NRHEG clay shooter earns top 50 at state

There are thousands of clay target shooters across the state of Minnesota yet one of the state’s best, Caden Beauvais, hails from the NRHEG school district.
He recently affirmed his status as one of the state’s best by finishing tied for 49th place out of 92 participants at the Minnesota State High School League clay target state tournament on Friday, June 25. In order to even qualify for the individual state tournament, NRHEG Head Clay Target Coach Dan Sorum said Beauvais had to be in the Top 100 averages in the state for the season and he achieved that by being ranked 52nd out of over 10,000 athletes.While tying for 49th place would be a great finish for most shooters, he mentioned that Beauvais could had done even better. 
“Caden will tell you he did not do really well. His score, in fact, was below his season average. Still, getting to this level is in itself an accomplishment to be proud of,” Sorum said.
He noted that one of the things that has helped Beauvais, a senior, reach the state tournament level and become such a good shooter is his experience.
“He has numerous rounds under his belt and this has allowed him to become very good in his sport,” he said.
With years of clay target shooting under his belt, Sorum said Beauvais has improved over the course of this season by focusing on his consistency.
“Caden came into this season shooting at the level he is at. The big challenge for athletes like Caden isn't as much about increasing his average round as maintaining it. Granted, if an athlete's average is not 25 out of 25, there is always room for improvement but in Caden's case it’s about the ability to shoot his average, 23.9, or better every round and with an average that high there is very little room for error,” he said.
The state tournament is now behind him, but Beauvais’ high school career isn’t over yet. He’ll compete in the USA Clay Target League National Championship, which starts today, Wednesday, July 7, in Michigan. Sorum said he’ll compete against 2,500 other athletes from various parts of the country.