When's the last time you told yourself you'd go to the Grand American "someday"?

"Someday" when you're shooting better. "Someday" when you feel ready. "Someday" when it makes sense.

Here's what Tracy Kienitz wants you to know about someday, and here's what the women who made the trip to the Grand American found out when they got there. By the end of this post, you'll understand why someday keeps getting pushed back, and exactly what it takes to make it this year instead.

Why Women Put the Grand American Off

The Grand American World Trapshooting Championship is the biggest trap shoot on the planet. Eleven days at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois, from late July into early August. Thousands of competitors from the United States and from countries around the world. Women who drove in from Montana, flew in from Brazil, made the journey from countries across the globe, all because this is where serious trap shooters go.

That scale is exactly what makes women hesitate. When you're shooting local leagues and regional registered shoots, the Grand American can feel like a different universe. Too many shooters. Too high a level. Not yet, not until you're better.

The trap community has a way of making women feel like the Grand is for someone else, some more experienced, more serious, more legitimate version of them that doesn't exist yet. That's the lie worth calling out. Because the women who finally go to the Grand American for the first time don't arrive as different shooters than the ones who kept saying someday. They just decided to go.

What the Grand American Is Really Like

Tracy has been there. She knows what it feels like to walk onto those grounds as a woman who belongs, and she wants to tell you what to expect before you go.

The Grand American runs eleven days. The fields run in long rows across the complex, and the sound of targets breaking is constant from opening morning to the final event. Every skill level competes. Women who've been shooting for thirty years line up alongside women competing at a major for the first time. There are divisions and categories designed for where you are in your journey, not where you think you should be.

On top of that, the Grand has been shaped over decades by people who gave everything to this sport, including those the trap community has lost along the way. It carries that weight. You'll feel it when you're there.

What surprises most first-time women competitors isn't the size. It's how much it feels like home.

The Shotgun Sisterhood Shows Up at the Grand

Tracy founded the Women's Shooting Sports Association, known as the Shotgun Sisterhood, to build a community for women in the sport at home in Montana. The belonging, the encouragement, the women cheering for each other on the line. That same energy shows up at the Grand American on a world stage.

Women's participation in shooting sports has grown steadily for years. According to data from the National Rifle Association, 32.2% of sport shooting participants in 2022 were women, up from 25.8% in 2009. The Grand American reflects that growth. You'll see women at every level of competition, from first-timers to veterans who've made this trip dozens of times. When you get there, you'll recognize the community immediately.

If you've ever stood at a local league shoot and felt like the odd one out, the Grand American is going to feel like a correction. You'll find your people.

---

If the Grand American is your goal this year, your equipment needs to be ready before you get there. A fitting with Tracy at Passionate Outlaws covers vision, fit, equipment, and mindset. You'll leave knowing your gun can handle the conditions the Grand asks of it. Book your fitting here. 

---

What to Know Before You Go

The Grand American is enormous, and knowing what to expect makes all the difference. Here's what Tracy tells every woman heading there for the first time.

Get there with your equipment sorted.

This isn't the place to discover your gun needs attention. Your chokes, your shells, your vision setup, your mount. All of it should be handled before you arrive. At Passionate Outlaws, Tracy fits women to guns they can trust before major competitions, including the Lady Outlaw series designed by Tracy and manufactured by Kolar Arms, and the Syren line of women's-specific competition shotguns.

The Lady Outlaw, for example, is a trap-built gun with stock geometry and a pistol grip radius specifically designed for female hand size, so your trigger finger pulls straight back instead of back and up. That mechanical difference shows up in your scores across a long competition day. Women who've demo'd both back to back at Passionate Outlaws consistently notice the difference within the same session.

One more thing to pack before you leave home: a serious plan for staying hydrated. Your eyes are 98% water, and even mild dehydration can affect tear film quality, blur your sight picture, and increase eye strain across long shooting days. Research in Current Eye Research shows mild dehydration can change corneal thickness and affect focus. On a July range in southern Illinois, that adds up fast. Drink water consistently throughout each day of the Grand, not just when you feel thirsty.

Your gun fit matters more here, not less.

In Summer heat across multiple days, every gap in your fit gets amplified. If your length of pull is off, your mount is off. If your comb height is wrong, your eye line is wrong. Small inconsistencies become real problems over multiple days of competition. Get fitted before you go. You'll thank yourself by day three.

Talk to the women around you.

The Shotgun Sisterhood is real at the Grand American. Introduce yourself. Cheer for the women on the line next to you. Ask questions. The women who jump into the community at their first Grand leave with more than competition experience. They leave with a network that shows up for them all target year.

Trust that you belong there.

This is the one Tracy says matters most. Women hold themselves back from the Grand because they don't think they're ready or good enough. There's no skill threshold to belong at the Grand. There's only the willingness to show up. The competition takes care of itself. Your job is to get there.

The Women Who Go Don't Regret It

The ATA target year runs September 1 through August 31. The Grand American is the peak of that calendar. Every registered shoot you compete in during the year is preparation for it.

At Passionate Outlaws, Tracy works with women at every point in that journey. Whether you're shooting your first registered event this season or you've been on the trap line for years, the same four-pillar process applies: vision first, fit second, equipment third, mindset fourth. All four working together is what gets a woman to the Grand and keeps her coming back.

The women who get to the Grand American and come back year after year aren't extraordinary athletes who had it easy. They're women who decided to take it seriously. Who got fitted. Who worked on their mental game. Who stopped waiting for someday and picked a date.

That's you. It's always been you.

Make the Grand American Your Goal This Year

The Grand American opens July 29. If you're going this year, your equipment needs to be ready now. If next year is your target, the time to start building toward it is right now.

Either way, the next step is the same: book a fitting with Tracy at Passionate Outlaws, find out what your gun is doing and what it could be doing, and walk onto the line knowing the answer.

FAQ

What is the Grand American trapshooting championship?

The Grand American World Trapshooting Championship is the largest trap shooting event in the world. It runs eleven days in Sparta, Illinois, draws thousands of competitors from the United States and countries around the world, and includes events for all skill levels and categories. It's organized by the Amateur Trapshooting Association and is the pinnacle of the ATA target year, which runs September 1 through August 31.

Can women compete at the Grand American?

Yes, absolutely. Women compete in their own categories and alongside the full field across all events. Women's participation at the Grand American has grown significantly in recent years. There's no skill threshold to enter. Any ATA member in good standing can register to compete.

What do I need to know before my first Grand American?

Arrive with your equipment in top condition. Your gun should be properly fitted before the event, not after. Bring enough shells for your events plus extras. Connect with other women on the grounds. And trust that you belong there. Tracy at Passionate Outlaws works with women specifically to prepare for events like the Grand, covering gun fit, vision, and the mental game.

How do I get my gun ready for the Grand American?

Book a fitting with Tracy at Passionate Outlaws before you go. A fitting evaluates your mount, your vision, and how your current gun is affecting your performance, then puts you in guns designed for your body so you can feel the difference firsthand. The Lady Outlaw series and Syren shotguns are both available to demo at Passionate Outlaws.

Someday is a choice. So is this year.

Book your fitting and make it happen!

Stay Relentless.