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.

On June 18, 2016, three Ohio SCTP Teams competed in a 100-target event for the Skeet Championship with the Fairfield Lead Slingers taking 1st place in the Open Division. Squad members were Wes Laipply, Cole Gintert and Rob Henggeler with a team score of 282.  Second Place in the Open Division was the Buckeye Elite team Squad of Sam LeCras, Landon Ritchey, and Paige Hagerty with a score of 241.  In 3^rd place was the Buckeye Elite team squad of Blake Medley, Blayne Brockman, and Brad Kuehner with 192.  In the JV Division, 1^st place was taken by the Camp Perry Clay Shooters squad of Noah Davis, Gage Whitenburg, and Randi Cook.  In total, 13 SCTP shooters competed in the Dave’s Big Guns event as a concurrent. Five of our shooters also competed in the Skeet Doubles as a side event. On Sunday, June 19, Black Wing hosted the first ever SCTP Ohio State Sporting Clays Championship with 13 athletes competing.  Fairfield prevailed for the top Team honors and Buckeye Elite was a close 2^nd.  Full results by team can be found by accessing the SCTP Shoot Results section at www.sssfonline.org. On behalf of our athletes and coaches, many thanks to Dave Guinn for sponsoring the shoot and Joe King and his staff for hosting our inaugural event.  Good luck to our Ohio SCTP shooters as they go on to compete in the SCTP National Championships at Cardinal Center starting July 9.  There will be almost 3,000 junior shooters from all over the country competing in Skeet, Trap, and Sporting Clays at this great event.  OSSA members are welcome to come watch the youngsters compete! Dan Hathaway, Ohio SCTP State Skeet Advisor

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is pleased to announce support from Federal Premium for the SSSF’s Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP).  Federal Premium has stepped up with commitment at the Bronze and Silver level for the SCTP and SASP respectively. “We are very happy to have Federal Premium as one of the newest partners of the SASP,” Tammy Mowry, SASP national director, said.  “Federal Premium provides high quality choices for our athletes for both rimfire and centerfire ammunition to help them excel in practice and competition.” Jon Zinnel, who handles education and outreach for Federal Premium Ammunition, said, “Federal Premium has been a longtime supporter of many youth shooting sports programs. Being a sponsor for SCTP and SASP programs in 2016 is another opportunity to support great outreach programs giving thousands of new shooters an opportunity to partake in fun and safe shooting sports activities.” Tom Wondrash, SCTP national director, said, “We are very excited to have Federal Premium be a part of the SCTP! Federal Premium will add yet another avenue for our athletes. We are sincerely appreciative for their support of the Scholastic Clay Target Program and look forward to a long-lasting relationship.”

A Browning X-Bolt White Gold, NS, 270 Win. has just been listed on Gunbroker.com with the goal of raising proceeds for the Browning Scholarship Program to benefit SCTP athletes competing at the 2016 SCTP National Championship in Marengo, Ohio. The scholarship opportunity is open to all high school competitors in the 16-yard trap singles competition who are shooting a Browning shotgun and registered for the scholarship opportunity. Coaches (or athletes) must register at the registration desk “prior” to the competition to be eligible. The scholarship amount will be determined by the amount of tickets sold on a Browning 725 Pro Trap or Pro Sporting model as well as a special banquet gun and this live auction rifle that was just posted on Gunbroker.com. SCTP will have tickets available at the National Tournament for $10 each or three for $20!

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is proud to announce a new membership level for individuals dedicated to securing the future of youth shooting sports in America. By joining the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation as a Supporting Member you are part of the great movement of youth development through the shooting sports. Until now, one had to be an athlete or volunteer coach in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) or Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) to be a part of the SSSF. "I am very excited with the announcement of our new Supporting Membership offering," said Louise Terry, chairman of the SSSF board of directors. "This new membership opportunity gives many interested individuals an easy route to belong to the youth shooting sports even though they may not have a direct connection with their own children or as a coach or team volunteer. It's also a great way, with several affordable options, of contributing to SSSF's mission of youth development thru the shooting sports." As a one-time offer, the first 500 people to join as SSSF Supporting Members will become part of the “500 Club” of inaugural members. Each 500 Club Member will receive an exclusive Russ Kommer design, Browning two-knife set in a commemorative whitetail tin.  500 Club members will also be recognized in SSSF publications for their leadership in stepping up to support youth shooting sports! Memberships start at as little as $40 annually with options for five year, life and shooting range memberships also available.  All Supporting Memberships include a membership card, Supporting Member decal and other great benefits. For more information and to join online visit www.sssfonline.org/donate

For Coach Jason Anderson, the season started with the concept of holding a few low-cost scrimmages between several North Texas SCTP teams. More than 70,000 tournament targets later, Anderson chuckled that he, “can’t wait to get to SCTP Nationals in Marengo and let someone else run the shoot.” According to Anderson who coaches the Allen Eagles Competitive Shooting Team (plus the fishing team, archery team, and oversees almost 700 students in Outdoor Adventures) for one of Texas’ largest high schools, “We did virtually no advertising. We just hosted shoots and they came.” SCTP is popular and growing in Texas because it’s a safe, healthy, pragmatic atmosphere that features many of the best competitive shooters in the state, but is equally welcoming and encouraging to beginners. For those reasons, the league tripled in size in less than a year and is quickly becoming a full time job. Fortunately, lots of volunteersmake it work. “That’s what happens when you keep it friendly and cost effective,” said Don Williams, head coach of Red Oak High School’s shotgun team. Williams, president of Ellis County Sportsman’s Club, has been a longtime advocate for youth clay target shooting. The league was run with volunteers and kept entry fees to a minimum. The sport is costly enough for parents. So, when word gets out that you can shoot 300 targets in a state tournament for $100, you get a lot of shooters. Over 200 shooters from 11 teams competed in six league tournaments, plus state and regional tournaments including trap, skeet, and sporting clays. “We had teams from as far away as Austin, Lubbock, and Texarkana make their way to the Dallas/Fort Worth area for tournaments,” said Coach Roger Guerra of the Fort Worth Claymores who hosted several of the shoots at Fort Worth Trap and Skeet. This year’s collegiate division featured former high school athletes now representing Oklahoma University, Oklahoma State, Nicholl’s State, Sam Houston State, University of Texas Dallas, and Texas A&M. It’s great to see these young men and women mature and take on leadership roles in college and continue to promote firearms responsibility through shooting sports. SCTP Texas has had shooters go on to become All American’s, NRA Certified Instructors, and NSSA Referees. Some have started college teams that compete in ACUI as well as SCTP. Thanks to support from SCTP, Allen alone has over 20 NRA certified coaches. Better still, several of the athletes completed their NRA certifications and have already put that training to work assisting their peers and with clinics including one for the DIVA’s Women Outdoor Worldwide. Volunteering is what enables the league to grow. So, it’s great to see the athletes pay it back by volunteering to help others. “The level of competition is on the rise,” says Rick Walker, coach for Southlake High School’s shooting team. The competition rivals anything you'll see in Texas and it’s only going to continue to get better with more teams inquiring and existing teams maturing. It’s a great time to be a positive influence. And if you’re not involved, it’s a great time to get started.