Jaxon McCauley is a straight shooter - literally. And now the 12-year-old Manheim Central Middle School student has the medals to prove it.

Jaxon competed at the 2025 Palmyra Spring Open & Henry Arms Pennsylvania Junior Grand Championship in May, where he earned two gold medals and three bronze medals for his performance over the two-day event.

He placed first in the USA Shooting Pennsylvania J3 category (15 & Under - Men) and the SCTP Pennsylvania Intermediate Category. Jaxon's third-place finishes were in the Henry Junior Grand Championship Final, USA Shooting Pennsylvania Overall and Open Category. Earlier this month, he traveled to Hillsdale, Mich., for the USA Shooting Shotgun Junior Olympic Championship for International Trap.

"Winning the medals felt great," said Jaxon, who is the son of Tyler and Shauna McCauley of Manheim. "I've been shooting this game for three years and have put in a lot of work to achieve my goals. Winning the medals at Palmyra shows me that the work is paying off."

As he competed, Jaxon focused on the present moment, with songs he heard on the radio during the drive to the range playing through his head.

"One important aspect of this game is to not think about what happened during your last shot or what your overall score is," said his mother. "A clear mind is important for consistency and success, so hearing a song during the competition while you're shooting can be a good thing."

Jaxon's sport, known as Olympic Trap, Bunker Trap or International Trap, uses a shotgun to hit clay targets that come out of a trap house at different heights and angles. It's one of the shooting sports featured in the Summer Olympics, Jaxon said, noting that many competitors refer to the sport simply as "Bunker."

"A round of Bunker is 25 targets shot at from five different stations or shooting spots, and each station can present either a left target, middle/straight target or a right target," he said. "In a round, you will receive two left targets, two right targets and one middle target at each station, but you do not know what target will be thrown when it's your turn to shoot."

Targets may be thrown up to a 45-degree angle left or right, with a maximum height of just under 10 feet. Targets come out of the trap machines between 65 and 70 miles per hour, and a shooter has two shots to break a target.

"You are scored on the number of targets you hit in each round," Jaxon explained. "A competition will total up your round scores into an overall score to determine place. The top six shooters will shoot a finals round, with the highest three scorers taking gold, silver and bronze."

Jaxon credits staying calm even when he missed as the secret to his success and noted that he had to compete in a shoot-off in the Palmyra finals.

"I was up against two other shooters - both very good shooters - for third bib," he said, referring to what bib numbers competitors have in the finals. "It took around 15 shots for us to determine who earned third badge - me."

He remembers one part of the competition in vivid detail: hitting his first 20 out of 25 in a competition round.

"This is a goal I have been working towards for a long time," he said.

Jaxon noted that he got into the sport sort of by accident.

"My dad and I were waiting to go shoot sporting clays for fun after my archery class at Palmyra," he shared, explaining that he shoots at the Palmyra Bunker at Palmyra Sportmen's Association. "We were waiting in the parking lot and saw a couple of guys shooting what we later learned was Bunker. I asked my dad if we could skip sporting clays and try that game instead. From there it's been Bunker all the way, which naturally led into competitions."

He credits his coaches, John Thompson and Dave Bechtold, with helping him reach his potential, along with support from other shooters and his parents.

He said while he loves the sport, he enjoys the community of people he's met even more.

"It's a tough game, and it's nice to have a good community of people around you who all understand the sport and the challenges it presents," he said.

When he's not at the range, Jaxon enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing baseball and football. He encourages other kids to try shooting sports.

"Stay calm and stick with it," he advised. "Be open to advice from others, but also trust yourself."

The Palmyra Sportsmen's Association is located at 410 Sportsman Road, Annville. Open practice is held year-round on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and anyone who is interested is invited to come out and try the sport. For more information, follow "Palmyra International Shotgun Range" on Facebook.