Congratulations to Selina Larson, winner of last week's Range Time quiz drawing! Selina correctly answered the quiz question and was drawn as the winner of a set of off-eye optical filters and an SCTP lanyard. Last week's question and possible answers:Before the game of Skeet was named, another game was commonly played with clay targets. It was called:
Circle the Globe
Ring around the Rosie
Around the World
Play the Ring
Around the Clock
The correct answer, of course, was Around the Clock. Watch next week’s Range Time newsletter for another quiz question and your chance to win a prize.
We recently closed our National Championships survey after several hundred of you gave us your feedback on our year's big events. As promised, we have drawn the names of eight (8) respondents to win a prize from SCTP or SPP. Congratulations to these winners:
Aiden Belongia - SPP shooter from Wisconsin
SPP water bottle, patch, and pin Houston Unsell - SPP shooter from Alabama
SPP water bottle, patch, and pin Darin Bruski - SPP and SCTP shooter from Wisconsin
SPP water bottle, patch, and pin William M. Seifert - SCTP shooter from Michigan
Case of Nobel Sport ammo Dakota Bishop - SCTP shooter from Texas
Case of Fiocchi ammo John Michael Baggett - SCTP shooter from Tennessee
SCTP hat and t-shirt Edward Rowland - SCTP coach from Tennessee
Weather Writer System Terry Brookman - SCTP coach from Missouri
SCTP lanyard, coffee mug, and hot/cold pack
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our survey and provide us with valuable information that we will use to make future events even better.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation offers three important tips for shotgunners that can help you shoot better, hit more targets, and enjoy your day on the course more. NSSF Video
The SPP Southeast Regional Fall Match in Huntingdon, Tennessee is fast approaching. The match date will be November 8 at the Carroll County Shooting Sports Park. It is open to all Junior, Senior, and Collegiate SPP teams. Both Centerfire and Rimfire (JV) Divisions will be recognized. Endowment funds will be available. Match fee is $25 per shooter. Download the match flyer for more details, or contact Tammy Mowry for registration information.
Washington State Scrimmage Match
Custer Sportsmen's Club in Custer, Washington will host the Washington State Scrimmage Match on November 15. The match is open to all Junior, Senior, and Collegiate SPP teams. It will include all four SPP stages, plus two fun stages for a total of six. The local team will run a free new-competitor orientation the morning of the match. No experience is necessary. Loaner guns will be available for those who need them. The Washington Scrimmage is an informal kick-off event for Northwest shooters interested in SPP. Look for a full-fledged Washington State Championship in 2015. Download the event flyer for more details.
Florida Law Enforcement Explorer Shooting League Inaugural Match
The Florida Law Enforcement Explorer Shooting League Inaugural Match will take place on November 15 at the Talon Range in Midway, Florida. The match is being hosted by the Leon County Sheriff’s Explorer Post and The Rifle Association at the Florida State University. Contact Tammy Mowry for registration information.
Crew 51 Maine Local Match
Crew 51 in Maine will host a local match on November 22, 2014, at Camp Hinds BSA Camp in Raymond, Maine. For registration information, contact Annie Tarbox, annie.tarbox@gmail.com, or 207-200-6814.
SSSF made contributions totaling $44,000 this week to the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. endowment accounts of 14 Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) teams. The teams earned the endowment funds while competing in the Massachusetts State Match on September 13 and the Northeast Fall Regional Match on October 4. The contributions for September and October bring SPP’s total donations to $407,150 to date in 2014. SPP expects to contribute at least $480,000 in total for 2014 through state, regional, and national championship events. SSSF contributes the funds on behalf of the teams to the MidwayUSA Foundation Team Endowment Account Program, which was created to provide sustained financial support for youth shooting teams. SPP teams are awarded endowment funds through participation in sanctioned shoots. Teams with an endowment account can draw an annual grant to help offset team expenses, such as registration fees, equipment costs, and travel. “The MidwayUSA Foundation Team Endowment Account Program has been a great asset in building youth shooting teams," said Scott Moore, SPP Director. "This program also requires the athletes to work toward goals, which is part of the great character-building aspect of the Scholastic Pistol Program and Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation." The teams whose endowment accounts received funds for September and October are:
