Weeks later, he picked up a second-place finish at the Georgia state trap shooting championship in an area of the sport he had begun competing in only a few months earlier. Last year, Parnell shot in the U.S. Open, a national shooting competition. However, an ejector in his shotgun broke, and he had to borrow an unfamiliar gun from another competitor. Parnell added that the sporting clay side of the sport often sponsors charity shoots in which most of the proceeds go to charitable organizations. He said he often competes in benefit shoots for the American Cancer Society, since he himself is a cancer survivor.
Serious competitors do stand to make some money in the sport.
But without a professional sponsorship, making a living off the sport is hard. The costs of ammunition and travel expenses can really add up, Parnell said. To save money on ammunition, Parnell, with the help of his girlfriend Linda Barnett, reloads the shells he uses at most shoots, except for the bigger competitions which require new factory target shells. She reloads most of my shells, and she really enjoys doing it. It saves a lot of money, plus she is three times better at it than me.