Earlier this month the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) announced its Vision 20/20 campaign. The emphasis of the campaign is to swell the ranks of youth membership in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) to over 20,000 children and young adults annually by the year 2020. As part of the Vision 20/20 campaign, SCTP and SASP teams are being invited to participate in a special fundraising effort from October through mid-December to provide support to existing teams AND provide SSSF and its programs with the support required to recruit new teams where none exist today. Fundraising startup kits were sent to SCTP and SASP head coaches last week via email and they will also be receiving the information as hard copy this week via USPS mail. In addition to direct funds for teams to use, teams will receive one set of Rudy Project XX2i glasses kit for every $250 raised. The glasses kit retails for $100 and includes three lens sets, hard case, screwdriver, blue and red temple tips and nose pads and microfiber lens cloth. Teams are encouraged to use these glasses sets to raise more money for their local SCTP or SASP team! As a bonus, the top six fundraising teams will earn funding for their Team Endowment account at the MidwayUSA Foundation with a championship prize of $10,000 in Team Endowment funds! If you are a head coach and have not yet received your Vision 20/20 fundraising information kit, please contact Ben Berka at bberka@sssfonline.com.  

Please join us in welcoming the following Supporting Members to the SSSF 500 Club of inaugural supporters: Gerry Wade Graham, AR James E. Rasmussen, AZ Michael James Bonner, AZ Timothy Fred Marquardt, AZ Brandon R Fisher, CA Raymond Otto Dorpfeld, FL Samuel Raymond McFaddin, GA Rick Wilson, HI Thomas James Griffiths, HI James Jason Smith, IA Todd Michael Gammon, IA Derek Marshall, IN Fredrick Lewis Dunlevy, IN Nick Mason, IN Paul Gordon Blair, IN Ron Mason, IN Mark R Kahler, KY Michael Scott Jolly, MI Walter Engle, MI Kevin D Boyer, MO Richard Leeper, MO Roy Philemon, NC Bryan L Eastman, NY Lori Rammel, OH Robert Kinsella, OH W Hays Gilstrap, OK Andrew Emmet Guy, TN Tabbetha Tanner Muller, TN Tara Rowland, TN Terry Lee Hallum, TN Timothy L Mickel, TN Victor Frank Andrews, TN John Leach, WI John P Biever, WI Mikaela Leach, WI Scott Schumacher, WI For more information and to become a Supporting Member plus part of the elite SSSF 500 Club please visit www.sssfonline.org/donate  

Save the date! The Scholastic Action Shooting Program College Nationals will be held March 11-12, 2017, at the Talledega Marksmanship Park in Talledega, Alabama. Match registration will be held through the SHOT System. Both pistol and rifle disciplines will be available for teams to compete in. Contact Rick Leach, Rleach@sssfonline.com, or Tammy Mowry, Tmowry@sssfonline.com, for additional info.

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is kicking off a new membership campaign titled “Vision 20/20”. The emphasis of the campaign is to swell the ranks of youth membership in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) to over 20,000 children and young adults annually by the year 2020. “Achieving Vision 20/20 will require many coordinated efforts between our board, staff, state and local leaders as well as our partners in the industry” said Ben Berka, executive director for the SSSF. “In addition to these efforts, Vision 20/20 will require donations from local team supporters and many others who believe in providing youth development through the shooting sports.” As part of the Vision 20/20 campaign, SCTP and SASP member teams are being invited to participate in a special fundraising effort to provide support to existing teams AND provide SSSF and its programs with the support required to recruit new teams where none exist today. Others wishing to contribute to this worthy cause can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.sssfonline.org/vision2020. Current annual youth membership for the SCTP and SASP is nearly 15,000 student athletes being led by more than 3,000 responsible, adult-volunteer coaches all across the country. Through organized shooting teams, these young guns are provided with firearms education, valuable life skills and the opportunity to practice and compete in the clay target and action shooting sports at the local, state, regional and national levels! SCTP and SASP teams help young families develop a “shooting sports lifestyle” giving kids opportunity to participate in organized programs from elementary school through college and creates pathways to continue shooting well beyond their scholastic careers.    

