Comparing Ted Vasko to a general moving his army isn't a bad analogy, he says, because of the logistics surrounding this weekend's Cornhusker Trapshoot.
The Omaha Creighton Prep coach, who took six boys to his first meet in Doniphan, Neb., 11 years ago, now starts organizing in January for his squad of 82, which he believes is the biggest team in Nebraska and perhaps the United States.
Throw in the parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles who flock to the annual event at the Nebraska Trapshooting Association grounds, and Vasko is planning barbecues on Friday and Saturday for more than 300.
“Trapshooting is a sport that is very inviting to the family,” he said. “Some families, this is an entire weekend for them. It's almost a mini vacation.”
Vasko has a staff of 10 for the varsity sport at Prep, and relies heavily on volunteers.
One parent is in charge of food. Another gathers grades to turn in for academic accomplishments, an important part of trapshooting. A few others handle apparel. Each shooter has a shotgun and eye and ear protection, and each needs a shell bag or vest, either of which can carry their cartridges and empties.
This weekend, one parent will bring a grill on a trailer and another a tent, generator and gun racks.
“It takes the new parents and new shooters awhile to really understand everything that is going on,” Vasko said.
The Cornhusker shoot starts Thursday for junior high students. Prep competes in the high school division, with singles events Friday and handicap events Saturday.
Prep won team titles in 2004 and 2005, and the school has had a few individual champions. No one has won the Cornhusker Cup, the top individual prize.
Vasko has high hopes this weekend for senior Mitch Cassels, who is ranked second in the Eastern Cornhusker Trapshooting Conference. Cassels won the handicap title as a sophomore, then was ranked 25th in the state last season.
Just as numbers have grown at Prep, so has the field for the Cornhusker shoot. What started with two teams in 1970 has mushroomed to more than 400, with a record 1,916 individual competitors from Nebraska and its surrounding states.
Vasko said he thinks the sport is so popular because there are no physical limitations.
“If you weigh 135 pounds, you are probably not going to play high school football,'' he said. “If you are 5-1, you are not going to play high school basketball.''
Shooters are part of a five-person squad, and they are scored as a team and individual at the same time, so everyone can have success on two levels.
While many competitors come from families that hunt or shoot, one-third of the Prep squad each year has no outdoors background.
“I tell you, the kids that are involved in trapshooting are absolutely the best kids you'll run into in society,'' Vasko said. “The rules are quite strict with handling firearms, so you probably get a little more conscientious student. It's truly a reward to work with these kids.''
On Thursday, Vasko also will get to watch his daughter Anna compete in the junior high division. It adds a little more of a thrill to an already big event.
“The shoot itself invokes an excitement I don't know if I can explain,'' he said. “When you get to the grounds, there is an energy there that exudes excitement.''
Contact the writer:
402-444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com
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