Reprinted with permission from Blue Press. By Robin Taylor, www.taylorfreelance.com Photos by Andre’ Dall’au, Jim Coffey
BOOM! The report jars your insides. Everyone knows a 105mm Howitzer is loud, but the wave of overpressure stuns mind and body. As you recover, you see the breech slam closed and the Section Chief’s sabre tip drops slowly. BOOM! The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets brings their field howitzer to ball games, ceremonial events, and once a year, to their own pistol shoot. The 2017 Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) Southwest Regional has almost begun. BOOM! 230 people cheer the last shot. Together with the gun, they're shouting, “play ball!” in a distinctly gun-friendly way. Here in Texas, just outside of College Station, youth teams from all over the West have traveled far to find out who's the fastest. College students, cadets, high school, and middle school students alike shoot .22 pistols, 9mm service pistols, and just recently, .22 rifles in a fast-moving contest of speed and accuracy. “This is the second-largest regional in the country,” says Rick Leach, SASP's new director of development.
Rapid growth in Texas fueled by the Texas State Rifle Association Foundation (TSRAF) and the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets' prestige has made the SW Regional one of the most popular regional events in the country. Teams from states as far away as Washington (a four-hour flight!) came to duke it out with not only the A&M Corps of Cadets (defending Collegiate National Champions) but also the South Texas juniors – the defending High School national champions. With 134 shooters on the line, the program's growing strength and influence really showed. “Last year we had 117 athletes in Texas,” says Leach. “So far this year, we're at 150, and it's early.” He's excited not just about the numbers, but about the demographic. At this year's regional, 30% of the shooters were female. “It's the fastest-growing state in the nation right now,” says Leach. Angela Gerlich, Executive Director of the TSRA Foundation brought together public financing, private financing, and successful local coaching to drive Texas SASP forward. Under Mrs. Gerlich's hand, discounted ammunition, steel target sets available for loan, expert coach trainers flown in from out of state, and above all the Texas Youth Action Shootout (TYAS) match series have all come about since August 2016. To give you an idea of the panache shown by the Texas program, the night before the match, Texas A&M welcomed students to the military college's Hall of Honor, showing off the history that propels the culture of A&M. A barbeque in the cadets' dining hall (with the cadets present in full Class A uniform) added more prestige. The TSRAF and match sponsor Magpul made everyone welcome, setting the bar for hospitality very, very high! According to Mrs. Gerlich, the Texas 4H program has more than 10,0000 students involved in the shooting sports. Most of that is shotgun, but handgun and rifle sports are coming on fast.
As far as SASP goes, “the part I'm most proud of is how we're recruiting using the A&M cadets and coaches to go out and work with our Texas youth that are interested in the SASP program. They are the most experienced group with the program in Texas and have really stepped up to help. These cadets are now able to continue their leadership training in a whole new way, and it's working,” says Gerlich. On match day everyone has their game face on. Within a few minutes of the last cannon report, the distinct “ping-ping-ping” of gunfire on steel targets fills the air. SASP courses closely resemble Steel Challenge – but no one uses a holster. Students start at low ready, then shoot five targets as fast as they can. Each shooter gets five runs on four sets of targets, discarding the slowest run. All told, the kids fire 100 rounds – plus any misses. While the targets LOOK easy, the eye is deceived. It's one thing to stand there and pot away at an 18X24” rectangle at 25 yards. When time is no object, the shots are easy, but once you get a timer out, everything changes. “Go Fast” features four 18”X24” targets at just 7 yards, plus a 12” stop plate in the middle. Getting hits on the targets is easy – if you take your time. If you want to win, you've got to
move. The fast guns shoot all five targets in under two seconds. The best ones shoot them in 1.5. That's 1/3 second each, including a low-ready start! “Focus” pushes the accuracy side, with small steel circles stashed as far back as 18 yards. Walking around the range, clusters of kids wearing uniforms from their local gun clubs and schools smile and goof around. The adults are all business, discussing rules and herding their charges when needed, but the kids enjoy themselves at every turn. Four-person teams get organized by equipment and age group. High School teams with .22s compete against other High School teams with .22s in “Senior Rimfire,” Middle School teams with 9mms compete in “Intermediate Centerfire.” Teams that don't have enough of any one age group to make a team compete in “Open.” Thanks to the support of the MidwayUSA Foundation donors (Larry Potterfield in particular), successful teams can win cash prizes that go into a special endowment to support the team. Most teams have relatively small endowments, but some successful fundraisers have pushed their endowments north of $250,000 – giving them more than $10,000 a year to help supply their athletes. State and private colleges have jumped in as well, offering scholarships to successful athletes and hiring coaches to lead college-level programs. Yes folks, your kids can actually win a scholarship to shoot
steel in college. The numbers are small, but you'll see college recruiting stations at the SASP National Championship.
