Tag: youth shooting

A recent Washington Times news piece highlighting the growth of the shooting sports among high school-aged youth boasts the accomplishments of Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) team member Lindsay Martin and acknowledges the SCTP for its valuable role in recruitment of millennials into the shooting sports. The article refers to the thousands of teens who participate in competitive shooting, saying it’s one of the fastest-growing sports for high schools in recent years.

The Washington Times interviewed Tom Wondrash, SCTP director, about the influx of youth participation in shooting sports in schools and the community. Wondrash told the publication he believes the growth is due to its inclusivity and opportunity for participation.

He’s quoted as saying, “What separates shooting sports from stick-and-ball sports is that when it’s time for our kids to go to a tournament, all the kids can compete — heavy, thin, tall, short, fast, slow, boy or girl — it doesn’t make them any different,” Mr. Wondrash said. “That’s what really lends itself to our sport.”

An Olympic hopeful, 17-year-old Martin is a member of the Dusters trapshooting team, which was established by the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF). The senior at Glen Allen High School in Virginia is considered a rising star in her community. The only girl on the team, she’s becoming known as the “shotgun shooter.”

Martin says she is a fan of women learning to shoot, and she even teaches women how to fire a shotgun at her local gun range in Charles City County.

Martin is one of many youth featured in the media in recent years who are being recognized not only for their superb shooting skills, but for their positive character traits and citizenship values, which are promoted and encouraged through the SCTP and other SSSF programs.