Trap Talk From The Back Fence — Episode 158

Title: Overcoming the Unthinkable: Kooper Freston’s Fight Back in Trap Shooting
Date: January 9, 2026
Hosts: Zach Nannini & Richard Marshall Jr. (“Ricky”)
Guest: Kooper D. Freston

Episode Overview

This impactful episode welcomes rising trap shooting star Kooper Freston for an in-depth conversation about his family legacy, competitive journey, and remarkable comeback from a life-altering eye injury. Hosts Zach and Ricky explore not just Kooper’s technical skill but his resilience, mental fortitude, and the family and communal support that propelled him through perhaps the greatest challenge of his young life. The episode resonates with emotion, practical advice, and a powerful message about overcoming adversity in sports and life.

1. Kooper’s Trap Shooting Story: Family, Equipment, and Early Success

• Timestamps: 01:00 – 10:30

• Family Legacy: Kooper hails from Roosevelt, Utah and represents the third generation of active trap shooters in his family. His grandfather built the family trap club and served as ATA president in 1989.
  • “I was always around the trap club at Grandma’s... messed around on the trap range, not knowing what it was at all... Eventually, John Vosnos came and was like, you’re coming to shoot, talking to dad.” – Kooper, 04:18
  • Ricky fondly pokes about Randall (Kooper’s dad formerly “Randy”) and highlights the tight-knit family environment.
• Rapid Ascendancy: Kooper started ATA competition at age 13 after shooting about 50 practice singles. His rookie year saw major achievements:
  • Won the Utah State Handicap Championship
  • Made the All American team for the first time
  • Hit 100 and then 200 straight targets in competition (Labor Day shoot, Spanish Fork, Utah)
• Early Equipment Choices: Initially shot a TMX made by Parazzi, then a Perazzi MX3 for his rookie year, switching to a Krieghoff with a pro-soft stock mid-tournament after discovering an ill-fitting stock.
  • “Scores instantly went up. I started hitting them harder… that handicapped championship, I was one off high with [the] Krieghoff.” – Kooper, 08:35
• Emotional Drive: Kooper describes how being surrounded by competitors who knew his family history stoked his ‘addiction’ to the sport.
  • “There was a dedication. I was in it, and I was stuck in there and I thought it was cool.” – 06:57

2. The Accident: Facing the Unthinkable

• Timestamps: 10:30 – 16:30

• The Incident: On New Year’s, Kooper suffered a devastating accident—a BB pellet gun shot to the eye.
  • The pellet (copper, and toxic to the eye) went behind and around his eye, requiring emergency surgery. He was life-flighted to Salt Lake City.
  • “I went into surgery not knowing if I’d come out with an eye… miraculously… they shoved a magnet back there and it popped out on the last try, really.” – Kooper, 11:08
• Recovery and Residual Effects: Nearly lost the eye, expected to, but doctors successfully removed the BB with a magnet in a last-ditch effort.
  • Permanent damage includes “floaters,” a blind spot, and significant blurriness. “I have more floaters than that veteran next to me on post five… blood back there I have to look through.” – 14:47
  • Also, Kooper is red-green colorblind, making target acquisition much harder, especially against certain backgrounds (e.g., at Vegas or among trees).
    • “To boot, not be able to see the color of a target… a lot of backgrounds can affect it… I see [the] target as kind of a tannish brown.” – Kooper/Ricky, 13:05–13:35

3. Adapting Technique & Mental Resilience

• Timestamps: 16:55 – 44:04

• Innovating Solutions: After his vision changed, Kooper struggled with seeing his barrel and targets.
  • Ricky suggests wrapping white tape on the barrel’s end—a technique borrowed from ISSF skeet shooters—to increase barrel awareness.
    • “It was drastic. It really helped… just having a bit of that barrel awareness…” — Kooper, 19:12
• Mental Hurdles: Kooper’s rehabilitation involved far more than physical healing:
  • Emotional toll: “It was almost just getting through life at that point. …I wanted that All American team really, really bad... watched my name drop and drop… I just really wanted to push for that All American team. Wanted to prove people wrong.” – 20:13
  • Restrictive recovery: Bed rest, limited movement, couldn’t shower or walk upstairs due to risk of eye bleeding.
• Source of Inspiration: At Montana State Shoot, Kooper met a 10-year-old boy who lost his eye to a hunting accident but continued to shoot — providing Kooper priceless perspective.
  • “That really kept me going, seeing how that little kid... if he can do it, I could do it type of deal.” — 26:34

4. The Mindset of a Champion: Gratitude and Perspective

• Timestamps: 27:10 – 32:08

• Emphasis on Safety: The accident’s lessons drive home the importance of always wearing eye protection and never pointing a gun at anyone—even with airsoft/BB guns.
  • “It’s so important, so important to wear eye protection all the time... I’ve had a pellet hit my glasses and crack... large enough to take your eye right out.” — Zach, 27:10
• Perspective on Adversity: Kooper and the hosts compare his challenge to everyday setbacks, emphasizing gratitude.
  • “So many people... are upset because their coffee was cold… and they got to walk in the cold. And there’s so many people walking around with entitlement… you have to look at that and just say, it’s a blessing to be alive... to be able to go out and do our sport.” — Zach, 29:24
  • “That win is five times bigger than it would be to any other person.” — Kooper, on his Autumn Grand win, 30:55

