Shooter overcomes accident to win state title

Posted 9/17/20

Powell High School student Jace Nordeen had a summer he won’t soon forget. The competitor in sporting clays brought home three trophies — including taking the state championship in the …

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Shooter overcomes accident to win state title

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Powell High School student Jace Nordeen had a summer he won’t soon forget. The competitor in sporting clays brought home three trophies — including taking the state championship in the junior division weeks after suffering an injury at the range.

Nordeen’s run started at Casper’s Skeet, Trap & Sport Clays Club on July 18-20, where he took top honors in the junior division at the National Sporting Clays Association Wyoming State Championship. Nordeen won all three individual stages for the title.

It was a big win for the Panther, said Josh Lancaster, shooting coach and executive director of Polestar Outdoors. Nordeen has continued to train with Lancaster after the Polestar team finished its season in June.

Next, Nordeen returned home to win the 4-H Invitational at the Cody Shooting Complex in early August. The tournament was a roller coaster of emotions. The PHS junior finished the competition with a perfect round in the win. Then, while his over/under shotgun was pointed toward the ground, he accidentally shot the big toe on his right foot. Nordeen was rushed to the hospital, but the toe couldn’t be saved.

Then in late August — two weeks after the accident — he took off his walking cast and headed back to Casper to win his division in the National Skeet Shooting Association Wyoming State Skeet Shoot.

The accident hasn’t taken any steam out of Nordeen’s future plans.

“The wins will help me get [college] scholarships,” he said.

Nordeen shoots on the Polestar team and in the 4-H program, as well as financing his own travel to competitions. Lancaster, who recently came to Polestar to coach the youth outdoor program’s team, was competitive in high school and college skeet and sporting clays. The coach is pushing his team to work hard for scholarships through the sport to continue their education.

“Jace [Nordeen] wants to shoot competitively in college, so this is a great start,” Lancaster said. “He has great potential to go as far as he’s willing to go.”

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