Focus a must for trap shoot scorers

The Daily Item

June 18, 2009 09:27 pm

— ELYSBURG — Hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of times a day, for hour after hour after hour, Megan and Natalie Monroig, of Northumberland, must maintain their focus, both literally and figuratively.
Good eyesight and keen attention are prerequisites for the Monroigs, among the scorekeepers working this week at the Pennsylvania State Trapshoot Championships at the Valley Rod and Gun Club.
But Megan admits the mind can wander while watching shotgun blast after shotgun blast at the orange discs slicing through the late spring sky.
But the Penn State University junior says it's her professional duty to pay attention. Each shot is recorded as either a kill "” when she sees at least a piece of the flying target, or "bird," blown away "” or a loss.
"Since (the competitors) are so nice, you want to make sure you're not daydreaming," she said Thursday while sitting in the covered scorer's chair during the singles class championships.
Sometimes side bets or purses are on the line, and some of the shooters are very serious about the sport, Megan says.
The only real scoring disputes occur when a shot has come close to a target, and only made the bird change course.
"I had a guy this morning who thought he'd hit a target," Megan said. "A bird can move, but a piece has to come of off it."
When that happens, other shooters in a squad or group often speak up on the scorekeeper's behalf, she said.
Still, Megan says the brain does freeze up occasionally, and shooters usually take a gentlemanly approach and alert the scorekeeper when she's missed a call.
"I've been scoring for eight years," she says, "so it's happened a couple of times."
Natalie Monroig is also in her eighth year of scorekeeping and enjoys the collection of colorful people on hand at the state trapshoot.
"People come from everywhere. This year there's somebody over from England," the Shippensburg University senior said. "It's fun to see who shoots with who."
Natalie says there is also an annual event on the tournament calendar where shooters and event staff switch places for a day.
It's informally come to be known as "flip-flop" day, and it gives scorers a chance to shoot and shooters a chance to sit in the scorer's chair.
Natalie says it's fun, but when it comes to hitting airborne targets, she admits, "I didn't do too hot."
Tournament director Chuck Fritzges, of Milton, says scorers usually earn between $6 and $7 per hour, often start as high school students and stick with it through college. He said shooters are scored strictly on how many targets they break, as there are usually no semifinal or final rounds at a tournament.
However, scorers get to log extra hours in the event of ties, of which there are plenty. Tie-breaking rounds, or "shootoffs," are usually in the evening after the regular competition.

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