Sterling's Thomsen Recognized as Trapshooting Coach of the Year

“This really isn’t my award, it belongs to the kids; it just has my name on it,” said Andrew Thomsen of Sterling who was named Nebraska's Trapshooting Coach of the Year for 2025 by the  Eastern Cornhusker Trapshooting Conference. The award was presented to him at the Nebraska's State Trapshooting Competition in April of this year.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like it,” said Thomsen. He has been the head coach for the Sterling Jets Trap Club since it was organized in 2021. According to Thomsen, receiving the Coach of the Year award really shows what a great group of kids are in Sterling's trapshooting club.
Thomsen said he enjoys trapshooting because it is an outdoor sport. “It’s also a lifetime sport and very inclusive. I’ve shot with people who are almost 90 years old, or in wheelchairs, or only have the use of one arm. It’s a sport you can do with anyone.”
Thomsen explained that trapshooting is as much a mental sport as it is a physical sport. “You have to stay focused and keep yourself and your emotions under control.”
For the 2026 Trapshooting season, Sterling's Trapshooting Club had 11 at the senior level (grades 9-12) and 1 at junior level ( grades 6-9). “We would really like to get more young students shooting,” Thomsen said.
Several of Sterling's Trap Club members got their first 25 straight (shooting 25 of 25) and one student get the club's first 50 straight. “The Cornhusker State shoot also was a lot of fun, with kids shooting really well,” Thomsen said.
Thomsen indicated that trapshooting practice is one of the areas he feels the Sterling Trap Club lacks. “We are fortunate to be able to practice at Lincoln’s Izaak Walton Club. We get to practice two nights a week until the season starts and then once a week during the season. This is due to the number of clubs and kids that also practice there. Due to this, sometimes practices are rushed or we don’t get the one-on-one time needed with some of the kids. However, due to a great group of kids, we get done what we need to do.”
For the 2027 trapshooting season, Thomsen said he would love to get more kids involved. “We are also looking at doing some more fundraising to help with some of the costs,” Thomsen added. “We have had several shooters place individually, but this year I would love to finally get a whole squad to place.”
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who supports us!” said Thomsen. If any students are interested in joining the Sterling Trapshooting Club, they can email Thomsen at [email protected].