Author: SSSF Staff

2020 SASP “Virtual” National Championship

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in Events, SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

SASP members,

The SASP national staff would like to thank you very much for your patience as we carefully evaluated the possible scenarios for the 2020 SASP National Championships in July. The SASP recognizes that our athletes have lost so much this year, but in good conscience cannot hold Nationals in person at the Cardinal Center this year. Understanding the importance of a National Championship experience, we will instead proceed with a virtual match over a three-week window, July 5th-July 26th, complete with awards being sent to our winners. Registration is currently open and closes July 2nd at 12:00 PM CST.

This decision took careful consideration of a number of factors. This spring we kept a very close eye on how COVID-19 affected our communities and youth sports as a whole. It took time to get our bearings on the situation in a way we could confidently evaluate the logistics and safety of holding a large sporting event.

The safety of our members, staff, volunteers, partners and spectators is our first priority. Social distancing in our sport is extremely difficult. Our national staff has been carefully utilizing information from the Morrow County (OH) Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and representatives from the Cardinal Center. We were also lucky to have advisement from some of our members that are medical professionals who deal directly with COVID-19 in their communities. Additionally, we surveyed our coaches across both programs to get their feedback. With over 400 responses, this survey helped give us important member-driven data that helped shape our decision to proceed forward with the 2020 SASP National Championships as a virtual event.

Although we will not be able to come together for a physical match, the competitive spirit of the SASP National Championships is very much alive in virtual format. This format gives those who cannot yet travel due to local mandates or those who are uncomfortable with the thought of doing so the opportunity to compete at the national level. If the logistics of your team traveling to Ohio was previously a barrier to compete, you now have the opportunity to participate in a national championship this year. Already the largest action shooting event in the world, this gives the potential opportunity for our national championship to be bigger than ever.

This three-week window also allows for teams who participate in both the SASP and SCTP, the ability to participate in both National Championship events and the opportunity to compete in the CZ-USA Top Gun Challenge. Athletes competing in the CZ-USA Top Gun Challenge will shoot trap, skeet, a rifle discipline of choice, and a centerfire pistol (iron, optic, or 1911), with their scores from each event being compiled to calculate the winners.

Participating teams should observe their local guidelines and general best practices published by the CDC which is meant to supplement the respective local laws, rules, and regulations with which youth sports organizations must comply.

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2020 SCTP National Championships

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in Events, SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

SCTP members,

We are happy to officially announce that the National Championships will take place as scheduled on July 11-18th at the Cardinal Center in Ohio. The National Championships are a tradition for many families not only to compete against the best in the nation, but also to share the sport and spend time together as a summer trip. Though this year will certainly be different, we hope that having our annual event in-person will be welcomed by the majority of our members.

This decision took careful consideration to a number of factors. This spring we kept a very close eye on how COVID-19 affected our communities and youth sports as a whole. It took time to get our bearings on the situation in a way we could confidently evaluate the logistics and safety of holding a large sporting event.

The safety of our members, staff, volunteers, partners, and spectators is our first priority. Our national staff has been carefully utilizing information from the state of Ohio, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morrow County (OH) Department of Health, and representatives from the Cardinal Center. We were also lucky to have advisement from some of our members that are medical professionals who deal directly with COVID-19 in their communities. Additionally, we surveyed our coaches across both programs to get their feedback. With over 400 responses, this survey helped give us important member-driven data that helped shape our decision to host a physical National Championship event.

We as a community are fortunate to participate in non-contact sports, which makes operating this event much easier than others during this time. Although the spirit of the SCTP National Championships will still be alive, some aspects of the event may be modified to act in accordance with all safety standards put in place by the Ohio Department of Health, as well as Federal and state guidelines at the time of the event. We understand that side events and experiences are part of what makes nationals so special. Some of these traditions are scheduled to continue as planned, such as the Make A Break and Flurry Fun shoots. We have also received feedback from many of the organizations that make up vendor row. They are eager to be part of the Nationals experience and plan to be there.

Cardinal Center staff are enthusiastic to help run SCTP events and are going above and beyond to make that happen in a safe and responsible manner. While the spring of 2020 saw postponements and cancellations, the SCTP Ohio Regional will take place as planned at the Cardinal Center June 19-21. During the same weekend, the Upper Midwest Regional will kick off in Iowa.

Preparations are currently underway at the Cardinal Center on four, state of the art International Skeet and Bunker field overlays. These new additions to their grounds will allow us to host all of our SCTP Nationals under one roof in July. On or about the 22nd of June, our project partners, Promatic will be installing their advanced target throwing equipment to make these fields ready for the SCTP “International Style” National Championships, running from July 9-12. Registration for the International Style National Championships is currently open and closes July 6th.

