For Mason Rohan, shooting is part of who he is.

The Community R-6 senior signed to be part of the State Fair Community College shooting sports program in Sedalia with a ceremony at Community R-6 High School in Laddonia on April 30. 

Rohan is happy to have his education to be paid for as it is just the first step when he studies wildlife conservation before transferring to Missouri State University. The outdoors has been important to Rohan and his family for his whole life, leading him to activities like shooting since he was eight years old.

“We’re a big outdoors family, with any kind of hunting,” Rohan said. “If it flies or runs, we hunt everything. Shooting trap is another skill to have — not only on the hunting part of it. It is definitely one of my favorite hobbies.”

However, Rohan is excited to be able to do it competitively instead of as just a hobby. Rohan has participated in basketball, baseball, and track and field so the competitive instinct is there. 

Rohan has been shooting trap competitively with FFA and has sporting clays in a fundraising competition at St. Joseph Catholic Church and School in Martinsburg since he was 12 years old. He said he also has some experience with shooting skeet, which he’ll need more practice with going into college.

“We only shoot trap here competitively, but I’ll be shooting trap, skeet and sporting clays,” Rohan said. “Skeet I’ve done every now and then, but that’s definitely something that’s going to be new.”

State Fair shooting head coach Sarah Manuel said Mason Rohan is the type of kid that can be a good teammate alongside his shooting skills. Manuel said this is important because while shooting doesn’t require much athleticism, it needs a lot on the mental side.

“Shooting sports isn’t a physically hard sport but is a mentally hard sport,” Manuel said. “It will be interesting to see how he can bring and — being from a small community — translate that to the college side. Being able to mesh really well is a thing people like Mason brings to the team. Having that sturdy head through all the competitions is also something he will bring to this team.”

Manuel said Rohan isn’t the first kid from Community to shoot at State Fair as she remembers Justin Duenke and Emmi Johnson shooting for the Roadrunners. Rohan also isn’t the first Audrain County kid to sign with State Fair shooting as Mexico senior Tristan Salmons has also signed. 

State Fair shooting just finished its third year as a program, and Manuel said that the Roadrunners have won two national trophies. She said the program is “expanding” and adding more quality kids with interest in shooting like Rohan. The interest is definitely an obvious requirement and feeds into mental toughness.

“When we go to competitions, we leave Friday morning and we don’t get back until Sunday night,” Manuel said. “We shoot all weekend long. You’re shooting 300-600 birds, and you’re right in the trenches with people on the left and right of you. You have to be mentally tough through all of that.”

Rohan said he is looking forward to all of that as being able to shoot at all, let alone competitively, in college is a blessing.

“Not a lot of colleges have that offered as a sport but more as a club,” Rohan said. “Being able to shoot in college is definitely going to be a blast.”