California Clays

Today’s guest is someone whose work is changing the way top shooters see the game—literally. Dr. Ed Lyons is a renowned sports vision consultant who works with elite athletes across a range of disciplines, including some of the best clay shooters in the world. With a background in optometry and a deep understanding of eye performance under pressure, Ed helps shooters unlock visual skills most of u...

Dominic Grossi is a professional sporting clays and FITASC shooter and instructor based out of Houston, Texas. As a member of the U.S. Sporting Clays and FITASC Teams, for nine consecutive years, Dominic has won over a dozen medals in international competition, including the men's team gold medal in the 2023 World FITASC Championship in Budapest. In 2025, Dominic has already claimed the U.S. FITAS...

Anthony Matarese, Jr. is a 26-time NSCA All-American and 18-time Team USA Member that holds the honor of being the first American to win the World Sporting Clays Championship. Inducted into the NSCA Hall of Fame in 2014, Anthony is one of the most renowned shooters in the sporting clays world with a bevy of regional, national, and world titles under his belt. In 2020, Anthony became the first pers...

Today’s guest is none other than Chad Roberts— a name you’ve probably seen on leaderboards across the country. Chad is the 2019 California State Champion in both Sporting and FITASC, the 2016 CA State FITASC Champion, a 4-time All-American and a former PSCA Pro. He is also a shooting coach and runs his own school called Breakpoint Shooting Instruction. The road to becoming a top level competitor c...

In this episode, I’m joined by a California standout—Justin Fox. If you shoot sporting clays in the Golden State, you already know his name. Justin started young, trained under the guidance of Jay Braccini and Dan Carlisle, and quickly rose through the ranks—from Junior State Champion to a two-time CA State Champion, winning it all in 2021 and again in 2023. He was a 9x All American. From 2003 to...

On today's episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Ed Solomons. Many of you know him from the many videos he has done for TGS, ShotKam and Schoffel Country. You can find them all on YouTube. If you don't know Ed, he is a very accomplished shooter who has been shooting for the past 27 years and has also been a sought after international clay shooting coach since 2015. Ed coaches shooters of vari...

In Part 3 of this series, Gary, Jay, Lance and I discussed upcoming shooting events for the International sports, and the importance of promoting Olympic shooting sports in the U.S. We also addressed the issue of people falsely claiming to be Olympic athletes or coaches, and the excitement surrounding the U.S. shooting team for the upcoming Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In Part 2 of this episode I interview Jay Waldron and Lance Bade. Former Olympic Athletes in bunker trap and double trap and recently retired coaches to the U.S. Olympic team in the shotgun disciplines. Jay and Lance have a wealth of knowledge. We discuss their experience as Olympic competitors and their switch to coaching these elite athletes. Lance and Jay emphasize the importance of building tr...

In this episode I interview Jay Waldron and Lance Bade. Former Olympic Athletes in bunker trap and double trap and recently retired coaches to the U.S. Olympic team in the shotgun disciplines. Jay and Lance have a wealth of knowledge. We discuss their experience as Olympic competitors and their switch to coaching these elite athletes. The discussion also covered their coaching philosophies, the un...

I interviewed, Desirae Edmunds, multiple-time World Champion, National Sporting Clays Champion, multiple time Team USA team Captain and multiple time All-American. She has also been a 16x member of Team USA. Desi's accolades in the clay shooting sports are impressive. Desi is a trailblazer for women in the shotgun shooting sports and has been a great role model and ambassador for its growth. Desi...

I interviewed Brett Seibert. General Manager of Northbrook Sports Club and NSCA Executive Council Member. Brett and I discussed a variety of topics, including his experience on what it is like managing a world-class gun club. The growth of the club under his leadership and how the club built a supportive and active membership. He also talks about the new initiative that the NSCA is pondering, a re...

In this episode of California Clays, I interview Jake James, the 2024 California State Champion in both FITASC and Sporting Clays. In just four years, Jake has risen to the top of the competitive sporting clays world in California and has quickly established himself as a serious contender on both the regional and national stages. We explore the key factors behind his rapid progression between 2020...

I interview, 2020 and 2024 US Olympian, multiple time World and National Champion, Derrick Mein. Derrick is known as one of the best All Round shotgunners in the world. We discuss his experience and approach to competitive shooting, his gun setup, and mental strategies. Derrick also shared the lessons he's learned from competing on the largest stages including his Olympic journey and his World FIT...

I interview Gary Fitzjarrell, 5th generation shotgunner, former All American, former Team USA Member, member of numerous All State Teams, holder of multiple State Titles, and inducted into the Illinois State Hall of Fame. Now retired from farming, Gary is the owner and operator of FLC Shooting Grounds in Whitehall, IL. He is also the Admin for one of the largest Facebook clay shooting groups, "Cla...