Lacey Lane of McKenzie, Tennessee, just might be the most important woman in youth pistol shooting sports today. The 24 year old works for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation, the non-profit arms of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, where she oversees the Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) in the Volunteer State. So, why is this young lady so important to youth shooting sports? Well, with somewhere around 135 SPP shooters hailing from Tennessee, her kids make up 11.7% of the 1,150 participating nationwide, and at this year’s SPP Nationals, taking place at the World Shooting & Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois, her squads account for 31.6% of those competing for the national titles. Working with young shooters comes naturally to Lacey since she grew up in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) when it was first founded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Today it’s the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation which serves as the national governing body of both SCTP and SPP, and is running the National Team Championships this week in Sparta. With several years background competing in the programs, and armed with a degree in Natural Resources Management and Wildlife Fisheries from the University of Tennessee, she signed on with TWRF after they created the position of Tennessee State Director for SPP last November, putting the responsibility for promoting the state’s youth handgun shooting sports participation squarely on her shoulders. Considering the prominent role her home state plays in SSSF’s youth shooting sports, and the ease with which she interacts with the staff and volunteers tasked with overseeing the national match, most of which are male and in many cases significantly older, it’s pretty clear that Lacey’s shoulders can handle the burden.
The Main Events Building is where you'll find Registration and the answers to your questions. If you're going to Sparta, Illinois for your first SCTP-SPP National Team Championships, your head may be spinning with questions. While we can't offer you a secret for taking home a medal, we can offer you some tips to enhance your enjoyment of Nationals.
Read the program. Almost anything you need to know can be found in the Nationals program. You will be able to pick up a printed copy when you arrive at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, but you can also view it online anytime.
Do it all! Participate in as many activities as possible, including the side games. Cover the grounds to see what's going on, see the exhibition shooting events, and watch anything you aren't actively engaged in.
Stay for the after-hours activities. If you shoot your event and leave every day, you'll be missing out on fun activities like Last Competitor Standing events, opening ceremonies, the pizza party, an ice cream social, and more.
Sign up for text messaging. We'll pass along information about activities, schedule changes, and other things you need to know to those who opt in. Sign up here.
Visit the vendor mall. You'll have the unique opportunity to visit with many manufacturers of shooting equipment in their own stores at the WSRC. Even if you aren't buying, it's the perfect opportunity to work on your wish list.
Take photos. Shoot as many photos as you can to help you remember this wonderful experience. Share them in social media with hashtag #SSSF2015, and when you get back home, share them with any sponsors, businesses, or civic groups who support you or have interest in your team.
Meet new people. While you will be there with your own team, don't miss the opportunity to make new friends from all over the country. Be bold and introduce yourself.
If you have questions or don't understand something, just ask. We won't remember to tell you everything you need to know, but we're happy for you to ask us. Catch a staff member anytime you see us, and if we aren't convenient, just head to the Main Events Building. You can get an answer or help there for anything going on at Nationals.
Remember that many others are also new. It's easy to feel intimidated when we enter a new event this large, and we all tend to think we're the only ones who don't know how something works. But that isn't the case at Nationals. You'll see hundreds of new people all over the place, figuring things out for the first time. You aren't alone!
Have fun! After being safe, the most important thing for you to do at Nationals is enjoy yourself. Shooting is fun, being there with your friends is fun, making new friends is fun -- everything at Nationals is fun! Go for it!
Coaches and athletes will have two new side events to participate in at this year’s SCTP National Team Championships. Preliminary 16-Yard Trap Singles Athletes and teams can register to shoot some preliminary trap targets in this Monday/Tuesday side event. These targets will be registered and we will have some awards for squads and Individuals.Preliminary 16-Yard Trap Singles – Coach/Athlete Coaches and athletes get the chance to compete together! The coach's score counts as one of the five squad scores. Coaches sign up in the #1 spot and squad four athletes in the next four spots. Squads with coach and four Intermediate/Rookie shooters will be in the Intermediate Division; coach and four Senior Division athletes will be in the Senior Division; and a mixed squad will be in the Open Division. Only one coach per four athletes is eligible. This is designed to be a fun competition, but targets are registered and awards will be offered. This event is sponsored by the ATA.
You can learn about everything that's happening at the 2015 National Team Championships with the event program, and it's ready for your perusal. Use it to plan your schedule, learn about side events, or just stoke your excitement for the biggest event of the year! The program also includes information on the SCTP International-Style National Championships in Colorado Springs.
The SCTP and SPP National Team Championships will be July 13-18 at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois. Based on opening-week registrations that were almost double 2014 numbers, staff are expecting to have a record-breaking event. If your team hasn't yet registered, do it today!
Art Ashbrook, left, and Ben Berka The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation has contracted with the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC) to hold its National Team Championships at the Sparta, Illinois facility through 2017. Ben Berka, SSSF President and Executive Director, and Art Ashbrook, WSRC Executive Director, signed the agreement recently to formalize the three-year extension of the foundation's relationship with the complex. "We are pleased to call Sparta 'Home of the SSSF National Championships' and look forward to meeting our SSSF extended family there each year during the second full week of July," said Berka. "The Illinois Department of Natural Resources staff at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex are great to work with and are committed to working together with the SSSF to accommodate our growth, both in numbers of participants and in the diversity of events we are offering." WSRA's Ashbrook echoed those sentiments. "The World Shooting and Recreational Complex and the IDNR are extremely pleased by the commitment of the SSSF to hold its National Championships here for the next three years, and hopefully for the next 100," said Ashbrook. "We think we work very well together, serving the community and young shooters alike." More than 10,000 people came to Sparta for the 2014 SCTP National Team Championship and SPP Junior/Senior National Championship at the WSRC in July, including approximately 2500 shooters plus coaches, family members, and other supporters.
