A new version of SSSF’s online SHOT registration and scoring system is now online, and if you haven’t yet activated your team in the system, you should do so soon.
Start by clicking on the Coaches Login link to reach the registration page. Then look for this:
That’s where you start the registration process. You will only have to do this once. Once you’ve registered, you can simply login with the credentials you set up.
Coaches who have previously had multiple logins for multiple teams will now have just one login, to simplify team management.
On the registration page, you’ll find a list of tutorials on using the SHOT system. If you run into problems, we’re ready to help. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to SHOT support.
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation is implementing some changes in how the organization conducts background checks on participating volunteers. Individuals registering with the SSSF as a volunteer (i.e., head coach, assistant coach, or other adult volunteer) must now conduct a secure background check that includes local county checks for a seven-year address history.
In the past, SSSF has conducted checks only with the National Criminal Database (NCD). However, due to the variability of information across states, the NCD may or may not reveal all pertinent criminal history concerning eligibility of a volunteer. Thus, the new county-level background check will be used in addition to the national check.
With the changes in screening comes a price increase. Starting December 12, 2014 volunteers will be required to pay a portion of the cost directly to our background check provider, Intellicorp, when they submit to a check. Volunteer fees paid to SSSF will remain at $30. SSSF volunteer registration is not considered complete until background checks are completed.
The SSSF wants to ensure it upholds the highest standards in youth protection on behalf of its programs and young athletes. The SSSF also must ensure that all of its volunteers are screened with the same level of background check, regardless of their state of residence or past residence history.
This week, Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation made a donation of $246,500 to the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. The funds were deposited into the endowment accounts of 75 member teams of the Scholastic Clay Target Program and Scholastic Pistol Program representing 26 states.
The money was earned by the teams through participation in recent SCTP and SPP regional shoots. Of the total contribution, $216,500 was deposited into SCTP teams’ accounts and $30,000 went to SPP teams’ accounts.
This week’s donation brought SSSF’s total MidwayUSA Foundation contributions for 2014 to $1,751,645. SSSF has funded accounts for 273 teams in 40 states this year.
The purpose of the MidwayUSA Foundation endowment program is to provide sustained financial support for youth shooting teams. Teams with an endowment account are able to draw a grant each year to use for team expenses. SSSF regularly makes endowment funds available for SCTP and SPP events and contributes them to participating teams’ endowment accounts at the MidwayUSA Foundation. Since 2011, SSSF has donated funding to several hundred team endowment accounts across 48 states.
SCTP held its first Halloween-weekend College Regional Tournament at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, and in spite of a windy and cold first day that challenged shooters, it was no less than a Spooktacular success! A total of 212 athletes representing 14 teams from nine states competed in skeet, trap, wobble trap, sporting clays, and 5-stand, registering 65,800 targets.
Seventy-five athletes competed in the Last Competitor Standing competition on Saturday evening, with two shooters earning SKB IS300 shotguns. Ladies winner was Anna Pfaff of Hillsdale College, and Men’s winner was Bryce James of Lindenwood University.
Lindenwood University brought the largest contingent of athletes with 81, followed by Bethel University with 32. Other competing colleges included Purdue University, Martin Methodist College, Midland University, Southeastern Illinois College, Hillsdale College, University of Kentucky, Fort Hays State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Hampden-Sydney College, University of Illinois, University of Missouri, and University of Missouri – Columbia.
You’ve just finished an afternoon at the range, and you and your squad mates decide to stop off at your favorite hangout for a burger. Wearing your team shirts and caps, you leave your car in the parking lot, guns locked safely in their cases in the trunk. On the back window is a logo for your favorite gun brand, and empty ammo boxes are scattered in the backseat.
When you emerge an hour later to go home, you find that your car’s trunk has been popped opened, and your guns are gone! How could this happen?
Sportsman’s Insurance Agency, Inc. tells us that the vast majority of gun thefts are from vehicles. Shooters leave their vehicles in parking lots with guns and other equipment stored inside, and even with the firearms out of sight, it often isn’t hard for the bad guys to know which vehicles in the parking lot to hit.
Put yourself in the thief’s shoes: one or more persons are walking across the parking lot looking like they just left the shooting range, possibly wearing a shooting shirt, gun company cap, maybe even a vest or shooting glasses. When he takes a look at the vehicle you just left, he sees the bumper sticker, ammo boxes or shooting vest in the seat, and he knows there’s a good chance he’ll find a gun in the trunk.
Consider these pointers after a trip to the range or while traveling to a shoot:
When you get out of the car, do you look like you just left the range? What are you wearing? Does anything about your clothing or accessories say you have been shooting? If so, take it off or cover it up. If necessary, take along another shirt to change into before leaving your vehicle in a parking lot.
Does your vehicle look like a shooter’s vehicle? Are there bumper stickers or decals from gun companies or other equipment brands? If so, remove them.
Is anything visible through your vehicle windows that suggests you’ve been shooting? If so, put it in the trunk, and don’t give a thief any reason to break in.
Whenever possible, don’t leave firearms unattended in your vehicle, even in the trunk. If gun storage is offered at an event you are attending, use it. If you’re near home, take the gun home to your gun safe before going elsewhere.
