Athlete Finds Community on All-Girls Trap Team

May 2, 2021

Olivia Longsworth talking with a friend.
A senior in high school, Olivia Longsworth, is one of the 41 Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) athletes that make up the St. Mary’s Episcopal School all-girls trap team in Memphis.

Olivia began shooting trap in 2018 as a freshman.

“It’s really about the community for me. I had never found a sport or a group sport that I was like, ‘Oh, these are really my people. But when I got into trap, I knew I was where I’m supposed to be.”

Olivia Longsworth, St. Mary’s Episcopal School SCTP Athlete

St. Mary’s is one of 84 shooting sports teams in the state governed by the Federation’s Tennessee SCTP program.

Tennessee SCTP is one of the largest and most successful youth shotgun shooting programs in the nation. The program coordinates shooting competitions for teams throughout the year and helps nearly 2,000 athletes like Olivia get engaged in the outdoors.

There are only three all-girls trap teams in Tennessee.

There are only three all-girls trap teams in the state and every year St. Mary’s competes in a shoot-off against the local all-boys team from Memphis University School. St. Mary’s has won the past two years.

“It’s fun to be part of an all-girls team that dominates,” said Longsworth. “I think that the common idea is oh shooting is for boys, but it doesn’t really matter. If you like it, you can do whatever you want.”

Support Tennessee SCTP

A special tax on firearms and ammunition provides millions of dollars of conservation funding to Tennessee each year. When you support the growth of shooting sports through Tennessee SCTP, you are directly securing the future of wildlife funding.

Visit tnwf.org to learn more about wildlife conservation in Tennessee or tnwf.org/explore to find or start a Tennessee SCTP team near you.

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