Tag: USA Shooting

SASP Athletes Train & Compete at the Olympic Training Center

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) athletes had the opportunity to train and compete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.  From May 24-26, 2019 12 Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) athletes learned to shoot the International disciplines of 10 Meter Air Pistol, Sport Pistol and Rapid-Fire Pistol.  Athletes stayed at the Olympic Training Center and were trained by USA Shooting Coach Brent McPherson and former USA National Team Member and USA Shooting Board Member Jim Henderson.   This was SASP’s first Junior Olympic Development Camp (JODC) in 5 years.

For action shooters the athletes picked up the Olympic disciplines quickly.  Before they left the Olympic Training Center 8 of 12 athletes shot 10M Air Pistol scores that would have qualified them last year to be invited to the Junior Olympic Trials for a chance to make the United States Junior Olympic Team.  Coach Jim Henderson stated, “In all my years of coaching I have never seen a group of athletes pick this up so quickly, and then perform at this high of a level.” 

Congratulation to the following SASP athletes who applied and were selected to attend the SASP 2019 JODC.

Jordan Walton WI, Annie Unsell AL, Bailey Lueders MO, Julia Kassa AZ, Sydnie Gray MI, Natalie Unsell AL, Jacob Pruitt OH, Ethan Jardines VA, Robert Little TX, Sawyer Phipps TN, Zachary Winton TX, and Maccoy Gilkison VA.

We also had SASP coaches and SASP staff participate in an international discipline coach’s clinic on May 22 and 23 before helping coach the SASP athletes upon their arrival.  Russell Gilkison VA, Samantha Engle MI were the coaches that participated in the coach program.

SASP is excited to watch as these athletes continue to participate in the International disciplines with hopes of one day seeing one of them standing on the podium and the American Flag is raised as they represent our county in international competition.

We look forward to again holding a JODC in 2020.

SASP would like to thank USA Shooting, especially Brent McPherson and Jim Henderson for their coaching and working with us to provide this great opportunity for our athletes.  We would also like to thank the US Olympic Training Center for their hospitality.

SCTP NATIONAL TEAM TRAP ATHLETES CONCLUDE U.S. NATIONALS AND JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

It was a test of endurance, patience, and positive attitudes - it was the USA Shooting Trap National Championships back-to-back with the USA Shooting Junior Olympic Trap Championships in Colorado Springs. This was the test that the SCTP National Team has been “studying” for all year and the Trap Team was first in the blocks.

 In spite of lightning, rain, wind, dust, cold, heat, and long days (30 squads of competitors) the determination and resilience of these athletes shone through. The first week saw Matt Wells (WI) battle his way to a Junior Men’s silver medal at the USA Shooting National Championships, earning a spot on the Junior National Team. Wells will now trade his SCTP National Team vest for a USA Shooting Junior Team vest.

“I have trained very hard to get this vest and position on the National Junior Team but my work as a competitive athlete is not done. I definitely think that being on the SCTP Team has helped me grow as a shooter. I would like to thank SCTP for the opportunity they have given me. I am excited to continue my journey on the Junior National Team,” Wells stated.

 15-year-old Emilio Carvalho (CA) lead the way during the second week of competition at the Junior Olympic Championships, claiming the top of the leaderboard the very first day. But not far behind Carvalho was his teammate Matt Wells again. When both Carvalho and Wells collected their bib numbers for the final, Carvalho was still in the number 1 spot and Wells was in number 4.

Emilio Carvalho, Men’s final, Junior Olympic Championships.
Photo courtesy of USA Shooting.

When the dust finally settled, Wells remained in fourth place while Carvalho did not relinquish his lead until nearly the end of the finals round, when he finished in third place. His bronze medal podium finish places him on the USA Shooting Junior Squad, meaning that Carvalho will also trade his SCTP National Team vest for a USA Shooting vest.

 “The SCTP camps and the mental training exposed me to new insights about the game. I feel grateful about my success and the opportunity that SCTP has provided to me to pursue my Olympic dreams. Thank you for an amazing year SCTP National Team!” beamed Carvalho.

Junior Men’s final, USA Shooting National Championships. Photo courtesy of John Thompson.

 Coach Terri DeWitt said with a laugh, “I’ve been out here so long, I don’t even know what day it is anymore.” She continued, “But I do know this - without exception, these trap athletes performed beyond expectations. They should be proud of themselves - they came out here prepared; they came out here with a mission and they gave 100% effort to that mission. I’m extremely proud of the efforts put forth by this team, not only on the firing line, but behind the line as well. They were there for each other during these two long weeks, truly coming together as a team. I could not be prouder of these young adults,” she smiled.

Next up are the Skeet events: USA Shooting National Skeet Championships, June 16th- June 19th and USA Shooting Junior Olympic Skeet Championships, June 22nd – 23rd.

