Logan Wilson Wins Gold at the 2024 Para Trap Grand Prix
By Louie Avery

Nineteen-year-old Logan Wilson returned home in June from the Para Trap Grand Prix in Hillsdale, Michigan, wearing a gold medal around his neck.

“Trap” refers to the Olympic shooting sport, in which athletes shoot “clays” in the sky. Logan has been competitively shooting since he was a child.

“When I was about 12 years old, my father found out about the Arkansas Youth Shot Shooting Program, now known as the Youth Shot Shooting Program,” Logan said. “Just like that, Dad started our first YSSP team. My parents have always been there encouraging me. Dad helped me find ways to adapt to my disability and to perform better on the line.”

*Logan’s father, Shane, introduced him to Ozarks coach Lance Brown (left). photo courtesy of hillsdale college.*

Logan was born with VATER Syndrome, a condition marked by fetal growth abnormalities affecting the vertebrae, anus, trachea, esophagus, and renal system. He uses both a walker and wheelchair.

Logan’s father, Shane, played a large role in Logan’s development as an athlete, as did Arkansas Game and Fish officials Caleb Coulter and Nick Adams.

*Logan with his sister Lillian Wilson, and his mom and dad, Brandy and Shane Wilson. submitted photo.*

“When I first started shooting, Caleb was the range master,” Logan said. “He helped me find different methods of training in order to improve. When he left, Nick took over and helped fine-tune the foundation that my dad and Caleb had built. My father introduced me later to who would become my collegiate coach, Lance Brown.”

Logan is a student at the University of the Ozarks, where he is a member of the men’s clay target shooting team. While competing for the Ozarks Eagles in San Antonio, Texas, he met champion shooter Dale Royer, who invited him to Michigan for the Grand Prix. Logan is now a part of Royer’s USA Para Trap Shooting Team, which represents the nation in competitions across the globe.

“I want to finish my education through a doctoral degree and work as a clinical psychologist when i graduate.” – Logan Wilson photo courtesy of hillsdale college.

Shane said that his son’s journey with shooting sports has been “a wild ride.”

“The first thing to understand about Logan’s journey through shooting sports is his personality. I have never met a shooter with more grit and determination,” he said. “Logan has always had a super competitive side and the need to prove something. That could be part of his normal personality, or it could be a reaction to his disability. Either way, it is his driving force.

“Logan’s success is more of a testament to his work ethic and dedication than it is to anything else,” his father continued. “He always listens with the intent of improving. Sometimes he gets upset when I can’t tell him what he’s doing wrong. I don’t think he realizes we’re learning this together.”

Logan’s drive to learn and succeed is not limited to athletics. He also played the violin, mandolin, guitar, and electric bass throughout his youth.

“I really enjoyed band [class], as it gave me a place to play music, which has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” he said. “Many good memories were made playing old country and blues with my grandfather and a few family friends on Monday nights. I played at church on a few special occasions.”

Logan also takes academics seriously. According to Brandy, his mother and teacher, he always has.

“When Logan became school-age, he was scheduled to have several surgeries over the next few years. That’s when I came home from my first-grade teaching job at Mineral Springs [to homeschool him],” she said. “I had never really heard much about homeschooling, so it was new to all of us. I found a local homeschool group, and we plunged in full-force. Logan was an easy student. He loved to learn and really enjoyed our day-to-day homeschool lives. He flourished at home and quickly became immersed in learning everything he could. When his baby sister Lillian was born, he even loved to teach her lessons during our school times.”

Brandy has called Logan her hero since his birth.

“Logan has taught me so much about life and what is important,” she said. “Being his mother and teacher is an honor and privilege.”

Brandy’s proudest moment came when Logan made the President’s List at the University of the Ozarks. Of course, she is also proud of his athletic performances, the latest of which has earned him a trip to Italy for the Para Trap World Championships.

Logan with fellow competitors Becky Noble (silver) and Zach Jones (bronze) at the Para Trap Grand Prix in Michigan. submitted photo.

Winning his recent gold medal has given Logan the confidence to excel in Italy. Soon, he must start fundraising for that trip. He already boasts many great supporters, including the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Mack’s Prairie Wings, Mallards for Marion, SNELL Prosthetics and Orthodontics, Graco Corp, Midway Baptist Church, and his many friends and family.

Logan’s long-term goals include helping his team convince the USA Olympic Board to add a USA Para Trap team in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Para trap athletes all over the nation are eagerly awaiting the board’s decision, which is expected this year. If the sport is recognized, athletes will be able to qualify for the Olympics at a competition in 2026.

Though Logan’s sport requires extreme focus, when it comes to his future, Logan’s vision is anything but narrow.

“I want to finish my education through a doctoral degree and work as a clinical psychologist when I graduate,” he said.

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