Have you had a chance to shoot the new Scholastic Action Shooting Program stages yet? If not, you need to watch this video!
It appears Jake Overstreet (@jakeoverstreet.shooting) from the Washington-based Team Gotta (@teamgotta) is dialed in on the old and new stages! Check out these great runs and be sure to follow @ScholasticShootingSports on Instagram for more posts like this!
Marengo, OH – Although it was cold and the rain changed to snow for the 2017 Ohio Halloween Regional, the event held October 27-29 was a huge success. Ninety four athletes battled the elements and competed with 29 athletes being young ladies. With 94 athletes, participation was a 370% increase from the 2016 match.
This year also saw 5 college teams come to compete including brand new teams from Concordia University Wisconsin and Hillsdale College…both going home with medals – Concordia with 3 second place finishes and Hillsdale with 1 second place finish. University of Wisconsin, Platteville took the college division winning 4 first place medals, with Michigan State University close behind with 3 first place medals.
In the high school divisions, past National Champions Lake Country Action Shooters and Ozaukee Scholastic Shooting Sports both of Wisconsin each also took home 4 first place medals. The local Ohio teams also had a very strong showing with Ohio Steel Stingers bringing 19 athletes and leaving with the most medals of any team accumulating 6 first and 2 second place finishes. The Buckeye Bullet Busters left with a first, 2 seconds and a third place finish for a strong in-state showing.
The match was attended by 17 teams representing 6 states Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Total number of entries went up 473%, making the Ohio Halloween Regional the largest regional of the year.
On October 7th, 2017 the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) held a national fundraising banquet in Arnold Missouri at VFW Post 2593. We had great food and a good time was had by all,
while raising funds to support the SASP National program. A special thanks to Shelly Cendroski head coach of the Arnold Jr. Shooters, and all the athletes, coaches and parents who helped with the event. We had firearms and other great items that were won and auctioned, thanks to our generous SASP national sponsors, including our Founding Partners GLOCK, Action Target, Smith & Wesson, and the NRA. If you are interested in when there is a banquet being held in your area or how to start a SASP youth shooting team, please contact SASP Interim National Director Rick Leach at rleach@sssfonline.com
The optic rifle division is a great place for new Scholastic Action Shooting Program Teams teams to get started. With a simple optic, the rifle is very intuitive to shoot and simple for athletes to 
share. Watch our YouTube video where Tom Yost explains choices in optics for this popular division.
This chapter comes from a two-hour educational video geared toward coaches, parents and athletes interested in getting started in the SASP.
The video covers all aspects of the program including safety, equipment selection, action shooting fundamentals, coaching new athletes, the SASP competition format, season planning, and much more!
Name: Allison Gentry
State: Ohio
Program: SASP
Team: Ohio Steel Stingers
How the SASP has helped me as a young person: The Scholastic Action Shooting Program has helped me develop as a young person by finding solutions to problems and fixing them fast, if my firearm is broken I borrow someone else’s firearm or if it gets jammed I clear the jam and keep going no matter how long it takes me to clear it. It has helped my social skills as a person and to be more outgoing. Teamwork, if you are done reloading your magazines and you see someone on your team you go and help them load and if they need anything you help them. You let your teammates borrow your firearm, you cheer for them while they shoot and you tell them good job after they come off the line. You have determination and strive, your performance is counted on the clock it is you against time it is not a sport like showing horses where it is the judges opinion you go against yourself and the time. You have confidence in yourself and the will to strive to your greatest and do a sport where you can bond with everyone around you and have fun doing what you love, that is how Scholastic Action Shooting Program has helped develop me as a young person.
About the NRA/SSSF All Scholastic Team
The All-Scholastic Team recognizes the top student athletes in the SSSF’s Scholastic Clay Target and Scholastic Action Shooting Program for their achievements in the classroom, on the range and in their communities. Through an application process, 2017 All-Scholastic Team Members have proven academic excellence by posting 3.0 or better grade point averages, shooting excellent scores in recent competition (95% in trap or skeet, 85% in sporting clays, 88% in international trap/skeet or 75 seconds or less for SASP) and by demonstrating outstanding community involvement.
See profiles for the 2017 SSSF/NRA All Scholastic Team Members
Getting started in the Scholastic Action Shooting Program is easy and requires only basic equipment. In this YouTube video, Tom Yost 
explains the firearms needed for one of SASPs most popular competitive divisions – iron sight rifle.
This chapter comes from a two-hour educational video geared toward coaches, parents and athletes interested in getting started in the SASP.
The video covers all aspects of the program including safety, equipment selection, action shooting fundamentals, coaching new athletes, the SASP competition format, season planning, and much more!
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) hosted its third annual Advisor Academy September 23-24, 2017, in Milwaukee, WI. Fifty-one key leaders from 19 states attended the two-day meeting focused on developing state and local level leadership, sharing best practices, and providing “grass roots” input to the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP).
“It was inspiring to see how dedicated SSSF is to youth shooting and I’m proud to be involved in this year’s academy, said Steve McClure, Shooting Sports Coordinator with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “I left with some great take aways about our SCTP program and look forward to what comes next.”
“State advisors are the key leaders with our volunteer coaches all across the country,” said Ben Berka, president and executive director of the SSSF. “Advisor Academy is a perennial opportunity for our state and national leaders to gather in order to evaluate our progress and continue setting our course to put more youth into organized and safe shooting sports programs across the country.”