Apply Now for 2019 SASP Junior Olympic Development Camp

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SPP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

The Scholastic Action Shooting Program is excited to announce, that after a five-year hiatus, the SASP Junior Olympic Development Camp (JODC) is back. This is a great opportunity for SASP athletes and coaches to learn more about the Olympic disciplines of Air Pistol and Sport Pistol.  You will be learning from Olympic coaches and former US National Team members. The 2019 Junior Olympic Development Camp (JODC) will take place in Colorado Springs, CO at the Olympic Training Center training grounds for USA’s Olympic shooting athletes! The purpose of the JODC camp is:
  1. To assist USA Shooting in its pursuit of identifying SASP Athletes who have the potential to become USA Shooting Team members and, ultimately, Olympic champions and
  2. To provide SASP Coaches and State Advisors with increased knowledge and skills to become more effective in working with SASP Athletes.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation will host the JODC, which is specifically for SASP Athletes, Head and Assistant Coaches, and State Advisors registered with the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. Coaches, State Advisors, and all registered, active SASP Athletes who are 14 years of age or older in the Intermediate Advanced through Varsity Division, are eligible to apply. The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Shooting have confirmed May 22-27, 2019 for the camp with coaches attending all days and athletes attending May 23-27. Interested coaches and athletes must apply and be selected for the camp.  (Please note these are the same dates as SCTP’s JODC at the OTC.)  The 2019 Junior Olympic Development Camp has room for up to twelve (12) qualified SASP Athletes. (That doesn’t mean all slots must be filled). For active registered Coaches and State Advisors, there are up to six (6) slots for coach training. We do not have final coach beds confirmed, so the application will show two different prices.  One is based on staying in the dorms, the other is for staying at a local hotel. We will confirm with you once we have the final number of beds available. For complete details, please review the information sheet and application forms below or on the SASP Forms and Handbook section of our website. The deadline for receiving all completed application packages is Midnight, Thursday, April 19th, 2019 Central Time……NO EXCEPTIONS! 2019 JODC Information 2019 Athlete Application 2019 Coach Application

Apply Now for 2019 SCTP Junior Olympic Development Camp

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Scholastic Clay Target Program coaches and athletes are invited to apply for a very special camp this spring focused on learning the fun and challenging clay target disciplines of international (i.e. “bunker”) trap and international skeet. The 2019 Junior Olympic Development Camp (JODC) will take place in Colorado Springs, CO at the Olympic Training Center and USA Shooting’s International Shotgun Range at Fort Carson– training grounds for USA’s Olympic shooting athletes! The purpose of the JODC camp is twofold: 1. To assist USA Shooting in its pursuit of identifying SCTP Athletes who have the potential to become USA Shooting Team members and, ultimately, Olympic champions; and 2. To provide SCTP Coaches and State Advisors with increased knowledge and skills in order to become more effective in working with SCTP Athletes. The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation will host the JODC, which is specifically for SCTP Athletes, Head and Assistant Coaches, and State Advisors registered with the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. Coaches, State Advisors, and all registered, active SCTP Athletes who are 14 years of age or older in the Intermediate Advanced through Varsity Division, are eligible to apply. The National Coach Training Staff will conduct introductory training for SCTP Athletes in the Olympic disciplines of Bunker Trap and International Skeet. The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Shooting have confirmed May 22-27, 2019 for the camp with coaches attending all days and athletes attending May 23-27. Interested coaches and athletes must apply and be selected for the camp. The 2019 Junior Olympic Development Camp has room for up to twenty four (24) qualified SCTP Athletes. (That doesn’t mean all slots must be filled). For active registered Coaches and State Advisors, there are up to ten (10) slots for coach training For complete details, please review the information sheet and application forms below or on the SCTP Forms and Handbook section of our website. The deadline for receiving all completed application packages is Midnight, Saturday, April 6th, 2019……NO EXCEPTIONS! 2019 JODC Information 2019 Athlete Application 2019 Coach Application

SCTP National Team Kicks off the New Year in Gainesville, Florida

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Gator Skeet & Trap Club once again played host to the SCTP National Team for their first training camp of the year, January 3rd – 5th.  The emphasis of this camp was technical training, i.e. pulling the trigger and breaking targets, in preparation for USA Shooting’s Spring Selection Match, February 25th – March 9th in Tucson, AZ. Athletes were on site for three days with coaches Terri DeWitt and Joe Buffa who put them through drills, finals practices, and a few pressure scenarios. With reference to the athletes, Coach Dewitt remarked, “They came to work and that’s what we did. Not only did they break a lot of targets, but they started to incorporate the mental training techniques they learned at last month’s camp with Dr. Jason Selk.”