The Corps of Cadets and South Texas came into the 2017 match as the favorites, expected to win the centerfire and rimfire contests. The Cadets won centerfire by forfeit, posting a strong 192-second combined time. (Anything faster than 200 seconds is nationally competitive, putting A&M in strong position for the College nationals in March.) In rimfire, the South Texas crew brought their top gun – none other than Ethan Inocando – a name that Blue Press readers have seen before. Inocando did not disappoint, winning the rimfire match with a blistering time of 35.32 seconds. Only a handful of athletes can break the 40-second mark. However, one athlete does not a make a winning 4-person team. Hot on his heels was “Team Gotta” captain Jake Overstreet, shooting a 36.89 for his team from Custer, Washington. Overstreet and his red-shirted teammates controlled the top of the leaderboard, posting a 179 second combined time. That was good enough to beat second-place South Texas' score of 203. Team Gotta's JV crew stumbled when ladies' Middle School champion Naomi McKay's Buckmark exploded in her hand, but McKay's group won the JV contest anyway, shooting the second-fastest time in the match – a 186. SASP has started changing the dynamic for shooting sports in this country, making practical pistol into a scholarship-level sport. If you'd like to know more about the program, look them up at
www.sssfonline.org 
HIVIZ has once again joined the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) as a Platinum level sponsor this year. HIVIZ is founded on the basic principle that the better people shoot, the more success and fun they enjoy, therefore the more likely they are to continue the sport. It has always had a vision to improve the art of shooting. "HIVIZ has been a great partner of the SASP for several years. We’re so happy to have them onboard again this year as our Focus stage sponsor, as well as our medal and trophy sponsor, and our side match sponsor,” said Tammy Mowry, national program director for the SASP. Leaha Wirth, vice president of sales & marketing for HIVIZ, said, "HIVIZ has always put grassroots programs like SASP at the front of the line. We are proud to be a part of such a successful youth program that builds the shooters of tomorrow." 
SASP is pleased to announce Eliot Jardines as the new Virginia State Advisor. Jardines began working with youth shooting sports when he ran the BB gun range at Cub Scout day camp. He holds NRA certifications as a level 2 pistol coach and CRSO. Jardines is the founder and head coach of Team LoCo Motion in Purcellville. In addition to SASP, he has worked with both Civil Air Patrol and Sea Cadets units on marksmanship and pistol qualification. Jardines has three sons and his older two are involved with SASP. He has been actively involved with getting two new teams up and running and is very excited to help expand SASP in the Commonwealth.
The SCTP just completed its second banquet of the year. This banquet was held in Waterford, Wisconsin, on Friday, March 17, 2017, and is the program's longest-running banquet to date. This year’s banquet was the most successful, raising much-needed funding for the program's scholarship fund, as well as general operating expenses. More than 240 attendees spent a high-energy evening bidding on hunting trips, fishing trips, vacations to Belize/Costa Rica/St. Thomas and many other items along with many high-end firearms and locally donated items. The attendees included representation from 11 SCTP teams across Wisconsin. These teams represented over 1,000 athletes of the states more than 3,500 currently registered with the SCTP National organization. 
