The Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) is proud to announce that NextLevel Training has stepped up to being a Silver Level sponsor. “NextLevel Training has been a sponsor of SASP since the early days of the program and we are so glad that it continues to support the program and our athletes with great training tools that will help the athletes perform at a higher level,” Tammy Mowry, national director for the SASP, said. Britt Lentz, president of NextLevel Training, said, "NextLevel Training is proud to support SASP. NextLevel Training supports the Second Amendment in every possible capacity. This begins with the support of our youth, to understand and respect why firearms are quintessential to our freedom. NextLevel Training’s mission statement is "We Save Lives." We work towards this mission by creating innovative training equipment that encourages all free men and women to have the ability to defend themselves and their loved ones."
The Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) welcomes Palermo’s as one of its newest Bronze level sponsors. “This is great to see sponsors from outside the shooting industry, like Palermo’s stepping up to support the SASP,” Rick Leach, SASP director of development, said. "Palermo’s has been selling great Italian food since 1964 and has been voted best frozen pizza. We are honored that it has decided to support our program." Giacomo Fallucca, president and CEO of Palermo's said, “Palermo’s is excited to be a Bronze level sponsors of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program. Palermo’s being a family company is pleased to support a family activity like the shooting sports."
GLOCK, a Founding Partner of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), has been with the program since the beginning. "Thank you so much for your continued support of the SASP," Tammy Mowry," national program director for the SASP, said. "GLOCK is a leading global manufacturer of firearms and realizes the importance of youth being involved in the SASP program. Its dedication to our program speaks volumes.” Ed Fitzgerald, GLOCK advertising manager, said, "As a founding partner of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program, GLOCK has thrown its full support towards helping create a competitive shooting discipline that can build positive experiences for young men and women that will last a lifetime. With more and more schools adopting Competitive Shooting in both rifle and pistol disciplines, adult mentorship and student involvement is at record highs. We salute the youth and adult leaders who are attending the National Championships for 2017."
The Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) is pleased to announce that Walkers has come on board as a Platinum sponsor. "Walkers is an industry leader in hearing protection and enhancement and recognizes the importance of being a part of making sure America’s youth are able to be involved in the shooting sports and enjoy the great outdoors,” said Tammy Mowry, national program director for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program. With such a large influence throughout the shooting sports umbrella Walkers makes big efforts to provide the next generation with the opportunity to experience shooting sports in a safe and educational environment. The SASP is a program of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) that focuses on youth from 5th grade to college in an effort to safely participate in competition-style shooting events. Ben Smith, director of sales and marketing for GSM Outdoors, said, “Walkers wants to help provide the proper safe, yet fun environment for youth to display their love for the shooting sports. We will be contributing essential safety equipment such as Walker’s electronic hearing protection and enhancement, as well as supporting the SASP programs with monetary donations in an effort to grow the shooting sports." About GSM Outdoors Based in Grand Prairie, TX - GSM provides a wide range of outdoor related products from brands such as Stealth Cam scouting cameras, Walker’s hearing protection & enhancement, Western Rivers game calls, Cyclops portable lighting & power, American Hunter feeders, HME and SSI shooting accessories. GSM goes to great lengths to ensure their products deliver the latest features and the rugged durability you demand. So whether you’re a seasoned hunter or a weekend outdoor enthusiast, GSM has just what you need to make the most of your outdoor experience. For information regarding GSM and their products please visit www.gsmoutdoors.com. To become a dealer or have a sales representative contact you, please call (877) 269-8490. For more information on GSM brands visit http://www.gsmoutdoors.com.
Otis Technology has once again stepped up to be a Gold Level sponsor for the 2017 National Championships that will be held at the Cardinal Center in Marengo, Ohio, on July 8-15. “Otis Technology has great products and is always willing to help our athletes by making sure they receive a donation in their goody bags at the National Championships," Rick Leach, director of development for Scholastic Action Shooting Program, said. Heather Pleskach, associate director of marketing, said,“Otis Technology proudly continues its support of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and its dedication to proper introduction of our youth to the shooting sports through safe firearm practices.”
