The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal recently published an article congratulating members of the Wisconsin youth shooting teams for their outstanding performance at the SCTP and SASP National Championships. The article, written by Paul Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinal outdoors editor, states the performance of Wisconsin squads and individuals cemented the state's standing as a national leader among youth shooting sports. Ben Berka, president of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, was quoted as saying, "Wisconsin has established a pedigree, a tradition. It's absolutely no surprise when a Wisconsin team takes first. In fact, many people expect it." The 2016 nationals were held July 9-16 at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. The event drew 2,369 competitors from 34 states to participate in trap, skeet and sporting clays through SCTP, and action rifle and action pistol events through SASP. Check out the article to read more about Wiconsin's success during the competition.

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is pleased to report on the success of the 2016 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) National Championships! The Nationals were hosted this year by the Cardinal Shooting Center near Marengo, Ohio, just north of Columbus. The eight-day championship saw 2,369 unique athletes from 34 different states competing in trap, skeet and sporting clays, plus action rifle and action pistol events. The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) had total of 4,576 event entries (up 74 over 2015) and the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) had a total of 530 entries (up 174 over 2015).

In total, SCTP athletes fired upon 876,000 clay targets in competition and another 85,000 in side events and evening competitions. Approximately 1,200 SCTP athletes competed in the Last Competitor Standing competition over two nights. In addition to the competition, there was much for athletes and their families to do, including the All-Industry Opening Ceremonies, Pizza Party, Ice Cream Social and side games such as Crazy Quail, Make-a-Break and the Action Shooting side matches. The college recruiting day and Larry and Brenda Potterfield (of MidwayUSA) meet and greet were also very popular. With multiple vendors onsite and Columbus within 30 minutes, there were plenty for families to see and do during their downtime. The SSSF would like to thank all of the coaches organizing SCTP and SASP teams and for making the trip to Ohio this year and also all of the parents supporting these young shooters. A big thanks also goes out to the Cardinal Center, its staff and volunteers for all of their hard work and investment in facilities to accommodate our event. Thanks also to the many sponsors and vendors who supported and/or attended the event!

Larry and Brenda Potterfield recently attended the 2016 Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) National Championships in Marengo, Ohio. This year's National Championships, held at the Cardinal Shooting Center, had approximately 2,500 competitors and was attended by nearly 10,000 coaches, parents, grandparents, siblings, and other spectators. The weeklong schedule of events was a culmination and celebration of the hard work put forth by athletes, coaches, parents, and state advisors throughout the competitive season. "We're proud to partner with the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation to support getting more kids involved in shooting sports," said Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. "We strongly support initiatives like this because we believe we have an obligation to help change the future for the better."  

Founding Life Diamond Members of the Champion's Roundtable, Larry and Brenda Potterfield have been recognized as donors who have made major contributions to the SSSF mission. They are also Charter Members of the SSSF Legacy Society, which honors donors who have included SSSF in their estate plans through deferred gifts. About the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) across the United States. SCTP and SASP are youth development programs in which adult coaches and other volunteers use shooting sports to teach and to demonstrate sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, teamwork, and other positive life skills. SCTP was developed as a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) until the SSSF was created in 2007 to operate the SCTP. In 2012, SSSF created the SASP and became the managing foundation of both programs. For more information on how you can make a charitable gift to support the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and it’s programs, go to www.sssfonline.org/donate For more information on how you can make a charitable gift to support the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and it’s programs, go to www.sssfonline.org/donate

Check out the recent photo essay posted on NRAFamily.org titled, "A Day at the SCTP/SASP National Championships," which showcases 15 images taken during the event being held at the Cardinal Shooting Center near Marengo, Ohio, this week. The photos and captions were provided by outdoor writer and photographer W.H. "Chip" Gross. Approximately 2,500 young shooters representing 30 states are attending the event. With the addition of coaches, parents and grandparents, attendence numbers are totaling approximately 10,000.

