Tag: Texas

Allen Eagles Competitive Shooting Team wins 6th straight Texas State Championship

While thousands gathered for the NRA annual convention in Dallas on May 4-6 to pontificate about firearms, about 300 sixth through twelfth graders comprising two dozen youth shotgun teams convened at Ellis County Sportsman’s Club just 20 miles away for the Scholastic Clay Target Program’s 2018 Texas State Shotgun Championships. “Ellis County is one of the few venues in North Texas that can handle a tournament this size,” noted Coach Rich Keele. “For anything bigger, we pretty much have to use the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio.” More than 70,000 targets and 3,000 boxes of shotgun ammo decided individual, squad, and team state champions in American Skeet, American Trap, and Sporting Clays. According to longtime supporter Bill Alford whose son shot on the first national champion squad for the Eagles, “The growth of youth shotgun sports is incredible. You know it’s grown when parents and coaches get frustrated because all the shoots fill up on the first day of registration.” Hundreds of medals, trophies, and belt buckles were awarded to athletes in grades 6-12 competing in their respective classifications. For most, this was the pinnacle of their season having battled the elements throughout the 6-month league which started back in November. Many will compete in the Lower Midwest Regional Tournament in San Antonio June 16-17 along with athletes from OK, AR, and LA.  A few will go on to represent Texas at the SCTP American Team Nationals July 18-22 in Marengo, OH versus 3,000+ shooting athletes from across the nation. Among the Eagles who have already qualified for the All-State-Team representing Texas at Nationals are Rob Beach (Trap), Trevor Christensen (Skeet), Sean Packer (Sporting Clays), and Grant Stelmach (Sporting Clays). Beach and Packer also qualified as All-Americans in Sporting Clays, while Morgan Scott and Brandon Stone qualified as All-Americans in Skeet. The Allen Eagles Competitive Shooting Team won the High Overall Team Championship by a margin of 42 targets out of 1,500 over the Southlake Carroll Target Program who earlier this year placed 1st in the North Texas League by 29 targets over the Eagles out of 4,500 shot in 9 league events. Also in the running for the HOA team state crown, 1 target separated 3rd place Red Oak High School Shotgun Team from 4th place Grace Cougars of Tyler with newcomer Keller High School Clay Target Team in 5th place by just 4 more targets. Allen and Southlake tied for the Skeet team award. But, Allen got the win in a shootoff with Southlake veterans Nicholas Godfrey and Tyler Hall demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship. The Eagles took the Sporting Clays team award by 3 