When you need to contact the SSSF staff, we want to give you the help you need as efficiently as possible. We know that no one likes being passed from person to person in search of a simple answer.
To help you get to the right person the first time, please follow these guidelines:
Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)
For any program-related issues regarding SCTP, such as:
Shotgun coaches have a new option for becoming certified as SCTP coaches with a new program from the National Sporting Clays Association’s Certified Instructor Program. NSCA now offers a Scholastic Instructor category developed to qualify instructors to work with youth and beginning shooters in a safe and recreational manner. SSSF will be accepting the new course for SCTP coach certification.
The course is the same as that offered for NSCA Level I instructors but has fewer prerequisites, such as registered target requirements.
Scholastic Instructor courses will be offered around the country; the first class is scheduled for January 17-18, 2015, at Old Hudson Plantation in Sparta, Georgia. Other classes will be added regularly. NSCA instructor courses can always be found on the NSCA Instructor Certification Class Schedule.
The Fort Hays (NE) State Shooting Sports Club and Scholastic Clay Target Program are hosting a Collegiate Division Central Region Open Championship, October 17-19.
Preregistration is required, and fees can be paid at check-in. Competitive shooting starts each day at 9:00 a.m.
Entries will be limited to 200 participants. Each participating school must provide at least one five-person squad that shoots all events for a cumulative team score. Each participating school can enter as many squads (and individuals) as they choose.
Team and individual awards will be presented. All SCTP participating schools will have $1,000 in endowment funds deposited to their MidwayUSA Foundation account. Winners will also earn endowment funds.
SCTP is hosting an NRA Level 1 Shotgun Certification Course in Grand Island, Nebraska, on December 6-7.
The classroom portion of the class will be held at the Grand Island Police Department/Hall County Corrections Administrative Building conference room (111 Public Safety Dr., Grand Island, NE). The range portion of the class will be held at the Heartland Public Shooting Park (6788 W Husker Hwy, Grand Island, NE) on December 7.
To register, complete the form and return with your payment. You can also contact Amanda Wondrash by phone at 262-206-4634 to pay by credit card.
The cost of the class will be $190 for non-registered SCTP coaches or $125 for currently registered SCTP coaches. If we get 20 or more class attendees, we will refund $25 each to SCTP current registered coaches.
Rooms are available at the Holiday Inn – Midtown (2503 S. Locust St., Grand Island, NE (308-384-1330) for $108.99/night (King) and $ 101.99/night (Double) plus tax. Please mention the SCTP Coach Class and Book Early and Save Rates for the rate.
Class starts promptly at 8 am each day; on Saturday, please expect to be in class until 5 p.m.
On Sunday, the class will start in the classroom at 8 a.m. and go until about noon. After lunch, you will travel to the range for the remainder of the day. Please dress accordingly for the weather and prepare to be outside all afternoon.
There will be an informational meeting Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Holiday Inn – Midtown in the conference room. During that meeting, the instructor will go over several aspects of the SCTP and answer any questions you may have regarding your team or the SCTP program. It is strongly recommended that you take the couple of hours to learn what the SCTP has to offer you, your team, and your athletes.
For more information, contact Amanda Wondrash, 262-206-4634.
In this country, we take pride in making up days to celebrate anything – donuts, pirates, and even our bosses. USA Shooting knows a good celebration when they see one, and traditionally, that’s been as a result of medal-worthy performances set down by its athletes. But today, 10.9, USA Shooting has claimed the day as its very own.
In target shooting, a 10.9 is the mark of perfection, proof that excellence has been achieved. Excellence is a virtue of the USA Shooting Team, so on 10.9 (October 9), USA Shooting has encouraged its community to aim for excellence in all the shots you take in life.
“We’re recognizing those moments in time when the ordinary became extraordinary and when jaws were dropped,” says USA Shooting. “On this day, and every day thereafter, strive for excellence in all that you do, and may every shot you take in life be in pursuit of the highest mark, your 10.9.”
