IT TAKES A VILLAGE…
By Morgan Scott, Allen Eagles Competitive Shooting Team (Allen, TX) Philosophically, all men may be created equal. And in reality, it certainly starts out that way. After all, we’re all born helpless and need food and shelter. Our parents provided that for most of us and if you’re reading this, your parents probably go way beyond the basics for you such as providing guns, ammo, shooting lessons, travel, and education. But not everyone has parents and not all parents are able to go above and beyond the way that mine and yours do. We’ve all heard the pitch about starving kids in Africa before. And, yes. We’re all thankful. But, it didn’t really hit home for me until my SCTP Coach Jason Anderson took some of us to South Africa last fall to see wild game and visit an orphanage. The game ranch we stayed at,
HuntSA.com, was fascinating. They rolled out the red carpet for us.
Seeing Africa and the fauna and flora first hand is nothing at all like watching it on TV. Our guide, Etienne, bent over backwards to show us around and taught us many things. We enjoyed a “braai vleis” or South African barbecue. Tried biltong (pronounced bull tongue) which is their version of jerky. We played with the pet warthog named “Bacon,” chased springhaas at night. And, we even saw lions up close in the wild from an open vehicle. (Fortunately, they were more interested in stalking an impala.) It was all part of our African experience and we participated in everything. Well… almost everything. Coach Anderson kind of chickened out of the dung spitting contest. But hey, I figured… when in Rome! I even got to stalk and harvest an impala! It was nothing at all like sitting in a deer blind. We hiked, tracked, and stalked for miles and miles over rocky, hilly, rough terrain. Several times we were
close, but the wind shifted, and they bolted. But, we persisted with determination… like hunting down that second shot on station 4 skeet doubles on a windy day. But Rufus Luttig, not only owns a game ranch, he uses the proceeds and meat to feed and fund a program called Village South Africa (
villagesouthafrica.com) whose primary purpose is to support the Jehova Jireh Haven Orphanage near Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. Visiting the orphanage was pretty much the highlight of our trip. It was truly an eye opener to meet the kids and hear the stories about the struggles they had endured before being taken in and given food, shelter, and education. Many had lived on the streets having to fend for themselves. They had to be taught that dogs and goats weren’t just your next meal. They could be kept as pets. ..that goats could provide milk and chickens could be kept around to lay eggs. Most of all, these were not faces on a late-night TV commercial. They were (ARE) real people with names and heartbeats. Who were born just as equal as you and I. But, didn’t get the same kind of support growing up as you and I. But fortunately for them, there are people such as Rufus Luttig at
HuntSA.com and Molly and Neels Bam who opened up their home to start the orphanage over 15 years ago. Prior to our trip, we began collecting donations of supplies and such at our school and at one of our Texas SCTP tournaments and I’m proud to say that our shooting community is very generous. The kids at the orphanage were amazingly overjoyed when we brought them a couple of 100-pound suitcases full of school supplies and a truck load of meat from the ranch. You would have thought that they had each been given a Perazzi or Krieghoff shotgun for Christmas. We were so moved by the experience that when we settled back in at home we got to thinking about what more we could do? We all benefit from assistance from others. Look at how many volunteers it takes to run SCTP. Think about how much the Potterfields and MidwayUSA Foundation have given to us. So, we had the idea of getting Texas SCTP to “adopt” and start sponsoring the orphanage. Thanks to all of the volunteers, our shoots barely cost more than the targets anyways. So, at our Easter League Shoot we collected a few extra dollars and donations. It all adds up and by the end of the weekend, we had raised another $3,500 for Village South Africa!
They were so very appreciative of the donations and asked that we thank everyone from SCTP for their support. It’s such a great feeling to give back that I wanted to share our experience and challenge every SCTP League or Team to do something this year to raise a little money for Village South Africa or for any other charity. It’s a great feeling that you’ll never forget. I can honestly say that it’s just as rewarding as standing on the podium at nationals with a gold medal or making the All-American team. Neither of which I would have ever accomplished without lots of help from others.
