Outdoor Life with Tess: Sequoyah students build skills through trap shooting

For the Sequoyah trap shooting team, success isn't just about hitting targets — it's about staying focused, building confidence and having fun.

That's the message longtime coach Randy Hessley shares with his athletes.

"Relax. Don't get in your own head and have fun," Hessley said. "Those are the three biggest things."

Hessley has led the Sequoyah team for 12 years, starting when the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation introduced a trap shooting program for schools.

"When we first started, it was 20 schools across the state, and now it's blown up to about 200 schools participating every year in regional and state shoots," Hessley said.

Sequoyah's team includes 30 high school students and 10 middle schoolers, all competing at various skill levels.

"We're all good friends. We have fun out here," said senior Acie Benedict.

Seventh grader Gracie Pepin had never handled a firearm before joining the team.

"Keep moving and keep your head on the gun," Pepin said. "It feels great when you hit the target, and it makes you want to improve even more."

Senior Mason Jones, an avid hunter, is no stranger to shooting, but he says the sport is as much mental as it is physical.

"Mainly what I want to do is just improve more than I was yesterday — be better than I was the day before and just help my team get where we need to go," he said.

Freshman Laney Henry agrees, saying, "It makes me happy when I actually hit it."

For many of the athletes, trap shooting is about more than scores. It's about confidence and mental toughness.

"Everyone has a bad day," Jones said. "You may come out here and shoot 15, 13, 10 — whatever you may shoot — but you just gotta remember, 'I'll do better next time. I'll get this next time. I'll work on it.'"

The sport encourages outdoor activity and life lessons — all taught from the shooting line.

Coach Hessley says the program also teaches safe gun handling practices, which is their top priority.

Unfortunately, Sequoyah's team didn't qualify for the April 16 state shoot, but they're already looking forward to next year.

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