Be especially mindful when you travel to a major shoot, like the National Championships in Sparta, when any bad guys in the area might be aware that lots of shooters will be around town, patronizing restaurants and other businesses. Unfortunately, every area has a bad element that is tempted by shooters who don’t have a gun safe accessible and may leave firearms in their vehicle.
Make sure your guns and expensive equipment are insured. If all else fails and you are the victim of a theft, at least you will be able to replace the lost items if you are properly insured.
Volunteer coaches are the backbone of the programs of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, as we couldn’t have teams or events without them. They largely determine what kind of experience our student athletes will have in the shooting sports, and their work with teams often goes far beyond shooting instruction and conducting shoots. One way that SSSF promotes a positive coaching environment for our teams is by providing PCA Double-Goal Coach training for all our coaches.
We know there are many coaches out there who deserve to be recognized for their extraordinary work in developing better athletes and better people. We would like to share a way for athletes and parents to reward these exceptional coaches — the PCA National Double-Goal Coach Award.
Each year PCA selects and publicizes 75 finalists. The 25 winners of this prestigious national award receive $250, a trophy, recognition in PCA’s website, newsletters, and media campaigns, and the chance to accept the honor in California during PCA’s National Youth Sports Awards Dinner and Auction Presented by Deloitte. The award also recognizes the organizations and schools of the award-winning coaches.
You can show your appreciation for a coach who deserves a big “thank you!” Nominate your coach for PCA’s National Double-Goal Coach Award. Click here to learn more and nominate a coach.
The SHOT registration and scoring system will be shut down from Thursday, November 6 at 9:00 a.m. CST until Monday, November 10 at 9:00 a.m. CST.
The current SHOT V.4 system will be shut down as we begin the conversion to the SHOT V.5 upgrade. Taking the system offline temporarily will ensure that we do not lose any information or records that you may have input during the conversion process.
When you attempt to log into the system for the first time on or after Monday, November 10, existing teams will be asked to “Activate” your team. Through this activation process, we will ask you for your existing SHOT V.4 username, so please take note of your username. You will have the chance to reset your password and establish some other settings to re-initiate your team.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but these steps are necessary to ensure as seamless a transition as possible to the new SHOT V.5. Video tutorials and other resources will be available after activation on the login page.
When the system is reactivated, we ask for your patience as we make this transition to the new version. Please remember that the system is young, and you will possibly encounter errors. Please report any errors you encounter as soon as possible so we can make sure they are fixed.
Amazon isn’t just a seller of books and music any more; it’s the world’s largest online retailer and a source to purchase an endless array of items. Now, when you’re making a purchase from Amazon, you can support the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation as well. Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price on eligible purchases to SSSF when you designate us as your charitable organization of choice and access the site through a special URL, smile.amazon.com.
The donation costs you nothing; Amazon makes the contribution through its AmazonSmile program.
If you are an Amazon Prime member, don’t worry; logging in through smile.amazon.com will not affect your benefits or your access to Prime links. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you are accustomed to.
The first time you use AmazonSmile, you’ll have the opportunity to choose the charity you wish to support. If SSSF doesn’t appear in the list of choices offered, just type in “SSSF” and the name comes up for you to click on.
To help you remember to use the AmazonSmile link, Amazon offers an optional toolbar button, as well as a Chrome extension called Smile Always that automatically routes you to the right place. Or, just enter it when you wish.
Even if you are making a small purchase, remember that many small purchases from our supporters add up! Every amount supports the SSSF mission and is appreciated.
Fort Hays State University and Scholastic Clay Target Program hosted the 3rd SCTP Central Region Collegiate Championship event at the Heartland Shooting Park in Grand Island, Nebraska on October 17-19. The 500-target event included 100 targets each in trap singles, wobble, skeet, skeet doubles, and sporting clays. A total of 95 student athletes from 11 colleges participated in the event.
The top five placing colleges were:
HOA Champion
Fort Hays State University
Runner-up
Lindenwood University
3rd place
Midland University
4th place
Trinidad Junior College
5th place
Hastings College
Other participating colleges included the University of Central Missouri, Colorado State University, Concordia University, Kansas State University, Pratt Community College, and Wichita State University.
SCTP provided $26,000 in endowment funds for the event and will deposit the funds into the schools’ endowment accounts at MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc.
SCTP joined with Jacksonville University (FL) and the Jacksonville Skeet & Trap Club on October 18-19 to host the 7th annual Southeast Collegiate Invitational Regional Championship Shoot. With 131 athletes from nine universities participating, this has become one of the largest collegiate regional shoots in the country. The teams competed in American Skeet, American Trap, International Wobble Trap, and Sporting Clays.
Emmanuel College was the High Over All (HOA) team by four targets over runner-up Jacksonville University. The University of Kentucky, Clemson University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University took third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.
Other colleges participating included Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Florida State University, University of North Florida, and Stetson University.
$40,000 in endowment funding was provided by SCTP for the event and will be deposited into the teams’ endowment accounts at MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc.
HOA Trap, Skeet, International Wobble Team Results:
