This week, Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation made a donation of $246,500 to the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. The funds were deposited into the endowment accounts of 75 member teams of the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program representing 26 states. The money was earned by the teams through participation in recent SCTP and SPP regional shoots. Of the total contribution, $216,500 was deposited into SCTP teams' accounts and $30,000 went to SPP teams' accounts. This week's donation brought SSSF's total MidwayUSA Foundation contributions for 2014 to $1,751,645. SSSF has funded accounts for 273 teams in 40 states this year. The purpose of the MidwayUSA Foundation endowment program is to provide sustained financial support for youth shooting teams. Teams with an endowment account are able to draw a grant each year to use for team expenses. SSSF regularly makes endowment funds available for SCTP and SPP events and contributes them to participating teams’ endowment accounts at the MidwayUSA Foundation. Since 2011, SSSF has donated funding to several hundred team endowment accounts across 48 states.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation is implementing some changes in how the organization conducts background checks on participating volunteers. Individuals registering with the SSSF as a volunteer (i.e., head coach, assistant coach, or other adult volunteer) must now conduct a secure background check that includes local county checks for a seven-year address history. In the past, SSSF has conducted checks only with the National Criminal Database (NCD). However, due to the variability of information across states, the NCD may or may not reveal all pertinent criminal history concerning eligibility of a volunteer. Thus, the new county-level background check will be used in addition to the national check.See Our Background Check FAQs With the changes in screening comes a price increase. Starting December 12, 2014 volunteers will be required to pay a portion of the cost directly to our background check provider, Intellicorp, when they submit to a check. Volunteer fees paid to SSSF will remain at $30. SSSF volunteer registration is not considered complete until background checks are completed. The SSSF wants to ensure it upholds the highest standards in youth protection on behalf of its programs and young athletes. The SSSF also must ensure that all of its volunteers are screened with the same level of background check, regardless of their state of residence or past residence history. To complete or renew your check go tohttps://sssf.volunteerportal.net/ and enter password scholastic.
The Scholastic Pistol Program launched a new pistol range at the Carroll County (TN) Shooting Sports Park in Huntingdon with its Southeast Regional Fall Match last Saturday, November 8. Six states were represented with 104 athletes on 13 teams. A total of $30,000 in MidwayUSA Foundation endowment account funds were awarded to participating teams. The match opened four premier new pistol bays at the park that were designed to accommodate SPP matches. In addition, the shooting park has four trap/skeet overlays, a 300-yard rifle range, and a sporting clays course in the planning stage. The park is home to the McKenzie Shooting Sports SPP and SCTP teams. The range was spearheaded by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) officer Lance Rider and was built with assistance and sponsorship from TWRA, Carroll County, and local and state businesses. TWRA has turned over management of the park to Carroll County. As the first event for the pistol bays, the SPP Southeast Regional Fall Match featured a ribbon cutting by Carroll County Mayor Kenny McBride, who also served as one of the Safety Officers for this inaugural event. Also at the event, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation (TWRF) was named the SPP state advisor. The TWRF announced the hiring of Lacey Lane to coordinate the SPP statewide.
College teams attending included Bethel University, Eastern Kentucky University, Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets, Southeastern Illinois College, Michigan State University, and University of Kentucky.
Junior/Senior teams participating were McKenzie Shooting Sports (TN), William Blount Shooting (TN), Tipton County Pistol (TN), Plateau Pistol Shooters (TN), Blue Grass Sportsmen’s League (KY), Arnold Junior Shooters (MO),and Alabama Privateers (AL).
Winners included: College Centerfire: 1st – Kentucky Squad A
2nd – Texas A&M
3rd – Bethel Squad 1 College Rimfire: 1st – Michigan State
2nd – Kentucky – Rimfire Squad A
3rd – Kentucky Rimfire Squad B Junior Rimfire: 1st - Arnold Red
2nd - Blue Grass Sportsmen’s League
3rd – William Blount Squad 1 Junior Centerfire: 1st - McKenzie Cobras Senior Rimfire: 1st - Plateau Pistol Shooters Squad 2
2nd – McKenzie Crushers
3rd - Alabama Privateers Senior Centerfire: 1st – William Blount Squad 3
2nd - McKenzie Cazadores High Overall Rimfire: Tanner Pond – Michigan State High Lady Rimfire: Katie Loida – Arnold Junior Shooters High Overall Centerfire: Zach Williams – Texas A&M High Lady Centerfire: Sarah Webster – Arnold Junior Shooters
You can see full results on the SPP Match Results page.
