and there are three traps in front of each position so the presentation of the target is different and you generally have to hold a lower gun than most are used to.
 
Toronto International Trap & Skeet ( T.I.T.S.) is about 45 minutes north of Toronto, 15 minutes south of Barrie. Hwy 400 to Hwy 89, west on 89 about 1 k, then south on the first concession road. You should be able to see the club on your right across a wide open field about 1-1/2 k south of 89. ( It's actually visible from the 400 if you know where to look).

Besides money ( loads of domestic and International travel & shells - and nothing but proper 24 gram International loads) , it will take a lot of commitment and focussed practice besides the ability to regularly shoot in the high 90's (including those elusive straights) If you can commit to perhaps two dozen trips to Toronto International to shoot at least 4 rounds of trench each time this coming season and establish the "ability" part in short order, you should be able to gauge whether or not to commit further. You may well bump into George Leary there, as well as Paul Shaw, both of whom have been top-level Canadian International competitors. If as you say
"besides money" - measure the commitment level and ability before you start to worry about "how to make the team". Initial qualification is tough enough.
You can find Paul Shaw's phone number in Collingwood. Shaw, McLellan & Ironsides, his law firm, at 10 Schoolhouse Lane.
 
Looks like makeing a World Cup Team is needed before you even think about tyring for the Olympics. Is there a site that has info on the Canadian International Program. I cant really seem to find much.

Thanks
Tim
 
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