Deadline Approaching for Colonel D.D. Behrens Athlete Endowment Grant Applications

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2019 Athlete Endowment Deadline - January 31, 2019 In 2005 the Athlete Endowment Fund was established by Colonel D.D. Behrens with the intention of awarding grants to shooting sport athletes to help offset the cost of competitions, equipment, ammunition, travel and training in hopes of maintaining USA Shooting’s competitive excellence well into the future. The goal of the endowment is to build a strong foundation of USA Shooting athletes by assisting with development of their shooting skills needed to become high-level competitors and Olympians. Learn more and view applications materials at the USA Shooting website...

Scholastic Clay Target Program and USA Shooting announce 2019 dates

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in Events, SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

The SCTP and USA Shooting would like to announce dates for next seasons events including the Junior Olympic Development Camp and the SCTP International National Championships! The SCTP’s JODC will be held from May 21st – May 27 for interested coaches and from May 23rd – May 27th for chosen athletes! Up to 10 SCTP coaches wanting to learn more about coaching the International disciplines of International Skeet and Bunker Trap along with 24 lucky athletes will be invited to stay at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. and learn from the nation’s top coaches and team USA members! Applications will be available about February 1st. Also, the dates for the SCTP International National Championships will be held from July 22 – July 27, 2019. July 22/23 will be open training, July 24/25 will be set for International Skeet Competition and July 26/27 will be slated for the Bunker Trap competition with an awards banquet to follow on the evening of the 27th at a location to be determined. The top placing athletes in Trap and Skeet will be chosen to be members of the SCTP’s National Team coached by Terri DeWitt! “We appreciate all the folks at USA Shooting for working hard with us to get these dates set for the 2019 season” said SCTP National Director, Tom Wondrash. “This will give families, athletes and coaches plenty of time to make plans for attending these great events and learning more about the International disciplines. Opportunities like these are what the SCTP is all about!” These opportunities are available exclusively to members in good standing with the Scholastic Clay Target Program. If you are interested in becoming a member or starting a team with the SCTP, please contact SCTP National Director, Tom Wondrash to learn more at twondrash@sssfonline.com

SCTP National Team Members Compete at USA Shooting Nationals

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Packing guns and homework, ten members of the SCTP National Team made their way to Colorado Springs last week for USA Shooting’s 2018 National Championships. Meredith Bernau, Heather Broski, Emilio Carvalho, Monica Dale, Peter Meola, Jack Olsen, and Matt Wells were on the ground first for the International Trap championships. The weather was mostly cooperative, and the trap scores reflected accordingly.
Junior Trap Women medalists: Victoria Hendrix, Gold; Ryann Phillips, Silver; Heather Broski, Bronze (Photo courtesy of USA Shooting)
Heather Broski, finishing third in the Junior Women’s final, attained a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team and will now wear a National Junior team vest. “The intent of the SCTP National Team is to prepare these athletes to take the next step to the national level. Heather has done that. I’m very proud of her performance in this match,” declared head coach Terri DeWitt. Emilio Carvalho posted a solid performance as well, narrowly missing the Junior Men’s final by one target. He did, however, take home a silver medal in men’s Class A.
Junior Skeet Women medalists: Katie Jacob, Gold; Gracin Anderson, Silver; Karsyn Ross, Bronze (Photo courtesy of USA Shooting)
In what came as no surprise to Skeet competitors, the weather took a dramatic turn for the worse during the second half of the competition. Gracin Anderson, Erin Lokke, and AJ Nomina battled for four days through gusting winds, freezing rain, and falling snow. “Even though conditions were tough, we adapted and fought through challenges that were not normal. I learned a lot this week and plan to use this experience to train for future events,” pledged Lokke.
SCTP National Team member, Erin Lokke
In spite of the weather conditions, Gracin Anderson secured herself a National Junior Team vest with her silver medal finish in junior Women’s Skeet. AJ Nomina and Erin Lokke both took home Skeet medals as well - Nomina a bronze in men’s Class B and Lokke a silver in women’s Class B.

