Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting Starting a High School Trapshooting team

[SRath]

Here in Iowa, we are fortunate to have a Department of Natural Resources that believes in our youth, our greatest resource, and in spending other resources, namely our hunting license dollars, on things that matter and last.

For several years, though it seems almost a secret, the DNR has sponsored High School trapshooting teams in the state. Currently there are about 65 to 70 schools and (guessing) 700 to 1000 athletes participating. It is co-ed all the way, and there are some pretty impressive female shooters. Even handicapped students who might not find another competitive sport for themselves.

They run it with the intention of one day being able to hand a completely established and successful program entirely over to the schools to be run just like a golf or tennis team. Grants are available to schools who support a team. More money is available from Friends of the NRA. The DNR even offers a free $2500 trap to any school that builds a range for one.

But the school does not have to sponsor or support the team in any manner other than allow them to use the school name if they so choose. All costs and liability insurance etc are borne by the members and the sponsors, which are local businesses wherever you can find them. It is not yet an "official" school sport. More like a state-sponsored club.

School size is irrelevant. They all compete head-to-head. In fact, the smaller farm-town schools are the teams to beat from what I have seen. No surprise there; those kids have been shooting and hunting since they got out of diapers.

We are currently starting a new team at my son's high school.

You can read more about our team in the February issue of Field and Stream magazine in Phil Bourjaily's Gun Nut column. The new team is combined with the team we started last year that Phil writes about.

 

[SRath]

It's getting very close to being "official"!

I presented my proposal for a team to the high school principal. He is an avid hunter and was very receptive to the idea. He, in turn, presented it to the School District Superintendent, who also got on board. Next, we will present a formal proposal, written by the principal, to the school board.



Meantime, we started practicing 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow will be our 4th session at the range and the first time half our members can attend now that the state wrestling championships are over and half of them or more are on the wrestling team.



The principal is very confident about getting school board approval. My son's efforts in putting together an informal sign-up sheet at school shows one name as being that of the school board president's son, so that is good news.



Unlike most schools, who's involvement is limited to lending their name, our principal is interested in fully backing the program and securing grants from the Scholastic Clays program and Friends of the NRA. The DNR will give any school that builds a range a free $2500 trap. Those things will all have to wait for awhile as the wheels turn slowly and deadlines do not coincide with the season.



The formal proposal states we will not require school funding for the first 5 years. After that, the available grants will end and the school may decide to hire a coach and treat it like any other varsity sport. Between now and whenever we get any grants, we are completely on our own for all expenses, though we certainly hope to get sponsorship from local businesses and individuals.



I have asked the principal to find a deserving student who would be interested and benefit from participating, but may not be able to afford it, for me to sponsor. Maybe even a student who he considers "at risk" who could use some good influences from quality team mates as well as the discipline and code of conduct required of all participants. Someone who maybe needs better friends and to "get involved".



The dues are $75, which covers insurance and factory ammo for the first 5 or 6 competitions. We try to carpool to practice (30 miles) and competitions anyway, and my son reloads all of his own practice ammo, and that saves quite a bit of money. We can reload twice as much without breaking the bank, I figure. Finally, we have many extra shotguns for someone to use, too.



I am confident it will be a very positive experience for anyone who puts in some effort and I do not want financial considerations to keep a deserving kid out. My mom raised six of us by herself and I know how tough it can be in all respects.



One stipulation the school has, is that I, and I hope to get a couple other dads to do so as well, get the required Coaching Certification/background check/etc required by the DNR. Trouble is, there may not be a class offered until next October... which makes it kind of hard to do right now.



Meanwhile, the coaches of the team my son was on last year, mentioned in the previous post, are combining our new team with their's to help us out and to make sure we have the required "certified coach".

 

[Chief USA]

Got a link to the Field and Stream article? I can send it to someone who can give them some much needed visibility. I think that is GREAT! A fantastic opportunity to teach kids many things besides and in addition to trap shoooting.

 

[Rattler]

I was a shooting sports coach in 4-H for several years and really enjoyed it. I keep saying that i am going to start coaching again. Randy

 

[SRath]

Not the magazine per se, it is still on newsstands (Feb 10th issue). But Phil did email me an link to his article: "Go Claybird High!" below. It is the article; just not on a F&S webpage yet.

Here is a link to some photos a dad took after we shoveled off the range last weekend, and it was MUCH warmer that day than the week before:

Picasa Web Albums - 10416661847842678... - ICWTT Practice

Those are mostly photos of this year's newbies and freshmen. About a third or less of the 2 combined teams. The veteran shooters from last year, and anyone who did not heed my warning to dress for COLD weather, is inside the clubhouse BS'ing around a cozy woodburning stove while waiting for their turn to shoot. I keep telling them, as we gather on sub-zero mornings, that I checked the 2010 calendar and May, June and July are definitely still on it...

The clubhouse and range are the Amana Sportman's Club located in the legendary Amana Colonies woods; home of some monster whitetails and where they cut the oak to hand-build some of the finest furniture in the world.

