On Oct. 17,  seven WHS FFA members participated in the MO Youth Shooting Sports Alliance fall classic in Columbia, Mo. Junior Luke Kleekamp, junior Joe Brinkmann and sophomore Blake Dewert placed fifth out of 15 teams in the FFA competition. Senior Morgan Gratza, senior Madi Ridder and junior Cady Koch placed second in the ladies division of the competition. This event as a whole was described to be “different than any other these kids had done before.” 

“This event was different because of the type of target,” Koch said,  “Yes, the clay pigeons are the same, but they fly different and come from different spots, where normally they all come from one house in front of you.” 

Alongside the fact of where the pigeons came from, another difference was that this event contained sporting clay and skeet, whereas most competitions only have sporting clay. Despite the variation of targets, the scoring always stays the same. 

“The scoring is, if you shoot 50 shells then you try to hit 50 clay birds. Example: you get 50 shells, then you go out there and hit 42, then your score is 42 out of 50–42/50,” Kleekamp said. 

Although the FFA members were well aware of how they’d be scored, they weren’t as informed on who they’d be put up against. 

“I would say that Lindenwood College was the biggest competition. We weren’t expecting a trophy at all against them,” Koch said. 

Not only did the ladies team seem troubled about competing against Lindenwood, the men’s team was as well. 

“There were probably around 250 people there. The biggest competition was Lindenwood University,” Kleekamp said. “I’m most proud of shooting really good at sporting clays. I got a 45 out of 50 and beat some Lindenwood kids.” 

Kleekamp and many other members are pleased with the outcome of this event, especially as these are the types of days that show and strengthen the bonds of the FFA family. 

“Being part of FFA, to me, is to be part of a group that forms lifelong friendships, helps out the community and learns about agriculture along the way,” Koch said. “To be able to participate in these kinds of events is a great opportunity, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.