Best Shot

Skeet Shooter Garrett Duncan Has His Sights Set for Great Outcomes

Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photographer / Amy Payne

Garrett Duncan is the only international skeet shooter in Indiana.

The Cascade High School graduate grew up around firearms, with hunting and target practice. In 2017, Duncan’s father suggested they try shooting clays, and it turns out, he was a natural.

Skeet shooting is a popular sport across the United States. However, we don’t see it often in Indiana.

The sport features seven stations, each with two traps, one low and one high. They launch targets, called clays or birds, in an X shape. There are 25 shots per session, and the shooter pivots back and forth at different angles as they move along a semicircle formation. ‘The clays travel at 45 miles per hour on a typical skeet-shooting course. However, Olympic shooters can take on clays at 62 miles per hour.

That’s right, it’s also an Olympic sport, with men, women and junior categories.

The game is predictable and relies on hand- eye coordination along with a lot of training.

Duncan’s father found a shooting club in Edinburgh and his coach at the time belonged to an international skeet organization. By 2019 Duncan was fully involved in the international version of the sport.

He describes American skeet as the high school football version, compared to International skeet as the professional football version.

“The difference between American and International is in American, the gun is already on your shoulder,” Duncan says. “In International, the butt of the gun is around our belly-button area, and we have to mount the gun and shoot while the target is in the air.”

Even with the natural talent and extreme practice schedule, it hasn’t always been easy.

Duncan tried out for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and things didn’t go as planned. “It was one of the worst matches I’ve ever
had,” Duncan says. “I was a senior in high school, had no plans to go to college and I was banking on this. I was all in. I went to several of the trial matches and didn’t compete at my best. It kind of put me on the path to give up.

Duncan did give up, but not for long.

He took a short break, but by the end of 2021 he realized he still had a passion and desire to compete.

“I don’t regret it at all,” he says. “It taught me alot. I’m a man of faith and it was a time of growth, character development and just an awesome journey.”

Coming back from his struggles has given Duncan a drive to continue to improve, and he has support from family and friends.

“I think they’re proud of me, he says. “My parents have put so much into this, and they believe in me and support me in any way they can. I’ve dedicated a lot to this sport and I think we all agree that this is where I’m led in life.

Since there are no local areas to compete, Duncan says the majority of his competitions are held in the south.

He spends most of his time in Georgia, Florida and Texas, training and competing in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic trials.

“The next step for me is to make a U.S. Olympic team and my professional debut,” Duncan says.

He trains six days per week to be in the best physical shape possible as well as the best shooting shape possible, with his trainer, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the sport While Duncan says people of all shapes, sizes and ages compete, when under pressure, it’s the training that stands out.

“The fundamentals are a huge part of this,” he says. “The other part is mental. I do 100 gun mounts per day, hand-eye coordination drills, physical training and mental training.”

When it comes to the mental challenges, Duncan says the sport itself isn’t exhausting, but the mental toll it takes can make or break results in a competition.

He continues to challenge himself, even when the less-than-fun aspects of training come along.

“Part of recovery is taking cold showers or an ice bath,” he says. “I hate to do them but they say it helps with recovery. It’s a mental thing, getting over that feeling of not wanting to get into this tub – this is what I said I’m going to do and I’m going to do it. This might suck, but I’m showing up for myself every time”

It’s growth and progress that keep Duncan going.

“There’s the adage of being 1% better every day,” he says. “For me, everything revolves around this. If I can do small things every day to get better, it allows me to go above and beyond my competitors. I just want to be the best I can be.”

There’s an element of fun too.

“On a casual level it’s a lot like playing golf for me;” Duncan says. “It’s a great time to bring out friends, have some competition and banter back and forth. It’s a unique sport but I love it.”

The Clayton native says the attention on skeet is very different from swimming, gymnastics and other Olympic sports. In fact, though Paris will be home to the 2024 Olympics, shooting sports will be held 100 miles outside of the famous city.

Fans can regularly catch competitive sports on ESPN, but skeet shooting is harder to come by. When a U.S. team travels overseas, it may be televised, or finals of a competition could be found on social media. However, the vast majority of competitions aren’t available for fans from their living-room couch.

Duncan has seen many young people interested in the sport, but knows many can’t afford it.

“As far as cost goes, equestrian is number one and shooting sports is number two,” Duncan says. “Those families with an average income can find it hard to afford skeet shooting. I want to give back to my community and to the sport I love.”

Not only supporting those in need of sponsorship, Duncan wants to change how the sport is seen across the country, and the first step is to develop his nonprofit.

The Christian Clays foundation has been established to support young skeet shooters who want to continue to compete and grow in their skill.

This year, Christian Clays will sponsor two youths, one of which recently joined the junior national team. The nonprofit will accept donations to pour back into training for athletes and help them pursue their dreams.

“I have a mission to support these athletes, but also to give them the plattorm to talk about Christ,” Duncan says. “Just like my story, if it’s meant to be, he’ll make it be. We need to continue to pursue that.”

Visit christianclays.godaddysites.com for more information about Christian Clays.

Visit usashooting.org for more information about Olympic shooting sports and to follow the U.S. team to the 2024 Paris Olympics.