The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is proud to announce it has partnered with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to promote youth shooting sports with the First Shots® program and +ONE Movement initiatives. With a year-round season, the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) look forward to promoting awareness throughout the year, with focused attention to National Shooting Sports Month in August. Using additional resources from the NSSF, the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Action Shooting Program will focus on introducing new athletes and families to shooting sports who may not have otherwise had the opportunity. This exciting partnership will be implemented with the help of passionate volunteers currently involved in the SCTP and SASP.

“With thousands of skilled and caring adult volunteers involved in our programs across the country, our community can make a big difference, said Ben Berka, SSSF President and Executive Director. The SCTP was started by NSSF, and its goal of growing the shooting sports continues to align perfectly with our program mission statements. We look forward to working with our member teams to help grow the shooting sports even further with the help of NSSF’s+ONE and First Shots resources”

One SASP team in particular has seen great success being involved with NSSF's First Shots Program. The WildGats at the University of Arizona got their start in 2015 thanks to an NSSF grant and have been an enthusiastic partner for NSSF initiatives ever since.

"It has been a great partnership," said Head Coach Bill Perkins. "It is a no brainer for the host range since we provide the coaches and some equipment. Some ranges do not have the people power to run an event like this with the high staff to participant ratio."

"It is also great for our team because of the publicity and recruiting opportunities. We have recruited athletes from our university, the general public, scout councils, ROTC units and have a direct line to conduct outreach to our community. The SASP focuses on youth development through shooting sports and the community service aspect of hosting a First Shots is unique. The event allows us to use our skills and equipment to teach gun safety and the fundamentals of marksmanship to many new gun owners in our community and it gives our athlete coaches a great experience mentoring others." The WildGats have their next First Shots event scheduled for Aug 22nd to coincide with National Shooting Sports Month.

We encourage all SASP and SCTP teams to use NSSF's First Shots and +ONE initiatives to engage with their local communities! Share your sport, youth shooting sports program, and passion with others! Consider doing a +ONE Challenge event type where your existing team members introduce a friend or family member to the shooting sports. Better yet, host a First Shots event and receive all the support materials for your First Shots participants. As a First Shots host, NSSF provides the course materials and digital resources, eye/ear protection, rimfire ammunition for handgun and rifle intro events and monetary support for First Shots Clay Targets events to help offset target and ammunition expenses.      

For more information, checklists, tips, and resources please see the following NSSF links:

First Shots Clay Targets

First Shots Home

If you have any questions about getting signed on, contact Zach Snow, NSSF Director, Retail & Range Business Development at zsnow@nssf.org or call 203-426-1320 ext. 224.