Tom Davis, Author at Scholastic Clay Target Program

2023 SCTP National Championships updates and changes!

Written on May 16, 2023.

The SCTP National Championships are right around the corner, and we want to make sure everyone is aware of some changes and modifications to this year’s tournament!

International Dates – July 4-7 (for potential additional practice outside of July 4^th open training, please contact Cardinal Center directly)

July 4: International Skeet Open Training
July 5: International Skeet 75 targets competition
July 6: International Skeet 50 targets competition followed by match finals & Awards.
July 4: International Trap Open Training
July 5: International Trap 50 targets competition
July 6: International Trap 50 targets competition
July 7: International Trap 25 targets competition followed by match finals & Awards.

*We are looking for referees for International Skeet and International Trap – please contact Terri DeWitt at terri@mysctp.com

American Discipline Dates – July 8-15
Skeet – Rotation #1 July 8/9
Rotation #2 July 10/11
Rotation #3 July 12/13

Sporting Clays – Rotation #1 July 8/9
Rotation #2 July 10/11
Rotation #3 July 12/13
Trap – Rotation #1 July 10/11
Rotation #2 July 12/13
Rotation #3 July 14/15

Trap Doubles / Handicap Trap – Rotation #1 July 8/9
Rotation #2 July 10/11
Rotation #3 July 12/13

Skeet Doubles – Shot Friday, July 14 only!

Kids and Clays Charity Shoot
5-Stand will be available July 12 & 13
Sporting Clays can be shot either July 14 or 15

Squadded Make A Break – Will be shot July 8-13 and must be squadded in SHOT!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Just a reminder, all squadding is done through your team’s head coach. Please do not contact the National Office for squadding, changes or times!

College Day – Will be Friday, July 14 in the “Hitters Building” from 9am – 5pm. Only Colleges who attended the ACUI/SCTP National Championships will be eligible to display and set up tables for this event. Athletes and parents, this is a huge opportunity to meet college coaches and discuss scholarship availability!

Some changes for this year’s tournament:

MAKE A BREAK will be a squadded event this year utilizing “Team Scoring”. There will be special prizes, team awards for 1^st – 3^rd places and a National Champion Team trophy! The top 8 teams will shoot off Thursday, July 13^th at 6pm. Individuals will also still be able to compete just like in past years with awards and shoot offs for this part to be held on Saturday, July 15^th.

We have added another Sporting Clays rotation on July 8/9, to help accommodate all teams and athletes arriving early! 5pm rotation Sporting Clays is a last resort only!

We have added another Trap Singles Rotation (July 10/11) to accommodate the ever-growing Singles Trap competition at this year’s SCTP National Championships!

Awards ceremonies for Skeet, Sporting Clays, Handicap Trap, Trap Doubles and 5 stand will be Friday evening July 14

Awards ceremonies for Skeet Doubles, Trap, Trap HOA and overall HOA Awards will be Saturday evening July 15, time TBD, after all event and shoot-offs are complete.

IMPORTANT: Anybody not wanting to be around large crowds or leaving the tournament early can pick up their awards at the Trophy room from 9-Noon, July 14 or 15.

Golf Cart Rentals Please contact Brenda (ASAP) at Eagle Golf Car eaglegolfcars@aol.com Let her know it is for the SCTP National Championships!
Do not wait until the last minute or you will not be able to get one!

COACHES! National Championship “pre-registration” opened on May 1^st and is currently closed. Registration will open to the public June 1^st at 6:00am CST.

New Award Group!
Many teams across the country have asked us to change to “Team Scoring” for the National Championships. While we do not want to make any changes without getting nearly 100% support, we have decided to keep this award group again this year so that coaches could get a better feel for “Team Scoring”!

Like last year, we are keeping a new award called the “SCTP Team Award”!

The SCTP Team Award will be calculated by using that teams top 5 scores for Trap, top 5 scores for Skeet and top 5 scores for Sporting Clays. Also known as “Team Scoring”.

(This is the same method used for the High School Awards, College Awards, and the HOA Awards)

30 awards, 10 in each discipline!

This will include the Senior Division (JV & Varsity) 1st through 5th places with trophies and medals.

As well as the Intermediate Division (Rookie, IE & IA) 1st through 5th places with trophies and medals.

Ammunition will be available on site!

We look forward to seeing you all at this year’s National Championships in July!

Your SCTP Team

Inagural ACUI/SCTP National Championship
Held with Great Success

Written on April 11, 2023.