More than 2500 young shooters, along with thousands of coaches, family members, and supporters, descended upon the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill. last week for the largest youth shooting event ever held, the SCTP and SPP National Championships. The July 14-19 event saw significant increases in virtually every metric over 2013's record-setting Nationals. In the SCTP event alone, competitors shot 715,000 targets, a 35% increase over last year. Shooters from 175 SCTP teams came from 26 states. SPP also saw its own increases. In only its second Junior/Senior National Championship, SPP experienced an increase of 62% in participant numbers, hosting 326 shooters representing 39 teams from 15 states. Earlier this year, SPP hosted a separate Collegiate National Championship with close to 100 shooters from 24 squads.
With the largest contingency of shooters, Trap had almost 1900 participants, a 19% increase. A total of 736 shooters shot Skeet for a 29% growth, and the 677 Sporting Clays shooters represented a 30% increase. Of the 2180 SCTP shooters, 1818 were male and 361 female. "An event of this magnitude could only take place so successfully with a great deal of hard work and dedication from our student athletes, coaches, parents, team volunteers, and our own staff," said Ben Berka, President and Executive Director of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF), which powers SCTP and SPP. "We are especially grateful to our many sponsors and benefactors who make it possible for us to create an unforgettable experience for our athletes. We also owe kudos to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, a remarkable venue that hosted our thousands of shooters and spectators with ease. We look forward to hosting our 2015 National Championships there."
Have you ever been to an event when the weather took a wet turn, and you wondered if the show would go on, or if there would be a delay, or if you should stay at the hotel -- or what? Most of us have, and it isn't a fun predicament. Although we've requested perfect weather during the upcoming SCTP - SPP National Team Championships in Sparta, IL, we're offering a text alert service that will allow us to keep you posted -- just in case. We'll also make daily announcements about events, schedule changes, opportunities to win prizes, and other things you should know. This is strictly an opt-in service using an app that will protect your number and automatically delete it on July 21. In fact, we will never even see your phone number, so you don't have to worry about it being used for anything else. You can also opt out of the service at any time during the event. This a free service provided by SSSF; however, you should check your cell service plan to determine if there would be a charge from your provider for several text messages each day. If you'd like to opt in for our Nationals text alert service, just click the button below.
Click to view event programIf you want to know anything about the upcoming National Team Championships, chances are, it's in the event program. So we've now posted the National Championships program for you to use as you're planning your SCTP or SPP team's trip to Sparta.View the National Team Championships Program The program is presented in a handy flipbook format so you can click right through, beginning to end, without downloading -- unless you want to. You can also click on any ad to go straight to the sponsor's website.
With more than two weeks to go in registration for the upcoming National Team Championships in Sparta, SCTP and SPP have already blasted through 2013's record-setting participation numbers and are expecting even more registrations in the final weeks. About 150 teams have signed up so far, accounting for almost 3000 total registrations. Increases are already seen in skeet, sporting clays, and pistol shooting. With participation in a state championship as one of the requirements for SCTP Nationals registration, and several state championships being held this week and next, a flurry of new registrations is expected in the coming two weeks. SSSF will award up to $557,000 in endowment funds to competing teams at the National Team Championships, representing $450,000 to SCTP teams and $107,000 to SPP teams. In addition, SCTP has allocated another $156,000 for SCTP’s National Championships for international events July 25-29 in Colorado Springs, CO. Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation will donate the endowment funds to team accounts at the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. Coaches, athletes, and parents can learn more details about Nationals plans, including registration info, event schedules, FAQs, and more on our National Championships page.
SCTP National Team ChampionshipsClick to view event program SPP Junior/Senior National ChampionshipsJuly 14-19, 2014World Shooting & Recreational Complex
Sparta, IL Map/DirectionsEvent Scores & ResultsSCTP Event Schedule and General InformationSPP Event Schedule and General InformationSCTP RegistrationLog in to your team account on this website. Go to the Calendar tab. Scroll to July 14 and click on the Nationals shoot. Click on "Register here." Registration closes July 11, 2014. Please note that shooters must have participated in their respective state championship to participate in the National Championship.
SPP Registration - Contact Tammy Mowry, tmowry@sssfonline.com or 724-822-7390. SCTP National Championships for International Disciplines July 25-29, 2014Olympic Training Center
Colorado Springs, CO
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.
Lacey Lane of McKenzie, Tennessee, just might be the most important woman in youth pistol shooting sports today. The 24 year old works for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation, the non-profit arms of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, where she oversees the Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) in the Volunteer State. So, why is this young lady so important to youth shooting sports? Well, with somewhere around 135 SPP shooters hailing from Tennessee, her kids make up 11.7% of the 1,150 participating nationwide, and at this year’s SPP Nationals, taking place at the World Shooting & Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois, her squads account for 31.6% of those competing for the national titles. Working with young shooters comes naturally to Lacey since she grew up in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) when it was first founded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Today it’s the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation which serves as the national governing body of both SCTP and SPP, and is running the National Team Championships this week in Sparta. With several years background competing in the programs, and armed with a degree in Natural Resources Management and Wildlife Fisheries from the University of Tennessee, she signed on with TWRF after they created the position of Tennessee State Director for SPP last November, putting the responsibility for promoting the state’s youth handgun shooting sports participation squarely on her shoulders. Considering the prominent role her home state plays in SSSF’s youth shooting sports, and the ease with which she interacts with the staff and volunteers tasked with overseeing the national match, most of which are male and in many cases significantly older, it’s pretty clear that Lacey’s shoulders can handle the burden.