The SCTP will also be adding a Virtual National Championship event which gives those who cannot yet travel due to local mandates or those who are uncomfortable with the thought of doing so the opportunity to compete at the national level. If the logistics of your team traveling to Ohio was previously a barrier to compete, you now have the opportunity to participate in a national championship this year. This virtual component of the SCTP Nationals consists of five events of trap and skeet and will be run in conjunction with in-person national events to give the closest representation of the Nationals experience. Registration for the Virtual National Championship begins June 3rd and closes July 6th. This virtual tournament is a separate event from the in-person nationals and will have separate prizes and awards.

The Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) will be holding their National Championships in a virtual format over a three-week window, July 5th-July 26th. This three-week window also allows for teams who participate in both the SASP and SCTP, the ability to participate in both National Championship events and the opportunity to compete in the CZ-USA Top Gun Challenge. Athletes competing in the CZ-USA Top Gun Challenge will shoot trap, skeet, a rifle discipline of choice, and a centerfire pistol (iron, optic, or 1911), with their scores from each event being compiled to calculate the winners.

Registration for the 2020 SCTP National Championships in Ohio is currently open and available to team coaches in the SSSF’s SHOT system. Teams registering for the event will receive additional health and logistical information regarding event requirements, procedures and best practices based on the most current information available from the Ohio Department of Health and local authorities. Teams and athletes (parents) will be required to sign a waiver to compete.

Schedule of Events

July 7-8 – Open Training for International Events / Squads posted for International Skeet

July 9-10 – International Skeet

July 11-12 – International Trap (Bunker Trap)

July 11-12 – American Skeet / Trap Doubles / Trap Handicap

July 13-14 – American Skeet / Sporting Clays / Trap Doubles / Trap Handicap

July 15-16 – American Skeet / Sporting Clays / Trap Doubles / Trap Handicap / Trap Singles

July 17 – Skeet Doubles

July 17-18 – Trap Singles

Make A Break and Flurry side games will be available throughout the week starting at 11 am each day.

More detailed information about the 2020 SCTP National Championship to follow.

SASP Virtual Series FAQ

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Virtual Series Matches:

-Can be set up by coaches and open to invited teams or all teams

-Can be set for weekly, bi-weekly or monthly competitions.

-Can run up to 52 competitions in a series (if you run weekly events for the entire year)

-Uses team scoring where the top 4 athletes, regardless of classification, on your team are selected to be the team score. There are no set squads.

-When you enter your team into a league it will list all your registered athletes. You only enter scores for the athletes that shoot in a round/match. DO NOT ENTER 0.

-Each round’s/match’s top 4 athletes per team are combined for a cumulative team score at the end of the series.

-Scores you enter for each athlete are the stage scores (best 4 of 5 strings). This can be done on paper or using a tablet to record them and then entered in SHOT system (or SHOT).

-Scores are entered by the coach for everyone into the virtual scoring module in Shot. This must be done by the end of the grace period (date is listed in the match for each round/match).

-Shooting can be done on your home range or at another team’s range if they can host you for a little head-to-head action for the virtual.

-There is no fee for the virtual series matches. (If teams want to run virtual leagues of their own and do awards they can charge a fee outside of SHOT.

-The stages for the match are set by the match host. Those are the stages that must be shot.

-Disciplines to be shot will be based on the match host’s selection and listed in the match.

State and national championship virtual matches (if run):

-These matches will be run if in-person championships are not feasible due to restrictions in place because of the pandemic.

-Matches will be built in Shot by national staff and administered with the assistance of state advisers.

-Matches will be shot at your home range, or possibly at another team’s range if they can host a team, based on restrictions in place.

-This is a onetime match that will be shot over the course of a week or several weeks.

-Disciplines to be shot will be selected by the match director and provided to all teams.

-These matches will be done with traditional squadding (4 athletes in the same classification) as noted in the rulebook.

-State Matches Scores will be entered in tablets if possible and emailed to the state adviser. Paper scores can be sent if a team does not have scoring tablets.

-There will be instructions on how to set up the tablet with the PractiScore file if we do any of these matches.

Nationals virtual if held, scores will be submitted via PractiScore to back to SASP National staff. All four stages must be shot back to back just as they would be at the nationals match. They cannot be split up over multiple days.

We have created a video tutorial on how to get started in the Virtual Series within the SHOT system:

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Going One For One

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Steel Target Paint's Jeff Jones gives SASP athletes a tip on cutting down stage times:

Yes, it’s obvious, but it’s true. Your best runs are going to be one for one runs at your best speed. Don’t try to be someone else, they’ve got that covered, be the best you can be. This is the trick to understanding this method, you are trying to shoot your best performance. For each discipline and every stage you should know your average string time. This is going to help you understand if you where you need to be during a competition. Let’s say you’re a 2 second per string shooter and you shoot a 1.8 on your first string. You might feel confident and push harder on string 2. More often than not, you’ll do worse than 1.8. Now you’re on to string 3 and you get tentative because you want to throw out string 2, so that’s a 2.4. Do you see where this is going? Probably not the best performance. Now, if you knew 2 seconds per string was your goal, after that 1.8 you’d realize you were faster than your norm and keeping the same pace and going one for one is your best opportunity to turn in your best time.