The Wisconsin Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) wrapped up four straight weeks of State Championship competitions on June 26^t, 2016, at the WTA Homegrounds in the town of Nekoosa. A total of 1199 SCTP athletes from 59 different teams took part over the four separate weekend events. There were a total of 1939 registrations by those athletes through the events. “Our registrations were up 16% from last year,” stated Perry Hintz, one of five Wisconsin state advisors. “It’s great to see that we are getting so much interest in Skeet, Sporting Clays and International the last couple years. There has been a great effort by our coaches and parents to teach multiple disciplines and create well-rounded shooters.” The Championships kicked off on the Olympic Bunker at the WTA Homegrounds on June 4 and 5 with the Hudson Raiders taking the top spot in the International Trap Championship besting athletes from 10 SCTP teams. Tyler Thiede from the Sauk County Youth Team led all athletes with a 107 of 125 targets to take the top men’s spot in the Senior Division with Wyatt Wilken of the B.H.S. Demons taking the Intermediate award. Madeline VanderSchaaf of the Flyway Clay Slayers and Jessica Strasser from the Waterford Wolverines took the two top ladies honors. The Sauk Prairie Trap and Skeet Club was host to 163 athletes from 18 teams for the June 11 SCTP Skeet Championship, an increase of over 10% from 2015. The Central Falcons took the Gold in the Varsity, Junior Varsity and Intermediate Advance divisions with Sauk County taking the Intermediate Entry crown. Matthew Yaresh of the Kettle Moraine Lazers and Kaylee Lancour of the B.H.S. Demons were the men’s and ladies Grand Champions, breaking 99 and 96 of 100 respectively. On June 18 and 19, 27 teams with 356 SCTP athletes took to the trails for the 100-target Sporting Clays Championship hosted by Woods & Meadow in Warrens; this was another increase of nearly 10% from last year. The Kettle Moraine Lasers, Marquette Hilltoppers and Central Falcons took home the top-three varsity team awards, with the Hudson Raiders, Union Grove Broncos and Marquette Hilltoppers the JV awards. While the Jefferson Sportsmens Club, TWSA and The Flyway Clayslayers brought home the top the team awards for Intermediate Advanced, Intermediate Entry and Rookie teams. Tyler Melloy of Hudson was the Grand Champion with a 99 and was joined by Kaylee Lancour who broke 87 of 100 to top the ladies. June 25 was the granddaddy of them all: The 2016 WI SCTP State Trap Championships at the WTA Homegrounds. The first shots were fired at 8:30 am and when the long day ended, 1079 athletes competed on 28 trap fields with strong winds playing havoc with the targets. The 2016 event showed an increase of more than 110 athletes from 2015 with 193 ladies joining 886 boys, displaying the diversity of the SCTP as a development program for all young athletes. The Waterford Wolverines Shooting Team took home the Varsity State Championship for the second time posting a score of 480 of 500 to edge Sauk County and the Central Falcons with 478 while the Hudson Raiders, Berlin Target Terminators and Central Falcons won the JV trophies. In the Intermediate Advance division, Jefferson Sportsmens Club, B.H.S. Demons and Central Falcons stood on the podium along with Rocket Trap, Beaver Dam and Waterford Wolverines in Intermediate Entry. The Rookies from the Flyway Clay Slayers took the top spot over Jefferson and the B.H.S. Demons. Two Junior Varsity athletes won the Grand Champion belt buckles as Wyatt Strasser of Waterford and Shelby Zwart of Wilmot topped the guys and gals with a 99 and 98 respectively. 235 of the 1079 athletes broke at least 90% and 72 broke 95 or higher. There were 171 25-straight, 27 50-straight and 2 75-straight patches handed out after the day was done. Saturday ended with several hundred athletes joining in a free “Last Competitor Standing” where winners Meredith Bernau of B.H.S. Demons and Seth Pagels of Union Grove were awarded Shamrock Leather 8-box shell bags for besting their peers. The Central Falcons won the State HOA (Top-three Skeet & Sporting Clays and top-five Trap scores by a single target over the Hudson Raiders with the Marquette Hilltoppers taking third. Tyler Melloy of Hudson and Kaylee Lancour of B.H.S. Demons were the men’s and Ladies HOA winners. Sunday June 26, three more events took place for those who had not pulled the trigger enough over the last month with handicap, doubles and a “mixed team” event with one coach and four randomly drawn athletes competing against each other as a way to meet new friends and have some friendly competition. One hundred twenty four athletes took part in doubles, 136 in handicap and 12 coaches with 48 athletes took part in the mixed team event. Through the month of June, the WI SCTP threw 195,050 targets without a single safety incident proving the dedication of the athletes, parents and coaches and the great job that is being done to develop not just good shooters, but great students and young adults. “On behalf of all our teams, coaches and advisors, I would like to give a huge thank you to the host clubs at Sauk Prairie Trap & Skeet, Woods & Meadow and the WTA Homegrounds for all the hard work and time volunteered to help with the events and promote the sport for our young athletes,” concluded Hintz. “We could not put on events of this magnitude without a lot of dedicated people.” The future of youth clay target sports and the SCTP looks very strong in Wisconsin.