Scholastic Clay Target Program
National Shooting Sports Foundation
Flintlock Ridge Office Center
11 Mile Hill Road • Newtown CT 06470-2359
(203) 426-1320, fax (203) 426-1245

Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)

About SCTP

The exciting and fast-paced shotgun sports are steeped in tradition and history. The first mention of trapshooting as a sport is found in a circa 1793 English publication titled “Sporting Magazine,” but the sport predates this and is probably as old as shooting itself. As shooting developed, so did the interest in sport shooting, with targets mimicking the action of a freshly flushed pheasant or a darting, diving dove. This search for an exciting pastime led to the development of three popular sports, trap, skeet, and sporting clays.

In America, the oldest organized shotgun sport is trap, which is governed by the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA). Trap offers competitors the thrill of a five-position, multi-yardage event. Trapshooters celebrate their national championships at the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships each August, a 10-day event that attracts some 6,000 men, women and youth each year. “The Grand” is the largest and most renowned shooting tournament in the nation.

Skeet was developed in the 1920's in Andover, Massachusetts, by a small group of upland game hunters as a means of practicing their wing shooting. This eight-station, two-launching house event offers shooters the chance to shoot up to four different gauge shotguns. The National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) oversees the sport and activities at more than 1,000 affiliated shooting facilities.

Introduced in the United States in the early 1980’s, Sporting Clays is commonly referred to as "golf with a shotgun.” Targets simulate the flight of different game species such as teal, dove, quail, pheasant and bouncing rabbit, and competitors walk from shooting station to shooting station. The governing body of Sporting Clays is the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA), which has almost 15,000 members nationwide.

All three are challenging, exciting sports for all ages and can be shot on an equal basis by participants of any stature, as well as the physically challenged.

To build upon this great shooting sports tradition, the Board of Directors of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has established the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). Joining NSSF in this nationwide effort is the ATA, NSSA and the NSCA and their affiliated state associations, as well as state wildlife and natural resources agencies from across the country.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program offers middle school, junior high and high school-age youth an opportunity to enjoy the excitement of breaking clay targets with a shotgun in a safe and positive environment. The program has three primary goals:

• Firearm Safety-The safe handling and use of firearms is a major program focus. Basic knowledge of safety and proper handling and storage is stressed.
• Character Development- Team sports have long been known to mold youth into solid citizens. This program stresses the importance of commitment, responsibility, leadership, teamwork, self-confidence and self-discipline to both individual and team success.
• Lifetime Sport- The Scholastic Clay Target Program offers a level playing field for all ages and both genders. There are rewards for those who seek competition as well as for those who prefer the recreation and social aspects.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program provides middle, junior high and high school-age youth with the opportunity to participate in a supervised shooting sports program that emphasizes safety and skill development in clay target shooting. The program focuses on teaching sound shooting fundamentals and instilling a safe and responsible attitude towards firearms.

• All SCTP participants must be members of a team. A team consists of five or more members and a minimum of one adult coach. The team approach promotes a positive way for youth to work together to reach a common goal.
• Participants may enter and compete from clubs, schools, churches, youth organizations, or may form a team of at least five interested local individuals.
• All middle, junior high and senior high school students in grades 6-12 that have not reached the age of 20 are eligible.
• Team goals are placed above individual achievements.
• Teams enter one of two SCTP divisions: The Junior Division for 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grades, or the Senior Division for 9^th through 12^th grades in trap, skeet or sporting clays.
• All team members must be registered with the Scholastic Clay Target Program. Once a youth is registered with a team, the participant must shoot for that team only during the current SCTP target year.
• Teams will be classified in one of two categories within each division, Novice or Experienced. An individual, who has never shot registered targets in the discipline for which he or she is entered, will be classified as a Novice. Participants, who have previously shot registered targets in the discipline for which he or she is entered, will be classified as Experienced. Squads of five shooters entered in SCTP competitions having not more than one member classified as Experienced may shoot in the Novice Team Category. Squads with two or more members classified in the Experienced Category must shoot in the Experienced Team Category. The purpose for these categories is to allow teams with similar skill and experience levels to compete with one another on a more equal footing.
• There can be no “blending” of team members or choosing “all-star” teams at the state or national championships.
• Organizations may sponsor as many teams as they wish.

• Coaches from sponsoring clubs organize and promote the team concept by stressing safety and good sportsmanship.
• The NSSF conducts periodic coaching clinics across the country to enhance the skills and abilities of SCTP coaches.

• All SCTP State Championship and National SCTP Championship events are 200-target matches. In Trap, the event is a 16-yard singles competition governed by ATA rules. In Skeet, the event is a 200-target competition governed by NSSA rules. However, in Sporting Clays there may be an exception due to the amount of time required to complete the course of fire. The State Championship can range from 100 - 200-target events on a walk-through sporting clays course, a 5 stand course or a combination of the two. The National Championship will be a 200-target match, split between a walk-through and 5 stand course.
• State-level competition will be conducted by the state’s Trap, Skeet or Sporting Clays association which will run the State SCTP Championship during its annual state shoot or with approval by SCTP officials at a shoot specifically designated for the SCTP State Championship in each discipline.
• Team members at their State SCTP Championship do not have to shoot on the same squad. However, it is recommended that teams stay together to enhance to teamwork concept they have developed during the shooting season.  Team members must shoot together as a five-person squad at the SCTP Championships.
• Additionally, local and regional SCTP competitions will be encouraged in order to provide all participants with the opportunity to hone their shotgun shooting skill in a competitive environment.
• Junior and Senior division teams that win their state SCTP competition in Trap will be invited to attend the Grand American National World Trapshooting Championship to represent their state in that SCTP National Championship. State Skeet and Sporting Clays teams that win their state SCTP events in those disciplines will be invited to the Scholastic Clay Target Skeet & Sporting Clays National Championship. Winning state teams, in the Experienced Category, will be awarded travel scholarships by the NSSF to help offset the cost of attending the National Championships.

• The National Shooting Sports Foundation and its supporters make available a limited number of Program Support Packages to clubs sponsoring SCTP teams. Each package may include hearing and eye protection, shell pouches, ammunition and clay targets. These Program Support Packages are provided to clubs expressly for the purpose of introducing new shooters to the shotgun sports.
• For current Support Package information go to the SCTP Web site at http://www.nssf.org/SCTP/SCTP_support.htm.
• All registered SCTP competitors will also receive a specially designed “Field of Dreams” T-shirt and SCTP cap.
• Clubs sponsoring SCTP teams will have the opportunity to participate the nationally recognized STEP OUTSIDE^® program, one of the shooting sports industry’s premier recruitment programs. For more information about STEP OUTSIDE^® go to http://www.stepoutside.org/.
• Click here for more information about the 2002 SCTP Support Package

Use the links below to access additional information about the Scholastic Clay Target Program and download Team Registration and Parental Consent Forms for the program.

You may also write, phone, fax or e-mail for an information packet that includes everything necessary to register a team. Contact:

Scholastic Clay Target Program
National Shooting Sports Foundation
11 Mile Hill Road
Newtown, CT 06470-2359
Phone: 203-426-1320
Fax: 203-426-1245
E-mail: smoore@nssf.org

Welcome to a new shooting sports opportunity that provides the beginning to a lifetime of enjoyment in the clay target sports.

For additional information you may also contact:
Bill Christy at wrchristy@mindspring.com • Jim Smith at nssfssdo@cimarron.springercoop.com
Scott Moore at smoore@nssf.org