George Chen
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Home Club/Range: Toronto International Trap and Skeet Club
Disciplines: Men's Trap, American Trap
Started Shooting: George first got into shooting when he was younger, during a small game hunting trip with his grandpa. In 2020, a group of friends introduced George to the American trap field, and that’s where his passion for shooting reignited. From there, a mentor guided him into competitive shooting, and he’s been hooked ever since!
Highlights:
2021 ATA Ontario Provincial Resident New Shooter Champion
2023 ATA Quebec Provincial Handicap Non-Resident Champion and Highest Score
2023 ATA Quebec Provincial Singles Non-Resident Champion
2023 ATA Ontario Provincial Singles Open AA Class Champion and Highest Singles Score
2023 Intercounty Trapshooting League Champion
2024 Olympic Trap Ontario Provincial Bronze Medal
2024 Olympic Trap Canadian National 5th Place
Advice for newcomers to the sport: Believe in yourself. Follow your dream. Never back down.
Favourite Memory:
In the summer of 2021, I competed in the Ontario ATA Provincial Championship. Let’s just say my performance didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, so in a fit of self-pity, I decided to leave early. About 40 minutes into my drive home, still stewing in my disappointment, my phone rang. It was my mentor, yelling, 'Where are you? You’ve got a shoot-off to get to!'
Obviously, I was too far down the highway to make it back. I kicked myself the whole way home, swearing I’d never leave a match early again. Here’s the twist: turns out I still won the trophy—because the other competitor had also left! That day, I learned two things: first, always stick around for the shoot-off, and second, sometimes the universe rewards bad decisions with a good laugh.
Hobbies: Any shooting discipline (Of course!), Travelling, Reading, and Walking his dog!