When the first five members of
Venturing Crew 65 received their
charter as the Junior Shooting
Program of the Oxford, New York, Rod &
Gun Club, few knew how far they would
truly venture.
After spending a week at the Grand
American World Trapshooting
Championships in Vandalia, Ohio, the
Venturers now realize how far they have
gone. Fifteen of the now 19-person crew
joined some of the finest trapshooters in
the world and competed with more than
1,500 young people for scholarships, trophies
and bragging rights in the National
Shooting Sports Foundation's scholastic
trapshooting championships.
Their journey started with their coach,
Tom DeBrita. A science teacher at Windsor
Central High School in Windsor, New York,
Coach DeBrita also directs the school's
chess and rocket clubs. Another activity
that he loves combines the concentration
of chess and the excitement of watching
objects launched into the air. In trapshooting,
however, his goal is to bring down
each one of those launched objects-
orange clay birds. Hunting whitetail deer,
wild turkeys, and a variety of upland small
game further has enhanced his appreciation
and joy of the shooting sports.
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As an educator and Scout leader, bringing his love of shooting to young people
has been a natural progression in his
teaching and parenting.
"I was fortunate as a kid to have
places to learn to shoot with people who
graciously donated their time and expertise,"
explained Coach DeBrita, a long time
Scout himself, who began as a Cub Scout
and earned the Arrow of Light. "This is a
way for me to do the same for young people
today. Secondly, it's fun!
"Finally," Coach DeBrita added, "I am
a strong supporter of law-abiding citizens'
right to possess firearms. With that right
come responsibilities to always be safe,
ethical and to handle those firearms with
proficiency. I think we address all of these
in our program."
As coach and Advisor for Crew 65 of
the Boy Scouts of America, Tom DeBrita has
opened his program to young men and
women from age 14 who have completed
eighth grade through age 20, as well as boys
12 and 13. For Scouts already in a troop,
participation is their high adventure activity.
For all, it is a great way to have a highly
competitive, yet fun shooting program.
The crew competes as squads in the
National Shooting Sports Foundation's
Scholastic Clay Target Program. It allows
them to practice, compete in their state
championships and advance to the national
championships, which for the last time this
year, were held on the historic course at
Vandalia, Ohio.
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"At a minimum, the members learn firearm safety and how to shoot trap,"
Coach DeBrita said. "But they also personally
benefit from the discipline necessary to
develop their shooting expertise. I believe
that the level of concentration necessary to
be proficient in shooting benefits these
shooters in their schoolwork and in many
other things they do. Also, they are competing
in a sport that has an objective standard-
to break a target-and their score is
not based on anyone else's ability. The lesson
young shooters learn is one of strong
personal responsibility for the outcome. Yet,
they still have the experience of competing
with a team, working together and sharing
the team experiences."
Among Venturing Crew 65 are the
coach's three sons, including Joe, a high
school sophomore, Life Scout and Junior
Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 65. Joe says
he enjoys shooting and traveling with his
friends, and Joe adds that he particularly
enjoyed attending the Grand American.
"My scores had been slumping prior to
the Grand, but things came together there, and
I shot my best score ever," Joe said. "It was
also great to see my teammates shoot well."
From his experiences, Joe offers his
own advice.
"It helps to get into shooting at a young
age," he explained. "You don't have to start
out competitively. Just shoot for the fun of it
at first, and practice, practice, practice."
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