Hoppe’s, Champion To Sponsor SASP As Platinum Sponsors In 2020

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

Entering 2020 with the support of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program are Vista Outdoor brands Hoppe's and Champion. Their commitment to the program as Platinum Sponsors demonstrates the industry's drive to support young athletes in competitive shooting outlets.

Brand Marketing Manager, Eliza Graves commented, "We are excited to partner with the Scholastic Action Shooting Program this year. The youth of America are our future and educating them in safe shooting principles from the start is paramount. SASP has an outstanding reputation in the industry and Champion and Hoppe’s products are a natural fit." 

"Industry support is a huge part of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program and it really validates what we are doing from a youth development aspect." said SASP National Director, Rick Leach. "When big, name brand companies in the industry such as Hoppe's and Champion get behind our program, it really shows our community that encouraging youth participation in shooting sports is an important and rewarding endeavor."

About Hoppe's

Established more than 110 years ago, Hoppe’s has emerged as the leading gun care company, having grown along-side hunters, shooters, and soldiers who depend on their firearms every day. It has remained the most trusted name in gun care by advancing and evolving technologies to meet those needs. From the ever-popular and versatile No. 9 and the quick and easy BoreSnake, to the marvel of efficiency we call Gun Medic, Hoppe’s is the only name you need to know for firearm cleaning and protection. For more information, visit www.hopes.com

About Champion

Champion is a leading provider of quality trap throwers, paper targets, metal targets, clay targets, hearing and eye protection and shooting systems. Shooting is a fun pastime, and Champion produces a wide variety of products to enhance the experience for shooters of all levels. For more information, visit www.championtarget.com

Ruger Mini-14 auction to benefit SASP

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Ruger Firearms has generously donated a Ruger® Mini-14 rifle chambered in .223 to benefit the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP). The rifle is being auctioned on Gunbroker.com now through January 22nd at 12:30 pm.

This Ruger® Mini-14® rifle has an 18-1/2 inch barrel with flash suppressor. It also features a rear peep sight (adjustable for elevation and windage), and fixed front sight with bayonet lug. Other features include an American hardwood stock with a curved metal butt plate, and a heat-resistant ventilated fiberglass handguard. Also included with this rifle is a wood handguard, and a 5-round magazine. This rifle does not have the manual warning on the barrel. The test fire date of this rifle is August 25, 2010. However, based on the serial number, this rifle would have been manufactured in 1976. There is a letter “U” stamped under the serial number that indicates a “used” firearm. NOTE: This firearm may not be available in all states and locales due to feature-based restrictions. Please check with your local law enforcement agency prior to purchasing to verify that it may legally be purchased and/or possessed in your particular state and locale. The rifle is being sold “as is.” The purchaser assumes all liability for its safe and proper ownership, storage, use, and resale. The Mini-14 rifle will be shipped in the box it had been stored in along with an appropriate instruction manual and locking device. 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.

View this Mini-14 rifle on Gunbroker.com and place your winning bid!

Ruger has committed to supporting the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) through a series of Gunbroker.com auctions running through mid-April, with a new auction beginning each Wednesday at 12:30 pm EST. ALL proceeds go towards SASP and upcoming auctions will include many rare “one-of-a-kind” sample firearms!

Ruger Vaquero revolver auction to benefit SASP

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Ruger Vaquero auction

Ruger Firearms has generously donated a Ruger® Vaquero 45 Long Colt single-action revolver to benefit the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP). The revolver is being auctioned on Gunbroker.com now through January 16th at 9:17 AM.

The Ruger® Vaquero® was first introduced in 1993 and is recognized as incorporating the frontier virtues of strength, reliability, and durability. This revolver has a high-gloss stainless steel finish. The serial number 55-03064 tells us this revolver was rollmarked February 15, 1993. “RUGER VAQUERO® .45 CAL.” is stamped on the left side of the cylinder frame. The Vaquero is equipped with a rounded blade front sight with no ramp and a fixed notch rear sight in a groove on the topstrap. Other features include a 5-1/5 inch barrel, a 6-round 45 Long Colt cylinder, and rosewood grip panels with silver and black Ruger Eagle medallions inserted in the grips. This Vaquero revolver had been stored in a brown hinged cardboard box along with an appropriate instruction manual and locking device. The revolver has not been fired beyond normal factory testing, and is being sold “as is.” The purchaser assumes all liability for its safe and proper ownership, storage, use, and resale. The revolver 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. Note: the winner of this auction will be responsible for paying the Federal Excise Tax of $31.28.

View this Vaquero revolver at Gunbroker.com and place your winning bid!

Ruger has committed to supporting the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) through a series of Gunbroker.com auctions running through mid-April, with a new auction beginning each Wednesday at 12:30 pm EST. ALL proceeds go towards SASP and upcoming auctions will include many rare “one-of-a-kind” sample firearms!

Over $200,000 Raised for SCTP & SASP Teams in Vision 2020 Campaign

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

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation's (SSSF) Vision 2020 campaign raised $215,465 thanks to the SCTP and SASP teams and donors who participated in 2019!

