Scholastic Clays Program

Scholastic Clay Target Program

GCSS (Gulf Coast Scholastic Shooters)

Sarasota Hawks

 

“Preparing today’s youth to become the leaders of tomorrow.”

Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) sponsors the largest and most exciting clay target program for youth in the United States.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) provides kids from elementary grades through high school and college with the opportunity to participate in the fun and challenging sports of Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays, as well as the Olympic disciplines of Bunker Trap, Trap Doubles and International Skeet. SSSF is the official feeder program to USA Shooting and a path to the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team.

In keeping with the SSSF’s mission to provide, promote and perpetuate opportunities for young athletes to safely and enjoyably participate in high quality, team-based sports, each of the SCTP’s exciting disciplines are led by trained and dedicated adult coaches in a supportive environment and are focused on the safe handling and use of firearms.

The target of SCTP is true: to help young athletes reach their potential of becoming the best athletes—and young adults—that they can be.

At Sarasota Trap, Skeet, and Clays, the Sarasota Hawks, incorporated as Gulf Coast Scholastic Shooters, offers Sporting Clays, Skeet, and Trap instruction and competition for students in 5^th through twelfth grades.  The minimum age is generally about 12, although younger students will be accepted on a case by case basis if they are deemed to have the physical, mental, and emotional maturity necessary to successfully and safely participate.

The season will commence with registration on December 5^th, 2021. The first day of practice will be January 9^th, 2022 and will continue each week through April with two breaks, timed to coincide with Easter and spring break as much as possible.  The season concludes with a team party and shooting games the last weekend in April, and the State Championship on April 30^th and May 1^st.

Each practice session generally includes approximately two and a half hours of practice and instruction by certified instructors.  Most of our instructors are certified by the National Sporting Clays Association, Amateur Trapshooting Association, or National Skeet Shooting Associations, with some being certified by the National Rifle Association. There will generally be a “Warm-Up” Shoot and a State SCTP Championship Shoot each year.  More advanced shooters are also encouraged to participate in registered events sanctioned by the National Sporting Clays Association.  All students automatically receive the first year of NSCA membership.  The membership, entry fees for NSCA events, and all ammunition costs and cart rentals are paid by Gulf Coast Scholastic Shooters.

The cost for each student is currently $750 for the year (subject to change).  Additional members of the same family will be charged half price. The fee is payable by check, mailed to:

GCSS

c/o Mark Wilson

38 Tall Trees Ct

Sarasota, FL 34232

Financial aid is available on a case by case basis. The annual fee covers the cost of all targets and ammunition.  The student fees are not sufficient to cover the costs, so the club is dependent on donations and fund raising as well.  Parents are encouraged to participate at whatever level they are comfortable with, up to and including becoming a parent assistant coach.

Students wishing to be added to our email list for the 2021 – 2022 season should contact one of the following coaches by email or phone prior to December 2021:

Mark Wilson             mwilson@dglawyers.com              941-552-4635

Tom Blair                   tblairvt@comcast.net                       802-343-1702