You've just finished an afternoon at the range, and you and your squad mates decide to stop off at your favorite hangout for a burger. Wearing your team shirts and caps, you leave your car in the parking lot, guns locked safely in their cases in the trunk. On the back window is a logo for your favorite gun brand, and empty ammo boxes are scattered in the backseat. When you emerge an hour later to go home, you find that your car's trunk has been popped opened, and your guns are gone! How could this happen? Sportsman's Insurance Agency, Inc. tells us that the vast majority of gun thefts are from vehicles. Shooters leave their vehicles in parking lots with guns and other equipment stored inside, and even with the firearms out of sight, it often isn't hard for the bad guys to know which vehicles in the parking lot to hit. Put yourself in the thief's shoes: one or more persons are walking across the parking lot looking like they just left the shooting range, possibly wearing a shooting shirt, gun company cap, maybe even a vest or shooting glasses. When he takes a look at the vehicle you just left, he sees the bumper sticker, ammo boxes or shooting vest in the seat, and he knows there's a good chance he'll find a gun in the trunk. Consider these pointers after a trip to the range or while traveling to a shoot:
When you get out of the car, do you look like you just left the range? What are you wearing? Does anything about your clothing or accessories say you have been shooting? If so, take it off or cover it up. If necessary, take along another shirt to change into before leaving your vehicle in a parking lot.
Does your vehicle look like a shooter's vehicle? Are there bumper stickers or decals from gun companies or other equipment brands? If so, remove them.
Is anything visible through your vehicle windows that suggests you've been shooting? If so, put it in the trunk, and don't give a thief any reason to break in.
Whenever possible, don't leave firearms unattended in your vehicle, even in the trunk. If gun storage is offered at an event you are attending, use it. If you're near home, take the gun home to your gun safe before going elsewhere.
Be especially mindful when you travel to a major shoot, like the National Championships in Sparta, when any bad guys in the area might be aware that lots of shooters will be around town, patronizing restaurants and other businesses. Unfortunately, every area has a bad element that is tempted by shooters who don't have a gun safe accessible and may leave firearms in their vehicle.
Make sure your guns and expensive equipment are insured. If all else fails and you are the victim of a theft, at least you will be able to replace the lost items if you are properly insured.
Volunteer coaches are the backbone of the programs of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, as we couldn't have teams or events without them. They largely determine what kind of experience our student athletes will have in the shooting sports, and their work with teams often goes far beyond shooting instruction and conducting shoots. One way that SSSF promotes a positive coaching environment for our teams is by providing PCA Double-Goal Coach training for all our coaches. We know there are many coaches out there who deserve to be recognized for their extraordinary work in developing better athletes and better people. We would like to share a way for athletes and parents to reward these exceptional coaches -- the PCA National Double-Goal Coach Award. Each year PCA selects and publicizes 75 finalists. The 25 winners of this prestigious national award receive $250, a trophy, recognition in PCA's website, newsletters, and media campaigns, and the chance to accept the honor in California during PCA's National Youth Sports Awards Dinner and Auction Presented by Deloitte. The award also recognizes the organizations and schools of the award-winning coaches. You can show your appreciation for a coach who deserves a big "thank you!" Nominate your coach for PCA's National Double-Goal Coach Award. Click here to learn more and nominate a coach.