Held at the historic National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, the ACUI/SCTP College Nationals saw nearly 75 teams from 29 states registering some 770 athletes. With strong growth of established and new collegiate teams registered with the ACUI/SCTP, inaugural championship saw almost 4,000 registrations. This event’s popularity is significant when measured next to the SCTP’s junior-aged National Championship which conducted 8,000 registrations at last year’s 12-day event, known as the largest youth shooting sports event in the world.

“I want to say congratulations to all the students that came out to compete with us in San Antonio for our 2023 ACUI & SCTP Collegiate Clay Target Championships,” exclaimed Taylor Blechschmid, ACUI Educational Program Manager. “We saw some top tier shooting from numerous teams and are so excited we could bring together so many groups of athletes from across the country. Their dedication to the sport inspires us to continue aiming high and putting our best foot forward for this community.

“I couldn’t be happier with how our first partnered nationals event was executed. We had lofty goals this year and our team put their all into achieving them. From the improved squadding and scoring system, to moving back to a shoot offs and awards day, we feel this was the smoothest the event has ever run and are already working to improve upon this foundation for years to come.”

“This partnership with the ACUI all started with a phone call by myself last spring and culminated into a very good relationship over this past year,” stated Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director. “This partnership ultimately improves the experience at every level for the college coaches and athletes. We had nothing but good things to hear from all of the college coaches and athletes that attended, and the National Shooting Complex staff did an outstanding job hosting us. All in all, a very successful partnership turned into a very successful College National Championship!”

The SCTP will round out its season at the Cardinal Shooting Center this July for its junior-aged National Championship, which has historically been the largest shoot conducted at the facility for three years running. The ACUI and SCTP partnership will continue throughout the calendar year and into the next, starting with International National Championships (Bunker Trap & International Skeet), also held at the Cardinal Shooting Center in October.

SCTP International Team at March USAS Junior Selection

Written on March 24, 2023.

As part of the SCTP International Team’s ongoing mission to help take youth athletes to the highest level, the team attended the March USA Shooting Junior Selection. This competition was the second of two that determined the 2023 Junior National Team. This summer the Junior National Team will travel to a Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany and will represent the United States at the Junior World Championships in Changwon, Korea.

As a Red Diamond-level sponsor of the SCTP, Winchester Ammunition is also the official ammo of the SCTP International Team, helping provide the resources needed to progress and perform at the highest levels.

Current SCTP International Team members earning a USA Shooting Junior National Team vest include Josh Corbin, Kyle Fleck, and Caleb Cutler.

Other Significant Results:

Skeet

Gracie Marie Hensley – 6th place Junior Women; Bronze medal Under 18 Women

Josh Corbin – Bronze medal, Junior Men; USA Junior National Team

Kyle Fleck – 4th place Junior Men; USA Shooting Junior National Team; Gold medal Collegiate

Zach Hinze – Silver medal Under 18 Men

Jerrod Croley – Bronze medal Under 18 Men

Trap

Heidi Griner – 6th place Junior Women

Sophia Bultema – Gold medal, Para Women

Abbey Wigh – Silver medal, Collegiate Women

Caleb Cutler – Bronze medal, Junior Men; USA Junior National Team

Josh Corbin – 6th place Junior Men; Gold medal Collegiate Men

2023 USA Shooting Trap Junior National Team, left to right: Taylor Dale (SCTP Int’l Team alumna), Kaleigh Castillo, Ryann Phillips, Carey Garrison, Matthew Kutz, William Browning, Caleb Cutler (SCTP Int’l Team), Owen Bin. Photo courtesy of USA Shooting.

2023 USA Shooting Skeet Junior National Team, left to right: Jordan Sapp (SCTP Int’l Team alumni), Ben Keller, Josh Corbin (SCTP Int’l Team), Kyle Fleck (SCTP Int’l Team), Fayth Layne, Jessi Griffin, Madeline Corbin (SCTP Int’l Team alumna). Photo courtesy of USA Shooting.

2023 SCTP Development Camp

Written on March 22, 2023.

SCTP 2023 Olympic Bunker, Skeet & Sporting Clays Development Camp (OSCD) This camp will be conducted by the National SCTP Coaching Staff and National coaches designed to introduce SCTP Athletes to Olympic Bunker Trap, American Skeet and Sporting Clays.

Camp Information

Athlete Application

Coach Application

SCTP International Team at February USAS Selection Match

Written on February 27, 2023.

Held at the Tucson Trap & Skeet Club, February 3rd-8th, 2023, this USA Shooting Selection Match was used in combination with the 2022 USAS Nationals in Hillsdale last summer to determine the 2023 National Team as well as this year’s World Championship Team. This was also the first part of the selection process for the 2023 Pan American Games Team. The World Championships will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan and the Pan Am will be in Santiago, Chile.

