Trapstars

By Kalen Ingram

Check out the latest on our Trap stars!

Throughout March and early April, St. Mary’s is in a whirlwind of activity. Winter conditioning for spring sports finally comes to fruition: track, tennis and lacrosse are starting their meets, matches and games. Yet one cherished SMS sport has an incredibly long season; that’s right—trap is still going strong and steady.

On Monday, March 25, St. Mary’s participated in a friendly tournament against Memphis University School (MUS). St. Mary’s JV lost against MUS JV in a hard fought battle, but SMS
varsity beat MUS varsity for the second year in a row. Under the mentorship of Bill Quinlen, Boyd Wade, Richard Morrow, Charlie Bechtel and Chris Ferguson, the trap team has shown incredible improvement and commitment to the sport. St. Mary’s trap coaches continue to inspire and motivate the squad in creative ways. For example, one incentive for the girls to beat MUS was that if they won they could dye their coach’s beard blue. A big reason for the team’s success is also the close bond that they form through practice and their close relationships with their coaches. Saanya Srivastava (10) holds the sentiment that “Everyone on the team has been improving and all of the new participants are doing extremely well,” and Ansley Skipper (10) believes that “we get better with every practice and are excited for more tournaments.” Olivia Longsworth (10) also says “the coaches are practically like dads to us.”

Trap participants have an optimistic attitude for the remainder of the season, which ends in July after the state and national competitions. The trap community excitedly waits for the regional meet on June 1st, state meet on June 21-22 and national championships on July 18-20.