SPP to Offer Pistol Coach School in Tucson, Arizona

Scholastic Pistol Program, along with NRA and USA Shooting, will offer a Level 1 Pistol Coach School on November 1-2 in Tucson, Arizona at the Pima Pistol Club. The coach school is the heart of the coach education program. The Level 1 pistol coach’s course through the National Rifle Association, USA Shooting, and the Scholastic Pistol Program covers all required coaching fundamentals for pistol coaches in the SPP, in addition to other disciplines of pistol competition. The training is provided by the SPP/NRA/USAS National Coach Development Staff (NCDS). The instructors use up-to-date materials and PowerPoint presentations to present the discipline-specific coach course. The course duration is 2 days with class running from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Candidates should bring eye and ear protection and note-taking materials with them. Firearms will be provided, and the Boy Scout Council will provide the ammunition. Cost of the course is $140, which includes all printed materials, 3-year coaching credentials with the NRA, a binder for your materials, and lunch/refreshments each day. The registration fee includes a copy of the coach student study guide and other materials to help you with the details of coaching. Participants complete an open-book test as homework during the first evening of the course. The test is graded in class, reviewed for understanding, and then submitted to the NRA National Coach Trainer by the school instructor for credential processing. Upon successful completion of the coach school, you will be a Level 1 Coach (or Youth Trainer, if under 18 years old) in that discipline. Pre-registration for the course is required. To register, complete the attached form. Contact Tammy Mowry with any questions.

SPP Southeast Regional Fall Match in Tennessee

Carroll County Shooting Sports Park in Huntingdon, Tennessee, will be the site of an SPP Southeast Regional Fall Match on November 8. The Southeast Regional is open to Junior, Senior, and Collegiate SPP teams. Both Centerfire and Rimfire (JV) divisions will be recognized. Endowment funds will be available for this event. The match will be limited to 100 shooters, so register soon!

More Information and Registration Form



Video: Training for Upland Bird Hunting with CZ-USA’s Dave Miller

With the onset of fall, your thoughts may be turning to using your shotgun for another purpose - upland bird hunting. Our friends at CZ-USA and professional shooter Dave Miller have produced a video to help you make the transition from clay targets to live bird hunting. In the video, Miller demonstrates how to train with clay targets to prepare for upland hunting, then take those skills afield.
NSSF Infographic Target Shooters

NSSF Infographic: The Changing Face of Today’s Target Shooter

A new infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) tells the story, at a glance, of the growing number of new target shooting enthusiasts and how they’re surprisingly different from established shooters. The report clearly affirms the premise of the SSSF that our programs present equal opportunity to shooters, regardless of age or gender. Newcomers — defined as those who have taken up target shooting in the last five years — are trending younger and female; also, they are city and suburban dwellers. In these ways, they are quite different from established participants and, as a result, are changing the face of target shooters in America. This influx of newcomers also underscores that the traditional pastimes of handgun, rifle, and shotgun target shooting continue to have a broad appeal to new generations of Americans. NSSF Infographic Target Shooters Driven by newcomers, target shooting participation has leaped by 19 percent, from 34.4 million in 2009 to 40.8 million in 2012. That’s a 6.4 million increase; by comparison, golf and some other traditional activities have seen their participant base decline by millions. Although they may be different in age and gender, newcomers share one important thing with established participants — their passion for firearms ownership and the shooting sports.
World Champion Dania Vizzi

SCTP Shooters Take USAS Team to Gold Medal and World Championship

2014 Junior World Team Champions: Sydney Carson, Hannah Houston, and Dania Vizzi
2014 Junior World Team Champions:
Sydney Carson, Hannah Houston, and Dania Vizzi
Three SCTP shooters comprising the Junior World USA Shooting Team have won a team gold medal and set an International Skeet world record last week at the 2014 World Shooting Championships in Granada, Spain. Dania Vizzi of Odessa, Florida, Sydney Carson of North Liberty, Indiana and Hannah Houston of Columbia, Tennessee, earned a Junior World Team title in record-breaking fashion with a world's-best score of 204, 11 targets ahead of second-place Czech Republic. In addition, Dania Vizzi won individual honors as the Junior World Champion in Women's Skeet. Sydney finished 5th overall individually, and Hannah finished 8th.
World Champion Dania Vizzi
World Champion Dania Vizzi
Through 75 shots of qualifying, Dania led her nearest competitor by three targets, an almost unheard-of advantage in skeet. While she wasn't as dominant during the semifinals and finals, she didn’t have to be because neither were her opponents. She connected on 13/16 targets in the semifinal to advance to the final where she’d again connect on 13 targets to her opponent's 12. “I’m very satisfied,” Vizzi said. “It was a hard day and I’m happiest that I stayed consistent and focused all day. My main goal was to compete better than I did last year, and the result was amazing.” Dania, who started competitive shooting as a member of the Tampa Bay Clays SCTP team, now shoots for the University of Florida, also an SCTP team. Congratulations to Dania, Sydney, and Hannah! We're proud of you!
SPP Poster Shooter