Coaches and teams! Registration for the Virtual Match series April 24 - June 4, 2017, is now open. Teams that are currently practicing and forming can take part in our newest competitions! See how you stack up against teams from around the country in trap and skeet! It’s easy and fun! Coaches, sign in to your SHOT System account and go to “Virtual Series”. Once there, click on “Virtual Series” in the list of Available Options. After that, click on “Register Now”. Registered teams will receive additional information and scoring instructions in the next two weeks. Keep in mind, you must enter your athlete’s scores each week and prior to midnight of each Sunday. Scores for the week will be posted every Monday morning! The system will use the top five trap scores and top five skeet scores from each team as your team’s weekly competitive score. Some advice for coaches. Designate a score sheet pad as “Weekly Competition”. When athletes sign up on that pad/score sheet, they are acknowledging that they will be using that score as their competition score for the week. You can do this at any practice you choose, but only one time per week. Coaches, please have the competition score sheets initialed by the score puller and the coach overseeing that competition round. After that practice session, log back into the competition interface and click on the tab that says “scoring” and then go to your squad and input the scores. This will also help you create a “competition” type of atmosphere for your athletes and get them better prepared for upcoming face to face competitions! Get all of the details by checking out our FAQ page! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact anyone of us at the SCTP!
The SCTP just completed its second banquet of the year. This banquet was held in Waterford, Wisconsin, on Friday, March 17, 2017, and is the program's longest-running banquet to date. This year’s banquet was the most successful, raising much-needed funding for the program's scholarship fund, as well as general operating expenses. More than 240 attendees spent a high-energy evening bidding on hunting trips, fishing trips, vacations to Belize/Costa Rica/St. Thomas and many other items along with many high-end firearms and locally donated items. The attendees included representation from 11 SCTP teams across Wisconsin. These teams represented over 1,000 athletes of the states more than 3,500 currently registered with the SCTP National organization. 
Stealing the stage at this year’s banquet was “Fred”. Who is Fred you ask? Well, Fred was a 17-pound lobster brought in from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Yes, that’s 17 pounds of lobster and quite possibly the largest lobster to invade Wisconsin. He was part of a cooler of seafood that was raffled off (and won by Central Falcons head coach, Al Chickerneo)! “We had great representation from Wisconsin teams this year and many left with some of the nicest banquet prizes you could ask for!” Tom Wondrash, SCTP’s national director and banquet MC, said. “This is where we get to showcase many of our industry sponsors' donations and contributions to our program. We are very thankful for their support as well as the many in attendance that night!" The banquet host team, the Burlington High School Shooting Team, will see a $10,000 donation made in the teams MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment account for its role in raising local donations and helping organize and work at this year’s event. The team's help and the help from other local teams are what has made this banquet the premier fundraising banquet of the year for the SCTP! If you are interested in helping the SCTP run a national banquet, please contact SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash at twondrash@sssfonline.com for all the details.
BOOM! The report jars your insides. Everyone knows a 105mm Howitzer is loud, but the wave of overpressure stuns mind and body. As you recover, you see the breech slam closed and the Section Chief’s sabre tip drops slowly. BOOM! The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets brings their field howitzer to ball games, ceremonial events, and once a year, to their own pistol shoot. The 2017 Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) Southwest Regional has almost begun. BOOM! 230 people cheer the last shot. Together with the gun, they're shouting, “play ball!” in a distinctly gun-friendly way. Here in Texas, just outside of College Station, youth teams from all over the West have traveled far to find out who's the fastest. College students, cadets, high school, and middle school students alike shoot .22 pistols, 9mm service pistols, and just recently, .22 rifles in a fast-moving contest of speed and accuracy. “This is the second-largest regional in the country,” says Rick Leach, SASP's new director of development.
Rapid growth in Texas fueled by the Texas State Rifle Association Foundation (TSRAF) and the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets' prestige has made the SW Regional one of the most popular regional events in the country. Teams from states as far away as Washington (a four-hour flight!) came to duke it out with not only the A&M Corps of Cadets (defending Collegiate National Champions) but also the South Texas juniors – the defending High School national champions. With 134 shooters on the line, the program's growing strength and influence really showed. “Last year we had 117 athletes in Texas,” says Leach. “So far this year, we're at 150, and it's early.” He's excited not just about the numbers, but about the demographic. At this year's regional, 30% of the shooters were female. “It's the fastest-growing state in the nation right now,” says Leach. Angela Gerlich, Executive Director of the TSRA Foundation brought together public financing, private financing, and successful local coaching to drive Texas SASP forward. Under Mrs. Gerlich's hand, discounted ammunition, steel target sets available for loan, expert coach trainers flown in from out of state, and above all the Texas Youth Action Shootout (TYAS) match series have all come about since August 2016. To give you an idea of the panache shown by the Texas program, the night before the match, Texas A&M welcomed students to the military college's Hall of Honor, showing off the history that propels the culture of A&M. A barbeque in the cadets' dining hall (with the cadets present in full Class A uniform) added more prestige. The TSRAF and match sponsor Magpul made everyone welcome, setting the bar for hospitality very, very high! According to Mrs. Gerlich, the Texas 4H program has more than 10,0000 students involved in the shooting sports. Most of that is shotgun, but handgun and rifle sports are coming on fast. 
