Her Campus (HC): Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Olivia Lang (OL): My name is Olivia Lang. I’m from New Jersey originally, but I just recently moved to Naples, Florida. My major is Actuarial Science, and I am a first-year [student].
HC: How long have you been on the team?
OL: One semester.
HC: So what exactly is the Skeet and Trap Shooting Club?
OL: The Skeet and Trap Shooting Club is a club where we shoot shotguns at orange “birds” or clays. (They look like mini frisbees.) In the club, they teach us how each event works and what the best way to hit the clay is.
HC: What is the difference between skeet shooting and trap shooting?
OL: While both events are scored out of 25, in skeet there are eight stations. The clays go from side to side getting shot out of the “high/low” houses. On stations 1, 2, 5 and 6, you also shoot what’s called a “double” where the disks will come out of both houses at the same time. Trapshooting is five stations with only one house. The house shoots the clay directly out but can be randomized where it will shoot (left/right/middle/anywhere in between). Personally, I like Trap more because I learned how to shoot Trap before Skeet. Also, my scores are significantly better in Trap.
HC: Where and how often do you guys practice?
OL: As a team, we practice every Sunday at Talon Range. Most of the time some of us will practice by ourselves.
HC: How many people are on the team and how many of them are girls?
OL: There’s about 16 on the competitive team and about 50-60 on the non-competitive. On the competitive team, there are four girls, and on the regular team, there are about nine.
HC: What got you interested in the Skeet and Trap Shooting Club?
OL: When I lived in New Jersey, I went Trapshooting with my family friends, and I loved doing it, so I figured might as well try it out.
HC: Do you guys travel?
OL: YES! We are going to Savannah, Georgia next.
HC: How competitive is the program?
OL: The program is [pretty] relaxed, but to go to our Nationals in San Antonio, Texas you must have [one of] the top eight scores on our team. Our team is really growing, which is phenomenal, and everyone seems to be getting better. A lot of us have started to practice on our own because we truly want to get better and try to shoot well as a team. We have been pretty successful so far this year.
HC: What are your favorite and least favorite parts?
OL: My favorite part is the traveling and how close I’ve gotten with the team. It’s just a great environment with great people who always make me laugh. My least favorite part is that I’m not that good. I’m super competitive, though, so I’m trying to get better.
HC: What are people’s reactions like when you tell them you’re a part of the club?
OL: They are usually shocked, and they think it’s pretty cool. It definitely sounded like an odd team when I first saw it, but then as I explain people always tell me they want to try it out.
HC: What is a common misconception people have about the club?
OL: A common misconception is that we all know how to shoot. That’s false. Right before I came to FSU, I had only shot two rounds of trap, and I scored a 2/25, and then a 10/25. That is absolutely horrible, and I’m still not that good. You don’t have to know what you’re doing; you just have to be willing to try it out.
All photos courtesy of Olivia Lang.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!