SCTP Shows Substantial Growth In Successful Midwest Regional Tournament

Teams from seven states traveled to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC) in Sparta, IL in April for the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) High School and College Regional Tournament, the first major event of the season for most of the shooters. Student athletes from Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Iowa, Indiana, and Kansas competed in three disciplines – skeet, trap, and sporting clays. In spite of a brutal Midwestern winter that delayed the start of clay target shooting for many teams, the regional shoot had 384 competitors, representing an 82% increase in participation over last year. Sporting clays had 91 participants, skeet had 97, and trap had the largest field at 346, for a total of 534 registrations for this growing event. “A total of 53,600 competition targets were fired upon by these athletes, with not one single miscue,” cites Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Program Director. “Several northern teams wanted to attend but still have not had their first practice because of the harsh winter.” Purdue University Trap & Skeet Club (IN) won the Collegiate High Over All (HOA) title. Among high school teams, the Waterloo Lead Heads (IL) took home the Gold, while Pinckneyville High School (IL) took Silver and the Kansas City Crushers (KS) earned the Bronze. Additional team winners include:
Skeet
CollegiatePurdue Trap and Skeet Club (IN)
VarsityWaterloo Lead Heads (IL)
Junior VarsitySt. Charles Sportsman’s Club Shot Crew (IL)
IntermediateHenry Co. No Fly Zone (TN)
Sporting Clays
CollegiatePurdue Trap and Skeet Club (IN)
VarsityKansas City Crushers (KS)
Junior VarsityAlton Wood River Sportsman’s Club (IL)
IntermediatePinckneyville High School Shooting Sports (IL)
Trap
Collegiate University of Wisconsin Platteville (WI)
VarsityGateway Claybusters (MO)
Junior VarsitySt. Charles Sportsman’s Club Shot Crew (IL)
IntermediateTeam Henges (MO)
See full results on our Scores page. Scroll down to 2014 Regional Shoot. The weekend was just a taste of what is to come in Sparta, as many of the 26 teams, including four colleges, set their sights on other local tournaments and then the National Championships being held July 14-19, 2014 at the WSRC.
Barry Kelly

Delta Resort’s Barry Kelly Is New Arkansas State Advisor, Head Coach for SCTP

Barry Kelly, general manager of Delta Resort and Spa in Tillar, Ark., has recently been named Arkansas State Advisor for the Scholastic Clay Target Program, as well as becoming an SCTP Head Coach. Through his work with the national SCTP organization, Kelly will be helping give the state’s youth teams more options in advancing their target shooting opportunities. Delta Resort and Spa, in southeastern Arkansas, is a destination for shooters, hunters, and other outdoors enthusiasts who want to enjoy their sports in a luxury setting. The resort has over 140 sporting clays stations and three bunker traps, and it is currently adding several trap and skeet fields. When not running clay target competitions, the facility focuses on waterfowl hunting in an area known to have some of the best in the world. Barry KellyAs an SCTP coach, Kelly will serve as the head coach for the University of Arkansas at Monticello shooting team, a registered SCTP program. In addition, Delta Resort has been chosen to host the Fall Selection Match for USA Shooting in November. On behalf of Delta Resort, Kelly has donated two four-person waterfowl hunts to be auctioned off at SCTP banquets in Wisconsin and Kansas to benefit SCTP’s Scholarship Fund. “We appreciate Barry’s dedication and commitment to our program in getting Arkansas involved with the SCTP, and we especially appreciate his donations that will make it possible for us to award scholarships to deserving student athletes,” remarked Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Program Director. “We have great people doing a great job for our program.”

SCTP and SPP Host High School and College Shooters at Midwest Regional Championship

