Columbus, OH -(AmmoLand.com)- The Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP), a Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) member state, continues to set new records for participation each year.
For the 2016 season, SCTP athletes in the Hawkeye state fired upon 1,852,750 clay targets in the course of competition. This total represents a 700,400 target increase over the 2015 season.
Much like other traditional sports, Iowa’s clay target league consists of face-to-face competition led by local volunteers with events happening the first of September through the end of May. In all there were 518 league matches conducted at 65 different shooting facilities supporting the 100+ SCTP teams across the state. League play in Iowa is facilitated by the SSSF’s Shooting Organization Technology (SHOT) system, which provides coaches with the registration, league and shoot management tools needed to navigate the season smoothly and efficiently.
The Iowa DNR serves as state advisor for both SCTP and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) and has invested in these programs since 2006. The Department provides ongoing program administration, shooting coach education and staffing for the state championships and other major events. When the department took up the program in 2006 there were about 400 student athletes involved. Today there are almost 3,400.
“We are excited to see the continued growth of the shooting sports in Iowa,” said Chuck Gipp, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “The shooting sports play an important role in connecting Iowa’s youth with the outdoors. This program is successful because of the local volunteers who spend countless hours recruiting and coaching our youth in these sports, and without them the popularity and growth of this program would not be possible.”
As state advisor, the Iowa DNR is supported by the Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program, Inc. and by the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation’s SCTP staff members.
“With close to 2 million targets thrown at over 60 clubs, Iowa remains one of the leaders in SCTP activity across the country,” said Carlton Nether, SCTP western region director of development. “With the continued support of the IDNR, SCTP looks to continue its growth in the state, across the western region and the entire US.”
The league season in Iowa culminated at the SCTP state championship events during the month of June. The championships attracted over 2,200 athletes over four separate weekend events totaling over 3,200 entries to conclude the in-state season. Many Iowa teams continued on to compete successfully at the SCTP national championships in Marengo, Ohio, July 9-16.
Complete results for the Iowa state championships and other SCTP shoots around the country can be found at www.sssfonline.org then navigating to the results section of the website.
For more information about SCTP and SSSF, visit www.sssfonline.org. You can also follow SCTP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShootSCTP or www.instagram.com/scholasticshootingsports @ScholasticShootingSports on Instagram.
About the SSSF:
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) across the United States. SCTP and SASP are youth development programs in which adult coaches and other volunteers use shooting sports to teach and to demonstrate sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, teamwork, and other positive life skills. SCTP was developed as a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) until the SSSF was created in 2007 to operate the SCTP. In 2012, SSSF created the SASP and became the managing foundation of both programs.
For more information about SSSF, visit www.sssfonline.org.