North Bay's Jacob Bedard on target at trapshooting provincials

Jacob Bedard continues to excel major trapshooting events, winning his age group, and being among the best competitors of any age

Article content Jacob Bedard says he always wants to be better. So far, so good, on that count. Bedard continues to shoot the lights out in major trap-shooting events.

The not quite 17-yearold Bedard was locked in at the Provincial Trap Shooting Championships in Hamilton Shooting Club, which is situated in nearby Stoney Creek. Bedard was literally on target, winning the Junior Singles, Junior Doubles, High All-Around score (best overall 380/400 targets with all competitors on Saturday and Sunday), High Overall Junior score (931/1000). Bedard also took top spot in the Handicap competition (where shooters are 7 yards further back from the usual line) and beat all the other shooters, regardless of age.

This is just the latest in a long line of successes for this humble competitor. Recommended Videos Bedard is limited being in northern Ontario as the major competition are in major Canadian markets. There is also a gold mine of opportunities in the US.

Major American colleges offer scholarships for trapshooting. It doesn’t take an expert to scope out what that could lead to in the future for the North Bay native. “I hope to get to as many US shooting competitions that I can next year.

I may look at colleges there because up here (northern Ontario) there not much more that I can do. ” “I can keep practicing,” says Bedard, adding that his summer job cuts into that time as well. He trains, when he can, at the Sturgeon Falls Rod and Gun Club located in Cache Bay.

It is truly a family affair for Bedard, who has been trained in trapshooting by his coach/mentor, his grandfather Jon Naismith, who has won his own share of marksman titles over the years. Naismith has competed in the Provincials in the Senior Veteran category. However, this year he was there to coach and support grandson Jacob.

Besides the family connection, Bedard loves in the individuality of the sport. If he is good or bad on a given day he has only himself to applaud or blame. “It is just like golf; you compete against yourself.

When you go to competitions, you do compete against other people, but when you shoot a bad score in golf you know you could have done better. If I can be better than (I was) last time, I will be happy,” says Bedard. “There is no teammate that didn’t make a pass or miss the net.

It is just (on) you. That is just how I am in life.”