The University always has boasted many teams that contend for national titles. At times, Virginia even featured National Champions, but it was not until this year that Virginia could claim a national champion in clay shooting among its ranks - not until J.B. Cantey won that title Sept. 12 in San Antonio.
Cantey, a second-year College student who is also a member of the men's crew team, has participated in clay shooting for the past seven years, after his father took up the sport.
"About seven years ago, a bunch of Dad's friends got him into clay shooting, and he did it for about six months," Cantey said. "I would go out with him on Sundays to the range and just sit there and read while he'd shoot. One day, he let me try it, and I liked it, so I kept doing it. I shot every weekend for two or three years until I started getting really good at it, and then I started going to tournaments around the country."
Although Cantey has participated in tournaments for the last five years, he said this past year was really the breakthrough for him, culminating in his capture of the national title in San Antonio last month.
The championship is held every year and is an open event, although according to Cantey, only about 25 people are considered to have a legitimate opportunity to win.
The competition is a four-day event, where participants shoot 75 targets a day on four different courses. There are also three smaller side events, which count toward the championship, but are not quite as significant.
By the end of the first day of the championship, Cantey hit 70 targets and was tied with four other participants at the front of the competition. Cantey's performance was impressive enough, given that at 20 years old, he is at least 10 years younger than most other serious competitors.
"Most of the other top shooters are in their mid-thirties," Cantey said. "They've had at least a couple years more experience than I have."
But the second day of the competition was even more impressive.
"We went to one of the hardest courses, I straighted the entire course by the time that I got to the last station," Cantey said. "I dropped the first long incomer, and I shot a 74 out of 75. The crowd went nuts. That was probably the best part of the whole weekend. I was out in front of everyone else.
"The guy closest to me was this guy named Scott Robertson, who was a eight-time Team USA, who won seven or eight international competitions and he was behind me by eight," he said.
On the third day, Robertson closed the lead to six by shooting a 71, while Cantey shot a 69.
"The last day of the competition, I dropped eight birds on my first three stations," Cantey said. "I calmed down and straighted the next three stations. [Robertson] shot a 70 and I shot a 65 and won by one target."
With the win, Cantey now is ranked No. 1 in the country.
"J.B. was the youngest person to win the championship by six years," said his father, Joe Cantey. "It was really one of the neatest things for me, as his father and coach, to see him do this."
His father's praise is especially important in light of his own success in the sport, Cantey said.
"Dad is very good. He is the Veterans [over 55] Team Captain - has been for two years," he said. "He's been on the team for three. He has an individual medal in the Worlds. There's only four people in the U.S. who have individual medals in the Worlds, and he has one of them. He taught me everything."
Read More
Virginia adds six promising players in second week of the transfer period
By Peter Kriebel | 2 days agoVirginia has reinforced several positions throughout its roster, and more additions may be on the way.
Reflecting on a year of incredible achievement by women’s sports at Virginia
By Eleanor Buchanan , Caroline Wulff and Cierra Lyles | 3 days agoThree Cavalier Daily staff writers share their thoughts on 2024 highlights.
Late run pushes men’s basketball past American
By Thomas Baxter | 4 days agoVirginia squeezed out a win to end non-conference play.
