By Jacob Mayer
Justin DeWitt of Evansville was not going to take part in a sport in high school, but trapshooting fell into his lap when he was a freshman at Sparta High School in the fall of 2006.
“I’ve always loved shooting guns, and I found a shooting team,” he said. “I’ve loved it ever since I started.”
DeWitt, who graduated from Sparta in May, started shooting for the high school team as a freshman. From the time he began, the values of practice and patience have taken him to the top.
“I had to put experience in,” he said. “If you give it time and patience, this is a sport you can be really good at.”
From the beginning, DeWitt believed that he could be successful as a competitive shooter, and he said that belief in himself motivated him to work hard at the sport.
“Honestly, I think every shooter should think like this, but from the very beginning, you can always be the best,” he said. “It’s just a matter of practice and dedication to the sport.”
When he first started shooting competitively, DeWitt said he would get really nervous during the days leading up to an event, but experience has helped him control his emotions and remain calmer before an event.
“I try not to think about it too much,” he said. “The more relaxed you are, the better you do.”
Glenn Simpson, a coach for the Sparta team, lived a few blocks down the street from where DeWitt grew up, and he knew DeWitt’s work ethic, which would help him become a good shooter.
“There are people you see, and they’re natural shooters; Justin is one of those naturals,” Simpson said.
Simpson has been a coach at Sparta for five years, and he said DeWitt is one of the best he’s seen.
“Of all the shooters I’ve coached, (Justin) is at the top of the list,” he said.
Some of DeWitt’s biggest accomplishments thus far came this past weekend at the Scholastic Clay Target Program’s national championships that took place at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta.
After hitting 99 of 100 targets in his round Friday, DeWitt came back to hit all 100 targets in the round Saturday. It was the first time he had accomplished the feat.
“I dusted that last bird,” he said. “It was the best moment ever. I turned around and was so happy.”
When he first started shooting, DeWitt promised people that he would go for a perfect round, so his accomplishment Saturday fulfilled one of his biggest goals.
“It was like one of those dreams you have,” he said. “You have a sense of fulfilling something. I picked the right stage at the right moment.”
DeWitt will shoot one more time with his high school team at the Grand American in the coming weeks, but he plans to continue shooting in the future.
“I think I’m going to stick around here and keep at it,” he said. “Why quit when you’re at the peak?”
DeWitt is grateful that he has had the opportunity to shoot for Sparta, and he said shooting was something that helped him throughout high school.
“It made high school pretty interesting, being on the shooting team,” he said. “You go to school and practice every Thursday, so that’s what helps you get through the week -- looking forward to Thursday.”
Although DeWitt has excelled as a shooter, Simpson said he respects the young man the most for the way he carries himself off the shooting range.
“The kid’s a go-getter,” Simpson said. “There isn’t anything slacker about him. He can get along with anyone, and if he’s got a temper, I haven’t seen it.”
After he is finished competing for Sparta, DeWitt will likely come back to be a coach for the team next year. He said the team helped him compete better personally, but he also gets a lot of satisfaction from seeing the team succeed.
“I want to see the people I shoot with do better, so I want to stick around and watch them do better,” DeWitt said. “I love the sport, and I love seeing other people shoot.”
Overall, DeWitt has had a great time with the shooting team.
“Since freshman year, it’s been a blast shooting,” he said.