Student athletes from nine states converged on the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC) in Sparta, IL on April 4-6 for the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) High School and College Midwest Regional Tournament. SCTP teams competed in skeet, trap, and sporting clays, while SPP squads vied for titles in rimfire and centerfire pistol. In spite of a brutal Midwestern winter that delayed the start of clay target shooting for many teams, the SCTP regional shoot fielded 384 competitors from Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Iowa, Indiana, and Kansas, representing an 82% increase in participation over last year. Sporting clays had 91 participants, skeet had 97, and trap had the largest field at 346, for a total of 534 registrations in this growing event. Purdue University Trap & Skeet Club (IN) won the Collegiate High Over All (HOA) clay target title. Among high school teams, the Waterloo Lead Heads (IL) took home the Gold, while Pinckneyville High School (IL) took Silver and the Kansas City Crushers (KS) earned the Bronze. In skeet competition, Purdue won the Collegiate division, Waterloo Lead Heads took Varsity, St. Charles Sportsman’s Club Shot Crew (IL) won Junior Varsity, and Henry Co. No Fly Zone (TN) placed first in Intermediate. Purdue also won their division in sporting clays, along with Kansas City Crushers (KS) in Varsity, Alton Wood River Sportsman’s Club (IL) in Junior Varsity, and Pinckneyville High School Shooting Sports (IL) in Intermediate. University of Wisconsin Platteville earned top collegiate honors in trap, with Gateway Claybusters (MO) taking the Varsity title, St. Charles Sportsman’s Shot Crew winning Junior Varsity, and Team Henges (MO) capturing the Intermediate division. See full results on our website in the Scores section. Scroll down to 2014 Regional Shoot. “A total of 53,600 competition targets were fired upon by these athletes, with not one single miscue,” cites Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Program Director. In SPP’s second regional tournament of the year, the Heartland was well represented with squads from Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. In the Senior Centerfire division, the Arnold Red Squad (MO) placed first, with the Southern Illinois Lead Slingers (IL) coming in second. The Ozaukee Squad 1 (WI) took third. The Straight Shooters (MI) took first in the Senior Rimfire division, and the McKenzie Squad 3 (TN) finished second. The Ozaukee Squad 2 took Gold in the Junior Centerfire Division, with Ozaukee Squad 3 and Wilmot Squad 3 (WI) taking second and third, respectively. In Junior Rimfire, Arnold White Squad won first place honors, with Arnold Blue Squad earning second and McKenzie Squad 1 taking third. In the College Division, the University of Kentucky won championships in both Centerfire and Rimfire Divisions. Two University of Kentucky shooters also took Individual High Over All (HOA) honors. Grant Heward won the Rimfire Division, and Ryan Bradley earned top honors in Centerfire. High Lady shooters were Sarah Webster (Arnold) in Centerfire and fellow Arnold shooter, Katie Lioda, in Rimfire. “While the Midwest had a rough winter and many of the SPP athletes haven’t had much of a chance to shoot, they came ready to ping some steel. We saw some great scores,” said Scott Moore, SPP National Program Director. “I can’t wait to see what they will do at Nationals this year!” Click here to see full results. The weekend was just a taste of what is to come in Sparta, as many of the teams will return, along with dozens of others, for the National Championships being held July 14-19, 2014, at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex.

Brownells Signs On As Nationals Sponsor

The Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) announced that Brownells, supplier of firearms accessories and gunsmithing tools, has been added as the SPP Junior/Senior National Championships GO FAST stage sponsor. This is part of their overall Bronze sponsorship of the event. “We’re proud to sponsor the SPP Junior/Senior Nationals this year,” said Matt Buckingham, President of Brownells. “We believe that programs such as the Scholastic Pistol Program are important, as they serve as a great introduction to the action-shooting sports and a lifetime of safe and enjoyable fun.” “We’re extremely pleased to have Brownells on board this year in support of our mission to bring the action-shooting sports to the youth of America,” said Scott Moore, SPP National Program Director. The 2014 SPP Junior/Senior Nationals, the largest national youth action-shooting sports championships, will be held July 14-19 at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex in Sparta, IL. Teams will be vying for titles in Junior Rimfire, Junior Centerfire, Senior Rimfire, and Senior Centerfire.  

