Team Mascot Cooper

Peter has been involved in shotgun sports for 12 years and has worked with different coaches from around the country.  He earned a position on the Scholastic Clay Target Program National Team for two years.  

He has attained National Rifle Association Level 1 Shotgun Coach certification, National Sporting Clays Association Level 1 Shotgun Coach certification, Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation Basic Shotgun Coach,  and SafeSport Trained Core.  He is currently working toward his NSCA Level 2 coaching certification and the International Shooting Sport Federation D Course.  

Assistant Coach JD Kilby

Practice Facility

Coach Joe has been shooting pistols, rifles, and shotguns since he was eight years old. He got more interested in the shooting sports while in the Boy Scouts. After school, he entered the Air Force and became a military working dog handler. He pursued pistol, rifle, and tactical shotgun and became a range safety officer.

Joe achieved an elite level of performance in Judo.  His determination and skill earned him a spot on the 1980 Olympic Judo team.  Unfortunately, this was the year in which the United States boycotted the Olympics so Joe's dream of competition in the Olympics was not fully achieved.

After separating from the Air Force, Joe went into law enforcement until he jumped into the private investigative business. Due to his hunting interests, he pursued trap and sporting clays, and has been instructing people in trap shooting since 1985.

Coach Patrick took a rather strange path to becoming a shotgun coach.  While he grew up in a very competitive household, there were never any guns in the home.  His father was a college basketball coach, from whom he gets his competitiveness and coaching prowess. 

Coach Patrick’s son loved guns from a very early age and he could tell you about any gun when he was 5 years old.  His son’s grandfather starting taking him to gun ranges and was always remarking about his son shooting to the point he suggested joining a youth team.  This started Coach Patrick's journey into the shotgun sports. 

Coach Patrick said, "I thought that if my son loved this sport so much I needed to learn all I could about it so in 2010 I obtained NRA Level 1 Coaching Certification.  Through the years I have gleaned and soaked up as much coaching information as I could from other world renowned coaches.  Through those years I have taken what I have learned and put them into practice for our teams with great success.  I’m proud to say we have consistently had one of the best shooting teams in the country and have placed many an athlete on podiums in some of the biggest events in the country."  

​We are fortunate to call Tampa Bay Sporting Clays our home range.

Coach JD's biography is coming soon!

TAMPA BAY CLAYS    Youth Clay Target Shooting Team

Coach Emeritus Daryl Patrick

Coach Emeritus Joe Milone

Head Coach Peter Meola

Never far from Coach Peter, Cooper is our team mascot.  Cooper is an Australian Cattle Dog that developed an uncanny talent for catching frisbees and chasing kangaroos back in the Outback. One day, Cooper's adventurous spirit led him on a journey far across the seas to the United States. Little did he know, his life was about to take a very unexpected turn.

At a small range in the Tampa area, Cooper stumbled upon a group of locals practicing trap shooting for the upcoming Olympics. Intrigued by the flying discs, Cooper thought they were the biggest, oddest-looking frisbees he had ever seen. With his natural athleticism and sharp instincts, Cooper quickly became the talk of the town.

Peter Meola, amazed by Cooper's accuracy and speed, decided to train him for the Olympic trap shooting trials. Cooper, being a quick learner, took to the sport like a duck to water (or rather, like a dingo to a dust storm). With his keen eyesight and lightning-fast reflexes, he soon became a local sensation.

Word of Cooper's talent spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of the Australian Olympic Committee. They were thrilled to hear about their prodigal pup competing in the land of stars and stripes. Cooper, now proudly wearing an Australian flag bandana around his neck, was ready for the biggest adventure of his life - the Olympics!

The day of the Olympic trap shooting event arrived. Cooper, amidst the world's finest human athletes, stood proudly at the shooting range. The crowd was bewildered and amused to see a dog among the competitors, but Cooper's determination was unwavering. His tail wagged with excitement as he waited for the signal to start.

"Bark!" shouted Cooper, and the first clay pigeon soared into the air. Cooper's ears perked up, his eyes locked onto the target, and with a swift leap and a precise bark, he knocked the clay out of the sky. The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter, amazed at the unexpected turn of events.

Round after round, Cooper continued to impress. His accuracy was unmatched, his enthusiasm infectious. Spectators held up signs that read "Go Cooper!" and "Top Dog!" as he sailed through the competition.

In the end, Cooper didn't just win hearts—he won the gold medal! The Australian Cattle Dog from Down Under had done the impossible: he had taken the Olympic trap shooting world by storm. As he stood on the podium, a shiny gold medal hanging from his collar, Cooper couldn't help but let out a proud bark that echoed across the stadium.

And so, Cooper tale became legend—a story of a dog who crossed continents, defied expectations, and showed the world that with determination and a little bit of Aussie charm, anything is possible, even in the world of Olympic trap shooting.  He now spends his days sharing his wealth of knowledge with the Tampa Bay Clays Team.  While it looks like he is sleeping during practice, know that he is on the hunt for the next Olympic champion.