Total impact for the campaign amounts to almost $107,000 in cash grants going to Scholastic Clay Target and Scholastic Action Shooting Program teams along over $320,000 being donated by SSSF to participating team's MidwayUSA Foundation endowment accounts!

Congratulations to the teams that worked hard to compete in our team endowment bonus fund competitions. There were two team competitions with $30,000 each in MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment funding up for grabs as follows:

  1. Teams with the most dollars raised.
  2. Teams with the most unique donors making donations via the SSSF website or print and mail form. 

Top team in each category receives $10,000, 2nd gets $8,000, 3rd gets $5,000, 4th gets, $3,000, 5th gets $2,500 and 6th receives $1,500.

Here are the final team standings for each competition:

Most Dollars Raised

Most Unique Donors

Thanks again to all of the teams who participated and to the generous donors who supported them! If you did not participate in 2019, make plans to participate in the 2020 campaign to "reload" your team starting in October.

SSSF names Tom Davis as Marketing and Communications Manager

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The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is pleased to announce Tom Davis will join the SSSF team as its new Marketing and Communications Manager.

Tom Davis joins the SSSF team as Manager of Communications and Marketing

“We saw the need to bring our marketing efforts in-house going into 2020,” said SSSF President, Ben Berka. “We intend to bring a more authentic and consistent line of communication to our current members, industry partners, and prospective members with the addition of Tom Davis. Tom has previous marketing experience in the firearms industry at SilencerCo and also has a unique perspective as an alumnus of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP). We believe his professional expertise and passion to give back to our programs will have a significant positive impact at the SSSF.”

Tom will be responsible for developing and perfecting a new marketing strategy for the foundation. His marketing plan understands the need to communicate to several different audiences using unique and compelling messages about the program and its participants. By researching participant demographics and applying targeted marketing techniques, Tom’s marketing strategy will grow program membership and improve communication to current members and stakeholders.

“I feel incredibly fortunate and fired up to give back to the SSSF," stated Davis. "I have traveled to places and met people I never would have otherwise thanks to shooting sports. I truly believe the stories from the SSSF programs sell themselves. I’m excited to communicate these stories and information to our current audiences and prospective members.”

Davis will assume his new role with the SSSF on January 2nd.

Earn This Combo Set on #GivingTuesday

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Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation will again join #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.

Occurring this year on December 3rd, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

#GivingTuesday is also a great opportunity to drive donations for your SCTP or SASP team through our Vision 2020 campaign! Simple posts to your social media sites and/or e-mails to team members, parents, friends and business associates can make a difference! All you have to do is share your team ID and the link to donate!

This year we are offering a special incentive for teams on #GivingTuesday! We will be awarding this Henry Big Boy Rifle and Ruger Black Hawk revolver to the team with the most unique donors making online donations on December 3rd.

Here are the requirements:

  1. SCTP/SASP teams must be registered for the Vision 2020 campaign. Team registration information and materials can be found at the bottom of our official campaign page.
  2. Donations must be online through the SSSF Vision 2020 team donation form.
  3. Minimum donation is $10
  4. Teams must raise a minimum of $500 through online donations on December 3rd to be eligible for the Henry / Ruger combo.
  5. Winning team will be the team with the highest count of individual donors making a donation of $10 or more on December 3, 2019. In case of a tie, the team with the largest individual donation amount will win.
  6. Donors must use your SSSF team id at the time of the donation. Contact us if you don't know your SSSF team ID
  7. Online donations must be made on December 3rd, 2019 in order to count towards this Combo Gun competition. 
  8. Total campaign donations, including all participating teams, must exceed $10,000 on December 3rd for the Henry / Ruger combo to be awarded. Note, donations on #GivingTuesday in 2018 exceeded $10,000.

SCTP Announces New State Advisors

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The SCTP would like to announce the addition of some of its newest State Advisors for the 2019/2020 competition season.

Angie Everson of Midland, Sylvia McCart from Nicholson and Steve Lane of Madison have all agreed to help in assisting teams, athletes and coaches in the state of Georgia. Angie brings several years of experience and dedication to the SCTP and currently coaches the Harris County Shotgun Team. Sylvia is currently an assistant coach with the Georgia Claybusters and Steve has been the Head Coach of the Lake Oconee Shotgun Team for some time! The growing number of teams and athletes in Georgia sure welcome their guidance and help with state and local events and for being the boots on the ground. We appreciate them stepping up and thank them for their dedication to the SCTP!

Michael Jacks of Grenada will be assisting new teams, athletes and coaches in the state of Mississippi! Mississippi, one of the newest states to get involved with the SCTP, is seeing some significant interest and growth in the youth shooting sports. Home to the Winchester supported shooting facility, The McIvor Shooting Center, SCTP is working on a plan for a spring 2020 Regional shoot to be held there. Michael is involved with the Cypress Creek Shotgun Sports Team and looks forward to working with new teams and coaches joining the SCTP!

