Junior Competes in Regional and World Trapshooting Competitions

Junior Shane Parcels works on his trapshooting skills at Powder Creek, the shooting range he practices at.

Junior Shane Parcels jr. was four when he shot his first gun. He was in the backyard of his Overland Park home on the Fourth of July holding the gun his dad, Shane Parcels sr., bought in 1989 at a mall in Wyandotte County. Shane sr. was supporting his back so he wouldn’t fall down from the recoil the gun puts out after it is shot.

“It is fun, getting out and getting away from everyday life, and getting to do things that not everyone gets the opportunity to do,” Shane jr. said.

Shane jr. is now mainly competing on the local stage in trapshooting participating in competitions all over Missouri and Kansas. From the fall handicap in Kansas to competing in the Ozarks or Wichita about once every month. To the World Championships in Illinois.

The competition circuit goes year-round. Parcels sometimes shoots every weekend for three months, to not competing for three to four weeks at a time. The schedule he maintains makes it difficult to keep up with his Advanced Placement school work.

“It is really hard to find that balance and then I start freaking out because I’m not getting all my work done and the more stressed I am, the worse I shoot,” Shane jr. said.

Parcels began competing in trapshooting his freshman year. He competes with five friends from his shooting range, Powder Creek, in Lenexa. During competitions, the teammates each stand at different stations and shoot clay pigeons that fly in different directions. They then rotate until each person has competed at each station.

“I like it because it is an individual challenge,” Shane jr. said. “You get one shot and if you mess it up then you don’t get another chance.”

Parcels has competed in shooting competitions referred to as shoots in the zone, or regional shoots and state shoots. He has even made it to World Championships twice in just three years of shooting competitively. In one round of competitions alone, Parcels shot against people from Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland and New Zealand.

“I couldn’t understand a word they said,” Shane jr. said. “But the whole thing was a fun experience.”

Shane jr. has done well on both the local and world stages when it comes to trapshooting, placing second in state and his team placing in the top 50 at the world competition. According to Shane jr. a big part of that is attributed to his coach Kevin Malone and his dad. To Shane sr. shooting has been a place for them to build a relationship and memories.

“I was proud seeing him run his first perfect round of 25 straight,” Shane sr. said. “It was super big to me because it took a lot of time and effort to get there.”

Last May Shane jr. competed in the Youth Hunters Education Challenge where he was challenged in areas of archery, shotgun shooting, 22 millimeter rifle shooting, orienteering, and wildlife identification. Shane jr. had never participated in a competition in archery or orienteering or wildlife before. However, he took first place. To Shane sr. this was one of the proudest moments he has of Shane jr.

“I thought he would do well in some of the areas like shooting,” Shane sr. Said. “But I didn’t expect him to do that well in all of the areas.”

Shane jr. says, shooting isn’t just a physical sport, it is also a mind game. According to him, the key to shooting well is to have the right mindset. From the time he goes to bed the night before a competition to the standing on the sidelines waiting for his turn, he feels he has to stay optimistic about his scores. However, often he can get distracted by school work and all of the stress of that is associated with that.

“You have to go to bed the night before in a mindset that you are going to come out tomorrow and shoot upper 90 scores and you are going to shoot perfect rounds,” Shane jr. said. “You have to wake up in that same mindset and you can’t let anything distract you.”

Shane jr. not only shoots competitively, he is also an avid hunter. Parcels shoots both with guns and bows, however he prefers the bow because of the challenge it poses. In the past five years, Parcels has missed only three weekends of deer season. The season lasts for three months.

“[Deer hunting] is one of those things where you can go weeks without seeing one then out of nowhere you have one walk out in front of you and you get all shaky and excited,” Shane jr. said.

To Shane jr., shooting is not a “cheap man’s sport.” On an easy day of competition shooting Parcels can spend upwards of $200 on shells alone. The cost of shells, entering the competition and the gun itself adds up to the cost of his sport.

“At a competition you have guys carrying around$30,000-$40,000 shotguns,” Shane jr. said. “Shooting is a pre-madonna, rich person’s sport.”

Shane jr. hopes to have a bright future with his competitive shooting. Shane jr. plans on applying to West Point Academy and one day joining the army. If he doesn’t get accepted into his school of choice he plans on attending a school with a shooting team such as Norwich University.

“I will probably go to college based upon it,” Shane jr. said. “If I don’t make it I’ll still shoot for fun, but I doubt they will let me keep my guns in my dorm.”

Shane jr. says, shooting is also way to blow off steam and relax at the end of the day. Whether he is shooting lying on his back on a rack holding the gun behind his head or shooting in the woods with his dad Parcels enjoys it.

“[Shooting] is a feeling of excitement, relief, adrenaline and happiness all mixed into one,” Shane jr. said. “It’s like driving really fast, you can’t explain it, but it is a good feeling.”