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Published on 9/4/08
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“Pull!” Ah, how sweet the sound. Almost as sweet as the fact that it’s followed by getting to fire a shotgun. As for nailing a clay pigeon and seeing it explode into a puff of victory dust? It ranks up there with hitting a line drive or driving a golf ball among the most satisfying moments in rec sports.
Skeet shooting actually is a lot like golf, according to Steve Moskop, who runs SkeetChicago with his wife, Dione White. It’s a social game played in a group where everyone takes turns; it’s incredibly addictive; and play occurs away from the hustle and bustle. But it’s better than golf because you get to shoot stuff.
Moskop and White started SkeetChicago earlier this year as a way to share their favorite pastime with the masses. Classes start at the couple’s home in West Town, where Moskop introduces the basics of firearm safety, the rules of the gun range, and the mechanics of aiming and firing. Shotguns are simple to use—even first-time gun users won’t have a problem—but the physicality of skeet is really different from rifle or pistol shooting. It’s the difference between hitting a layup and sinking a free throw: One’s all about the fluidity of motion and moving in relation to the target; the other’s an exercise in control, discipline and repetition. Unlike basketball, though, skeet’s still incredibly fun even if you’re terrible at it. Which I turned out to be.
After talking for about an hour, we pile into a van and head toward Kenosha, Wisconsin. There aren’t any skeet or trap ranges closer, Moskop laments, but the trip lends a summer-camp vibe to the day. Everyone’s friendly, and my anxiety about being stuck with strangers all day abates.
A skeet range is shaped like a horseshoe and has eight stations, seven along the semicircle and the eighth in the middle. Clay pigeons are launched out of two “houses,” one high up on the left and the other low down on the right. The highest possible score per round is 25 (four shots on the first, second, sixth and seven stations; two shots at the rest; and one do-over shot for the first target you miss), and most competitive shooters will hit 25 every time. Moskop and White tell us that a five is a great score for a new shooter and to focus on mechanics and rhythm, not just on hitting the pigeons.
Before we start, Moskop walks us through the course, describing the biggest challenge in skeet: lead technique. In target shooting, you aim right at the target; in skeet, you have to fire where the pigeon is going to be, not where it is. You have to change how far ahead of the pigeon you’re aiming based on which station you’re shooting from, all the while tracking that dang disc by turning your upper body. Looks easy. Is hard.
I step up to take my first shot and the orange disc soars by, but I do manage to nail one of the pigeons at the first station. I am elated. Moskop tutors each of us, gently correcting our stances (lean forward), our motion (keep your upper body loose) and our leading (wait for it). Picture a superpatient Little League coach, except he’s handing you shotgun shells.
After our first round, we break for lunch—a tasty picnic Moskop and White packed for all of us—and discuss how to improve. Round two flies by now that we have the hang of it. Well, the other people in my class got the hang of it. I scored another five, and am so determined to keep firing that shotgun that Moskop signs me up for a round of trap shooting. Trap’s pretty different from skeet because you’re stationary and the pigeons are flying directly away from you. I turned out to be even worse at that and decide to stick with skeet for my next outing.
The ride back to Chicago is quiet. Sure, we’re all tired from having spent a day out in the sun lugging shotguns around, but mostly, I’m bummed that I have to go back to the city, to the regular world, where I can’t just yell, “Pull!” and know bliss is mere seconds away.
To get locked and loaded with SkeetChicago.
CharlieC
Fri, Oct 19, 07, at 8:17pm
Well done and many thanks to SkeetChicago . Another media member is hooked on a shooting sport.
As for Daley set the creep on a trap and fling that peice of crap.
Mike
Thu, Oct 18, 07, at 11:50am
Excellent story. As a life long shooter and activist, I am pleased to hear that there are others who are helping to promote the shooting sports. But as I understand it " Watch out for Daley" he will shut you down if possible.
Woodpiggie
Wed, Oct 17, 07, at 9:12pm
Perhapps if we lable this activity "DIVERSITY" Daley , Rev Jackson and their fellow gun , gun owner hating radicals can accept the fact that these kids prefer shooting clays instead of shooting dope with their Chicago peers. But that's probably expecting too much from such as them.
Mike
Wed, Oct 17, 07, at 7:41pm
It's great to see folks enjoying skeet and the shooting sports, it really can be a family activity. My son and I have done so for years.Semper fi.
James
Wed, Oct 17, 07, at 2:15pm
Yeah, God forbid that the firearm-phobes who rule Chicago (and hide behind armed security) should be faced with the fact that shooting is safe and great fun for everyone. I've been a skeet and sporting clay fanatic for years, and I always will be.
DonP
Wed, Oct 17, 07, at 12:30pm
Wow, don't let Daley see this article or you'll be closed down by the fire inspectors for even suggesting that guns and gun owners have a place in society!
Seriously, it's nice to see a well written and honest article about the shooting sports in the Chicago area.
There's a reason people enjoy shooting, target, trap, skeet or high power (300 yard +). It's a lot of fun and you are challenging yourself to do better each time you go out.
In spite of what Jesse Jackson and Fr. Pfleger say, owning a gun does not make you a slavering jawed killer looking for a schoolyard to shoot up.
Once upon a time it used to make you an outdoors person that was far more conscious of the environment and conservation than a golfer or tennis player.
I wish these folks a lot of luck. For anyone looking for other places to shoot go to www.wheretoshoot.org for a list of local places listed by zip code. Some clubs are private but they almost always welcome new members intersted in their sport.
