Georgia Teen Claims Spot On USA Junior Olympic World Championship Team

Bethany High, the 2019 salutatorian of Baconton Community Charter School and a college Senior at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, recently made the elite USA Junior World Olympic Team at the Selection Match in Bunker Trap. Bethany, 19, attended the five-day event held in Kerrville, Texas.

The best shooters from across the country competed for a spot on the elite Junior World Olympic travel team. The Olympic athletes who are already slated to attend the Olympics this summer were also in attendance at the shoot because they are encouraged to participate in this event for practice. The Kerrville shooting range is known for its difficulty because of the wind, terrain and target perspectives. The range has been described as a bear and a difficult place to shoot well.

Bethany and the legendary Kim Rhode. Kim Rhode has six Olympic medals in shooting.

Bethany was in first place going into the final round but finished the round in second place, winning the silver medal. As a member of the Junior Olympic Team, High will represent the USA later this year in Almaty, Kazakhastan and Las Palmas, Peru. High finished third in the open women event and was only one target behind the Olympian shooters who will compete this summer.

Making the elite USA Junior World Olympic Team sets the stage for a future spot in the Olympics for many athletes in the field. Bethany has her eyes set on the 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris, France. So far, she has competed here in the USA and in Italy.

Bethany began shooting when Ray Shirah, a close family friend of the High family who loved to shoot sporting clays, asked Bethany if she would like to shoot clay targets one Sunday after lunch when Bethany was 15 years old. Most athletes in this sport have been shooting since they were 8 or 9 years old, but Ray assured Bethany that she was very good.

After shooting on that Sunday afternoon with Ray and Angie Shirah, Bethany was hooked and immediately signed up to shoot with the Mitchell County 4-H modified trap team. Ray and Angie promised to go to every practice and event, and they did until Ray passed away. After a couple of years of shooting 4-H trap, Bethany moved on to International Bunker Trap because of the challenge and difficulty, and because it is one of the two shotgun events in the Olympics.

Bethany shoots the final round in Kerrville, Texas.

Bethany tightens her chokes on her shotgun as she moves to the next station in the championship round.

There are two primary differences between International Bunker Trap and American Trap. The first is that an Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) clay target flies at 45 mph; however, an International Bunker Trap clay target flies at 68 mph or more. The Bunker’s extra target speed requires a shooter to have faster reaction times. The second difference is that Bunker Trap targets fly at wider angles than American Trap, up to 45 degrees, and may also be thrown higher or lower. Each shooter gets the same targets during a round of 25, but a shooter does not know for sure in what sequence the targets will be thrown.

Bethany credits her beginning shooting experience with Ray Shirah, John Baldwin, Rodney Conine and Anthony High that first year in Mitchell County 4-H that fostered her love of the shooting sport. Her dad, Anthony, became a certified coach because of her interest.

Bethany with Ray and Angie Shirah in the back of the peanut field in Hopeful, Georgia. This was her first day of ever holding a shotgun and shooting an orange clay. She credits 4-H to her start with competitive shotgunning.

She has a team of people she trains with but credits her parents for always being there at practice and competitions. Bethany currently holds a 3.9 GPA at Emmanuel College. She plans to graduate in May 2022. She wants to pursue her Olympic dream but also go to physical therapy school or occupational therapy school. She was the first female from Mitchell County to attend college on a clay target scholarship. Also, the Mitchell County Hall of Fame is not aware of anyone from Mitchell County who has participated in the Olympics, so it appears as if she is the first person from Mitchell County to be on an Olympic team. Bethany is the granddaughter of Tony and Linda High, William and Eveline Smith Bradshaw, and the late Rev. Stanley Smith, all of Camilla.

If you would like to contact Bethany to send her well wishes or to help her in her training, she can be reached at [email protected].

Bethany and her mom, Connie High.