Courtesy photo Members of the Delta County Crushers talk at the Michigan Trap Championship in Mason, June 26.

ESCANABA — June was a good month for two of the members of the Delta County Crushers, a trap club based out of the Mead Rod and Gun Club in Gladstone.

Nick Bruursema, a soon-to-be Rapid River High School senior, traveled to the Detroit Gun Club in Walled Lake to take part in the Michigan Scholastic Clay Target Program — an event for high school shooters — on June 18 and 19.

“This year, me and my dad got the privilege to go,” Bruursema said. “It was a lot of fun. It’s like that with other sports too, but I’d describe it as a kind of a family (atmosphere) there. We all enjoy the same thing. It’s really easy to fit in down there. You can basically go up and talk to anyone and start up a conversation because you’re all there for the same thing.”

Bruursema went on to win the Varsity Sporting Clay event with a score of 97 out of 100.

“It was exciting,” Bruursema said. “It was nice to see all that work pay off. I try to shoot three to four times a week, whether it’s shooting with my friends, or my dad or at the club. It’s nice to see it pay off. I didn’t exactly expect to win this one. I knew I could because my mindset at every shoot I go to is that I can win because I know I have the ability to do it.

“I was really happy to see those results.”

Nearly a week later, Garret Novak — along with 10 other teammates — attended the Michigan Trap Championship in Mason. Novak found his success in the collegiate division, finishing with a score of 190 out of 200 after eight rounds to win the event.

“I knew that I had a chance to win, and I figured I would at least be in the top three,” the eight-year Crushers member said. “I started off with a perfect 25 for my first round, and I was feeling pretty good. I had 96 out of 100 for my first four rounds. We shoot four rounds of trap, take a break and then shoot another four rounds. The scores are updated on the online leaderboard throughout the day as they come in. When I started my last four rounds, I looked and saw that I was in first, but there were several people right behind me. I shot 94 out of 100 for my last four rounds and finished with a total of 190 out of 200. I checked the leaderboard every so often until about two or three hours later I saw that the other scores were in and that I had won.”

Having to wait for results to be tallied didn’t have any impact on the excitement Novak felt from his win.

“I was pretty pumped when I found out that I had won,” he said. “It had been my goal since the start of the year, and I knew that If I shot well that I would have a decent chance at it.”

Novak also noted how smoothly the day went for him despite all the ways it could go awry.

“The thing that stands out the most for me was that everything went really well for me that day,” he said. “The weather the night before was looking bad, and we didn’t even know if we were even going to be able to shoot due to thunderstorms. Luckily, the weather held off until we were done shooting. I also didn’t have any issues with ammunition or my shotgun. I stayed calm and focused and didn’t let the misses get to me.”

Bruursema is an unlikely devotee of the sport, originally not a fan of guns.

“I didn’t really like guns, and then I just decided I’d try it one day,” he said. “I started to like it more and enjoy it. I found out my dad used to shoot a lot, and he was really good. I started to get more into it. I started with trap because that’s what the team is — a trap club, but I just started to expand a bit.

“Me and my dad became members at the Great Lakes Sports and Rec Club in Escanaba. Then, my dad introduced me to sporting clays because that’s what he used to shoot. I kind of fell in love with that, and then I thought, ‘well, if I’m shooting trap and sporting clays, I may as well shoot skeet.’

“It’s something I enjoy. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t enjoy it. It certainly helps that my dad is willing to pay for it because it is an expensive sport, but it’s something we can do together.”

Novak entered the sport on a more traditional track, coming from a hunting and shooting background.

“I have always liked to hunt and shoot guns, so I tried it out and liked it,” he said. “I haven’t looked back since.”

Soon entering his senior year, Bruursema has a plan to help his college endeavors and felt it wasn’t an avenue that many high schoolers considered.

“It’s not a huge sport, but it is fast-growing,” he said. “Colleges are giving out scholarships now for shooting teams. That’s something I’m planning on doing because finances are a big part of college. I think it’s a really good way. I think anyone who can shoot a shotgun and has a club near them or some help around them — I think a lot of kids don’t know that you can get them.

“That’s a really good opportunity if you just like to shoot and don’t know what you want to do in college, but you want to be able to go to college. That’s a pretty good way to help with your finances.”

Novak also extended his thanks to the team and teammates.

“I would like to thank all of the coaches and my fellow teammates for being extremely supportive and it has been an amazing experience being on the Delta County Crushers,” he said