Really? I shot it that fast?

How many times have you heard your time and went “Are you sure you didn’t miss a shot?”. Most times you best runs don’t feel fast. There are the occasional blistering runs, but in most cases, your fast runs don’t feel fast. Everything is working and that’s more than likely because you gripped the gun and went one for one!

Jeff Jones is a member of the Steel Target Paint Team
6-Division GM in Steel Challenge
Co-host of the Steel Target Paint Podcast
 

Save Up With Member Matching From The SSSF

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in New SSSF, SCTP Blog, SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Grow your team endowment account at the MidwayUSA Foundation via our Member Matching Program and realize 5:1 and 7:1 matching! Open to all members, this matching opportunity takes a $5 deposit into your MidwayUSA Foundation Team Endowment account and matches back $25/athlete or $35/coach or volunteer!

Some Details

  • Teams, (or team supporters) may donate up to $5 for every current member on the team roster. Donations are limited to one, $5 donation per registered team member. Donations should be submitted together as one submission using the forms below. Donations for athletes will be matched 5:1 and donations for volunteers will be matched 7:1. For example, a team with 5 volunteer coaches and 15 athletes makes a $100, tax-deductible donation to the SSSF as part of the member matching program:
    • $25 receives $175 in matching funds from SSSF (5:1 matching)
    • $75 receives $375 in matching funds from SSSF (7:1 matching)
    • Over $650 is deposited to your team’s endowment account for your $100 donation!
  • Teams must be in good standing for the 2019 – 2020 season to participate
  • Teams must have a team endowment account at the MidwayUSA Foundation to participate
  • Donations must be made directly to the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation in order to be part of this program.
  • Donations made to the SSSF are tax-deductible
  • Member Matching Program runs through August 31, 2020

Federal Ammunition Steps up in Support of SCTP!

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Federal Ammunition has agreed to support the SCTP as a Silver Level Sponsor in 2020, according to the Federal Staff and the SCTP! Federal, makers of Top Gun ammunition, Federal Gold Medal plastic and the coveted Federal Gold Medal Grand paper shotshells realizes the importance of supporting our youth!

“Federal is happy to continue building relationships that support the next generation of (clay target) shooters engrained in our company history, mission and core values,” said Dan Compton, Shotshell Product manager for Federal Ammunition “Youth play a vital role in our future and Federal Ammunition is excited to be on the front line of support for groups like the SCTP.”

“We are extremely happy to have Federal involved in the support of our program and youth shooting!” said Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director. “Now more than ever, we lean on the support of industry and sponsors like Federal to help us stay the course in youth development and the clay target sports. We appreciate Federal’s commitment and support of youth shooting now and for years to come!”

The SCTP/SSSF strongly recommends whenever possible that you look at supporting and buying products from companies like Federal that support the future of the shooting sports through our youth shooting programs! Check out Federal’s new offerings like the 1-ounce, 12 gauge, high-velocity loads added to the Top Gun Sporting lineup. They are specifically designed to shorten leads, yet reduce felt recoil to allow for quicker follow-up shots.

Tippmann Increases Support Of SASP

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Increasing their support for the 2020 season, Tippman Arms as renewed as a SASP sponsor at the Platinum Level.

"At Tippmann Arms, we are very excited to be sponsoring the Scholastic Action Shooting Program for the third year," says Dennis Tippmann Jr., President of Tippmann Arms. "In addition to being a sponsor of  SASP,  our commitment to youth shooting sports programs led us to develop the SASP M4-22 Competition Model.  Every SASP M4-22 sold generates a portion of funds that go back to the SASP. Owning a SASP M4-22 is a great way to show your support for the program. We look forward to continuing and growing our SASP sponsorship program for years to come".

"The Scholastic Action Shooting Program is very fortunate to receive such tremendous support from industry sponsors like Tippmann Arms," said Rick Leach, SASP National Director. "Going into their third year as a sponsor, Tippmann Arms has increased their commitment to the program as a Platinum-Level Sponsor for 2020. Their support for our athletes participating in the Rimfire Rifle discipline and for the program as a whole is inspiring. To see sponsors like Tippman Arms return each year, and even increase support for our youth shooting sports program is a fantastic thing to see."

Tippmann Arms is a firearms manufacturer in Fort Wayne, IN, specializing in 22-caliber rifles made in the USA.

