The focus of the SSSF and its youth development programs is just that: to produce high quality citizens for our country and communities. We are proud of former Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Action Shooting Program athlete, Talo Marston. Talo stepped up in a situation when needed most!
| Another record-breaking season was set in July at the 2022 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) National Championships. Hosted at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio, the annual youth shooting sports competition once again set the mark for the largest shoot in Cardinal Center history. Between the two youth programs, 39 states were represented at the National Championships. |
| SASP participation continues to grow throughout the nation and had a strong presence at the National Championship. Once again in 2022, the SASP broke the record for the largest action shooting event in the world. With over 2,200 entries, athletes safely fired over 500,000 rounds of ammunition without incident. SCTP participation surged as well with nearly 3,000 athletes and over 8,000 event entries during the twelve-day event schedule. This marks the largest national championship the SCTP has ever conducted, with over 1.5 million targets being thrown in competition and tens of thousands more being thrown in practice and side competitions. |
A staple of additional activities at SCTP Nationals is the Last Competitor Standing or "Annie Oakley" event. This massive scale elimination event saw well over 700 clay target athletes lined up across the length of two-dozen trap fields to determine who would come home with bragging rights and impressive prizes from SCTP sponsors.
SCTP and SASP members benefit from a year-long season, with local, state, and regional events, culminating in the National Championship each July. As the largest youth shooting sports event in the world, the youth development programs hold industry-wide support, with many sponsors present on site to support the event such as GLOCK, CZ-USA, Browning, Kolar, Beretta, Ruger, and more. Both programs serve as official youth feeders for the respective sports of USA Shooting. Athletes competing in the international disciplines of the SCTP and SASP often have Junior Olympic and Olympic goals in mind, with the youth feeding programs fostering those ambitions with additional opportunities.
Shooting sports continues to be a level-playing field where winning can be achieved without being the strongest or the fastest runner. Athletes come from a wide range of backgrounds and some that do not find their place in traditional ball sports often find success in shooting sports as well as socially. Athletes also find enormous success in youth shooting sports, regardless of gender. 1 out of every 3 of the programs' action shooting, international skeet, and bunker trap athletes are female, with many out-shooting the males outright for high overall awards. The SASP and SCTP programs focus on team-based youth shooting sports as the catalyst for youth development into high-quality, responsible young adults.
In an effort to engage with the public about firearm safety, the The Arizona WildGats, a Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) team, put on a "1st Shots" educational event. This National Shooting Sports Foundation | NSSF-sponsored program creates responsible new firearms owners via training received from experienced coaches and athletes currently participating in the SASP. This shows our mission of youth development through shooting sports reaches beyond our youth organizations and provides positive change in local communities.
The final results of the Reload for 2022 campaign are in! We are pleased to have another incredibly successful campaign, which signals strength of support and health of youth shooting sports as a whole. By utilizing far reaching networks, teams throughout the country have set themselves up for success during this current season and for years to come. Participation in the annual Reload campaign is an incredible opportunity that uses multiple mechanisms such as the MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment accounts to compound donations down the line.
| This year we saw record-breaking numbers in the bonus races that show the power of tapping into your networks for a huge advantage. Our Total Donation winners, Rio Salado Target Terminators added over $20,000 to their 2021 efforts, netting them a bonus $10,000 to their MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment account. Last year's winners, Williams County Target Busters also improved their totals from last year by over $10,000. Our Unique Donors competition saw teams move the benchmark of what is possible for fundraising through your team's network. Congratulations to our winners, the Greenville Hurricanes who collected fundraising donations from 366 unique donors, nearly tripling last year's record. Our 2nd place team is the Rio Salado Target Terminators who doubled their previous year's efforts and then some! The teams listed above in each bonus competition will be awarded team endowment funding to their MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment account as follows: 1st Place -$10,000 2nd Place- $8,000 3rd Place- $5,000 4th Place- $3,000 5th Place- $2,500 6th Place- $1,500 |
| Congratulations to our bonus funding winners and all teams who participated in this monumental fundraising campaign. Your efforts will have a positive effect on your 2021-2022 season and continue to provide benefits well into your team's future.The incredible willingness to support SCTP and SASP teams bodes well for the future of youth shooting sports all over the nation. |
Our Executive Director, Ben Berka recently spoke with College Shooting Sports Recruiting's Robbi Vincent to talk about the SSSF's efforts to advance youth shooting sports through program efforts and coach training curriculum. This is a quick talk that covers a lot!
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation‘s (SSSF) Reload For 2021 campaign raised $311,657, thanks to participating teams and donors! To date, this is the SSSF's most successful fundraising campaign, with funds benefiting teams totaling over $600,000! The Reload For 2021 campaign provides immediate funds teams can use for the 2021 shooting season AND provides funds to their MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment account to benefit teams FOREVER.
Total impact for the campaign amounts to just over $155,000 in cash grants going to SCTP and SASP teams, and over $366,000 being donated by SSSF to the participating team’s MidwayUSA Foundation endowment accounts! Funds that are MidwayUSA Foundation Match Eligible totaled over $78,000.
Congratulations to the teams that worked hard to compete in our team endowment bonus fund competitions of most dollars raised and most unique donors. The SSSF awarded an additional $60,000 pool of funding to teams claiming those accolades in places 1st through 6th, with those funds being allocated to team endowment accounts held at the MidwayUSA Foundation.
We are excited to announce additional match funding for SSSF's Reload For 2021 campaign! All donations received in the month of December will receive extra match funding from SSSF!
SSSF will provide a pool of $100,000 in match funding for the entire month of December. The ratio of that match will vary based on the number of total contribution dollars received in December for the campaign. For example, if SSSF receives $100,000 in donations in December, all donations will be matched 1:1.If SSSF receives $50,000 in donations for the month of December, all donations will be matched 2:1, etc.
This special SSSF December match will be directed to your team endowment account at the MidwayUSA Foundation. Also, keep in mind that 25% of each donation your team receives will be sent to the MidwayUSA Foundation where it will be matched under the current MidwayUSA Foundation matching program. See our official campaign page for details.
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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.
