Recent Hills-Beaver Creek graduate Journey Dwire never expected to be named the top female shooter in the Class 3A-Conference 1.
She was awarded a first-place medal from the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League Wednesday, June 22, during the trap shooting championships in Alexandria.
The six-year member of the team said she was shocked to receive the award.
“My main goal was to just improve every year,” she said. “I never really expected to receive the award as there are so many female shooters in the state. It was really an amazing experience and I am truly grateful.”
Dwire and her family frequently target practice at their acreage north of Beaver Creek. Her parents, Travis and Shannon Dwire helped her understand the importance of control and aim.
“Journey started out with a BB gun at age 6 and had fun shooting pop cans off a board,” Travis said. “She took her youth firearms safety training in the sixth grade and started with a small-bore rifle and some pistol. She started getting into shotgunning in eighth grade when H-BC started a trap team.”
Her parents also encouraged her to join the team in 2018.
“My love of trapshooting started when my dad asked me if I wanted to try it since I was already good with targets,” Dwire said. “I figured I had nothing to lose so I decided to give it a try. After my first year, I realized I loved it and wanted to continue.”
Over the five-week spring season, Dwire shot an average of 20.7 clays out of 25.
For her last year on the team, her dad was the team’s head coach.
“I believe that having my dad there made the sport easier,” she said.
“I always know that I have someone who supports me, is right behind me, and watching me as I grow in a sport I love so much.”
Trap shooting involves using a shotgun to shoot at a clay disk launched into the air.
Five shooters are at each launch site, and after each shot they rotate to a different shot point. Time between shots, although brief, allows shooters to become nervous, especially if a clay target is missed.
Dwire tells herself to be realistic in her approach to shooting.
“Between shots I try to remind myself I’m not there to shoot perfect. I am there to have fun and do what I enjoy. I try not to overthink it and tell myself that I do this for fun,” she said.
At the Class 3A championships last week, Dwire hit 91 out of 100 clays and tied for 11th place among the female varsity shooters.
Based on her regular season and championship performance, she’s been invited to compete in the USA Clay Target National Championships July 6-10 in Mason, Michigan.
“It is fun to watch how she grows from the perspective of the other coaches as well,” Travis said. “There is an excitement when each team member succeeds, but also as a father you enjoy watching your daughter do well and enjoy the sport and have fun.”