March 29, 2024

C4 Club puts responsible spin on shooting

Competition hosted Aug. 8

Charlie Mundy is known throughout Iowa for his success with shooting clubs. Recently, his first-year team at Grand View University won the nationals, and he’s had students over the last three years who have qualified for the Olympic training camps held during the summer. Now, he’s lent his expertise to starting a shooting club for junior high and high school students here in Osceola, one he says will have character-building benefits.

“You mention the word gun and a lot of people perceive that in a negative light,” said Mundy. “This is something very positive.”

The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) is headed up by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. They act as a liaison between teams and the shooting program, including hosting competitions, similar to the Iowa DNR’s archery program. Though, unlike bows and arrows, schools have been slow to be involved with sports involving guns.

“Shooting sports in the state of Iowa is really big,” said Mundy. “It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country.”

According to the coach, who also started the shooting program at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa is on the forefront of the sport, which gives participants here a competitive edge.

“Of course, they have to keep their grades up,” said Mundy, “but it gives them opportunities to earn their way onto an Olympic sports team.”

Mundy has been invited to the Olympic training camp for three years running and is a possible contender to help coach an Olympic team in 2020. Playing in the NFL or competing in Wimbledon is out of many students’ reach, but in Iowa, student athletes have the resources right now to go far in clay shooting. It also has practical benefits.

“It teaches a great sense of responsibility,” said Mundy. “What I find at the collegiate level, is that the game is very mental. It makes them better able to focus. They’re pretty disciplined. A decent shooting athlete is a pretty good student.”

The local shooting club the Clarke County Clay Crushers, dubbed the C4s, is coached by Hank Miler and Justin Coenen. Junior high and high school students who would like to join can get in touch with Steve O’Tool at Gun Monkey Outfitters for more information.

“The athletes supply their own shells and shotgun,” said O’Tool, though he does have a variety of shotguns available for children to see first-hand before making a purchase. “The cost of the clay shoots vary to where we practice, usually $5 per round, and we normally shoot two rounds.”

Mundy has high hopes for the club but knows keeping things fun is key to keeping members involved. Due to the club’s late start in the year, participants missed out on the competitions. Mundy decided to host one especially for C4 members to get more experience before the start of next year. It will be held Aug. 8 at Grand View University.

“There are three types of athletes in this sport,” he said. “Some of them just want to shoot because it’s fun. Some of them want to be competitive. The third one is the serious competitor that may have some Olympic dreams.”

“Through this sport,” he said, “there will be avenues along the way.”

It’s a sentiment he backs up with experience.