targets over the Dragons. And Pleasant Grove Shotgun Club bested Allen by 1 target out of 500 for the Trap Team Championship. The level of competition just keeps getting tougher. Every year, there are more and better teams competing. “Every year, we graduate a bunch of great shooters and fool ourselves into thinking we’ve seen the best of the best. But each year, a new crop of young shooters step up to the plate and raise the bar,” noted Eagles head coach Jason Anderson. “We just reload.” Allen had a host of individual and squad award winners too! SKEET Team: GOLD-Trevor Christensen, Morgan Scott, Nick Welch Varsity Squad: BRONZE-Morgan Scott, Robert Beach, Sean Packer Varsity Lady: GOLD-Morgan Scott, BRONZE-Bailey Finnelly JV Squad: Trenton Christensen, Meredith McCarty, Garrett Koch Intermediate/Advanced Squad: SILVER-Owen Lyons, Riley Showah, Brandon Martin Intermediate/Advanced Athlete: GOLD-Owen Lyons Intermediate/Entry Squad: GOLD-Nick Welch, Dylan Little, Tyler Stelmach Intermediate/Entry Athlete: GOLD-Nick Welch, SILVER-Dylan Little TRAP Team: SILVER-Robert Beach, Bailey Finnelly, Sean Packer, Morgan Scott, Kaleb Carper Varsity Squad: GOLD-Robert Beach, Bailey Finnelly, Morgan Scott, Jackson Harper, Jake Lundberg & SILVER-Sean Packer, Kaleb Carper, Thomas Keele, John Lyons, Grant Stelmach Varsity Lady: SILVER-Bailey Finnelly, BRONZE-Morgan Scott JV Squad: SILVER-Ellie Moeller, Oliver Harrison, Presli Richmond, Hunter Rhodes, Joseph Showah JV Lady: BRONZE-Ellie Moeller Intermediate/Entry Squad: GOLD-Dylan Little, Nick Welch, Tyler Stelmach, Brett Windham, Luc Tomczak & SILVER-Austin Hodge, Alex Martin, Connor Bowles, Alex Bull, Samantha Gott & BRONZE-Hudson Cooper, Logan Martinez Intermediate/Entry Athlete: BRONZE-Hudson Cooper Intermediate/Entry Lady: BRONZE-Samantha Gott SPORTING CLAYS Team: GOLD-Sean Packer, Grant Stelmach, Thomas Keele Varsity Squad: GOLD-Sean Packer, Grant Stelmach, Thomas Keele Intermediate/Advanced Squad: SILVER-Owen Lyons, Brandon Martin, Riley Showah Intermediate/Advanced Athlete: GOLD-Owen Lyons Intermediate/Entry Squad: GOLD-Nick Welch, Dylan Little, Tyler Stelmach & BRONZE-Austin Hodge, Brett Windham, Luc Tomczak Intermediate/Entry Athlete: SILVER-Nick Welch HIGH OVER ALL H.O.A. Team: GOLD-Allen Skeet: Trevor Christensen, Morgan Scott, Nick Welch, Grant Stelmach, Sean Packer Sporting Clays: Sean Packer, Grant Stelmach, Thomas Keele, Kaleb Carper, Nick Welch Trap: Robert Beach, Bailey Finnelly, Sean Packer, Morgan Scott, Kaleb Carper H.O.A. Varsity Athlete: BRONZE-Sean Packer H.O.A. Varsity Lady: SILVER-Morgan Scott, BRONZE-Bailey Finnelly H.O.A. Intermediate/Advanced Athlete: GOLD-Owen Lyons H.O.A. Intermediate/Entry Athlete: SILVER-Nick Welch, BRONZE-Dylan Little H.O.A. Intermediate/Entry Lady: BRONZE-Samantha Gott

