Madison Sharpe is a world-renowned sporting clays competitor. Her impressive list of accomplishments includes multiple awards from both the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA). She has earned numerous Ladies Champion titles at premier sporting clays tournaments across the country, including the Gator Cup, the Jack Links Cup and the Seminole Cup.
She was Ladies Champion in Sporting Clays at the inaugural Fujairah Mountain Shooting Championship in the United Arab Emirates in February 2023. Later that year, Madison won the title of 2023 Ladies Champion at the NSCA National Championships. She continued her winning ways during 2024, adding her second title of Ladies Champion at the NSCA U.S. Open and Jack Links Cup.
This year, she is continuing to add to her resume as she competes in the NSCA Championship Tour, powered by Winchester, where she is ranked among the top shooters as a member of the Pro Class. At the first stop on the 2025 tour, the U.S. Open in Mississippi, she won the Ladies Main Event High Over All title for the third time. Madison also won a total of nine events at the tournament, as well as claiming High Over All in the Winchester Ladies Cup.
Most recently, in June, at the NSCA Northeast Regional Championship, the second stop on the 2025 tour, she was Ladies Champion in both the Five-Stand and Preliminary events. Her accomplishments also earned her third place in the Winchester Ladies Cup at the regional.
Journey To The Top
So how did a little girl growing up on a farm near the small town of North, South Carolina, rise to the top of the competitive shotgunning world? Well, it all started when Madison’s father, Russell, took her hunting for the first time.
“My dad has always been a big hunter, and I remember he took me duck hunting for the first time when I was five years old in Arkansas. I was really small—just a petite little girl—and I went out there with him,” she said. “I just wanted to be with him. I’ve always loved spending time with my dad outdoors. He spent so much time with me, doing all kinds of things outside, and that’s where I found my love for hunting and the outdoors.”
Soon afterwards, she tagged along with her dad to a sporting clays charity shoot. Although she was small and could barely heft the gun, her father helped her take her first shots at clay targets. Breaking her first target ignited her love for the sport.
Madison began shooting sporting clays at their local gun club, at that time called Live Oaks, where she had the opportunity to join a team coached by Steve Bolt. “Mr. Steve was my very first coach,” Madison said.
She credits her parents, Russell and Robbin, and her first coach with setting the foundation for her success.
“My dad put so much effort into my shooting, and honestly, there’s no way I’d be where I am today without my parents supporting me and letting me follow my dream,” she said. “And then, of course, my very first coach, Steve Bolt—he believed in me and spent a lot of time helping me early on.”
Relentless Practice
By age 11, Madison began competing and quickly gained a reputation for her talent and strong work ethic on the course. She continued shooting throughout high school, competing in trap, skeet and sporting clays as a member of teams with the South Carolina Youth Shooting Foundation and the Scholastic Clay Target Program.
“In high school, we shot all three disciplines, and there was probably a two-year stretch where I practiced every single day,” she said. “If we had a tournament—and it wasn’t a holiday—my dad would pick me up. He’s a farmer, so the routine was: I’d go to school, come home and do my homework, and by the time he finished work, it was usually dark. The club I practiced at had lights, so we’d go out and shoot under the lights. That’s where I did a lot of my training.”
Her success in high school earned Madison a spot on Clemson University’s shooting team, where she competed for two-and-a-half years. While she enjoyed competing for Clemson, she decided to focus on sporting clays and competing in NSCA events rather than collegiate competition.
Madison graduated from Clemson in 2023 and moved to Texas where she has a full-time role at Hog Heaven Sporting Club in Dripping Springs. In addition, she teaches lessons at Hog Heaven and at other sporting clays clubs in Texas and across the country.
Madison continues to work with a coach and, for the past few years, has been training with Trevor Jensen, who is based in Arizona.
“I credit a lot of my recent success to Trevor,” she said. “He’s played a big role in helping me elevate my game and reach the next level. We’ve spent a lot of time practicing together, and he’s been a huge part of my development.”
As a pro shooter, Madison has several sponsors whose products she endorses. She is a member of Team Remington and shoots Remington Nitro 27 target shells. She prefers to use a one-ounce load with 7½ shot at 1,290 f.p.s. velocity, a fast load that is lighter on recoil.
For sporting clays, Madison shoots a Krieghoff K-80 Parcours with light modified choke tubes from Pure Gold. Alamo Sporting Arms and the Amateur Trapshooting Association’s Kids & Clays Foundation are also sponsors.
Inspiring The Next Generation
In addition to teaching lessons at various clubs, Madison is deeply committed to introducing women and youth to shooting.
“One of the reasons I love what I do is because I get to encourage other women to step outside their comfort zones,” she said. “And working with the kids is just as rewarding. The youth team I coach here is called the Hill Country Clay Shooters—an awesome group of kids that I truly care about. They’re not only talented shooters, but they’re also growing into great young men and women through the sport. It’s been amazing to watch them develop.”
She’s won the title of Ladies’ National Champion and Ladies’ World English Champion, so what’s next? When it comes to sporting clays, Madison said she has her eye set on winning the Ladies’ Champion title at the World FITASC.
“I’ve been runner-up and I’ve been third at the World FITASC, but I haven’t won a World FITASC yet. So, one of my goals is to become the World FITASC Champion. Another goal is to win High Over All at a major shoot,” Madison added.
Besides her shooting goals, Madison also wants to reconnect with her outdoors roots and spend more time hunting.
“This year, I’m doing things a little differently than in the past. This is my 13th year competing, and I wouldn’t say I’m burned out by any means, but I am focusing on some things I’ve always wanted to do—like completing my North American Grand Slam for turkeys this year,” she said.
Madison had the opportunity earlier this year to spend time talking with other hunters at the National Wild Turkey Federation convention, an experience she thoroughly enjoyed. One of her goals is to travel to Mexico to hunt Gould’s turkeys in order to complete the Royal Slam of turkey hunting.
Whether she’s breaking clays on the competition circuit or calling in turkeys in the woods, Madison Sharpe continues to follow her passion for the outdoors and the sport she loves. With big goals ahead—like winning a World FITASC title and completing her Royal Slam—she’s not slowing down anytime soon. And through it all, Madison is inspiring the next generation to step outside their comfort zones and reach high, just like she did.
Most Popular
