Left to right: Peter Meola, Alexa Paxson, Ella McLerran, Sydney Krieger, Camron Burks
As the trap competition drew to a close in Tucson on March 2nd,
SCTP International Team trap athletes, past and present, made quite a splash.
2019 Team athletes Sydney Krieger and Alexa Paxson took home medals in their
respective categories; Krieger earned J2 Gold and Paxson earned Collegiate
Bronze with their performances.
Left to right: Emilio Carvalho, Joey Richards, Stephen Brown
Emilio Carvalho, 2018 SCTP International Team alumni athlete, finished second in the Junior Men’s category and his silver medal earned him a slot on this year’s Junior World Championship Team. Emilio will travel to Suhl, Germany in July to compete against juniors from around the world.
Left to right: 2020 US Olympic Trap Team athletes Brian Burrows, Derrick Mein, Kayle Browning, and Madelynn Bernau
2017 SCTP International Team alumni athlete, Madelynn Bernau, has
made perhaps the biggest splash yet for the SCTP International Team program;
Maddy’s exceptional performance throughout the Olympic Trials process has
earned her a berth on the 2020 U.S. Olympic Shooting Team. Maddy will compete
in the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
Congratulations to all the SCTP International athletes on their
performances in Tucson! Next up – USA Shooting Junior Olympic Championships in
June.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF), is once again offering our scholarship program to reward deserving, graduating seniors in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) with needed college assistance. The main objective is to award as many scholarships as possible to qualifying SCTP / SASP graduating seniors.
Since 2013, the SSSF has awarded over $450,000 in scholarship funds benefiting over 450 student athletes, from nearly all 50 states in the Scholastic Clay Target and Scholastic Action Shooting programs. We are pleased to announce that last year’s Scholarship Program awarded over $100,000 to qualifying applicants.
The SSSF is establishing minimal guidelines for the selection procedure, thus allowing the final selection to be as simple as possible.
General Procedures: Each applicant must be a graduating senior within the year of the awarded scholarship and must be registered for college before the scholarship is awarded in that same year.• Applicant must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative Grade Point Average through the most recent grading period ending on or before April 1, 2020.
• Each prospective recipient must be registered as a full-time college student before the scholarship is awarded and must provide the name of the post-secondary college or community/ junior college to receive the scholarship proceeds. Each scholarship check will be mailed to the appropriate college in the student’s name by October 1, 2020. The scholarship funds are to be used for tuition. This is a one-time, non-renewable scholarship.
• Applicants may not be in receipt of any “full” scholarship funds in order to qualify (i.e., athletics, military academy, academic, etc.).
• Applicants must have participated during 2019-2020 in one of their SCTP / SASP State Championships, National Championships, or regional events in Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Olympic Bunker, Olympic Skeet Championships; Pistol or Rifle.
• Applicants must be able to complete all parts of the application packet:
Application / Personal Information Page: •One Page Student Resume or School and Non-School Activities and Honors •One Page Essay (see Essay Guidelines) •Must attach current high school transcript or home school transcript! •Application Deadline (for the entire application packet): Midnight, April 19th, 2020 •All Materials Must Be Received together as one packet by Deadline. No exceptions!
We are excited to introduce these individuals who have been selected as additional State Advisors for the SCTP in Texas. Each of them has considerable experience as coaches of SCTP teams and is passionate about giving back to the program as State Advisors!
Mario Gonzalez, Austin/San Antonio Region
In the spring of 2019, Mario organized a team for his daughter’s high school, St. John Paul II Catholic High School. He serves as the head coach and is pleased to have an amazing amount of support from the school’s leadership, students, and parents. In just its second season, approximately 15% of the school’s student body were a member of the clay team and also members of SCTP. Since then, Mario has been active in helping to establish the Austin/San Antonio Region for SCTP. When he’s not coaching, Mario enjoys all types of hunting, fly fishing, and traveling with his family. Madeline Maggard, Northeast Region
Madeline coaches for Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas which is in its third year. She has seven years of shooting experience, most of which is actually with action shooting sports. Jesuit has both a shotgun and pistol team, with forty-seven young SCTP and SASP athletes. In her free time, she shoots in steel challenge and GSSF matches, does a little hunting, and enjoys sharing her love of the shooting sports with others!Don Williams, Northeast Region
I’ve been coaching youth shotgun for about 10 years. I started coaching 4-H in 2009 for Ellis county 4-H shooting sports. In 2015, I started the Red Oak High School shotgun team and served as Head Coach for about three years, as well as coaching 4-H. I got out of coaching for a couple of years and realized how much I missed it. I’m back in it now as head coach for the Waxahachie High School shotgun team.Kris Keith, Northwest Region
My name is Kris Keith I have been coaching at SCTP for last five years. Currently, I am the head coach for the Fossil Pointe Legends in the Texas Northwest Division. I am currently an NRA certified Shotgun Instructor and NRA Level 1 Coach. I am married with two daughters, one college grad and the other a former SCTP competitor and college student. I enjoy outdoors hunting and fishing and I also shoot NSCA events as much as possible. I want to help grow young shooters in the sport so that it will be around for our future.