SCTP Team Helps Give Back

IT TAKES A VILLAGE… By Morgan Scott, Allen Eagles Competitive Shooting Team (Allen, TX) Philosophically, all men may be created equal. And in reality, it certainly starts out that way. After all, we’re all born helpless and need food and shelter. Our parents provided that for most of us and if you’re reading this, your parents probably go way beyond the basics for you such as providing guns, ammo, shooting lessons, travel, and education. But not everyone has parents and not all parents are able to go above and beyond the way that mine and yours do. We’ve all heard the pitch about starving kids in Africa before. And, yes. We’re all thankful. But, it didn’t really hit home for me until my SCTP Coach Jason Anderson took some of us to South Africa last fall to see wild game and visit an orphanage. The game ranch we stayed at, HuntSA.com, was fascinating. They rolled out the red carpet for us. Seeing Africa and the fauna and flora first hand is nothing at all like watching it on TV. Our guide, Etienne, bent over backwards to show us around and taught us many things. We enjoyed a “braai vleis” or South African barbecue. Tried biltong (pronounced bull tongue) which is their version of jerky. We played with the pet warthog named “Bacon,” chased springhaas at night. And, we even saw lions up close in the wild from an open vehicle. (Fortunately, they were more interested in stalking an impala.) It was all part of our African experience and we participated in everything. Well… almost everything. Coach Anderson kind of chickened out of the dung spitting contest. But hey, I figured… when in Rome! I even got to stalk and harvest an impala! It was nothing at all like sitting in a deer blind. We hiked, tracked, and stalked for miles and miles over rocky, hilly, rough terrain. Several times we were close, but the wind shifted, and they bolted. But, we persisted with determination… like hunting down that second shot on station 4 skeet doubles on a windy day. But Rufus Luttig, not only owns a game ranch, he uses the proceeds and meat to feed and fund a program called Village South Africa (villagesouthafrica.com) whose primary purpose is to support the Jehova Jireh Haven Orphanage near Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. Visiting the orphanage was pretty much the highlight of our trip. It was truly an eye opener to meet the kids and hear the stories about the struggles they had endured before being taken in and given food, shelter, and education. Many had lived on the streets having to fend for themselves. They had to be taught that dogs and goats weren’t just your next meal. They could be kept as pets. ..that goats could provide milk and chickens could be kept around to lay eggs. Most of all, these were not faces on a late-night TV commercial. They were (ARE) real people with names and heartbeats. Who were born just as equal as you and I. But, didn’t get the same kind of support growing up as you and I. But fortunately for them, there are people such as Rufus Luttig at HuntSA.com and Molly and Neels Bam who opened up their home to start the orphanage over 15 years ago. Prior to our trip, we began collecting donations of supplies and such at our school and at one of our Texas SCTP tournaments and I’m proud to say that our shooting community is very generous. The kids at the orphanage were amazingly overjoyed when we brought them a couple of 100-pound suitcases full of school supplies and a truck load of meat from the ranch. You would have thought that they had each been given a Perazzi or Krieghoff shotgun for Christmas. We were so moved by the experience that when we settled back in at home we got to thinking about what more we could do? We all benefit from assistance from others. Look at how many volunteers it takes to run SCTP. Think about how much the Potterfields and MidwayUSA Foundation have given to us. So, we had the idea of getting Texas SCTP to “adopt” and start sponsoring the orphanage. Thanks to all of the volunteers, our shoots barely cost more than the targets anyways. So, at our Easter League Shoot we collected a few extra dollars and donations. It all adds up and by the end of the weekend, we had raised another $3,500 for Village South Africa! They were so very appreciative of the donations and asked that we thank everyone from SCTP for their support. It’s such a great feeling to give back that I wanted to share our experience and challenge every SCTP League or Team to do something this year to raise a little money for Village South Africa or for any other charity. It’s a great feeling that you’ll never forget. I can honestly say that it’s just as rewarding as standing on the podium at nationals with a gold medal or making the All-American team. Neither of which I would have ever accomplished without lots of help from others.

2018 SCTP Regional Championship Dates and Locations

Save the date for the 2018 Scholastic Clay Target Program Regional Championships! Regional events are a great way for SCTP teams to participate and compete with teams from all across the country. Make plans now to participate in one or more events for fun, camaraderie and some great prizes! Pre-registration for each event will be available through the SSSF SHOT system as the event dates draw closer.

Youth Teams Show How It’s Done in Texas

Reprinted with permission from Blue Press. By Robin Taylor, www.taylorfreelance.com Photos by Andre’ Dall’au, Jim Coffey Youth StuffBOOM! 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. ArtyAs 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. panoramaThe 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

Shoot the SCTP Texas State Sporting Clays Championship

Ellis County Sportsman's Club in Waxahachie, Texas, will host the 2015 SCTP Texas State Sporting Clays Championship on June 27, and all SCTP teams are invited to participate. Please note that this is a location change due to flooding at the original location, Elm Fork Shooting Sports. The event will offer 100 sporting clays targets. Team and individual awards and prizes will be presented.
    See the event flyer for details.

SCTP Teams Invited to Texas Skeet and Trap Championships

SCTP teams are invited to the Texas Skeet and Trap State Championships on May 24 at Ellis County Sportsman's Club, Waxahachie, Texas. Participants will shoot 100 American skeet targets and 100 ATA trap targets. Cost will be $32 for each event. Team and individual awards and prizes will be awarded. The event is open to all SCTP teams. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., and a mandatory safety briefing starts at 9:00. Pre-registration is open through the SHOT system. On May 22, there will also be a National Fundraising Banquet with dinner, auction, and raffle in conjunction with the State Championship. The auction and raffle items will include guns, hunting and fishing trips, and shooting accessories. Learn more about the National Banquet. Contact Events@AllenShootingTeam.com for full details.

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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.
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