SCTP National Team Named at International Championships

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

The 2018 Scholastic Clay Target Program International National Championships held at the International shooting park in Colorado Springs, CO. are officially in the record book! Over 120 athletes competed in International Skeet as well as International Trap (Bunker Trap) over the 6 day event which started on July 22nd and ended July 27th. This annual event takes place at the home grounds of USA Shooting on Ft. Carson Army base just south of Colorado Springs and is run with the help of USA Shooting and its staff. 43 Teams of athletes from 15 states showed up to try and take the International top honors with WI (25) and FL (13) leading the pack with the most athletes attending this years tournament by state! Taking top senior division squad honors by 45 targets in international skeet was Union Grove Broncos (WI) scoring 275 led by Cole Hammond (99), Emily Rasmussen (92) and Aimee Spiering (84). Sauk County Youth Shooting Team (WI) was second at 230 with Joshua Corbin leading the way (109) along with squad mates Quin Schuppner (62) and Lucas Riberich (59). Third place went to Tampa Bay Clays (FL) at 218 with Brayden Sasser (80), Cody Sharp (77) and Austin Eastman (61). Top intermediate division squad honors in international skeet went to Sauk County Shooting Team with Riley Minette (76), Bo Schuppner (68) and Madeline Corbin (60). The bunker trap senior title was taken by Tampa Bay Clays (FL) with a squad score of 329 fired by Jack Brosseau (118), Ryan Ledbetter (109) and Kevin Whitehead (102). Second place went to Minute Man Sharpshooters (MA) at 314 with Alexia Davos (107), Sean Cannistraro (105) and Kurtis Grover (102). Top collegiate division squad honors went to Grand View University (IA) with a 308 led by Hunter Anderson (107), Trenton Cheers (105) and Reese Howard (96). The intermediate squad title was captured by Sauk County Youth Shooting Team (WI) firing a 282 by Madeline Corbin(97), Riley Minette (95) and  Bo Schuppner (90). All results with complete leaderboards are available on the SHOT System at: http://bit.ly/2MxfWem “What a great tournament for our athletes competing in the International Disciplines!” said Tom Wondrash, SCTP’s National Director and tournament director. “The weather was fantastic and the support and help from USA Shooting was A+. I think the families and athletes had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed their time in Colorado Springs. Our staff along with SCTP National Team head coach, Terri DeWitt worked hard all week to provide an exceptional atmosphere for all that attended!” The 2018/2019 SCTP National Team members were also chosen from the top placers in International Skeet and Bunker Trap, the new seasons team is as follows: 2019 SCTP International Skeet National Team Gracin Anderson, TN Emily Rasmussen, WI Jay Bible, FL Anthony Nomina, CO Chris Freeman, MI Joshua Corbin, WI Erin Lokke, MN 2019 SCTP Bunker Trap National Team Monica Dale WI Heather Broski TN Heather Argue TN Jack Olsen CO Peter Meola FL Mathew Wells WI Meredith Bernau WI Emilio Carvalho CA The SCTP National Team is a stepping stone for athletes wanting to take the Olympic path, the SCTP is the official youth program of USA Shooting and feeder program to Team USA.  National team members receive advanced coaching and support in the international clay target sports, a USA Shooting jacket, paid fall selection match fees and ammo, along with an SCTP National Team vest. National team slots are earned at each year’s SCTP International Nationals. The Scholastic Clay Target Program is the official youth shooting program to USA Shooting and provides a pipeline for future international shotgun competitors. For more information on how to get involved with SCTP and the international disciplines of International Skeet and Bunker Trap, please contact any of the SCTP staff. Photos courtesy USA Shooting.

SCTP National Team Members Compete at Junior Olympic Nationals

Written by SSSF Staff on . Posted in SCTP Blog, SSSF News and Information, Uncategorized.

Over 200 junior International Trap and Skeet athletes converged in Colorado Springs June 21-29 for the 2018 USA Shooting Junior Olympic National Championships.  Of those 200 young athletes, nine were wearing SCTP National Team vests: Maddy Bernau, Heather Broski, Jack Brosseau, Trevor Evelhair, AJ Nomina, Molly Sheehan, Mark Shields, Madeleine Taylor, and Tyler Theide (Cole Barrett withdrew from Men’s Skeet due to illness). After a week of capricious Colorado weather that included extreme heat, strong winds, lightning, and hail, four SCTP National Team members will be trading their SCTP vests for a USA Shooting Junior Team or Junior Squad vest.  Consistent with the mission of the SCTP National Team program as a pipeline for USA Shooting’s upcoming junior talent Bernau, Brosseau, and Shields have graduated to the major leagues.  Bernau and Brosseau both fought their way to silver medals in Women’s and Men’s Trap, respectively.  Their second-place finish places them on USA Shooting’s Junior National Team. Mark Shields, with his fourth-place finish in Men’s Skeet, will be added to USA Shooting’s Junior Squad. Heather Broski also made the Women’s Trap final, taking home the gold medal in the J2 age category (age 15-17). In addition, Broski and teammate Jeff Holguin (U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit) finished 5th out of 21 teams in USA Shooting’s first Mixed Team Trap Selection Match. “All of the SCTP National Team members performed extremely well this week.  They displayed great resilience and determination in spite of less than optimum weather conditions.  Assistant Skeet Coach Joe Buffa and I could not be prouder of these athletes.  All of them represented our program with integrity and professionalism and I look forward to working with next year’s athletes,” remarked Head Coach Terri DeWitt. Next year’s SCTP National Team will be selected at the SCTP International National Championships in Colorado Springs, July 22-27. Photos courtesy USA Shooting

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