The
Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) announces some changes in venue and
format for its International Style National Championships 2020 and well beyond!
The SCTP International-Style National Championships, formerly held in Colorado Springs, CO will now be held at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. In conjunction with the SCTP’s American Style National Championships being held July 11-18, the “International Style” National Championships will be held on the front end, running from July 9-12. Open training will take place July 7-8 with International Skeet Championships taking place July 9-10 and Bunker Trap Championships taking place July 11-12. An awards ceremony will follow International Style competition on Sunday, July 12.
“We couldn’t
be happier to have the SCTP’s International Style National Championships come
to the Cardinal Center here in Marengo Ohio, we welcome them with open arms!”
stated Jack Fishburn, owner of the Cardinal Center.
“The SCTP
has demonstrated its commitment to growth in the youth shooting sports,
establishing itself as a great asset to the Cardinal Center’s plans to provide
and build the best shooting and camping facility in the world!” added Luke
Spengler, Cardinal Center Trap Manager.
The Cardinal
Center has committed to build four state of the art International Skeet and
Bunker field overlays on their massive property west of the current sporting
clays ranges. Supplying the fields with equipment will be up to the SCTP and
its sponsors. To date, the SCTP will be providing one set of Bunker machines
and Promatic has agreed to supply one set as well. The remaining two fields will be constructed
by the Cardinal Center, but will remain non-operational until funds can be
raised to supply trap machines and related equipment. “Promatic is very excited
to see the SCTP support International shooting and its athletes in this manner!
They are definitely making a difference and filling a pipeline of athletes for
tomorrow’s Olympians.” commented Jim Moses, CEO for Promatic. “The SCTP is
proof that through hard work and dedication to youth shooting, they can make a
difference and offer real opportunities for our young athletes. We couldn’t be
prouder to be involved!”
Not only
will the International Style Championships be held in Marengo for the
foreseeable future, the Cardinal Center will be dubbed “Home of the SCTP
International Team”, lead by coach Terri DeWitt!
“This is a
real game changer for SCTP athletes, teams and families across the country!” said
Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director. “To bring both of our National
Championships together under one roof is absolutely a dream come true! Parents
and families will not have to choose which tournament they want to attend, as they
can attend both now! This single venue schedule costs them less money and less
time off of work, with less travel. We can’t thank the Cardinal Center and
Promatic enough for their commitment to youth shooting and the SCTP!”
The SCTP’s International Team will begin training this spring/summer in Marengo and has its sights set on attending a Junior Cup International competition later this summer in Finland. Lead by coach DeWitt, these athletes are getting some of the best training available, along with help and support from the likes of Dr. Jason Selk, Dr. Cathy Arnot, 2-time Olympian Connie Smotek and SSG Dustan Taylor of the US Army Marksmanship Unit’s Skeet Team!
If you are
interested in supporting or sponsoring the SCTP and/or the SCTP’s International
Team, please contact SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash at twondrash@sssfonline.com
The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) announces its continued support from SKB Shotguns out of Omaha Nebraska. SKB known for its fine side by side, over/under and single barrel competitive shotguns will support the SCTP as a Platinum level Sponsor for 2020. SKB offers a wide variety of quality firearms that fit the competitive shooter and hunter alike!
“We are pleased to support the SCTP and its national youth program!” remarked Rob Johansen, owner and CEO of SKB Shotguns. “The SCTP gives back to its teams and coaches in many ways, we are extremely happy to be part of this quality program and its teams, athletes and coaches.”
“Rob Johansen and SKB have been a strong supporter of SCTP, our coaches and families for years” said Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director. “They offer quality firearms at a good price for our youth shooters and are not only sponsors of our program, they are partners with us! We appreciate all of their continued support and trust in making the SCTP the number one youth shooting organization in the world!”
