Joe Ellison has taken out the NSW Junior Masters championships and high gun title in competition against clay target shooters from all over the country.
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The 13-year-old has only been eligible to compete in clay target shooting for a year - but scored 88 out of a possible 90 as he took out 30 clays in a row in one of the competitions at Cobar last weekend.
On the way to the title, he also shot 29 of 30 targets in the double barrel and 24 of 30 in the single barrel.
The win means his name is now engraved on a trophy alongside the likes of Olympians Michael Diamond and Russell Mark.
Joe, who travelled to Cobar with dad Luke, contested seven events including a night shoot as part of a reasonably intense weekend of competition.
The youngest Ellison is the fourth generation to compete in sporting clays: his father Luke, grandfather Digger and his great-grandfather and namesake Joe, were all renowned in their sports' circles and achieved representative excellence.
Joe has grown up in the sport, as his dad did, and is now eagerly absorbing all he can from the State representative and Commonwealth competitor.
His 12-gauge is in immaculate condition and perfectly adjusted as being a millimetre out at the stand can mean you're five to 10 degrees off at the target.
"When you go into the lane to shoot, you have to have everything right from head to toe," Joe says.
Shooters have just 10 seconds to get themselves set up, but that's a long time in the sport.
With only a split second between calling "pull" and blowing the clay out of the sky, there is no room to consider anything other than that disc.
You also have to be able to find that focus under pressure when it comes to the competition final: Joe competed in a sudden-death shoot-off for the junior master title and it took place in difficult gusty wind conditions.
"You've got to be mentally tough," he explained.
He was so "in the zone" he didn't even realise he had won after 15 clays.
And it's actually that, that requires the hours of training.
"It's the mental side of it you have to practice," dad Luke says.
"If you do it right, it's exhausting."
The sport is incredibly popular, and the Ellisons feel that's due to the friendly nature of the competition.
At Cobar, they camped and competed alongside Olympians. Men and women, wheelchair athletes and able-bodied, all compete.
What does Joe love about it?
"Everything," he grins.
There's plenty of competition around the traps for the Ellisons. The State titles are in Wagga Wagga in October, and Joe will be representing the central zone as part of a three-man team after success at Condobolin at the Central Zone carnival.
The nationals will also be in Wagga Wagga next April.
