Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation Becomes Official Administrator of the Scholastic Clay Target Program
Shelby Township, Michigan – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) recently became the official administrator of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) officially turned over the program to the new formed foundation on January 1, 2009.
In terms of sheer numbers of participants, the eight-year-old SCTP has been the most successful youth-oriented program in NSSF history. Nearly 30,000 middle and high school students have participated in the program, which includes trap, skeet, sporting clays, Olympic Trap, and ISSF Skeet competitions.
“We are confident that this transfer of responsibility to the SSSF will be in the best interest of the program to serve its youth participants and coaches,” commented NSSF President Steve Sanetti. “The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation has the talent and experience to assure the continued success of this vitally important program. NSSF is proud to now be included as one of many sponsors of SCTP.”
The new foundation will be responsible for all aspects of SCTP, including participant registration, coaches, state coordinators, state and national championships, promotion, communications, Web sites, public relations and growth strategies.
SSSF is headed by Dr. Bill Christy, who has extensive experience in the organized youth shooting sports arena. His involvement in youth shooting sports programs dates back to the mid-sixties while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He was one of the founders of the groundbreaking 4-H Shooting Program. Since then, as a training and development consultant, he developed programs for state and national agencies and organizations including the state wildlife agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, L.L. Bean, and Orvis, among others. He has taught hundreds of firearms instructors, coached a collegiate team for 20 years, and was the NSSF consultant who developed the SCTP.
“SSSF’s objective,” said Christy “is to build on the foundation of NSSF’s success with SCTP. We will focus on providing a safe and enjoyable experience for developing young people into responsible citizens through the discipline and culture of the shooting sports. With the help of our many dedicated volunteers, we hope to create a new dimension of youth involvement in SCTP that will forever live as the NSSF’s legacy.”
As part of that new dimension, the SSSF has been accepted as a national partner with the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University. Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has the mission of “transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth.” The Double-Goal Coach Course adopted by the SSSF is a product of the PCA.
With the beginning of this newly formed organization, the NSSF becomes the first major contributor to the Foundation. In addition, NSSF President Steve Sanetti, has accepted a Board of Director’s position with the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. Additional board members will be announced in the coming months along with news of other major contributors.
Industry members have been quick to respond positively with pledges of support for the SCTP. The 2009 SCTP National Championships will be the beneficiary of this renewed support. The focus for this year is to make the SCTP Nationals more than just a shoot, it will be an EVENT. The National Championships will be held at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex, in Sparta, Illinois on July 23 – 26, 2009.
To learn more about SSSF and SCTP visit the newly launched website at www.sssfonline.org.
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The SSSF is lending a hand to introduce school-age youth to clay target sports. SSSF makes it possible for youth to continue involvement by providing, promoting and perpetuating opportunities to safely and enjoyably participate and compete in a high-quality team-based sport. The activities the SSSF provides are led by trained coaches with the goal to enhance the personal growth and development of their athletes through the SCTP. To learn more about SSSF and SCTP visit the newly launched website at www.sssfonline.org.