I'm 16 years old and shooting in a Sporting Clays tournament this weekend. I've shot Sporting Clays a few times before, but I was wondering if anyone had any specific tips that could help me out.

Don't be first in line! Watch carefully, have fun. Don't get hung up on your score. Don't get psyched out by folks changing chokes on every station and dragging around a tractor trailer full of equipment. Have fun.
Peter.

Thanks Peter. The tournament is at the shooting range I normally go to. I will be out practicing there saturday then the tournament is sunday. That way I'll have plenty of experience on the particular stations. My worry is form, lead, and general technique. I've been shooting Skeet since I was 7 and I'm not sure if thats the form I will want to use on Sporting Clays, which I only started shooting a few weeks ago.

Robert,
First of all Good luck. This being your first event in competition I would suggest you just take it easy and enjoy the game. Try and squad up with some experienced shooters and watch how they approach the targets. If you are shooting a single barrel style gun put a modified or improved cylinder in it and forget about changing chokes. focus on your shooting and not the mental games people play with themselves. You will give up very few targets because of choke and be able to concentrate more on the targets and the presentation if you are not continually messing with your gun. But the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the experience.

I shoot skeet as well. Unless you shoot low gun I am not sure that's the 'form" you want to shoot, especially as the presentations will be much different. However, you should shoot the way you are comfortable with. Have fun! Your score will not be mentioned at your eulogy, neither will it be on your grave stone!
Peter.

Robert,
How did you do?

Yes! We all want to know. I figure with all the expert advice we gave you you must have won! Actually I am interested in your opinion on the presentations. I have heard that some can be pretty "outlandish".
Peter.

Well, I came in 39th out of 120 shooters. I'm actually pleased with that for my first time. We shot 11 stations/50 clays and I hit 35. The top score was 47. Thanks for the advice. I think the best bit was the "not worrying about it". I shot as if it was a normal sunday outing and I wasn't worried or tense. This was a Ducks Unlimited shoot hence the large turnout.

That's great !!!!
Was it Lewis Class scoring? Not to take anything away from your score just wondering what place in what class.
Some shoots give away a gun for 1st in each class so you never know.

Congratulations! If I came in 39th out of 120 on my first outing I would be pleased. So, what did you learn? YOU tell US now!
Peter.

Well, I definitely learned alot about lead. The range at which you're shooting is much greater than with skeet. I continued to use my techniques from skeet i.e. stance. The stations were equipped with handicap bars to lift up if you're in a wheel chair, and lifting these allowed me to lean forward and "reach out" towards the clays. The other shooters there were also very kind and helpful and provided extra advice for specific targets, which I had luckily had a chance to shoot at the day before. I came out with my dad on Saturday and shot the new course they had set up, which was very similar to the normal one. I would also like to say that my dad came in somewhere around 45th, and hes been shooting since he was my age.