Apply Now For 2020 SSSF All Scholastic Team

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is proud to invite all qualified 2020 SCTP and SASP athletes to apply for the SSSF All Scholastic Team! The All Scholastic Team recognizes achievements of student athletes in the shooting sports for their accomplishments in the classroom, in their communities, and on the range. Eligible athletes of all ages are invited to apply.

View the 2019 All Scholastic Team Profiles:

Requirements for application are as follows:

·Must be a 2020 registered athlete in good standing with the SCTP or SASP national office. This requires athlete payment and consent/waiver form is on file with the national program administrative office.  See complete information on how to register with the SCTP and SASP.

·Must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Applications must include transcript or most recent grade reporting information available due to COVID-19 situation. Transcript for 9th grade and above must include cumulative GPA for academic career.  

·Must meet one of the following shooting qualifications and supply proof of official match record. Match record must be from official shoot bulletin, SCTP/SASP leaderboard, ATA, NSSA/NSCA athlete history or equivalent. Copies of scoresheets or statements of scores from coaches will not be accepted. Clay target scores must be from a whole event, for example one 200 target event, two 100 target events or four 50 target events. Picking and choosing individual rounds from different events is not acceptable. Applicants must submit 200 targets for American disciplines.

1. SCTP (skeet or trap) – achieved 190/200 targets (or equivalent in lesser target format) in a competition between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020

OR

2. SCTP (sporting clays) – achieved 170/200 targets (or equivalent in lesser target format) in a competition between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020

OR

3. SCTP (bunker trap, international skeet, or international doubles trap) – achieved 100/125 targets in a competition between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020

OR

4. SASP – achieved a total match score of 65 seconds or less in an SASP match between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020

· Must supply two letters of recommendation from a coach, teacher, or adult third party

· Must supply a photograph suitable for publication

Deadline for application is May 22, 2020, 5:00PM central time, no exceptions.

Complete the 2020 SSSF All Scholastic Team Form Here

HD Hunters Gold Increases Sponsorship of Scholastic Action Shooting Program

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

With the continued growth of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), Hunters HD Gold has decided to continue support of SASP and move up to the Gold Sponsorship level.

"Hunters HD Gold is excited to help the SASP grow and I see where moving to the Gold Level of sponsorship will help even more with Hunters HD Gold & SASP’s growth," said Hunters HD Gold President, Brian Conley. "To grow the SASP is crucial to our 2nd Amendment rights NOW and for the next generations to come."

Hunters HD Gold has a remarkable reputation in the shooting sports community," commented SASP National Director, Rick Leach. "At just about any large action shooting-related match, you can find the HD Hunters Gold booth. We are so thrilled for the continued and increased support from Brian and the rest of Hunters HD Gold. Not only do they create a fantastic eyewear product, but on more than one occasion I witnessed Brian on the range at the SASP Collegiate Nationals helping paint stages in between shooters. Their commitment to shooting sports, specifically youth athletes is inspiring and really validates the goal of our program.

2020 SASP Collegiate National Championship Results

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Collegiate SASP teams converged on the CMP Marksmanship Park in Talladega, AL on March 13-15th in a race to see which team would come out on top in a number of Action Shooting disciplines. Taking home the Pistol Cup for the 5th consecutive year was Texas A&M’s CCMU, beating out the University of Florida’s Centerfire score by 10 seconds. In a 3-discipline sweep, Liberty University took home the new Tammy L. Mowry Rifle Cup for their performance in Rimfire Rifle Iron and Optic and Pistol Caliber Carbine disciplines. SASP Founding Partner Sponsor, Glock was in attendance, lending a helping hand running athletes through their stages and providing demo sessions of Glock pistols. Another SASP supporter, Hunters HD Gold made a surprising announcement at the match by increasing their support to the Gold Sponsor level. During the match, Hunters HD Gold could be seen lending out eyewear for athletes, providing match footage coverage, and even pitching in to help paint the stages between shooters. Thank you to all of our Founding Partner Sponsors GLOCK, Action Target, RUGER and CZ USA. Congrats to all teams for their outstanding performances at the 2020 SASP Collegiate National Championship!

Rimfire Pistol
1. Liberty University
2. FSU
3. Bethel University
Rimfire Pistol Optic
1. FSU
2. U of A Wildgats
3. VTCMU
Centerfire Pistol
1. CCMU
2. UF
3. FSU
Centerfire Pistol Optic
1. UF
2. FSU
3. OSU
Iron Rifle
1. Liberty University
2. Bethel University
3. Liberty University
Optics Rifle
1. Liberty University
2. FSU
3. U of A Wildgats
Pistol Caliber Carbine
1. Liberty University
2. OSU
3. U of A Wildgats
1911
1. UF
2. CCMU
3. FSU

Full album from the 2020 SASP Collegiate Nationals can be found on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ScholasticActionShootingProgram/photos

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