Andy Croley of Williamsburg has agreed to assist teams, athletes and coaches in the state of Kentucky. We have started to see more interest and excitement in Kentucky and look forward to the help there! Andy heads up the Whitley County Clay Crushers and is excited to work with more teams and coaches in an effort to grow youth shooting in the state of Kentucky!

Kevin Kozel of Carmichaels Pennsylvania, will be assisting fellow State Advisors in PA in helping build new teams, adding athletes and overall growing of the SCTP! PA has seen regular steady growth over the last few years and continues to garner more teams and athletes. Kevin is involved with his local team, The Hunting Hills Hawkeyes where he has been an assistant coach there for the last few years.

Dale Cason of Yukon will be heading up efforts in the state of Oklahoma. Dale enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 children and is an outdoor enthusiast. He spends time out hunting and shooting as well as coaching his team the F5 Clay Crushers. We look forward to Dale’s help in Oklahoma and growing the SCTP program there!

State Advisors are appointed positions by the SCTP National Organization and renewed yearly. If you are interested in assisting the SCTP with growing youth clay target shooting in your state, please reach out to your Director of Development (western US) Jeff Morrison jmorrison@sssfonline.com or (Eastern US) Chet Tuinstra ctuinstra@sssfonline.com. We would be happy to have you!

SCTP National Team Conducts Training Camp at John A. Halter Education Center

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Hillsdale, MI - Members of the 2019 SCTP National Team (NT) met in Hillsdale, Michigan over the Columbus Day weekend for their first training camp together. The camp was a short two days but that may have been a blessing as weekend temperatures failed to reach 50 degrees in the face of steady 10-15 mph winds. The 2019 NT athletes attending this camp were: Preston Bailey, Josh Corbin, Madeline Corbin, Kyle Fleck, Ella McLerran, Alexa Paxson, and Jordan Sapp. Also attending were Quinn Schuppner, Hamilton Spieth, and 2018 NT alumni Matthew Wells.

Back row, left to right: Quinn Schuppner, Hamilton Spieth, Jordan Sapp, Josh Corbin, Alexa Paxson, Ella McLerran.
Front row, left to right: Madeline Corbin, Preston Bailey, Kyle Fleck, Matthew Wells.

Utilizing some indoor time, Coach Terri DeWitt introduced the athletes to stretching and circuit training exercises designed to strengthen core muscles and improve stability and SSG Dustan Taylor, member of the US Army Marksmanship Unit Skeet Team, introduced the skeet athletes to new drills and training techniques. Coach Taylor noted that while the high winds made training difficult, it helped build confidence in the end. “I believe the camp was a complete success,” he stated. Skeet athlete Preston Bailey agreed. “I liked working with Coach Dustan and being able to train with the other team members. Most of the time I train by myself, so this was a productive weekend for me,” Bailey said.

“I’d like to thank the staff at the John Halter Shooting Sports Education Center here at Hillsdale College for their generous hospitality in hosting our training camp. Bart, Jim, and Judy made sure we had everything we needed. This is a first-class facility that has some exciting things in store for it,” stated Coach DeWitt.

The SCTP NT will get together again December 28-30 in Tucson, AZ. They will have an opportunity to train on the same fields that will be used to select the 2020 US Olympic Shooting Team at Olympic Trials Part 2 which starts February 25, 2020.

The SCTP National Team is selected from and based on the top 3 finishes for male and female athletes at the SCTP International National Championships (in International Skeet and Bunker Trap) held each year at the end of July. The national team seats from Sept. 1st through August 31st each year and athletes are invited to attend various camps and competitions throughout the year. These athletes receive Winchester ammunition, a Castellani national team vest sponsored by Ultimate Shooting accessories , entry fees and many other support materials entitled to membership on the team!

MidwayUSA Foundation Now Accepting Cash Grant Applications

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Columbia, MO – The MidwayUSA Foundation is currently accepting grant applications from shooting teams in their Team Endowment Program. Any youth shooting team with a balance in their MidwayUSA Foundation Team Endowment that did not apply in June 2019 is eligible to apply for a cash grant. Applicants must complete the MidwayUSA Foundation grant application, found at midwayusafoundation.org/teamgrants and submit it by December 15th.

Teams are eligible to apply for a cash grant, every year. Youth shooting teams can receive 5% of their endowment balance to use for shooting team expenses, such as ammunition, travel, entry fees, uniforms, targets, and more. The December 2019 cycle has over 2,250 teams eligible, and a potential payout of about $4.3 million.

In their last grant cycle, the MidwayUSA Foundation paid $1.7 million in grants to 521 youth shooting teams. Each year the number of grant applications submitted has increased. Ideally, every shooting team with an endowment will receive a grant each year. If you need assistance or have questions about eligibility, you can email grants@midwayusafoundation.org.

The MidwayUSA Foundation is a public 501(c)(3) charity, founded by Larry and Brenda Potterfield, working to sustain the shooting sports industry by providing permanent, long term endowment funding to over 2,700 youth shooting teams.

For more information about the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. and its Team Endowment Program, please visit midwayusafoundation.org or call 1-877-375-4570.

© Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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.