Kingston teen named All-American in Trapshooting

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  • Dakota Sliger, a 14-year-old from Kingston was named All-American in Trapshooting. The awards shown are only the ones he won during The Grand American Tournament. Courtesy photo
    Dakota Sliger, a 14-year-old from Kingston was named All-American in Trapshooting. The awards shown are only the ones he won during The Grand American Tournament. Courtesy photo
  • Dakota Sliger poses with his array of trophies he has won during his Trapshooting tournaments. He was recenting named on the All-American Team. Courtesy photo
    Dakota Sliger poses with his array of trophies he has won during his Trapshooting tournaments. He was recenting named on the All-American Team. Courtesy photo
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A freshman at Kingston High School was recently named an All-American in Trapshooting. Dakota Sliger, a 14-year-old from Kingston, is currently ranked seventh in the entire United States.

Trapshooting is one of the three major disciplines of Clay Pigeon Shooting. In Trapshooting, the target is typically launched from a machine away from the shooter, and the shooter is granted points. The points depend on how well the shooter does.

Dakota competes in three separate disciplines for Trapshooting; Singles, Doubles and Handicap. Competitions were held and Dakota shot against competitors from the United States and Canada. Each competition was important for Dakota to do well, because depending on his placement, he would garner points toward his All-American ranking.

The Kingston teen competes in Sub Junior Category and will for one more year – the division is for ages 11 to 15. Even though he competed for the Sub Junior Category, Dakota also competed against shooters ages 11 – 90 for his Class Ranking.

Dakota began the year as a C Class Shooter in Singles, a D Class Shooter in Doubles and was on the 21-yard line in Handicap. He improved immensely by the end of the year; as a B Class Shooter in Singles, a C Class Shooter in Doubles and is at the 27-yard line (as far back as a shooter can be).

Dakota said he is appreciative of more than just his placement as an All-American.

“I’m so appreciative of everything my family has done to allow me the opportunity to go on this journey,” Dakota said. “Being able to travel the US and shoot with some of the most talented in the world has been an incredible experience. I’ll always cherish the friendships and memories I’ve made along the way. Looking forward to this next year and continuing to achieve the goals I have set for myself.”

Dakota’s parents, Jay and Jenni Sliger, said the experience Dakota has achieved through the journey is priceless.

“The life lessons our son has learned from this sport throughout this year are hard work, mental toughness, endurance, respect of individuals of all ages and all abilities and how to adapt to ever changing conditions,” they said. “We are incredibly proud of the accomplishments he has achieved this year and have enjoyed watching the growth he has experienced. Thank you to everyone that has encouraged and supported him along the way.”

Dakota said his highlights of the year are, of course, making First Team All-American in the Sub Junior category, and ranking seventh in the United States. He is also proud of winning 10 trophies in The Grand American; the largest shoot of the year.

Dakota did a call to action and challenged people to get involved with Trapshooting. “I would like to promote

“I would like to promote and encourage people to give shooting sports a try,” he said. “People of all ages and abilities can participate in this individual sport. There are many college scholarship opportunities for young people with more and more colleges even in Oklahoma opening up new programs.”