The scholastic clay target program: the future of shotgun sports

Guns Magazine, Sept, 2006 by Holt Bodinson

The shotguns sports are alive and healthy. Trap, skeet and sporting clays participation continues to grow annually. The trend will continue only if we aggressively build up our base. I'm more encouraged than ever today thanks to the groundwork being laid by the Scholastic Clay Target Program for our youths.

To succeed, the program needs adult volunteers at the local and state levels to serve as team coaches and sponsors. The future of the shotgun sports is literally in your hands as an older shooter and in the hands of our local clubs.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) was initiated several years ago by the National Shooting Sports Foundation in cooperation with the Amateur Trapshooting Association, the National Skeet Shooting Association and the National Sporting Clays Association. The objective was to get elementary through high school age students shooting by enabling them to compete as local teams for state and national titles in trap, skeet and sporting clays.

Three Goals

The SCTP set forth three goals for the development of our youth: Safe and responsible handling and use of firearms, character and citizenship development through teamwork, and an introduction to a lifetime sport families can enjoy together. The program is succeeding beyond anyone's dreams.

The SCTP now covers 35 states and has 7,000 young shooters enrolled. The year 2005 witnessed a 50-percent increase in general participation, and an 84-percent increase in participation by young women. At the 2005 Grand American trapshoot, 25-percent of the shooters were composed of SCTP teams and had competed in state championships.

The program's structure is small and local. It takes a local club with shooting facilities and a few sparkplugs to get going. A team can be composed of members and sponsored by a neighborhood, church, youth group, 4-H Club, Girl or Boy Scout Troop, FFA Chapter, Junior ROTC program, American Legion or VFW Post or Police Athletic League. You name it and it will work.

Three Divisions

The Rookie Division is for 5th graders and below. The Junior Division for grades 6 to 8, and the Senior Division for high schoolers. The Junior and Senior Divisions are further broken down into novice and experienced categories depending upon how many registered targets and championships the participants have shot.

The basic building block is the squad. The minimum size for trap is five members and for skeet and sporting clays, three. To compete at the state and national levels, the team has to have at least one squad, but there is no upper limit to the number of squads a team can field. Each registered team member receives a free SCTP T-shirt and cap to look spiffy out there on the range plus NSSF offers a variety of logo-embossed gear.

The NSSF realizes it often takes some outside support to get the program off the ground locally, so it can provide Program Support Packages on a first come, first served basis consisting of ammunition, targets, shell pouches and eye and ear protection. It also offers support through the Step Outside program to encourage community fundraising events and introductory shotgun clinics for all ages.

Welcome Support

Much program's support comes from White Flyer Targets and Federal, Fiocchi, Remington and Winchester ammunition companies.

Another source of local team assistance is the US Sportsmen's Alliance. Annually, the Alliance conducts a national sportsmen's sweepstakes program. Local teams are provided free sweepstakes tickets to sell. In return, the teams can retain 50-percent of the proceeds raised to underwrite team expenses.

Local teams compete within their home state in 16-yard singles trap, American skeet and walk-through sporting clays. At the State Championship level, events are contested in 200-target races, except for the Rookie events, which are based on 100-target races. There are five Championships in each discipline: Rookie, Junior Novice, Junior Experienced, Senior Novice and Senior Experienced.

The NSSF supplies the awards at the State Championship levels for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place squads in each discipline. At the National Championship level, the awards even include $100 to $1,000 I-Bond scholarships for successful competitors.

Is there Olympic quality material here? USA Shooting, the National Governing Body for Olympic Clay Target Sports, thinks so.

Every September, USA Shooting and the NSSF conduct a Junior Olympic Development Camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. SCTP participants can apply for this special program as well as team coaches. The camp is staffed by USA's Olympic coaches, who instruct aspiring members of the US Olympic Shotgun Team in Olympic trap, doubles trap and skeet. Club coaches are also given the opportunity to hone their skills under the tutelage of the Olympic level training staff.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program is making a difference. If you love the shotgun sports or just shooting in general, get involved. Working with young shooters is both rewarding and a lot of fun.