Youth shotgun shooting team takes regional competition

Bigfork’s competitive youth shotgun shooting team, has been adding new hardware to their collection this summer.

The Bigfork Competitors won 25 first place trophies in 2015 as a team.

One of those trophies came at the end of June when the team won the four-state regional SCTP Tournament in Cody, Wyoming.

The team placed “High Over All,” beating all of the other teams that entered including several college teams. They also took first in Varsity Sporting Clays and Varsity Trap.

Christian Vestal’s trap shooting was near flawless and he shot his first ever 50 straight. Luke Comstock’s skeet shooting was rock solid as it has been all season long. Team Captain Seth Probert has been the ultimate team leader and a consistent high-percentage shooter. Matt Underhill is the teams best all round shooter. Underhill also won individual first place Varsity Trap and Sporting Clays. Henry Bjorge is the “A” team’s youngest competitor and is a great all round shooter with his field grade Remington Pump.

Four of the teams members, Probert, Underhill, Comstock and Vestal, also travelled to Grand Island, Nebraska, for the National 4-H Tournament, where they represented Montana and placed 12th in the nation out of 39 states.

Comstock has also been selected by the National Rifle Association to represent Montana in a policy study group in Washington, D.C.

Every Bigfork Competitors practice has a Range Safety Officer present and those positions are filled by team parents. Carol Comstock, Marleen Probert, Lori Sagona and Dale Probert.

Team Coaches are Jim Browne, Wayne Hylton and Dale Probert. Additionally, Coach Hylton is the team's source of gun and ammunition information. Wayne’s knowledge is an important factor in the team's performance. Coach Probert is the team’s organizer: he manages to keep everyone and every thing on track.

The Bigfork Competitors practice every Sunday at 2 p.m. and Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. throughout the summer and fall. Boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 are welcome. For more information visit www.bigforkgunclub.com.