John Primrose successfully represented Canada in international trapshooting competition for more than three decades. Before taking aim at trapshooting's clay targets, however, Primrose was blocking shots on the ice. He was a hockey goaltender as a teenager, but after a disastrous tryout with the junior Edmonton Oil Kings, he abandoned the net and devoted himself to the shotgun. It wasn't long before Primrose began to reap the benefits of this change of sport. Over the next 30 years, he won 13 national titles and was a member of 13 World Championships, six Olympics, five Commonwealth Games, and five Pan-American Games trapshooting teams. He won the national doubles title at the 1969 Pan-American championships in 1969, the Benito Juarez title in 1977, and two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 1974 and 1978. Primrose's greatest triumph came at the 1975 world championships, where he claimed the gold medal with a score of 197 out of 200, four targets higher than his nearest competitor. He reclaimed the top title in 1983 and placed second four times during his career. Primrose attributed much of his success to his general physical training which developed his reflexes, increased strength and endurance, and boosted his level of concentration. His meticulous attention to detail and his "slow, deliberate style" ensured a consistently high performance and forged a winning record. Primrose showed unwavering dedication to his sport, even outside the competitive light. He served as president of the Alberta International Style Trap Association from 1972 to 1999 and director of the Shooting Federation of Canada from 1973 to 1975. A fine ambassador for Canadian sport, Primrose was selected as flag-bearer for the 1982 Commonwealth Games and was named to the Order of Canada in 1986.