While not everyone has shot that elusive 10.9, what’s important is encouraging and celebrating people who help us on that path toward excellence. Encourage someone this week, and be sure to say “thanks” to someone who has encouraged you!
Online registration is now open for the SCTP College Regional “Spooktacular” Tournament planned for Halloween weekend at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois.
The 400-target tournament is open to any college team registered with the Scholastic Clay Target Program.
The shoot will open on Friday, October 31 with sporting clays and 5-stand competition, as well as a Last Competitor Standing event and Halloween costume contest. Saturday will feature skeet, wobble trap, and 5-stand events. Trap and an awards ceremony will fill Sunday morning, November 2, before teams’ departure in early afternoon.
More than $80,000 in endowment funding will be available for contribution to participating and winning teams’ MidwayUSA Foundation endowment accounts.
A new infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) tells the story, at a glance, of the growing number of new target shooting enthusiasts and how they’re surprisingly different from established shooters. The report clearly affirms the premise of the SSSF that our programs present equal opportunity to shooters, regardless of age or gender.
Newcomers — defined as those who have taken up target shooting in the last five years — are trending younger and female; also, they are city and suburban dwellers. In these ways, they are quite different from established participants and, as a result, are changing the face of target shooters in America. This influx of newcomers also underscores that the traditional pastimes of handgun, rifle, and shotgun target shooting continue to have a broad appeal to new generations of Americans.
Driven by newcomers, target shooting participation has leaped by 19 percent, from 34.4 million in 2009 to 40.8 million in 2012. That’s a 6.4 million increase; by comparison, golf and some other traditional activities have seen their participant base decline by millions.
Although they may be different in age and gender, newcomers share one important thing with established participants — their passion for firearms ownership and the shooting sports.
2014 Junior World Team Champions: Sydney Carson, Hannah Houston, and Dania Vizzi Three SCTP shooters comprising the Junior World USA Shooting Team have won a team gold medal and set an International Skeet world record last week at the 2014 World Shooting Championships in Granada, Spain.
Dania Vizzi of Odessa, Florida, Sydney Carson of North Liberty, Indiana and Hannah Houston of Columbia, Tennessee, earned a Junior World Team title in record-breaking fashion with a world’s-best score of 204, 11 targets ahead of second-place Czech Republic.
In addition, Dania Vizzi won individual honors as the Junior World Champion in Women’s Skeet. Sydney finished 5th overall individually, and Hannah finished 8th.
World Champion Dania VizziThrough 75 shots of qualifying, Dania led her nearest competitor by three targets, an almost unheard-of advantage in skeet. While she wasn’t as dominant during the semifinals and finals, she didn’t have to be because neither were her opponents. She connected on 13/16 targets in the semifinal to advance to the final where she’d again connect on 13 targets to her opponent’s 12.
“I’m very satisfied,” Vizzi said. “It was a hard day and I’m happiest that I stayed consistent and focused all day. My main goal was to compete better than I did last year, and the result was amazing.” Dania, who started competitive shooting as a member of the Tampa Bay Clays SCTP team, now shoots for the University of Florida, also an SCTP team.
Congratulations to Dania, Sydney, and Hannah! We’re proud of you!
Shotgunners wanting to improve their skeet shooting skills and gain an introduction to the Olympic low gun mount should reserve a spot in the 2014 Fall 2-day Intermediate Skeet Instructional Camp, October 25-26. The Colorado Bears Junior Shotgun Team will be hosting the camp at the Olympic Shooting Park in Colorado Springs.
Mike Gutirrez and Lloyd Woodhouse will be the instructors.
Make your reservations soon, as participation is limited to 15 participants.
The camp is designed for intermediate through advanced participants wishing to improve their shotgun skills with an emphasis on skeet, with an introduction to the Olympic low gun mount. Participants should be physically capable of handling their shotguns safely and shooting 100 to 200 targets a day without fatigue or discomfort.