Dry-Fire SPP Course with New Poster

SPP Poster Shooter Pistol shooters can now practice the SPP courses at home with a new Dry-Fire Poster offered by Next Level Training. Teamed with a laser training pistol, the 60" x 36" poster lets shooters practice moving target to target while viewing all targets as seen from the shooter's box. Dry-fire practice allows shooters to improve speed and accuracy without ammunition costs and can be done when you can't go to the range. The addition of an inert training pistol eliminates safety concerns. The full-size target costs $24.95, while a half-size version is $9.95. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Scholastic Pistol Program. The company also sells laser training pistols and software for conducting online matches.

See complete information on the Dry-Fire Poster



Complete Our National Championships Survey

We want to know what you think. With our 2014 SCTP and SPP National Championships recently behind us, we want to know how we did. Did we meet your expectations or leave you wishing for more? Were our new features hits or misses? We're already planning next year's Nationals, and you can help us make the events even better by giving us some input.

Go to our Nationals Survey



Didn't go to our Nationals events? We still want to hear from you! There are questions for shooters, parents, coaches, and everyone else who has reason to read this page. We've designed the questions so you can simply click to give your response, but if you have more to say, there are opportunities for you to get it all off your chest. To thank you for your input, we'll be drawing for eight (8) prize packages that will be won by respondents. Prizes include ammunition, logo clothing, and logo gear. Thank you in advance for your help in making next year's National Championships the best ever!
Bill Perkins

SPP Welcomes Two New Regional Field Reps

SSSF announces the hiring of two new Regional Field Representatives (RFRs) to serve the Scholastic Pistol Program. david kirk175David Kirk, who currently coordinates the SPP at the Tallahassee Rifle and Pistol Club, was instrumental in establishing the Scholastic Pistol Program in Florida. He is a consultant with the award-winning Leon County Sheriff's Explorer Pistol Team, and with assistance from the Leon County Sheriff's Explorer Post, he is organizing the Florida Law Enforcement Explorer Shooting League. As a competitive pistol shooter, he has competed in Steel Challenge, GLOCK Shooting Sports Foundation (GSSF) Match, and USPSA. He is Match Director for GSSF Pistol Match and Steel Challenge. Bill PerkinsBill Perkins has worked with the NRA Foundation as a Committee Chairman for seven years and as Arizona State Chairman for three years, where he contributed to the fundraising campaign and awarding of grants to many worthy shooting programs in Arizona. He is currently a Range Supervisor with the NRA where he is responsible for assisting shooting ranges throughout the U.S. Bill was introduced to the shooting sports through the Boy Scouts, where he earned the Rifle & Shotgun merit badge. He earned his first NRA Instructor rating in 1991 and became a Training Counselor in 2005. Bill spent 10 years working as the Camp Director for the NRA Whittington Center Youth Adventure Camp, which teaches the fundamentals of rifle, pistol, shotgun, and muzzleloader shooting to 112 campers each summer. He currently has an NRA/USA Shooting Level 3 Pistol Coach certification and is a member of the National Coach Development Staff. He is the Head Coach of a Scholastic Pistol Team in Arizona and he continues to participate as a competitive shooter in many shooting sports, as well as hunting. The two new Regional Field Reps will provide grassroots team and program development and support in their respective regions by interacting with existing and prospective SPP state advisors, coaches, and adult volunteers. They will assist in setting up new teams and growing teams already in the program.
Hot-cold pack

Range Time Quiz: First Inanimate Targets

Hot-cold packCongratulations to Tim Adams, winner of last week's Range Time quiz drawing! Tim correctly answered the quiz question and was drawn as the winner of a Hot and Cold Pack with SCTP logo. Last week's question and possible answers:
    The first inanimate targets used for shotgun shooting games were made of what material?
    • Dirt
    • Clay
    • Paper
    • Glass
    • Wood
The correct answer is Glass. It seemed very obvious to many of you that the answer was Clay, but the currently-used material came along much later. Previously, glass balls were used. If you're ever at SSSF headquarters at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas, stop by the NSSA-NSCA Museum and Hall of Fame, where you can see displays of beautiful and colorful glass balls. Watch next week’s Range Time newsletter for another quiz question and your chance to win a prize.

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