This link is to an article from last year as we got the first fledgling team started in this ultra-liberal county. Our little ragtag bunch may not have had experience or uniforms and fancy equipment, but they had GREAT coaching from Phil and Dave, lots of enthusiasm, and plenty of ammo and practice time:

Bourjaily: Kids with Guns | Field & Stream


They would get to the big Invitationals and we would hear other teams whispering and laughing "Who are THOSE guys?". By the end of the day, it was more like "Who ARE those guys?!!" as our kids made themselves well known with their scores and by upsetting long-established powerhouse teams. The one in the uncharacteristically cocky pose in the middle is my fault... I have to claim him. :-laf

He is the one Phil writes about who came home so humiliated from going 3 for 25 his first day last year, but then turned around and shot the first 25 straight (and became one of the top 50 shooters in the state by season's end) after Phil told him to shoot the shotgun with both eyes open. Now, I never even get my safety off on pheasant anymore, gee thanks, Phil!

Here is the article that appears in this month's Field and Stream. The magazine chose generic artwork over scaring folks with our kids ugly mugs this time, so no accompanying photo.

Go, Claybird High! | Field & Stream; South ed. | Find Articles at BNET

The team is easily 4 times larger this second season, and we have the new team from Solon going, too.

Here is another 2005 article Phil wrote about a girls' team from Tennessee that is pretty inspiring:

Pretty Serious Champions | Field & Stream

I can't say enough about Phil and Dave and what fine leaders and coaches they are. They really work hard and connect with the kids. A nice 'fringe benefit' is Phil's job as Gun Editor. Few practice days go by without him showing up with a yet-to-be-released prototype or rare classic. My son and I can say we have shot the newest Remington 1100 Special Edition last week (the only prototype in existence). It shoots just like the 36 year old 1100 I bought when I was 12 and that my son has dressed up and shoots competition with, meaning: It hits everything you point it at (and is pretty cool looking, too, though radically different in finish!) We did chime in with a couple suggestions, though, if Remington is going to market it as a trap gun.

 

[SRath]

Do I get any cheese 'n crackers to go with my whine?

It's already getting a bit expensive helping this team get started. Aside from all the rounds of trap and boxes of shells I have been personally paying for to "recruit" prospective students (taking them to the range and letting them try the sport), I also need to get DNR Shotgun Coaching Certification.

The DNR offers very few of these required courses. In fact, the only scheduled one between last October and next October was today, 150 miles away. It was also booked full and I could not get in. They have tentatively scheduled an 'overflow' course for next Friday, IF they get a minimum number of participants.

The other courses are always on Saturdays, since they last from 8am to 5pm. You must pass both classroom 40%, and the range portions 60%. The cost to sign up is $30. Since this only (and tentative) course is on a Friday, I must now miss work (10 hours of overtime), and drive the 240 mile round trip. Ouch!

I will be out-of-pocket well over $350 just for the Certification (if I even pass!). I already spent over $100 for the kids to practice this week since the regular "paid for" team practice was rained out last Saturday. This much expense, before the competition season has even begun, is NOT a good way to get parents involved or teams started...

 

[kenny61]

Post an address maybe youll get some donations... .

 

[SRath]

The nine-hour course went very quickly and was chock-full of good coaching information. Time and money well-spent. It was 40% classroom and 60% range training with a 100 question written exam at the end. I scored 98. I also convinced the uncle of one of our members to accompany me and get certified as well. The ideal ratio of coaches to shooters is 1:5.



As for Kenny's excellent suggestion to solicit donations, I have two concerns preventing me from using his good advice:



1> I have a feeling TDR may have rules prohibiting such solicitations.



2> Though the approval by the school board, the final step in a complicated process, is more than reasonably assured, we are not allowed under school district rules to solicit under their name until we are officially approved by vote at their next Board meeting.



There is also the likely need to register as a non-profit organization. Tax laws are not my strong suit, and I need to make sure we cross all of our "T's" and dot all of our "I's". This is made all the more complicated based on the exact school/team relationship to be voted in. There are bound to be folks out there who would jump at the chance to shut us down on a technicality. Never underestimate the enemy.



Most teams are lucky to get "tacit approval" to simply use the school name. Some cannot even get a fair hearing for their proposal. That does NOT prevent the formation of an area "Club", such as the "Greater Des Moines Clay Busters" or similar. They are bound by no school district rules, but have virtually zero school support (flyers, announcements, fundraising, meeting space, etc. ).



One school in Iowa, Mason City, is fully invested in their trap team. They have a fulltime coach on the payroll, equipment trailer, buses to transport the team, and varsity status. That is the model our principal wants for our school and which he proposed in writing to the school board and Superintendent. It will be preceded by a 4-year period in which we are financially on our own to prove viability.



Since the school actually wants to get fully behind us, I want to be careful to honor all of their fundraising rules. Once the vote happens, we will hit Main Street and go from business to business. This town loves it's school and is very supportive of it and the kids. Title Town USA.



The very same student athletes who have put State Championship trophies in the trophy case for football for 3 straight years along with basketball, band, and choir Championships, girls' sports Championships, etc. are the same student athletes picking up their pheasant guns to try this new-to-them sport. Every trap team member at this point is also a football player, basketball player, and/or wrestler and an outstanding athlete, student, and citizen. They are very involved in their school and community and churches and a pleasure and honor to coach and work with. It is a small town and everyone knows these kids. I'm counting on that when they seek support for their new team.