It all started with Foster picking up a flyer at their school about tryouts for the local shooting team.
Both Matt, Foster, and Buddy (dad) had a passion for the outdoors, so they went to check it out.
Matt and Foster were both recognized quickly with their shooting skills, and both made the Rapid City SCTP team. With help of their coach, John Bracken, they and three other shooters won the SD SCTP state title, and continued on all the way to the top when they won the 2006 SCTP National Title.
Matt and Foster continued shooting in the ATA (Amateur Trapshooting Association) independently. Both of their talents were getting more recognized by other shooters, but in 2008, the Bartholow name was quickly recognized as Foster went into the longest shoot-off in history with undoubtedly one of the "greats" in trapshooting history, Leo Harrison III, for the Singles Clay Target Championship.
Both shot 200x200 in the event, and an extra 900x900 in shoot-off before the president of the ATA came out on the last afternoon of the Grand American to ask the gentlemen if they would have the honor of sharing the CTC as Co-Champions after a remarkable 1,100 x 1,100 each..they both graciously accepted, and another record in the history books as the first ever to share a co-championship at the Grand.
At that same shoot at the Grand American in 2008, Matt won the Doubles Championship in the Jr Category.
Fast forward to 2011, Matt won the Grand American Doubles Championship in a battle of talent with many of the best doubles shooters in the world. That same year, Foster won the Preliminary Handicap Championship with the lone 100x100 from the 27 yard line.
The Bartholow Brothers were quickly recognized as top-tier shooters, and with the help of sponsors, they accelerated their game by shooting more and structuring FREE shooting clinics throughout the US to start giving back to the shooting community.
Over the last several years, the Bartholow Brothers reputation and achievement list continued to grow. Matt has continued to grow his name on the top of the list, and holds the second long run in registered doubles with 910 broken doubles targets in 2017/18. He also holds the record for the second longest run in singles with an 1,840 consecutive registered targets broken. Matt won the 2600 HOA in 2019 with a 2553/2600 at the Grand American, that same title in 2017 with 2556/2600, and won runner up in 2018 and 2012 with 2551/2600 and 2525/2600. Foster has a long list of notable accomplishments as well, winning the Winchester Super 500 Singles at the Grand in 2008 and 2009, and many other titles at the Grand American Trap shoot.
The biggest accomplishment to them has been noted as one of the most recognized family for giving back to the community. Buddy and Char (parents), have done so much for not only their sons, but also for the trapshooting community by helping others, giving their time graciously, and making sure that this sport is better now than when their sons got into trapshooting, all without ever asking anything back for themselves, but rather growing the sport.
About the Bartholow Brothers came from trapshootingbros.com
