RADFORD – Thomas Armel, a Sophomore at Radford University, is one heck of a shot.
Armel, Vice President of the Radford University Skeet and Trap Team, was recently named the South East Regional collegiate champion for super sporting clays after travelling to Savannah, GA with other members of the Radford team for a collegiate competition.
He competed in four different events – sporting clays, super sporting clays, skeet and trap. Armel, 19, tied for first place in super sporting clays, then participated in a tie breaking “shoot-off.” With a score of 49 out of 50, Thomas was declared the winner and was declared the Association of College Unions International Lower East Coast Conference Super Sporting Champion.
Armel, who is from from Culpeper County, VA, says he has been sport shooting since early childhood and really enjoys it.
“I have been shooting since I was six years old, starting with a BB gun I got for my birthday,” he said. “I shot competitively for a few years in middle school with my local 4-H chapter, then picked it back up in college, roughly six years total. I also practice with pistols and rifles, and have attended a Tactical Pistol Class and other training sessions taught by professionals.”
This is not the first competitive shooting event Armel has won. He also won the state championship main event in D Class and tied for second in the Nation in Division 3 Super Sporting Clays in the 2018 ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships hosted in San Antonio, Texas. Armel says he enjoys “shooting clays because it provides a break from school, it’s a different feeling being able to get out on the range and only focus on what your shooting.”
“It’s something that I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid and shooting at a collegiate level provides a competition I’ve never experienced before,” he added. “I love the atmosphere shooting with all my friends doing something that we love.”
Armel says he is pleased to see sport shooting has become more popular with youth and hopes it is better promoted as a safe activity.
“Studies have proven that shooting sports have become one of the most popular, and safest, sports in the nation, and I wish that this sport was better promoted among our youth,” he said. “It’s a great way to meet people that enjoy shooting as much as you do, and it provides an instant group of friends wherever your shooting.”
The Radford University Skeet and Trap Club was established in 2002. “We are a club at Radford University formed by a bunch of kids who love the sport of shooting clay targets, states their website. “We don’t discriminate based on skill level, nor do we hold try-outs.”