Sea Island Life Magazine Fall/Winter 2014 | Page 45

Smoking Guns
RISING TO POPULARITY IN THE U.S. OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES,
SPORTING CLAYS HAS BECOME THE NEWEST GENTLEMAN’S GAME,
AND THE SEMINOLE CUP IS A SUREFIRE HIT FOR THE SPORT.
BY AMBER LANIER NAGLE

T

he shooter steps up to the station
overlooking the grassy landscape,
loads his shotgun, brings the gun up
to position and takes a deep breath.
“Pull!” he says after a moment.
Suddenly, a clay disc is hurled from a trap in

his shotgun, then pulls the trigger. The clay
explodes in midair sending shards shooting in
every direction beyond a puff of dust.
Pro shooters describe the experience as a
payoff that validates their skill and mastery.
-

decades since being introduced to the U.S. by
sportsmen from England. It’s one of the fast-

Pulling the Trigger
Sporting clays has been likened to playing golf
of concentration and the process of playing a

Gebben Miles, Team USA point leader, competing in Dubai

shooters stop at 10 or 15 stations laid out over
natural terrain and shoot at targets, called clay

the game for all the shotgun sports. After
shooting at a station, shooters open guns,
remove used hulls and exit the station.
Another commonality among the three is the

lenges, so shooters often travel to experience a
variety of target scenarios and landscapes.
It may be easy to confuse three common
tion of the targets. When shooting trap, gunmen shoot at targets released from a single
The trap is positioned 16 yards from the
shooter and all targets are outgoing, or travel

either side of the shooting stations at different
heights. Each station is at a different location
on a semicircle, presenting different angles

ens of titles and achievements in his portfolio.
Of the three sports, sporting clays is the closexperience of hunting ducks, pheasants, other
upland birds and rabbits. Clays vary in size
tances. And safety is punctuated throughout

Miss it and it’s scored as a loss.”

Hot Shot
Team USA point leader, he’s ranked third in

FALL/WINTER 2014/15 | SEA ISL AND LIFE 45

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