SCTP International Team athletes Ramsey Bodeen, Sophia Bultema, Caleb Cutler, Heidi Griner, Cole Prince, Abbey Wigh (2022 alumna) and Lacy White were present for their concentration of Bunker Trap, while Josh Corbin (2022 alumni), Jerrod Croley, Kyle Fleck, Zach Hinze, Westley Kiter, Matthew Peterson, and Emily Rasmussen shot International Skeet. The SCTP International Team is supported by SCTP Red Diamond Sponsor, Winchester Ammunition.

“While we didn’t have any of our current team members earn a place on the National Team at this match, we had some very solid performances. I was extremely proud of the effort every single one of these athletes gave. They had to contend with strong winds and some cold temperatures. I can’t help but think that the miserable weather we experienced at the training camp in Crossville helped prepare them for this!”
SCTP International Team Head Coach, Terri DeWitt

Congratulations to Caitlin Connor-Royer, SCTP International Team Skeet Coach, for earning a slot on the 2023 National Women’s Skeet Team!

Other significant results:

Josh Corbin – Silver medal, Collegiate Men, Skeet

Kyle Fleck – Bronze medal, Collegiate Men, Skeet

Emily Rasmussen – Silver medal, Collegiate Women, Skeet

Caleb Cutler – Gold medal, Men’s Under 18, Trap

Heidi Griner – Gold medal, Women’s Under 18, Trap

Cole Prince – Gold medal, Collegiate Men, Trap

Lacy White – Bronze medal, Collegiate Women, Trap

Sophia Bultema – Gold medal, Women’s Paralympic Trap

Heidi Griner (far left) and Lacy White (far right)

Winchester Continues Support of SCTP Through 2024

Written on February 13, 2023.

Winchester Ammunition has continued its support of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) as a Red Diamond Sponsor in 2023. This three-year agreement through 2024 is indicative of Winchester Ammunition’s long-term support of the youth shooting sports program. Despite an extremely high demand for their products, Winchester Ammunition continues as the official ammunition of the SCTP and the SCTP International Team, which is made up of the top 15 SCTP youth shooters in the international disciplines of skeet and bunker trap.

“As the official ammunition for SCTP and the SCTP’s International Team, Winchester remains committed in supporting the growth of the shooting sports,” said Jason Gilbertson, Director of Marketing for Winchester Ammunition. “The SCTP is an exciting and growing organization built with committed leadership, coaches, athletes and parents. We’re excited for the upcoming season.”

“We are thankful for and encouraged by the tremendous support from the best in the industry, year after year,” beamed SCTP National Director, Tom Wondrash. “Our shared vision of the exponential growth of youth shooting sports is realized through Winchester’s remarkable support. As a Red Diamond Sponsor of the SCTP, Winchester has shown their dedication by supporting our members across the board. From the newer shooter benefiting from the spring shotshell program, all the way up to our elite SCTP International Team who is given the resources to compete at the highest level. We are thrilled to have the continued support of Winchester Ammunition!”

SCHEELS Continues Sponsorship of SCTP

Written on February 6, 2023.

SCHEELS continues their support of youth shooting sports as part of their 3-year sponsorship of the Scholastic Clay Target Program through 2024. The outdoor retailer, with over 30 locations throughout 13 states works closely with the SCTP to support the vision of exponential growth of youth shooting sports.

“Scheels is Proud to Partner with SCTP to support their goals of creating an environment to teach life lessons and skills that emphasize positive character traits and citizenship values.” -Nathan Johnson, Communications & Sponsorship Manager

“The SCTP is fortunate to have support from some of the biggest names in the outdoor space,” commented Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director. “SCHEELS is a notable supporter of youth shooting sports and as a SCTP Red Diamond Sponsor, that support can be seen from SCHEELS headquarters all the way down to the local retail stores. This top to bottom effort stands as an exceptional example of support from the industry that goes beyond just money. We are very thankful for dedication of SCHEELS throughout the years and look forward for years to come!”

The SCTP is excited to be working with SCHEELS, with a focused partnership between SCTP teams and their respective community’s SCHEELS retail locations. The opportunity to start new teams in areas as well as grow in communities with current team/store overlap will prove to be a win-win scenario in the current youth shooting sports season and beyond.

If you or your company are interested in getting involved with the SCTP in support of youth development and youth shooting sports and teams, please contact SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash at tom@mysctp.com

SCTP International Team Training Camp Highlights

Written on January 3, 2023.

