In this country, we take pride in making up days to celebrate anything – donuts, pirates, and even our bosses. USA Shooting knows a good celebration when they see one, and traditionally, that’s been as a result of medal-worthy performances set down by its athletes. But today, 10.9, USA Shooting has claimed the day as its very own. In target shooting, a 10.9 is the mark of perfection, proof that excellence has been achieved. Excellence is a virtue of the USA Shooting Team, so on 10.9 (October 9), USA Shooting has encouraged its community to aim for excellence in all the shots you take in life. "We’re recognizing those moments in time when the ordinary became extraordinary and when jaws were dropped," says USA Shooting. "On this day, and every day thereafter, strive for excellence in all that you do, and may every shot you take in life be in pursuit of the highest mark, your 10.9." While not everyone has shot that elusive 10.9, what’s important is encouraging and celebrating people who help us on that path toward excellence. Encourage someone this week, and be sure to say "thanks" to someone who has encouraged you!
Online registration is now open for the SCTP College Regional "Spooktacular" Tournament planned for Halloween weekend at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. The 400-target tournament is open to any college team registered with the Scholastic Clay Target Program. The shoot will open on Friday, October 31 with sporting clays and 5-stand competition, as well as a Last Competitor Standing event and Halloween costume contest. Saturday will feature skeet, wobble trap, and 5-stand events. Trap and an awards ceremony will fill Sunday morning, November 2, before teams' departure in early afternoon. More than $80,000 in endowment funding will be available for contribution to participating and winning teams' MidwayUSA Foundation endowment accounts.
You can now support SSSF while you're shopping with Amazon by using a special link, smile.Amazon.com. Amazon will donate a 0.5% of your purchase price to Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, and it doesn't cost you a cent. Click on the ad below to choose SSSF as the recipient of Amazon's donation:
Scholastic Pistol Program, along with NRA and USA Shooting, will offer a Level 1 Pistol Coach School on November 1-2 in Tucson, Arizona at the Pima Pistol Club. The coach school is the heart of the coach education program. The Level 1 pistol coach’s course through the National Rifle Association, USA Shooting, and the Scholastic Pistol Program covers all required coaching fundamentals for pistol coaches in the SPP, in addition to other disciplines of pistol competition. The training is provided by the SPP/NRA/USAS National Coach Development Staff (NCDS). The instructors use up-to-date materials and PowerPoint presentations to present the discipline-specific coach course. The course duration is 2 days with class running from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Candidates should bring eye and ear protection and note-taking materials with them. Firearms will be provided, and the Boy Scout Council will provide the ammunition. Cost of the course is $140, which includes all printed materials, 3-year coaching credentials with the NRA, a binder for your materials, and lunch/refreshments each day. The registration fee includes a copy of the coach student study guide and other materials to help you with the details of coaching. Participants complete an open-book test as homework during the first evening of the course. The test is graded in class, reviewed for understanding, and then submitted to the NRA National Coach Trainer by the school instructor for credential processing. Upon successful completion of the coach school, you will be a Level 1 Coach (or Youth Trainer, if under 18 years old) in that discipline. Pre-registration for the course is required. To register, complete the attached form. Contact Tammy Mowry with any questions.
A new infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) tells the story, at a glance, of the growing number of new target shooting enthusiasts and how they’re surprisingly different from established shooters. The report clearly affirms the premise of the SSSF that our programs present equal opportunity to shooters, regardless of age or gender. Newcomers — defined as those who have taken up target shooting in the last five years — are trending younger and female; also, they are city and suburban dwellers. In these ways, they are quite different from established participants and, as a result, are changing the face of target shooters in America. This influx of newcomers also underscores that the traditional pastimes of handgun, rifle, and shotgun target shooting continue to have a broad appeal to new generations of Americans. Driven by newcomers, target shooting participation has leaped by 19 percent, from 34.4 million in 2009 to 40.8 million in 2012. That’s a 6.4 million increase; by comparison, golf and some other traditional activities have seen their participant base decline by millions. Although they may be different in age and gender, newcomers share one important thing with established participants — their passion for firearms ownership and the shooting sports.
With the onset of fall, your thoughts may be turning to using your shotgun for another purpose - upland bird hunting. Our friends at CZ-USA and professional shooter Dave Miller have produced a video to help you make the transition from clay targets to live bird hunting. In the video, Miller demonstrates how to train with clay targets to prepare for upland hunting, then take those skills afield.
Carroll County Shooting Sports Park in Huntingdon, Tennessee, will be the site of an SPP Southeast Regional Fall Match on November 8. The Southeast Regional is open to Junior, Senior, and Collegiate SPP teams. Both Centerfire and Rimfire (JV) divisions will be recognized. Endowment funds will be available for this event. The match will be limited to 100 shooters, so register soon!
Pistol shooters can now practice the SPP courses at home with a new Dry-Fire Poster offered by Next Level Training. Teamed with a laser training pistol, the 60" x 36" poster lets shooters practice moving target to target while viewing all targets as seen from the shooter's box. Dry-fire practice allows shooters to improve speed and accuracy without ammunition costs and can be done when you can't go to the range. The addition of an inert training pistol eliminates safety concerns. The full-size target costs $24.95, while a half-size version is $9.95. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Scholastic Pistol Program. The company also sells laser training pistols and software for conducting online matches.
2014 Junior World Team Champions: Sydney Carson, Hannah Houston, and Dania Vizzi Three SCTP shooters comprising the Junior World USA Shooting Team have won a team gold medal and set an International Skeet world record last week at the 2014 World Shooting Championships in Granada, Spain. Dania Vizzi of Odessa, Florida, Sydney Carson of North Liberty, Indiana and Hannah Houston of Columbia, Tennessee, earned a Junior World Team title in record-breaking fashion with a world's-best score of 204, 11 targets ahead of second-place Czech Republic. In addition, Dania Vizzi won individual honors as the Junior World Champion in Women's Skeet. Sydney finished 5th overall individually, and Hannah finished 8th.World Champion Dania VizziThrough 75 shots of qualifying, Dania led her nearest competitor by three targets, an almost unheard-of advantage in skeet. While she wasn't as dominant during the semifinals and finals, she didn’t have to be because neither were her opponents. She connected on 13/16 targets in the semifinal to advance to the final where she’d again connect on 13 targets to her opponent's 12. “I’m very satisfied,” Vizzi said. “It was a hard day and I’m happiest that I stayed consistent and focused all day. My main goal was to compete better than I did last year, and the result was amazing.” Dania, who started competitive shooting as a member of the Tampa Bay Clays SCTP team, now shoots for the University of Florida, also an SCTP team. Congratulations to Dania, Sydney, and Hannah! We're proud of you!
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.
In this country, we take pride in making up days to celebrate anything – donuts, pirates, and even our bosses. USA Shooting knows a good celebration when they see one, and traditionally, that’s been as a result of medal-worthy performances set down by its athletes. But today, 10.9, USA Shooting has claimed the day as its very own. In target shooting, a 10.9 is the mark of perfection, proof that excellence has been achieved. Excellence is a virtue of the USA Shooting Team, so on 10.9 (October 9), USA Shooting has encouraged its community to aim for excellence in all the shots you take in life. "We’re recognizing those moments in time when the ordinary became extraordinary and when jaws were dropped," says USA Shooting. "On this day, and every day thereafter, strive for excellence in all that you do, and may every shot you take in life be in pursuit of the highest mark, your 10.9." While not everyone has shot that elusive 10.9, what’s important is encouraging and celebrating people who help us on that path toward excellence. Encourage someone this week, and be sure to say "thanks" to someone who has encouraged you!