The Scholastic Clay Target Program would like to announce the continued support from RE Ranger. Randolph, the maker of the RE Ranger line of competitive shooting eyewear, will continue to support the SCTP at the Gold Level ($15,000+) for the 2018 Shooting year! Randolph makes several styles of eyewear that fit the clay target enthusiasts including the Ranger Falcon and Ranger Falcon Pro’s. In its second year “The Ranger Phantom” is a 3 lens set w/frame kit that will surely not disappoint the athletes and their parent’s pocket books! These are currently available on the SCTP’s online store for their athletes and teams! "RE Ranger is delighted to sponsor the SCTP program for our 6th straight year.” Said Sarah Waszkiewicz, General Manager of RE Ranger Sales “We couldn’t be prouder to support a program that encourages the next generation of shooters to participate in such a fun sport that educates and provides important life skills to the youth. More importantly we get to see the benefits of the SCTP program for these kids at various levels and we couldn't be happier to support the cause!” “Randolph/RE Ranger have been great partners/sponsors of SCTP!” Said Tom Wondrash, SCTP’s National Director. “The RE Ranger line of shooting glasses are a super fit for our athletes, more and more of them are identifying with their brand! We continue to be encouraged by the support and confidence that Sarah and her team put in us and the SCTP!” Are you or your company interested in supporting the largest competitive youth shooting program in the world? Download our 2018 media guide for all sponsor levels or contact Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director at twondrash@sssfonline.com
Members of the SCTP National Team gathered in Tucson, AZ last month just prior to the USA Shooting Spring Selection Match for some fine-tuning before the competition. Head Coach Terri DeWitt and Assistant Coach Joe Buffa worked with team members making minor adjustments where needed but mostly providing some major encouragement. “The days just prior to a competition is not the time to be making big changes,” stated Coach Terri, “Joe and I were there to put some polish on their performance. And that’s all they needed - these athletes were ready to perform.” And perform they did. Congratulations go to AJ Nomina, Madelynn Bernau, and Heather Broski for finishing top six in their respective Junior categories and earning the chance to compete in those finals. When all was said and done, Maddy not only captured the Junior Women’s silver medal but secured her place on the 2018 World Championship Team going to Changwon, Korea later this summer. “I would also like to thank Coach Tom Slaughter for bringing some of the Arizona Outdoor Sports, Inc. athletes to train with us. We really enjoyed having them and we look forward to seeing those young athletes on a future SCTP National Team,” said Coach Terri. National Team (NT) athletes earned their spot via participation and placement in the 
through April 25, 12:30PM eastern time. This week’s auction is a 7mm Rem Mag caliber Ruger® M77® Mark II Express rifle. The Express models were first introduced in 1992. The serial number on this rifle is 760-01613, and the roll mark date is July 22, 1992. The M77® Mark II Express rifles were initially made within the “780-“ prefix serial number range. After a few hundred Express rifles were built, the serial numbering was then changed to the “760-“ prefix. This rifle has not been fired beyond normal factory testfiring. The rifle features a 24-inch blued barrel with matted quarter rib and is factory machined to accommodate Ruger scope rings. It has a blade front sight and v-notch rear express sights: one stationary and two folding that is drift adjustable for windage. Other features include a black composition forend tip and black rubber recoil pad with embossed Ruger® eagle logo. The steel pistol grip cap also features the Ruger® eagle logo. The M77® Express rifle has a steel hinged floorplate and trigger guard with a staggered box magazine that holds three cartridges. The stock is polyurethane-finish French walnut with checkering on the pistol grip and forend. A set of sling swivels and a set of scope rings are included with this rifle. It will be shipped in the rifle box it had been stored in along with an original manual and marketing materials. The rifle is being sold “as is.” The purchaser assumes all liability for its safe and proper ownership, storage, use, and resale. Please note that the winning bidder of this auction is responsible for paying the Federal Excise Tax. The rifle is a part of the Ruger factory collection in Southport, Connecticut, and a Certificate of Authenticity will be mailed to the winner of the auction. 
on 
Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) announced today that Taurus USA has renewed their Silver Level Sponsorship of their program for 2018. The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is the national governing body for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), offering youth from grade school through college the opportunity to safely participate in exciting team-based action shooting sports! SASP is designed to instill in young people a set of personal values and character traits for fair play, compassionate understanding, individual responsibility, sportsmanship, self-discipline, and personal commitment. As the sport itself, these qualities will stay with them throughout their lifetimes, helping each young athlete reach his or her full potential. Athletes compete using .22 rifles, .22 handguns and/or centerfire handguns. Targets are steel circle or rectangular plates and all courses of fire are timed events. “We are proud to continue our sponsorship of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program,” said Vince Abrams, Taurus USA Senior Marketing Manager. “The SSSF offer’s youth the opportunity to safely participate in shooting sports. The SASP program is the future of action shooting sports in the U.S.” “We’d like to thank Taurus USA for their continued support and trust in our national youth shooting program and staff,” said Rick Leach, SASP National Director. To become a sponsor of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program 
Guns will be drawn the week of the National Championships July 14-21, 2018 How do SCTP teams make money? #1 Ticket price is $10 per each ticket SCTP teams sell the National Gun raffle tickets
Teams keep $5 for the team and send the other $5 to the SCTP with the stub!
The more tickets your team sells, the more money you make and we will supply the tickets!
Teams can sell tickets at shoots, fundraisers, work places, school, church etc. #2 The SCTP will pay (in 