Stealing the stage at this year’s banquet was “Fred”. Who is Fred you ask? Well, Fred was a 17-pound lobster brought in from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Yes, that’s 17 pounds of lobster and quite possibly the largest lobster to invade Wisconsin. He was part of a cooler of seafood that was raffled off (and won by Central Falcons head coach, Al Chickerneo)! “We had great representation from Wisconsin teams this year and many left with some of the nicest banquet prizes you could ask for!” Tom Wondrash, SCTP’s national director and banquet MC, said. “This is where we get to showcase many of our industry sponsors' donations and contributions to our program. We are very thankful for their support as well as the many in attendance that night!" The banquet host team, the Burlington High School Shooting Team, will see a $10,000 donation made in the teams MidwayUSA Foundation team endowment account for its role in raising local donations and helping organize and work at this year’s event. The team's help and the help from other local teams are what has made this banquet the premier fundraising banquet of the year for the SCTP! If you are interested in helping the SCTP run a national banquet, please contact SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash at 
The Scholastic Clay Target Program announces its continued support from SKB Shotguns out of Omaha, Nebraska. SKB, known for its fine side-by-side, over/under and single-barrel competitive shotguns will once again support the SCTP as a Gold Level Sponsor for 2017. SKB offers a wide variety of quality firearms that fit the competitive shooter and hunter alike. “We are pleased to support the SCTP and its national youth program,” Rob Johansen, owner and CEO of SKB Shotguns, said. “The SCTP gives back to its teams and coaches in many ways. We are extremely happy to be part of this quality program.” Tom Wondrash, SCTP national director, said, “Rob Johansen and SKB have been a strong supporter of SCTP and our national youth program for years. They offer quality firearms at a good price for our youth shooters and are not only sponsors of our program, they are partners with us. We appreciate all of their continued support of youth shooting.”
Blaser USA, maker of fine shotguns like the F3 and now the F16, has agreed to support the Scholastic Clay Target Program yet again in 2017 as a Platinum member! The new shotgun class Passionate about perfection – The next generation of game and competition shotguns has arrived with the introduction of the new Blaser F16. Only through the restless pursuit of perfection is it possible to create a perfectly balanced over and under shotgun with the lowest-profile action on the market. “Blaser USA is very proud to support SCTP and its youth program!” John “Mo” Parsons, Blaser USA’s Shotgun product manager, said. “Blaser USA believes in the SCTP’s mission, values and structure. They are in a positive and strong growth pattern, something we like to see and support in a youth program!” Tom Wondrash, SCTP national director, said, "It’s a little overwhelming when we have great industry sponsors like Blaser USA supporting us at a very high level. They truly understand how important good youth programs are to the future of shooting sports. We couldn’t be more pleased with Blaser USA’s decision to continue its support of the SCTP!” Are you or your company interested in supporting the largest competitive youth shooting program in the world? Then contact Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director at 
Zanders Sporting Goods agreed recently to maintain its Platinum level sponsorship of the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Zanders, located in Sparta, Illinois, is a wholesaler of firearms and other fine outdoor equipment. It is also the US importer of Nobel Sport Ammunition used by SCTP teams for the American disciplines as well as the international disciplines of the clay target sports. “Zanders has been a longtime supporter of the SCTP and its teams,” said Michael Sutton, purchasing manager for Zanders. “We believe in what the SCTP does for the youth and the shooting sports and are very proud to be a part of their success." Tom Wondrash, SCTP’s national director, said, “Zanders has been with us for quite a while. They support our teams, athletes and coaches with great pricing on a variety of things. They also provide the Nobel Sport ammunition used at our Junior Olympic Development Camps held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, twice a year, allowing us to keep the cost down for our attendees. We greatly value our relationship with Zanders and appreciate their continued support of the SCTP!” If you are interested in donating to or sponsoring our nationally recognized youth development and shooting program, please contact SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash at 
Brenau University, located in Gainesville, Georgia, proudly announces the formation of a competitive shooting team for the upcoming 2017-18 academic year. Brenau Athletics is a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (beginning in 2017) and competes in the NAIA with roughly 200 female athletes spread over 13 varsity teams. The competitive shooting team will compete in the SCTP, and both academic and athletic scholarships are available. For more information on how to join this inaugural team, contact Athletic Director Mike Lochstampfor at mlochstampfor@brenau.edu or at 770-534-6231.
SCTP coaches and athletes are invited to apply for a very special camp this summer focused on learning the fun and challenging clay target disciplines of international (i.e. “bunker”) trap, international doubles trap and international skeet. The 2017 Junior Olympic Development Camp (JODC) will take place in Colorado Springs, CO at the Olympic Training Center and 