Currently in AA class, Owner of Clay Range Design Works, Vice President of the Ohio Sporting Clays Association, and a delegate for the National Sporting Clays Association for the state of Ohio. I am committed to help grow the sport that i love so much!
Sporting clays as a whole, is growing. Where we are headed, can be down the right path, or the complete wrong turn. Much like our own personal performance, we often turn to someone who has been there and done that, to give us guidance. So why not consult someone from a sport that was in the same growing phase years ago, that we are in now. Enter David Pingree.
David was a professional Motocross and Supercross racer that watched the sport of Supercross grow from its humble roots in the late 80’s/early 90’s, to what it is today, which is a multi billion dollar industry. Where they were in the late 80’s, is comparable to where our sport is now. So, Jason flew to California to take David shooting and give him some context for the podcast. David had some very interesting advice and things to beware of as we grow. Not to mention, David prides himself on being politically incorrect, so this episode is very entertaining as well!
When you think about the world of clay target shooting, you think of primarily one discipline or another. Trap, Skeet, or Sporting clays. Meet Joe Charnigo. Joe, shoots trap, sporting, ZZ-birds, and pigeons! But to be clear, he doesn’t just “shoot” these events, he often WINS these events! We caught up with Joe while he was at the Indiana state trap shoot, which he went on to win, shortly after recording! Joe is a long time advocate of growing all the disciplines as a whole, but also for purse money for payouts. Most recently, he put on a side event at the Ohio State trap shoot where he was able to generate a very lucrative purse for those that competed in the event. He has some great thoughts and ideas for growth of the sports and payback for competitors, plus Joe is a great individual to talk to!
Every once in a while, a new product comes along that is just downright fun! Introducing the new Claycopter by Caldwell! Now this is not a training tool for sporting clays, but if you are looking for backyard fun that will get friends and family out shooting, this fits the bill! Think of this as a handheld ZZ-bird launcher! With 100% biodegradable targets in both 110 and 90mm sizes, plus the ability to throw pairs, this Clay copter is sure to bring a smile to your face while shooting your shotgun! We are joined by Jared Grove, the senior marketing manager for American Outdoors, the parent company of Caldwell, to tell us all about it! Caldwell Claycopter- https://www.caldwellshooting.com/claycopter/
For this months NSCA segment, Michael Hampton Jr. joins us to fill everyone in on the latest Executive Council meeting, as well as some announcements to up coming rule changes. We also addressed a listeners question that wrote in to us.
After the discussion with Michael, we decided it was time to talk about a few topics that needed attention. We started with sportsmanship and having ethics on the course and then moved to current events. We finished up with a message that we think everyone should hear and participate in. We invite you to listen, write to us with your thoughts and ideas, and help do your part for the sport!
Georgia native Kevin DeMichiel is no stranger to the sporting clays game. Feeling that he needed to make a change, about a year ago, Kevin switched from his Kreighoff to Blaser F3. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, it’s a massive change to others. Any change to your equipment can take time to get used to. Everything from fit, point of impact, weight, balance, feel, and performance can be affected. On this episode, we ask Kevin about his change, and the challenges that you may face when switching, and what it takes to overcome the challenges and be successful. As an added bonus, we do a Questions for the Coaches segment with Kevin while we had him on the phone. We had to catch him quick before he ran out of the house to go fishing with uncle Bill McQuire!
Dr. Jason Richardson is not only a sports psychologist and mental coach, but he is also a BMX world champion and Pan-Am gold medalist. He works everyday with professional athletes and he understands what it takes, MENTALLY, to win. Just recently, Dr Jason had joined us for a SCOOPS episode discussing sponsorships. Listen in as we ask Dr, J a host of questions, especially surrounding his 2 books, It’s all BS and More Better Happier. He gives us the smack down and will leave your jaw dropped on more than one occasion of this episode. You will be listening again and again, to the great information he gives us!
Most recently at the 2025 US Open, Jamie Peckham had a set the FITASC targets, and in 2024, he set the World FITASC at Game Unlimited, here in the USA. After seeing his targets, and hearing that he travels the world over setting targets, it was time to call him up! Jamie has a unique way of setting a target to make them look not only fun, but easy. Yet he always has the last laugh when the scores are tallied!
This the 3rd installment in our Novice to Masters series, The Pinnacle. This episode is centered around the AA to Master class. However, there is a ton of great information for all to learn from. We are joined by world renowned coach and World Champion shooter, Ben Husthwaite. Ben travels the globe teaching and has led many of his students to tournament and championship wins, in ALL classes, all over the world! He was a perfect fit for the Pinnacle!
While at the 2025 U.S. Open, we finally caught up with Joseph Pinchin! Joe is an amazing young shooter, originally hailing from Jamaica, but raised in Florida. His journey through the SCTP amateur ranks and now into the pro ranks of sporting clays is very interesting and insightful. Joe now calls Covey Rise in Husser Louisiana his home club, where he is teaching now! We are then joined by Shawn Spindel, general manage of Hill ‘N Dale Club in Medina Ohio, to give us the 411 on the upcoming Ohio State Championship! This tournament for 2025 is set to be record breaking for more reasons than one! Not only is registration showing impressive numbers, but Shawn has some new additions to make the shoot event more enjoyable! You don’t want to miss this shoot!
Part 2 of 3, of the Novice to Master series, The Climb! We are joined by Tracy Wright for this episode as Tracy walks us through how he helps his students at this phase of their game. We cover what should be happening past the foundation stages and how you should be progressing, what you should be doing to help you progress, and a whole lot more! This is an episode packed full of great information that will help the B to A class shooter, while being a great refresher for those above this level!
Tracy Wright – darkhorseshootingtw@gmail.com
