Photos courtesy of Cyle Foley, Lefty Ray and Jonathan Johnson
Only two years after taking up sporting clays, a local phenom represented Team USA on an international stage.
It all started in February 2022 with an email about wobble trap shooting from the Columbia County 4-H Club. Appling resident Jacob Judson, now 16 years old, was looking for a hobby, so he decided to try shooting at a local 4-H wobble trap team meet at Columbia County’s old landfill.
After pulling a trigger for the first time ever at that event, Jacob was hooked on shooting sporting clays even though he had “never hunted in my life.”
He kept entering sporting clays events – and doing quite well, thank you – across the Southeast, and currently, he competes about 30 weekends a year.
“Jacob is still a name that people are trying to figure out,” says his father, Jonathan.
Spoiler alert: He’s making it easy for them.
Reaching His Goals
Beginning in E Class at the bottom of the shooting world rankings, Jacob rose to the Master Class in 11 1/2 months. Two years after taking up the sport, he represented his country at the 2024 World FITASC (pronounced FEE-task) Championship in Hudson, Wisconsin June 27-30 as a Junior member of Team USA.
For the uninitiated, FITASC – an acronym for the international version of American sporting clays – is the Olympics of the shooting world.
Jacob had to participate in at least four regional shoots to be able to qualify for Team USA at FITASC. Although the competitors came from across the world, they primarily live in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.
Before the competition, it was hard for Jacob to comprehend his achievement. “When I got the Team USA jersey, that’s when it really hit me,” he says.
Marching in the opening ceremony with his teammates was surreal for him. “It’s hard to explain,” he says. “It was great to represent my country.”
He represented America well. Jacob finished 20th in the Junior division out of almost 100 competitors, and he finished in 130th place in the entire 950-person field, which included shooters of all ages.
In the FITASC competition, shooters faced a series of eight parcours, or courses. Each parcour had 25 targets, which were launched from different stations, for a total of 200 targets. The shoot is based off of a menu board, and participants cannot mount their guns until they see the target.
Jacob met his individual goal of hitting at least 20 clays in each parcour and finished with a score of 166.
“I was happy about it,” he says. “It was a good score.”
Building Competitors
The overall winner of the competition, Zach Kienbaum of Savannah, who is also Jacob’s coach, had a score of 189.
He helps Jacob develop his skills and keep things in perspective.
“At that age, I don’t really care how he shoots,” Kienbaum says. “We’re building competitors for the future. I want to build the best adult Jacob. I want to build the best competitor we can.”
Kienbaum, who coaches many high-level adults, normally doesn’t teach teens unless they’re committed and serious about the sport.
“Jacob is the type of kid that I like working with,” he says. “He came out of nowhere. A year ago, no one really knew who he was. He burst onto the scene.”
Kienbaum says Jacob’s raw talent, along with his low-key demeanor, sets him apart from other shooters.
“He has a great attitude. He’s calm and even-keeled,” says Kienbaum. “His mind just understands what he’s trying to do.”
In Master Class events across the country, Jacob often competes against men in their 30s and 40s who have been shooting for years.
“It’s hard to compete against them. They have a lot more experience and a lot more control in what they do,” says Jacob. “I try to shoot with my coach whenever I can. I try to pay attention to what he’s doing and copy it.”
In addition, Jacob, who started shooting at Pinetucky Gun Club in Blythe in June 2022, has continued to hone his skills with the club’s team, the Pullits. Charles Dolan of Pinetucky says Jacob is the gun club’s first shooter to achieve a national ranking.
“He has worked with the right coaches. He has worked with the right people,” says Dolan. “He has a natural ability and great hand-eye coordination. He has put in the hard work, and that’s what it takes.”
Making Friends
Despite his considerable talent, Jacob says one of the most rewarding aspects of the sport is the people he meets.
“They all compete against each other, but they’re friends at the same time,” says his mother, Lynn. “They want to beat each other, but they’ll give each other a hug afterward.”
Admittedly shy, Jacob, a junior in Columbia County’s Virtual Academy who previously attended Harlem High, says the competitions bring him out of his shell.
“When I’m at a shoot, I’ve had to meet people and learn how to talk to them,” he says.
Reconnecting with friends and meeting new ones, as well as getting experience with more difficult targets, was his favorite part of the FITASC competition.
“I’m friends with a lot of people in the sport, and it was great seeing people I know,” Jacob says. “Meeting other people from around the world is a cool experience, too.”
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