Note: This is the first in a series of shooting and competition tips from the SSSF staff. While working with an ammunition company several years ago, I joined members of our sales and marketing team at a police pistol range for some training on a bitterly cold January morning to gain a better understanding of officers' needs in ammunition and the dangers they face in the field. A tactical course was set up, with the officer required to shoot accurately, correctly distinguish the good guys from the bad guys that were popping up and moving into the course of fire, rescue a partner who had been "shot" without also getting shot, move to a safer area, and more -- and do it all FAST. I was seriously out of my element. Although I was a shooter, I had no law enforcement or tactical expertise, nor did the rest of our team. The range officer brought in an expert to demonstrate the course. But not just any expert -- it was the officer who held the record for shooting the course. He dazzled us with his speed and accuracy as he performed every challenge perfectly. Then it was our turn. Several members of our staff went through the course before Randell's name was called. Underdressed in his warm-weather clothes and loafers, Randell approached the starting box. Tap, tap, move. Tap, tap, move. Minutes later, Randell had not only stunned all the spectators, but he had broken the course record the first time he shot it! His secret, he explained, was that it wasn't the first time he shot the course; he had spent the previous half hour visualizing the course and mentally shooting it. In his mind, he placed every shot, moved to the next challenge, took every step, rescued the downed partner, took cover, and developed the rhythm he needed to do it quickly and smoothly. We all learned something important from Randell's performance. It was too late to help me that day -- I was the next shooter -- but I've practiced it many times since then, not just in pistol shooting, but in shotgunning and other active pursuits. I haven't broken any records, but I've benefited every time I have visualized the process. -- Sherry Kerr, SSSF Media & Communications
As another year starts to wind down, we are inching closer to the MidwayUSA Foundation matching deadlines. Don't miss your chance to double, triple, even quadruple your money! Funds returned to the MidwayUSA Foundation stemming from one of their recent promotions (Zeiss Binoculars, Browning Knife Set, Winchester 280, SKB RS300) by November 30, 2014, will be matched 3:1. Funds returned from previous promotions (Our Family Legacy, Silver Sporting) are matched 1:1. See MidwayUSA Foundation's promotions page for additional details. General donations are also matched. Donate to the team of your choice and your donation will be matched 2:1 by Larry and Brenda Potterfield! Find your team here. Your donation is tax deductible, and 100% of your donation will go to your local shooting team. But hurry -- this match also ends November 30, 2014. According to MidwayUSA Foundation, in 2015 they plan to bring new incentives to your teams to grow your Team Endowment Accounts. They also hope to offer another matching program, but don't miss your chance this year! Donate today!
The U.S. isn't the only place where clay target shooting is enjoying growth among student athletes. In Jamaica, the shotgun sports are experiencing an upward trend, and youth are responsible for much of that growth. In 2011, Jamaica's national coach initiated a junior shooting program with only five participants. Now, 65 to 75 youth shooters regularly participate in events. At a recent inter-school competition, 12 school teams competed, and there is a movement in place to gain representation in skeet shooting at the Olympic Games. With the growth of interest in shooting among high school students, the Jamaican program has sought guidance from none other than the largest youth shooting program in the U.S. -- the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Among other areas of development, the Jamaican program is hoping to open doors that will lead to the availability of shooting scholarships for its students at U.S. universities. Who knows, you may someday meet your Jamaican counterparts at an SCTP event or even have them as teammates on college teams! Stay tuned.
When you need to contact the SSSF staff, we want to give you the help you need as efficiently as possible. We know that no one likes being passed from person to person in search of a simple answer. To help you get to the right person the first time, please follow these guidelines:
Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)
For any program-related issues regarding SCTP, such as:
Registration
SHOT System assistance
Team, coach, or athlete registration
Username / password help
Contact Amanda Wondrash, awondrash@sssfonline.com, 262-206-4634. For payments, background checks, and all other issues, contact SSSF national headquarters at 210-448-8946.
Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP)
For any program-related issues regarding SPP, such as:
Shotgun coaches have a new option for becoming certified as SCTP coaches with a new program from the National Sporting Clays Association's Certified Instructor Program. NSCA now offers a Scholastic Instructor category developed to qualify instructors to work with youth and beginning shooters in a safe and recreational manner. SSSF will be accepting the new course for SCTP coach certification. The course is the same as that offered for NSCA Level I instructors but has fewer prerequisites, such as registered target requirements. Scholastic Instructor courses will be offered around the country; the first class is scheduled for January 17-18, 2015, at Old Hudson Plantation in Sparta, Georgia. Other classes will be added regularly. NSCA instructor courses can always be found on the NSCA Instructor Certification Class Schedule. To learn more about the Scholastic Instructor program, see the course criteria on MyNSCA.com. For information about planning an instructor course in your area, contact NSCA Chief Instructor, Don Currie, at 407-697-6236 or NSCA@doncurrie.com.
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.
