Sport

Clay Target Shooting State Finals

On Monday 4th September, Esther (Year 9), earned a selection position to compete in Echuca at the Clay Target Shooting State Finals after achieving second place at the regional competition in Noorat. Usually, the competitors shoot two rounds of 10 for competition, but this was state finals and the finalists had to shoot two rounds of 15. Esther was recovering from a nasty bug and had a couple of practice rounds on Sunday (Father's Day). This took a toll and the results showed in those rounds, where she did not hit all the targets to her fullest potential.

Monday came around and there were nerves for both Esther and her coach (me). Before proceedings began, we had a prayer together and then sent her on her way to competition. Esther was placed into an early squad, which included a state representative and regional reps. Esther shot 14 of the 15 clay targets and led the way in the squad and even placed at the top of the early leaderboard for the first round. Unfortunately, the adrenaline wore off, the fatigue set in both mentally and physically and Esther dropped 10 of the next 15 targets, well below her average. This left Esther somewhere near 8th in the state.

Please congratulate Esther on her achievement not only in performing at such a high level but also for being able to earn a spot in the state finals. Before she shot, I had the pleasure of telling her I was proud of her no matter how she performed and then bookended the day with the same comments.

Marko Wakim

Chaplain