As far as SASP goes, “the part I'm most proud of is how we're recruiting using the A&M cadets and coaches to go out and work with our Texas youth that are interested in the SASP program. They are the most experienced group with the program in Texas and have really stepped up to help. These cadets are now able to continue their leadership training in a whole new way, and it's working,” says Gerlich. On match day everyone has their game face on. Within a few minutes of the last cannon report, the distinct “ping-ping-ping” of gunfire on steel targets fills the air. SASP courses closely resemble Steel Challenge – but no one uses a holster. Students start at low ready, then shoot five targets as fast as they can. Each shooter gets five runs on four sets of targets, discarding the slowest run. All told, the kids fire 100 rounds – plus any misses. While the targets LOOK easy, the eye is deceived. It's one thing to stand there and pot away at an 18X24” rectangle at 25 yards. When time is no object, the shots are easy, but once you get a timer out, everything changes. “Go Fast” features four 18”X24” targets at just 7 yards, plus a 12” stop plate in the middle. Getting hits on the targets is easy – if you take your time. If you want to win, you've got to move. The fast guns shoot all five targets in under two seconds. The best ones shoot them in 1.5. That's 1/3 second each, including a low-ready start! “Focus” pushes the accuracy side, with small steel circles stashed as far back as 18 yards. Walking around the range, clusters of kids wearing uniforms from their local gun clubs and schools smile and goof around. The adults are all business, discussing rules and herding their charges when needed, but the kids enjoy themselves at every turn. Four-person teams get organized by equipment and age group. High School teams with .22s compete against other High School teams with .22s in “Senior Rimfire,” Middle School teams with 9mms compete in “Intermediate Centerfire.” Teams that don't have enough of any one age group to make a team compete in “Open.” Thanks to the support of the MidwayUSA Foundation donors (Larry Potterfield in particular), successful teams can win cash prizes that go into a special endowment to support the team. Most teams have relatively small endowments, but some successful fundraisers have pushed their endowments north of $250,000 – giving them more than $10,000 a year to help supply their athletes. State and private colleges have jumped in as well, offering scholarships to successful athletes and hiring coaches to lead college-level programs. Yes folks, your kids can actually win a scholarship to shoot steel in college. The numbers are small, but you'll see college recruiting stations at the SASP National Championship. 
The Corps of Cadets and South Texas came into the 2017 match as the favorites, expected to win the centerfire and rimfire contests. The Cadets won centerfire by forfeit, posting a strong 192-second combined time. (Anything faster than 200 seconds is nationally competitive, putting A&M in strong position for the College nationals in March.) In rimfire, the South Texas crew brought their top gun – none other than Ethan Inocando – a name that Blue Press readers have seen before. Inocando did not disappoint, winning the rimfire match with a blistering time of 35.32 seconds. Only a handful of athletes can break the 40-second mark. However, one athlete does not a make a winning 4-person team. Hot on his heels was “Team Gotta” captain Jake Overstreet, shooting a 36.89 for his team from Custer, Washington. Overstreet and his red-shirted teammates controlled the top of the leaderboard, posting a 179 second combined time. That was good enough to beat second-place South Texas' score of 203. Team Gotta's JV crew stumbled when ladies' Middle School champion Naomi McKay's Buckmark exploded in her hand, but McKay's group won the JV contest anyway, shooting the second-fastest time in the match – a 186. SASP has started changing the dynamic for shooting sports in this country, making practical pistol into a scholarship-level sport. If you'd like to know more about the program, look them up at www.sssfonline.org
Zanders Sporting Goods agreed recently to maintain its Platinum level sponsorship of the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Zanders, located in Sparta, Illinois, is a wholesaler of firearms and other fine outdoor equipment. It is also the US importer of Nobel Sport Ammunition used by SCTP teams for the American disciplines as well as the international disciplines of the clay target sports. “Zanders has been a longtime supporter of the SCTP and its teams,” said Michael Sutton, purchasing manager for Zanders. “We believe in what the SCTP does for the youth and the shooting sports and are very proud to be a part of their success." Tom Wondrash, SCTP’s national director, said, “Zanders has been with us for quite a while. They support our teams, athletes and coaches with great pricing on a variety of things. They also provide the Nobel Sport ammunition used at our Junior Olympic Development Camps held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, twice a year, allowing us to keep the cost down for our attendees. We greatly value our relationship with Zanders and appreciate their continued support of the SCTP!” If you are interested in donating to or sponsoring our nationally recognized youth development and shooting program, please contact SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash at twondrash@sssfonline.com.
© Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to providing shooting-sports education and opportunities to school-age youths around the United States to encourage young athlete personal growth and development.
Tax-ID number 20-8484121.