The Monticello High School Trap Team welcomed Assemblywoman Paula Kay to a recent meet after she secured $15,000 in this year’s state budget for the Monticello Central School District to support the team.
During her visit, Kay observed the safety briefing students complete before every meet and watched the team compete. The visit offered a firsthand look at a program that puts safety, responsibility and participation at the center of the student experience.
“First and foremost, it is a firearm safety course,” said Jay Mendels, the team’s head coach and president. “And we review that every time we get together.”
Before beginning the safety briefing, Mendels asked students to name the league’s three priorities. Their responses came in a deliberate order: safety, fun and marksmanship.
“Only after the first two are taken care of” does the team work on marksmanship, he explained.
The team introduces students to trap shooting, a sport in which participants aim at clay targets launched into the air. For many, joining the program is their first experience with clay target sports. Mendels emphasized that students build their skills alongside an understanding of the responsibility that comes with participating.
Just as central to the program is the opportunity for every student to take part.
“There are no benchwarmers here,” Mendels said. “No matter what size our team is, there are no benchwarmers.”
Students participate each week, develop at their own skill level and have opportunities to contribute to the team’s score. At the spring state tournament, competitors are grouped by skill level, allowing novice students to compete against other novices.
“We want everybody to enjoy being here, to enjoy everybody’s company, to simply be yourselves while you’re here,” Mendels told the students.
Now beginning its 11th year, the Monticello team has completed 18 seasons. Its schedule includes a shorter fall season and a main spring season that culminates in the state tournament.
Mendels thanked the district for its continued support and recognized Kay’s longstanding connection to the team, including a previous invitation to visit the state Capitol following a first-place league finish.
The funding adds to that support as the team begins another year of helping students develop confidence, practice responsibility and enjoy a sport in which everyone has a place.