Amazon isn't just a seller of books and music any more; it's the world's largest online retailer and a source to purchase an endless array of items. Now, when you're making a purchase from Amazon, you can support the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation as well. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price on eligible purchases to SSSF when you designate us as your charitable organization of choice and access the site through a special URL, smile.amazon.com. The donation costs you nothing; Amazon makes the contribution through its AmazonSmile program. If you are an Amazon Prime member, don't worry; logging in through smile.amazon.com will not affect your benefits or your access to Prime links. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you are accustomed to. The first time you use AmazonSmile, you'll have the opportunity to choose the charity you wish to support. If SSSF doesn't appear in the list of choices offered, just type in "SSSF" and the name comes up for you to click on. To help you remember to use the AmazonSmile link, Amazon offers an optional toolbar button, as well as a Chrome extension called Smile Always that automatically routes you to the right place. Or, just enter it when you wish. Even if you are making a small purchase, remember that many small purchases from our supporters add up! Every amount supports the SSSF mission and is appreciated.
If your team has an endowment account with a balance of any amount with the MidwayUSA Foundation and you haven't yet received a grant this year, you have until December 15 to apply for a grant for up to 5% of your account balance. Grant funds can be used for team expenses such as ammunition, travel, uniforms, range fees, and more. The funds cannot be used for firearms purchases or political lobbying. SSSF regularly makes endowment funds available for SCTP and SPP events and contributes them to participating teams' endowment accounts at the MidwayUSA Foundation. Since 2011, SSSF has donated funding to several hundred team endowment accounts across 48 states. This year to date, we have already contributed over $1.5 million to MidwayUSA Foundation accounts. The goal of the MidwayUSA Foundation is to provide permanent financial support for shooting programs. Grants are the vehicle that makes this goal possible. Even if you have a small account balance earned at a shooting event or through your own deposits, you can draw a grant. If the funds are not needed, you can put it back into your team endowment account to have matching funds applied. Teams may apply to receive up to 5% of their account balance once per calendar year. MidwayUSA Foundation accepts grant applications in June and December, and applications are reviewed and decided upon by its Board of Directors at January and July board meetings. If you did not apply for a grant in June, you are eligible to apply by December 15. Learn more about applying for a MidwayUSA Foundation grant for your team.
Click on image to view report Among the uninitiated, there is a common misconception that where there are guns, there must be accidental discharges and deaths as a result. But the facts could not be further from the truth! Findings of the National Safety Council show that unintentional firearms fatalities remain at historically low levels. In fact, the number of unintentional firearms-related fatalities has declined by 57 percent over the past two decades. The statistics prove that firearm safety training is effective. Some of the interesting findings in the 2014 Edition of Firearms-Related Injury Statistics, compiled by the NSSF, include:
Firearms are involved in fewer than 1⁄2-percent of all unintentional fatalities in the United States. In a side-by-side comparison, firearms rank among the lowest causes of injury.
Firearms are involved in less than 1.8 percent of unintentional fatalities among children 14 years of age and under and are among the least likely causes of unintentional fatality.
As firearms safety education programs have increased, the number of unintentional firearms-related fatalities has decreased.
Over the past 10 years, the unintentional firearm fatality rate per 100,000 population has declined by 33 percent; since the beginning of record-keeping in 1903, this rate has declined by 94 percent!
Among fatal accidents at home, firearms rate well below poisoning, falls, natural heat and cold, mechanical suffocation, and many other categories.
NSSF has compiled statistics from agencies independent of the gun industry, such as the National Safety Council, to demonstrate the relative safety of firearms ownership and the effectiveness of firearms safety training as a deterrent to accidental discharges. We suggest that you download and print the report to keep handy for those times when you need facts to support your assertions about firearms safety training.
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.
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
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.
This week, Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation made a donation of $246,500 to the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. The funds were deposited into the endowment accounts of 75 member teams of the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program representing 26 states. The money was earned by the teams through participation in recent SCTP and SPP regional shoots. Of the total contribution, $216,500 was deposited into SCTP teams' accounts and $30,000 went to SPP teams' accounts. This week's donation brought SSSF's total MidwayUSA Foundation contributions for 2014 to $1,751,645. SSSF has funded accounts for 273 teams in 40 states this year. The purpose of the MidwayUSA Foundation endowment program is to provide sustained financial support for youth shooting teams. Teams with an endowment account are able to draw a grant each year to use for team expenses. SSSF regularly makes endowment funds available for SCTP and SPP events and contributes them to participating teams’ endowment accounts at the MidwayUSA Foundation. Since 2011, SSSF has donated funding to several hundred team endowment accounts across 48 states.
