Friday, August 25, 2023

Something New and Different

Long ago, Ryan advised me to try one new thing every once in a while. I did this for a while but gradually let it drop by the wayside. In checking back on the blog, I was surprised to find that this conversation with Ryan happened six years ago, and it was definitely time to try something new once again. John gave me the opportunity to get way out of my comfort zone last week and try something very new to me. 


Welcome to shooting sporting clays. We went to Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in Coplay, PA. John has been here five or six times before with guys that he used to work with. He was anxious for Justin and I to go with him for his birthday. Justin was happy to go; I went along grudgingly, and Ryan wanted no part of it. But much to my surprise, it was interesting and I did have some fun. 

The object is to take your shotgun and shoot at clay targets at 17 different stations (these are called "houses"). It's all electronically controlled with a card that you put in at each station and then someone in your group pushes a button to release two clay targets. You have three chances to try this at each station. 


The clay targets are thrown (electronically with the push of a button) in lots of different ways. 


Some come from close by but fly high overhead away from you; others are nearby but end up rolling along the ground. (These are called "rabbits".) 

Some stations are wide open, like the one above, but others are more contained, as pictured below. 



The whole place has been built in an abandoned quarry, and they've kept some of the remains of buildings. There are also several stations over water. Both John and Justin liked those because you can get a better idea of where you've shot and adjust your aim on subsequent attempts.



John thought I needed to give this a try also, so I did pick up his shotgun on one of the first easy stations. It felt way too heavy and I couldn't even use the sight pin because the stock of his gun is made for a man and too long for a woman who is a good six inches shorter than he is. It didn't feel safe to me, so I ended up not shooting, but did enjoy keeping score. John asked and they do rent guns made with smaller stocks made for women, so maybe someday he'll talk me into going again and actually shooting with the right gun for me.

It does seem like a testosterone-fueled sport, and in the three hours we were there, I only saw one other woman. She was actually shooting and seemed to be enjoying herself. So maybe I will go with John again someday. Hopefully, this would be on a nice crisp fall day and not a sweltering, sweaty one, and with a gun that was made for a woman. Sporting clays could use a little more estrogen. 




11 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you decided to resurrect Trying New Things, Bonny! (I keep reading that Trying New Things is a great strategy for healthy living, especially as we age.) Your day on the sport shooting range sounds fascinating -- although frustrating about the shotguns-not-designed-for-women (but why does that not surprise me???). It looks like you all had a great time!

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  2. I am likewise glad you have resurrected Trying New Things! My brain so loves trying new things... even if my body can find it frustrating... it eventually catches up. My ex used to do this (but I don't think it was at all this technical... how fascinating!) We even got a "pigeon thrower" for him to practice at home... loads of fun. He'd yell pull and I'd let the pigeon go. I tried a few times, but eye-hand coordination has never been my strong suit lol. He was okay at it... I appreciated this because he went every fall on a pheasant hunt with college friends! That was the best part... pheasant is delicious!

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  3. Yay for Trying New Things!!! I remember a meeting that I planned one time - somewhere in the South - and there was an afternoon of free time (always). I booked a massage, some folks golfed, and a bunch of friends went clay target shooting (even some girls)! they had a greaet time. I think you should go back - you may enjoy it (you like archery!!).

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  4. I applaud your effort in trying something new, even if it ended up being only partly successful! I have never been interested in shooting anything, though I've always been strangely fascinated by the sport of biathlon. Maybe the next time you all try something, it can be something that's a little more gender-neutral?

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  5. I love the idea of trying new things, I guess taking noncredit courses is my new thing this year, I'm excited to be in a school setting. You were successful in my eyes!!

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  6. We used to go shooting sometimes with my dad. I was pretty good at it and enjoyed it... but not enough to continue on my own.

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  7. When my sister and I were kids, my father would take us to the shooting range. There was someone who would send the clay pigeons into the air (I can't remember if my godfather and father switched off on doign it or what). We kids would wait till they rang a bell when all shooting stopped and all the kids would run through the field looking for whole clay pigeons so our fathers could use them. At the end of our time there, we all got a take a shot at a clay pigeon. My father was a hunter/fisherman and only had girls, my godfather had one of each but we always went off with our father's there and ice fishing. Luckily, they didn't take us hunting as I'm sure we were too loud.

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    1. That sounds like fun! My father used to target shoot .22s with my sister and I when we were young, but I can't say we actually enjoyed it. We weren't shooting at moving targets or getting to go ice fishing!

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  8. Our family has a portable clay pigeon thrower - it's mounted to a tire. I've tried it and I'm just not very good at it! But it's still fun, especially since we do it essentially in our backyard.

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  9. Trying new things is always a good idea. Bravo to you for trying clay target shooting with your husband and son. I'm with you though, a cooler day would be better.

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  10. I'm always impressed with your willingness to try something once. (and I hope John and Justin appreciated it, too!)

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