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Student Spotlight

Champion Trapshooter

Reece Holmes’ path to victory in 2020

Not every athlete throws a ball or uses a glove. Reece Holmes, for instance, prefers something a little more explosive. The 19-year-old Grove City High School graduate is a 2020 trapshooting champion.

“I’ve wanted to do (trapshooting) since I was little, and somebody in our family is a really good trapshooter so he taught me the basics of how to shoot,” says Holmes, who has been actively competing since 2014.

Trapshooting is a sport in which athletes fire at a clay target, which is launched into the air to simulate the flight of a pigeon fleeing from a hunter, using a shotgun. It originated in England and is an Olympic sport.

Holmes is a four-time Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship (AIM) All-State Team winner, a two-time All-Ohio Team (Ohio State Trapshooting Association) winner, a two-time All-Zone Team winner, a 2020 Ohio State Shoot Junior High Overall Champion and an AIM Grand National Doubles Class Champion, among others.

“Reece has shot in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and has won some big events,” says Holmes’ father, Wesley Holmes. “Plus, he’s had some local sponsors with some of the businesses here in Grove City. They’ve supported him along the way as far as entry fees and paying for the supplies are concerned. The local people really step up and take care of him in that way.”

Trapshooting has taught Holmes to be more responsible, focused, dedicated and patient, he says. It’s taught him to be more vigilant about his safety and that of others around him.

He enjoys interacting with the younger shooters and those new to the sport, and is always willing to lend some advice. He says he enjoys meeting new people while traveling

for competitions, and in his spare time he trades the clay pigeons for pheasants and likes to hunt.

Family Focus

Many people have played a vital role in helping Holmes get to where he is today, such as his youth trapshooting team coach Eric Cunningham and champion trapshooter Steve Corwin who served as a mentor to him. His mentors also include family members, like his grandfather’s cousin Dale Ranke.

“I really learned how to work with a bunch of people,” says Holmes. “When you shoot you get to work with your team and stay focused on one thing. On the other hand, when you’re at a competition, you have to stay focused to make sure you’ve got all your bearings together.”

Holmes’ most important mentor, however, is his dad.

“It makes me very proud, seeing him succeed every step of the way,” says Wesley. “It’s a sport that I get to enjoy with him. I can shoot with him, it’s something that we can do for the rest of our lives together. And just coaching him along the way brings a lot of pride and enjoyment by watching him succeed at a sport that means so much to him.”

Sanaya Attari is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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