_{Pictured back to front, left to right:
Zach Hinze, Matthew Peterson, Cole Prince, Jerrod Croley, Westley Kiter
Lacy White, Emily Rasmussen, Gracie-Marie Hensley, Ramsey Bodeen, Caleb Cutlerex}

With a year-long shooting season, the SCTP closed the calendar year with two training camps to hone skills and prepare for important events down the line. Sponsored by Winchester Ammunition, the SCTP International Team is made up of some of the best SCTP athletes in the country. These athletes showed they were ready to earn their spot when it came time to the finals shootoffs, held at SCTP Nationals each July.

As the official youth feeder program for USA Shooting, the SCTP International Team focuses on preparing for high-level events. The team’s Head Coach, Terri DeWitt, a former Olympian herself, sets the team up for success by providing a breadth of additional training that includes sports science topics and realistic conditioning.

In early November, the team traveled to Crossville Shooting Sports Park, in Crossville, TN for the first training camp of the season. Joining the coaching staff for the camp was SCTP alumna, Caitlin Connor-Royer, an 8X ISSF World Cup Silver Medalist, 2018 World Champion, 2022 World Cup Gold Medalist, and 2022 President’s Cup World Cup Final Gold medalist. Caitlin provided world-class instruction for the team’s International Skeet athletes.

Serving as an introduction to performance skillsets (technical, tactical, mental, physical), the camp incorporated range time with sport-specific stretching, core and balance exercises, vision training exercises, and discussions about the importance of self-talk and mental strategies. Always focused on realistic conditioning, or “practice like you play”, this training embraced cold and wet weather. “In spite of less than ideal conditions, I think we got some excellent training in the sense of accepting the things you can’t control, adapting to the situation and still getting the job done,” said DeWitt.

Pictured back to front left to right:
Caleb Cutler, Josh Corbin, Ramsey Bodeen, Kyle Fleck, Matthew Peterson, Zach Hinze, and alumni Jordan Sapp, Emersyn Berck, Ashlyn Berck (walk-on), alumna Loretta Christian

Closing out the calendar year was a trip to Tucson, Arizona for preparation of USA Shooting’s Selection Match in February, 2023. “We wanted to get some training time on the same ranges they’ll be competing on,” commented DeWitt. “In addition to setting look and hold points on each field, we emphasized pressure training in the form of finals practice. Athletes also started building their individual mental workouts, based off of Dr. Jason Selk’s book, 10-Minute Toughness, setting one or two outcome goals for next year with process goals in place for each.”

Returning again to instruct International Skeet athletes was former SCTP athlete, Caitlin Connor-Royer. “The 2022 SCTP camps were great, we have a lot of talented young athletes across both international disciplines of trap and skeet,” said Connor-Royer. “I am very excited to see each of them accomplish their goals in 2023 and beyond.”

2023 Collegiate Clay Targets Championship Official Match Program

Written on December 6, 2022.

2023-ACUI-Collegiate-Clay-Target-Championships-Match-Program-Version-12.5.22

Briley Continues Support as SCTP Bronze Sponsor

Written on November 15, 2022.

Briley, famous for chokes and tube sets is continuing its support of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) at the Bronze Level. Historically, Briley’s support of the SCTP surges ahead of the National Championships, with Briley’s expert team lending assistance to teams and athletes preparing for the biggest competition of the year. Now as a season-long sponsor, Briley is doubling-down on their support of youth clay target teams in the SCTP with their Bronze Level Sponsorship.

Founded by an avid skeet shooter and experienced machinist, Briley Manufacturing quickly set a standard in the industry with their screw in choke system and sub gauge tube sets. As their client base continued to grow, their expertise was sought out, going on to produce and supply key components and prototypes to such industry giants as Ruger, Remington, Krieghoff, Browning, Smith & Wesson, Colt, H & K, U.S. Repeating Arms. Now as a powerhouse in the industry, Briley has expanded to offer rifle and pistol gun services, accessories, and other products for original equipment manufacturers.

“Myself and the entire Briley Mfg team are thrilled to continue our support of SCTP!” Said Hannah Price of Briley Mfg. “We truly believe these youth competitors and their families are the future of this incredible sport. It’s been a privilege to see the amazing work SCTP does along with watching these kids grow. We will continue to support, educate and help in any way we can with the best products!”

“We’ve come to work closely with Briley each year, especially leading up to our National Championships in July,” commented SCTP National Director, Tom Wondrash. “Their team works closely with our members and offer exclusive pricing for youth athletes as they prepare for the biggest competition of the season. We are very thankful to officially welcome aboard Briley as a Bronze Sponsor of the SCTP and are humbled to have their continued support of youth clay target sports.”

Author: Tom Davis