SSSF Announces Staff and Operational Changes

ImageGenScholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) announces several executive and operational changes to accommodate our continued growth and position the Foundation for planned future expansion. The Board of Directors has created a new position, Director of Foundation Development, which will be filled by our current Executive Director and President, Dan Hathaway, leveraging his extensive background in fundraising and relationship management. “While the Executive Director has previously shouldered the dual role of operations and development, we are at the right point in our organizational evolution that a Director of Foundation Development is now warranted,” said Louise K. Terry, Chairperson of the SSSF Board of Directors. “Dan’s prior experience in development and his past two years with SSSF make him uniquely qualified for this position.” Hathaway will assume responsibility for developing and managing new funding sources and relationships, building on the support of current sponsors and patrons. “We are fortunate to have dedicated benefactors for whom we are very grateful, especially Larry and Brenda Potterfield, as well as the MidwayUSA Foundation, who continue to support our efforts generously,” said Terry. Assuming the role of President and Executive Director will be Ben Berka, currently a member of the SSSF Board of Directors and the Shooting Sports Coordinator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Berka created the Iowa DNR Shooting Sports Program from the ground up and has led the SCTP program there to become the largest participating state in the country. In 2013, Berka launched the Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) in Iowa through the DNR. “Ben Berka has been SSSF’s most successful State coordinator, and his results are unmatched by any other individual or state organization,” said Terry. “SCTP and SPP programs throughout the country will benefit from his experience, and we’re expecting him to direct a dynamic and exciting path forward for our programs.” “I’m honored to join the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation in this new role,” Berka commented. “The staff members and volunteers involved in the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program are some of the most passionate, dedicated individuals on the planet. As part of the SSSF team, along with Program Directors Tom Wondrash (SCTP) and Scott Moore (SPP), I look forward to guiding the continued growth of youth shooting sports across the nation.” Hathaway and Berka will assume their new positions effective March 31, 2014. In conjunction with the upcoming executive staff changes, SSSF will also relocate home-office administration and financial operations from the current Maumee, Ohio office to the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. “As the Headquarters of the National Skeet Shooting Association and National Sporting Clays Association, the National Shooting Complex is a natural choice to house the SSSF’s operations,” said Terry. “In addition to the convenience of San Antonio as a central, easily-accessible location for our staff and volunteers from around the country, we will benefit from the proximity to our partners, the NSSA and NSCA. Since we are the largest feeder program for youth shooters to NSSA-NSCA, we envision this as a win-win relationship.” As NSSA President Bob De Francesco pointed out, this move is expected to be a great benefit to both organizations. The SCTP program has helped NSSA-NSCA grow by introducing the shooting sports to many young shooters and their families. The synergies between these organizations make us perfect partners and neighbors. Having SSSF operations in the same complex as NSSA-NSCA will facilitate continued cooperation in the future. "Rest assured, however, this does not mean that the National Championships will be moved to San Antonio," said Terry. "In order to hold our event with both shotgun and pistol competitions, we plan to continue to utilize the WSRC facility in Sparta, IL, for our Nationals." We trust that you share in our excitement with these announcements, and we look forward to continuing to work with our thousands of student athletes and adult volunteers to create even more opportunities for you and your teams in the coming months.

SCTP Athletes Serving America!

ImageGenThe SCTP would like your help in honoring our former SCTP Athletes that have gone on and are serving our country!!! Please read how you can help acknowledge those serving!

SCTP Athletes Now Serving!

Philip DavisWIAir Force Academy
Alexis Noel SalvaneraGAArmy National Guard
Tyler BraaschWIMarines
Adam TuinstraWIMarines
Zack BeyerWIAir Force
Glenn StuckeyINArmy
Landon WallINArmy
Shane HoltonMIArmy
Aaron Paul WhiteAZArmy
Benjamin Miles NoltingAZArmy
Cody BrightTNArmy
Derek HaldemanOHArmy Marksmanship Unit
Nicholas A. BryantINArmy National Guard
Matthew CunninghamINMarines
Peter ConroyMAMarines
Zack BannonMAMarines
Steve SeveyWIMarines
Blaine KoonsINMarines
David YonkingsOHNaval Academy
Sean WilsonMANavy

Scholastic Pistol Program 2014 Southwest Winter Regional Continues Pattern of Growth

