June means certain things in Manchester, Tennessee…vacations, hot weather, Bonnaroo, and dominant performances for the Coffee County Claybusters. Since its inception in 2005, the Coffee County Claybusters have consistently had state and national championship individuals and teams represent Coffee County Central High School and Coffee County Middle School. 2020 will be a little different as the Claybusters competed on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tennessee AIM State Championships in Nashville.
With the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling most of the spring season, the American Trapshooting Association made the decision to not award team titles due to the lack of team competition opportunities leading up to the championship. The Claybusters fielded 3 teams in the singles competition which requires shooters to shoot 100 targets in consecutive days. Squadded in 5 person teams, each team has 1,000 possible targets to shatter for the 2 day event. Individually, members of the Claybusters competed in the Handicap and Doubles competitions.
“I was pleased with everyone’s effort and attitude” said Claybusters coach Scott Dickson. “The kids worked hard and put up with all the changes without complaint” added Dickson. Unofficially, Dickson feels like that Claybusters Team #1 and Team #2 posted scores good enough to win team titles had they been awarded. Final scores plus individual championships will be announced in the coming days and Thunder Radio will keep you apprised of award winners.
The Claybusters are set to return to competition in August at the AIM Grand American Championship. The Grand American has for years been held in Sparta, Illinois. Due to COVID-19 limitations, the 2020 Grand American will be held in Linn Creek, Missouri near the Lake of the Ozarks.
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