In addition to SSSF, SCTP and SASP national staff and state leaders, this year’s Advisor Academy featured guest presentations from Friends of the NRA, MidwayUSA Foundation, the National Rifle Association (NRA), Positive Coaching Alliance and Sportsman’s Insurance Agency during the general session.
The Lake Country Action Shooters of Wisconsin website states that it “introduces teenagers 12-20 years old to shooting, and turns them into safe and experienced shooters in a season.” That just may be the biggest understatement in the history of understatements considering they just captured their 4th consecutive National Title at the 2017 SCTP and SASP National Championships held at the Cardinal Shooting Center, July 8th- 15th, in Marengo, Ohio.
The 2017 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) National Championships brought together competitive shooters, ages 8 to 23, from 32 states to compete for national titles in the shotgun disciplines of American Trap, Handicap Trap, Bunker Trap, Trap Doubles, Skeet, Skeet Doubles and Sporting Clays. Pistol and rifle competitors competed for steel shooting titles in Rimfire Pistol, Centerfire Pistol, Iron Sight Rifle and Optics Rifle divisions.
“Go545.com is our website and our motto,” said David Richman, coach of the Lake Country Action Shooters and father to two of the team’s top shooters, Dylan and Teagan. “We encourage our shooters to focus on control and accuracy in order to improve their overall speed. We want them to hit 5 targets with 5 bullets…as in Go 5 for 5!”
“Our team has been very fortunate and successful over the past five years, said Richman. “Part of the foundation of each of those championship teams were Dylan and Teagan Richman along with the contributions of other excellent athletes. These athletes have graduated and are no longer with us but they were part of our success. Currently there are 3 athletes part of our team since its inception (2012-13 season) they are: Dylan Richman, Teagan Richman and Alex Matson. Two athletes, Dylan and Teagan have been part of every varsity championship win. Alex was part of the varsity team for this year’s win. We currently have new athletes that are working on building their own future on the LCAS team.”
The Lake Country Action Shooters had two squads compete in four disciplines at the 2017 SASP National Championships.
Varsity Squad: Dylan Richman, Teagan Richman, Alex Matson, James Van Gilder
Junior Varsity Squad: Tarek Powell, Jonathan Steffel, Dylan Lenz, Jack Gerstmeier
The LCAS Team results were as follows:
Centerfire Pistol
LCAS V CP 177.83 1st
LCAS JV CP 297.21 1st
1911
LCAS V 1911 188.05 1st
LCAS JV 1911 426.46 2nd
Optics Rifle
LCAS V OR 151.6 1st
LCAS JV OR 209.75 1st
Iron Rifle
LCAS V IR 164.37 1st
LCAS JV IR 223.07 1st
Individual CP Awards/ placements:
CP Men
Dylan Richman – 2017 Senior Division Pistol High Male Centerfire
1st Dylan Richman
5th James Van Gilder
6th Alex Matson
36th Dylan Lenz
38 th Jack Gerstmeier
41st Jonathan Steffel
55th Tarek Powell
CP Women
1st Teagan Richman – 2017 Senior Division Pistol High Female Centerfire
When combined with all shooters Teagan placed 3rd overall.
Individual Rifle Awards/ placements:
IR Ladies
1st Teagan Richman 39.26
OR Ladies
1st Teagan Richman 39.46
Teagan Richman – 2017 Rifle High Female Overall”
According to Richman, the team got together for weekly practices during the two months leading up to the SASP National Championships. “Sometimes we shoot live rounds and sometimes we get together for dry-fire practice in one of the kids basements or garages. The parents and families are as big a part of this team as the athletes themselves,” said Richman.
“It wasn’t easy to find a place to get together to shoot live rounds for the first year or two,” stated Richman. “But two shooting clubs in our area took us in and gave us a place to practice. I’d like to thank the Oconomowoc Sportsman’s Club and Stonebank Sportsmen’s Club for giving us that opportunity.”
“We’re also extremely appreciative and thankful for the major support from the ACME Bullet Company and Jagemann Sporting Group for their sponsorship and dedication towards our team year after year.”
I asked Richman how he felt about his team winning its 4th consecutive National Title and what he had this to say, “I have been coaching for over 30 years in different sports. I am extremely proud of my athletes that I have been able to coach over these past five short years. Each athlete has made an impact and contributed in the direction and success of the Lake Country Action Shooting program. The hard work, dedication, and camaraderie that these athletes exhibited this year were outstanding. With all of these components together it has made this year very special for me. The results truly speak volumes of this team.”
Name: Drew Beeler
State: Tennessee
Program: SCTP and SASP
Team: McKenzie Shooting Sports
How the SCTP and SASP have helped me as a young person: Both the SCTP and the SASP have helped me learn to focus and have more self discipline to achieve personal goals and accomplishments.
About the NRA/SSSF All Scholastic Team
The All-Scholastic Team recognizes the top student athletes in the SSSF’s Scholastic Clay Target and Scholastic Action Shooting Program for their achievements in the classroom, on the range and in their communities. Through an application process, 2017 All-Scholastic Team Members have proven academic excellence by posting 3.0 or better grade point averages, shooting excellent scores in recent competition (95% in trap or skeet, 85% in sporting clays, 88% in international trap/skeet or 75 seconds or less for SASP) and by demonstrating outstanding community involvement.
See profiles for the 2017 SSSF/NRA All Scholastic Team Members
Here are a few local stories about our local Scholastic Clay Target and Scholastic Action Shooting Program teams hitting local media around the country in recent weeks