Following its record-breaking 2013 season, the Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) kicked off its 2014 season with the Southwest Winter Regional Championship, hosted by the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit and sponsored by GLOCK. The match was held February 1 at the Gunsmoke Shooting Range in Snook, Texas. Kevin Jimmerson and Chuck Jones served as Match Directors and were assisted by local action shooters as Safety Officers. This match featured many special events and guests, including GLOCK spokesperson, R. Lee Ermey “Gunny” as well SgtMaj Gene Overstreet, 12th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (Ret.). The regional started with a message from Ermey as his famed character GySgt Hartman from the movie Full Metal Jacket. This was followed by a welcome by BG Joe E. Ramirez, Jr., USA (Ret) Commandant, Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and a live fire demonstration by the Texas A&M Parson’s Mounted Calvary and their famed field artillery piece, The Spirit of ’02. Twenty-two squads from Massachusetts to Florida joined teams from the Lone Star State to compete in this first match of the year. The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit (CCMU) Maroon Squad was the top centerfire Collegiate squad. The University of Florida Gators took 2nd Place, and Texas A&M Pistol Team 12th Man Squad earned 3rd. In the Collegiate Rimfire Division, the Texas A&M CCMU Maroon Squad took home the Gold medal. The CCMU White Squad won Silver, and the Florida Gators took the Bronze medal. In the Senior Centerfire division, the South Texas Shooters Squad 1 placed 1st with Holyoke (Mass.) Revolver Club Steel Shooters coming in 2nd. The Dripping Springs (Tex.) High School FFA Shooting Team Squad #1 took 3rd. South Texas Squad 2 took 1st in the Senior Rimfire division, the South Texas Squad 1 came in 2nd , and Dripping Springs Squad 4 took 3rd. Dripping Springs Squad 3 took Gold in the Junior Centerfire Division. In Junior Rimfire, Red Dawn Junior Marksmanship Academy Strikers Squad won 1st place honors, with South Texas Squad 1 taking 2nd and Dripping Springs Squad 5 coming in 3rd. For the first time, SPP recognized Individual High Overall (HOA) winners. In the Junior Division, Michael Machner (South Texas Shooters) took Rimfire HOA, and Wyatt Williamson (Dripping Springs High School FFA Shooting Team) won top honors in Centerfire. In the Senior Division, Paddy Sullivan (Holyoke Revolver Club Steel Shooters) and Tanner Wilson (South Texas Shooters) took the honors in Centerfire & Rimfire respectively. The College Division saw Matt Hawes (Texas A&M CCMU), Centerfire and Jason Cusack (Texas A&M CCMU) taking HOA. “This was a great start to 2014 for SPP. This is the fourth consecutive regional where we saw growth in attendance”, said Scott Moore, SPP National Director. “In addition to that, many athletes had personal best scores, and it’s only the first match of 2014! We’re really excited to see what the scores will be by summer.” SPP is supported, in part, by founding partners GLOCK, Smith & Wesson, Action Target, and Larry and Brenda Potterfield of Midway USA. Additional partners include Atlanta Arms & Ammunition, Browning, GT Targets, NextLevel Training, PACT Timers, Pro Ears, Remington Arms, Rudy Project, Tactical Solutions, and Winchester Ammunition, among others. The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) across the United States, including participant registration, coaches, state coordinators, state and national championships, promotion, communications, websites, public relations, and growth strategies. SCTP and SPP are youth development programs, originally developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), where adult coaches and volunteers use shooting sports to teach and to demonstrate sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, teamwork, and other positive life skills. To learn more about SCTP or SPP call (419) 794-9924 or visit our website at www.sssfonline.com. For information, contact: Sherry G. Kerr, 256-333-0234 or skerr@sssfonline.com.

JR. SHOOTER MAGAZINE PROMO

The Publisher at Jr. Shooter Magazine, Andy Fink, is offering special subscription pricing to registered SCTP members. Jr. Shooter Magazine is a major sponsor of SCTP and dedicates six to eight pages of every issue to just pictures and articles about SCTP Teams and Athletes. For further information, email SCTPsubscribe@juniorshooters.net. If you have an idea or interest story, let Andy know!
Nearly Perfect Rifle Battery

Win a ‘Nearly Perfect Rifle Battery’ to Raise Funds for Your Team

Nearly Perfect Rifle Battery Your team has the opportunity to win a Nearly Perfect Rifle Battery (NPRB) to use as a fundraiser for your team. The MidwayUSA Foundation commissioned Winchester to build 100 rifle sets, and they are giving the ONE remaining set to ONE lucky team! Here's how: Purchase a ticket(s) for $100 by February 20th, 2015 for your chance to win. There is no limit to the number of tickets that can be purchased, but only 500 will be sold. While this is a team-only promotion, individuals may purchase tickets but must indicate the team (as listed on the MidwayUSA Foundation 'Find A Team' page) that will receive the NPRB to use as a fundraiser, should they win. Tickets may be purchased by check only, using the NPRB Ticket Purchase Form.
Learn about the Nearly Perfect Rifle Battery
Teams that have used this rifle set as a fundraiser in the past have raised an average of $10,000 for their teams! The winner will be announced Monday, February 23, 2015 on the MidwayUSA Foundation website. See the full list of rules and guidelines. Purchase your tickets to win the NPRB for your team today!

© Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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.