Look for Rob and the SKB team at the SCTP Regional, state and National Championship events during the 2020 shooting year. SKB shotguns can be tried out at the SCTP National Championships in the grandstands area for no charge! They have a gun for almost every budget and dealers across the country that would love to work with you. Coaches, SKB also has a wonderful team raffle program available to all SCTP Teams!
Burlington, Wisconsin: The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) would
like to acknowledge the support from a local firearm manufacturer, Kolar Arms!
Kolar, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of high-quality shotguns continues
to support the SCTP with a donation of one of their finest shotguns, The Kolar “Low Max” over/under. This
shotgun will be available in either a sporting/skeet model or a trap model. The
donation is estimated at roughly $12,000.
The Kolar shotgun will be used as part of the 2020 SCTP National Raffle and the
winner will be drawn at the SCTP National Championships in July.
“Kolar is absolutely delighted to sponsor the SCTP again in 2020 with
a fully American-made shotgun”, stated Sean Mainland, of Kolar Arms. “SCTP has
demonstrated its ability to use a donation to support not only the source, but
support its teams, families and athletes across the country. That win-win
attitude is exactly what companies like Kolar are looking for!”
“We appreciate the continued support and confidence that Kolar has
placed in the SCTP”, said Tom Wondrash, SCTP National Director. “We are very grateful
for the donation and look forward to a long-lasting relationship. Helping make
Kolar a household name with our youth shooting teams across the country is what
we are going for! The Kolar Shotgun has been a staple on our National
Fundraiser raffle for several years now, and this donation has helped many of
our teams raise much needed funds!”
If you are interested in supporting youth shooting programs with a
donation or sponsorship, please contact the SCTP or Tom Wondrash at twondrash@sssfonline.com
About Kolar
Kolar’s
competition shotguns have made their mark, winning numerous World Skeet, ATA
Grand American, and National, World, and FITASC Sporting Clay titles. Kolar
continually improves its guns to keep pace with the ever-changing needs of
competitive and recreational shooters. For more information, visit www.kolararms.com
As 2019 drew to a close, the SCTP International Team gathered in Tucson, AZ for the year’s last training camp, December 28-30. Since most of the team members will be participating in USA Shooting’s Olympic Trials Part 2 being held at Tucson Trap and Skeet next month, it made sense to get some training on this range. “Honestly, the weather was really awful this week,” remarked Coach Terri DeWitt. “But it was an excellent opportunity for the athletes to get a game plan for sustained winds and cold temperatures in case we have the same thing next month.”
Athletes attending this camp were: Erin Lokke, Emily Rasmussen, Madeline Corbin, Josh Corbin, Jordan Sapp, Kyle Fleck, Preston Bailey, Sarah Schwacher, Joe Witty, Quinn Schuppner, Peter Meola, Tony Meola, Kevin Whitehead, Alexa Paxson, Ella McLerran, Sydney Krieger, and Madeleine Taylor.
Lending their expertise to the training camp were two subject matter experts; two-time Olympian Connie Smotek, who coached Skeet and Physical Therapist Dr. Cathy Arnot who assessed the strength, flexibility, and balance of each athlete as well as led group exercises. Each athlete left the camp with Dr. Arnot’s individual recommendations for home programs intended to address any impairment and to maximize performance. “It was a pleasure to meet and work with such a talented group of young shooting athletes,” she said.
On the benefit of having an individual exercise protocol, skeet athlete Jordan Sapp commented, “With this I can properly stretch to feel more comfortable on the first round of the day.” Skeet athlete Preston Bailey also enjoyed the camp, remarking, “ I loved the coaching and definitely picked up some hot tips that are going to serve me well! I loved being able to work with Dr. Cathy and learn how to properly prepare myself.”
The SCTP
International Team would like to thank the staff at Tucson Trap and Skeet for
their generous hospitality in hosting the camp.
Training camps
for 2020 are still in the planning stages.
“We have some
fantastic opportunities for SCTP International Team athletes coming up this
year that may include some overseas travel!” Added Tom Wondrash, SCTP National
Director. “We are working hard making sure these athletes have every opportunity
to succeed and have as many tools as we can muster up for them! We can’t thank
Coach DeWitt enough for her passion and the diligence she has shown ensuring
the best possible outcome for these athletes, this team is going places!”
