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Nate Martinson has taken a lot of shots with the Austin Clay Target Team, and now he’s taken the shots that put him in a place he never thought he’d be.

Martinson, who will be a senior at AHS this fall, recently shot a 100-straight to lock up the Top Overall Title for 3A at the state meet in Alexandria. Last year, Martinson shot a 100-straight in the team competition.

“This time it actually counted for my individual score and this one was on me,” Martinson said. “It was odd, almost. Because I’ve seen people win this over the years, and I didn’t think I would ever do that. Now that I have, it’s kind of unreal to think about.” 

Martinson also won the 3A conference title during the regular season.

He’s learned that the sport has as much to do with mental focus as it does with aiming the gun itself.

“There’s definitely a mentality that comes with shooting at my level. There’s a physical aspect that’s not as great as the mental aspect,” Martinson said. “I have to stay focused, I have to be ready during my pre-shoot, I have to execute it, and then repeat. It’s kind of hard to go from preshoot to focus, but once you do, it’s all in from there.”

That focus, and the balancing of time has helped Martinson thrive, and it’s prepared him for what’s to come in life.

“It’s helped me learn the balance between student and athlete,” he said. “You have to balance shooting, grades, and my job. It’s helped me prepare for college a lot.”

Martinson started with the Clay Target Team as a seventh grader and he’s stuck with it over the years, even when things weren’t easy.

“When I first started I had barely used a gun before, and here I am winning a state championship,” he said.
Martinson hopes more AHS students will give the Clay Target Team a shot as the participation numbers have dwindled this year. He said any one can come in and give it a try and the coaches and teammates will help them along.

“We really need more young kids to come out and try, because we’re losing eight seniors this year and six seniors next year,” he said. “The numbers are starting to drop. We’re trying to get the school to put out some advertisements in the hallway; we just want kids to come out and try it. All they need is their hunter’s safety certificate. There has never been an injury or accident reported since this sport started, it’s safe.”