The SASP is again planning for its National Raffle to be drawn at the 2017 National Championships in July.  Tickets will be available for teams to start selling in February.  Like last year’s raffle, the team will be able to keep half the cost of the ticket to use for the team, and will return the stubs and half the ticket price to the SASP. Make sure to plan for this fundraiser as you plan your season fundraising!

Milwaukee, WI - Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) hosted its second annual Advisor Academy September 24-25, 2016, in America’s Dairy Land.  Thirty-seven key leaders from 15 states attended the two-day meeting focused on developing state and local level leadership, sharing best practices, and providing “grass roots” input to the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP). “State Advisors are the key contacts with our volunteer coaches across the country,” said Ben Berka, president and executive director of the SSSF.  “Advisor Academy is a perennial opportunity for our state and national leaders to gather in order to evaluate our progress and continue setting our course to put more youth into organized and safe shooting sports programs across the country.” In addition to SSSF, SCTP and SASP national staff and state leaders, Advisor Academy featured guest presentations from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the MidwayUSA Foundation.  

Register now for the 2016 SCTP National College Championship to be held Oct. 28-30, 2016. The 2016 SCTP National College Championship will be held at the Cardinal Center Campground and Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. A special Fundraising Banquet will be held Friday evening, Oct. 28. Attendees can participate in raffles, an auction, a silent auction and door prizes. The price per ticket is $50. Click here for complete information about this championship event! So, make your plans to attend today. Online registration is now available through the SSSF’s SHOT system. Participating teams must be currently registered with the SSSF/SCTP for the 2016/2017 shooting season prior to attending. The event is shaping up to be one of the best in SCTP history and the organization is expecting an impressive turnout.  Participants are sure to have a blast, and as a bonus, the SCTP will award $140,000 to Team Endowment Accounts at the MidwayUSA Foundation. To celebrate the Halloween weekend, the facilities will be decked out in “spooktacular” Halloween décor and participants can take part in a Saturday night costume contest. May the best ghoul win! Considered Ohio’s premier public shooting sports facility, the Cardinal Center offers impressive trapshooting and sporting clays ranges, as well as an indoor heated pool, lake for fishing, lots of outdoor activities, and great facilities for family camping, including 400 camp sites, with nine standard cabins and 20 deluxe cabins available to rent. Wifi service is available on the grounds as well. The center is located at I-71 (exit 140) and St. Rt. 61, just 30 miles north of Columbus. For those not keen on camping, there are a number of additional lodging options located within 15 minutes of the Cardinal Center. Please mention the “SCTP College National Championships” when making your reservations.

The SCTP banquet held in Grapevine, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, was a huge success due to the support and hard work of the Allen Eagles Competitive Shooting team and its fundraising staff, consisting of Bill Alford, Henry Politz and Richard Scott. Approximately 150 people in attendance and many more using the online bidding and ticket buying application were responsible for the anticipated record-breaking amount raised at an SCTP Banquet to date. Funds from this banquet and others like it are used for the SCTP’s Scholarship program along with other programs that it helps support. The team, led by Head Coach (and State Advisor) Jason Anderson, has been a huge supporter of the SCTP in Texas and one of the biggest reasons for the growth in the lone star state. If you are interested in helping the SCTP run a National Banquet, please contact the director of development in your area to inquire about the benefits and opportunities available.

The Wheeler County Rangers will host its first SASP Youth Shooting Clinic at Grayguns Shooting Facility in Spray, Oregon, on Oct. 29- Oct. 30, 2016. Attendees will be taught by a team of instructors, including former SASP National Champion Jordan Castro (and current member of Team SIG). This clinic will cover shooting safety and shooting fundamentals through advanced competition techniques and strategies. Instructors will cover the 4 SASP courses of fire, as well as numerous skill-building drills and exercises. For more information, contact Rangers Coach Michael Boyd at mboyd@co.wheeler.or.us

Don't wait. Get your tickets  today for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) National Banquet, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at the Carroll County Shooting Sports Park in Huntingdon, Tenn. Tickets are only $35 per person. Attendees can participate in raffles, the silent auction and the live auction for a variety of guns and gear. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and the buffet dinner, catered by Mallard's Restaurant, will be served at 6:30 p.m. For information, or tickets, call Rick Leach, 262-894-4284 or rleach@sssfonline.com.