5. Technical Adjustments Post-Injury

• Timestamps: 33:31 – 41:10

• Shooting Mechanics: Kooper tried to keep his fundamentals the same but had to make adjustments due to impaired right vision.
  • Raised his hold point slightly to accommodate difficulty tracking high targets.
  • Shifted left on the trap house to compensate for the new blind spot.
    • “I went out a little bit to the left more than what I used to… that blind spot covers that left side.” — Kooper, 36:21
  • Describes the necessity of trusting muscle memory and shooting “off feel,” since visual cues are unreliable:
    • “Pretty much what you see is the side of the barrel and there’s a target and then you’re just trying to look at it and shoot.” — 37:18
  • “There’s nothing to tell you that you’re on the bird… it’s all instinct now.” — 37:46
• Equipment for Colorblindness: Kooper recommends red-green colorblind Pilla glasses for others with color deficiency.
  • “I really recommend the red green colorblind Pillas for anyone colorblind.” — 39:30
• Trust the Process: Instinct and trust replace over-analysis, especially with his new disadvantages. Ricky cautions not to “overthink, overanalyze.” – 47:34

6. Historic Comeback: Winning the Autumn Grand Handicap

• Timestamps: 41:13 – 51:30

• Mental Pivot: Despite a rough Singles Championship, Kooper adopted a “nothing to lose” mindset for the Handicap.
  • “I had nothing to lose… go kick some butt. And it worked.” – 43:03
  • Before each box, Kooper tells himself:
    • “You’re here, you’re shooting, have fun. …I have told myself, I will never be that person [to throw shells and yell].” — 43:39
• Final Stretch: Ran the middle 50, dropped one on the first box, two on the last; focused on fun and positivity despite nerves.
  • “I was nervous, but I looked past that pretty quick and tried to get in a very offensive mindset.” — 44:09
• Victory: Waited anxiously for results alongside friends and family.
  • Ultimately tied with Trey Wilburn, but Trey left before the shoot-off and Kooper became champion by default.
  • “I knew it was raining, it was windy... I knew it would be somewhat up there, didn’t know if it would stick, but I was ready if I had to shoot off.” — 49:10

7. Looking Ahead: Goals, Gratitude, and Advice

• Timestamps: 51:30 – end

• Future Goals: Kooper is focused on enjoying the sport, continuing to heal, and maybe pursuing another All American team and the AAA 27 AAA accomplishment.
  • “I just want to keep shooting and breaking scores and proving I’m capable of being here.” – 56:13
  • “The cards are dealt. Let’s just keep playing them.” — Kooper, 56:51
• Powerful Support System: Thanks mom (Holly), dad (Randall), his twin Chloe (“Told me to suck it up and do it”), siblings, and coaches/friends for constant support throughout adversity.
  • “Grandma comes first, always… gotta thank everyone who’s supported me. Sean, Ricky, Zach, you guys have all been here for me… I thank every surgeon… they sure ran a miracle.” – 57:59
  • Shoutout to Outlaw Engineering, Trap Talk community, and all sponsors who supported his journey.
• Inspiring Mindset: Kooper’s resilience and gratitude give hope and wisdom to other youth shooters (and adults) struggling with setbacks, whether mental or physical.
  • “To have that mindset… there’s adults I know who wouldn’t have that mindset. You know, the anger sets in… but, you know, you got a great mindset, you know, thankfully to your mother… and everyone around you.” – Ricky, 56:54

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Adversity:
  • “It’s sure been a physical and emotional. Biggest bump in my life by far.” – Kooper, 10:40
  • “I went into surgery not knowing if I’d come out with an eye… miraculously, after four hours, they were about to give up… it popped out on the last try, really.” – 11:08
• On Mental Resilience:
  • “Even I, at first, shooting was out the window for the year… but I wanted that All American team really, really bad.” – Kooper, 20:13
  • “[After meeting another injured youth shooter:] If he can do it, I could do it type of deal.” – 26:34
• On Perspective:
  • “The cards are dealt. Let’s just keep playing them.” – Kooper, 56:51
  • “There’s so many people walking around this world with entitlement… you have to look at that and just say, it’s a blessing to be alive, to have vision.” – Zach, 29:24

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Description | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | Introduction & Family Background | Kooper’s upbringing in a multigenerational trap family | 01:00–06:00 | | Entering Competitive Trap | Early achievements and love for the game | 06:00–10:30 | | BB Gun Accident & Injury | Details of the accident, surgery, and aftermath | 10:30–16:30 | | Equipment & Technical Adjustments | Switching guns, visual aids, and new style | 07:30–08:53, 33:31–41:10 | | Mental Recovery & Meeting the “Montana Kid” | Overcoming emotional hurdles, perspective gained | 20:13–26:34 | | Winning the Autumn Grand | High-pressure championship moments | 41:13–51:30 | | Future Plans & Mindset | Goals, gratitude, and ongoing journey | 51:30–end |

Closing Thoughts

Kooper Freston’s story isn’t merely about overcoming setbacks in trap shooting, but about resilience in the face of the unexpected and the power of community support. The episode is both an educational resource on technical adaptation and an inspiring lesson in the right competitive mindset—reminding us all that with adversity comes the opportunity for even greater triumph.