Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)

NSSF Origins

The SCTP traces its roots to the early 2000s, when the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) recognized that youth participation in clay target sports was happening informally across the country but lacked any unified structure, safety standards, or competitive framework. The NSSF built the program and ran it until 2007, when it established the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation specifically to manage and expand it.

Foundation Transition

The 2007 handoff was a deliberate move — NSSF is a trade association, and a dedicated nonprofit was better positioned to pursue the educational mission, attract tax-deductible donations, and build the endowment infrastructure the program needed for long-term stability. The NSSF remained an active partner rather than stepping away entirely.

Key milestones in SCTP organizational development

Modern Growth

Since that transition, SCTP has grown into the dominant youth clay target organization in the country. The SSSF has set a fundraising goal of $40 million for its endowment — the amount the foundation believes ensures the program runs in perpetuity — with an interim target of $20 million by its 20th anniversary in 2027.

Core Philosophy

The SSSF's stated mission is youth development through shooting sports. That framing is intentional — shooting is the vehicle, not the destination. Coaches are expected to model sportsmanship, responsibility, ethics, and teamwork alongside technical instruction. The firearm safety component is baked into every practice, not treated as a one-time orientation.

Shooting is the vehicle, not the destination. The SSSF's mission focuses on youth development through shooting sports, with firearms safety and character development as core components.

Structural Principles

The program is structured around a few principles that set it apart from most youth sports. There's no minimum team size — one athlete and one coach is enough to register.

There's no bench — every registered athlete shoots in every competition. School affiliation is encouraged but not required, which means a club or community group can field a team without needing a school administrator's sign-off.

For families whose kids haven't found a home in traditional ball sports, that combination tends to land well. Shooting rewards focus and consistency over physical size or athleticism, which opens the door to athletes who get screened out of other programs early.

Disciplines Offered

SCTP fields teams in six disciplines:

Competitive Structure

The competitive structure runs from local club shoots up through state championships, regional championships, and the SCTP National Championships, held annually in July. In 2025, SCTP added a new layer with International Regional Championships — a direct response to growing interest in the Olympic disciplines and the need for more pathway events between club-level shooting and nationals.

SCTP Competitive Pathway from Local to Olympic Level

International Pathway

The SCTP International Team is selected from performance at the National Championships each year. That team trains under Terri DeWitt, a former Olympian, and participates in structured training camps oriented toward international competition and, for the highest performers, the Olympic Trials pipeline. This is where SCTP's role as the official USA Shooting feeder program becomes concrete rather than just a marketing line — athletes who progress through the international pathway are legitimately on a track toward Olympic consideration.

For younger athletes not yet at the competitive end, the program also runs Junior Olympic Development Camps in partnership with USA Shooting, giving athletes exposure to international disciplines and coaching before they're expected to compete at that level.

Registration Process

Registration runs through SCTP's online SHOT system. A head coach initiates team registration, then coordinates athlete sign-ups from there.

The head coach must be at least 21 years old, pass a background check, complete the SSSF Basic Shotgun Coach Certification Program (a primarily online course), and pay a registration fee.

Athlete membership costs $30 per year and comes with access to the SSSF's $10 million umbrella liability policy. Coach registration runs $40 per year under the same policy. For a youth program operating at gun ranges, that coverage matters — it protects teams, coaches, and host facilities in a way that informal club arrangements typically don't.

Member Benefits

Beyond insurance, registered members get access to:

• Scholarship funding — SCTP has awarded over $938,500 to more than 1,100 graduating seniors since 2013
• Endowment account setup — through the MidwayUSA Foundation with fundraising support
• Gun insurance through Sportsman's Insurance Agency, Inc.
• Industry discounts on firearms and ammunition from sponsor partners
• Team and coach awards at state championships
• Access to the SHOT online scoring and team management system
• Coaching materials, instructional videos, and e-newsletters

Academic Recognition

The All-Scholastic Team program recognizes athletes who excel both on the range and in the classroom, requiring coaches to submit academic performance documentation alongside shooting results. It's a deliberate lever for keeping academic standards in play — coaches have used it as a tool to motivate athletes who might otherwise let grades slide.

Collegiate eligibility extends through the shooting season of an athlete's 25th birthday, provided they're enrolled full-time. That window is broader than most scholastic sports and accommodates student athletes who redshirt, transfer, or take non-traditional academic paths.

The scholarship numbers are the most concrete measure of long-term impact the program publishes — over $938,500 distributed since 2013 is a real number that reflects both program scale and sponsor investment. The 1,100+ recipients represent athletes who likely wouldn't have had that specific funding avenue without the program existing.

On the competitive side, the SCTP International Team's development pipeline has produced athletes who have gone on to compete in USA Shooting events and, in some cases, moved into Olympic Trials contention. The program doesn't publish a running tally of Olympic athletes by name, but the formal relationship with USA Shooting is documented and the coaching staff — DeWitt in particular — has direct Olympic-level credentials.

The 2025 season marked a structural expansion with the first International Regional Championship, adding a competitive tier that didn't exist before. That move signals the program is actively investing in the Olympic discipline pathway rather than treating it as a footnote.

SCTP's partnership with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, announced in February 2026, reflects a broader pattern of state wildlife agency partnerships (documented in Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee) that connect the program to conservation funding streams tied to the Pittman-Robertson Act.

SCTP operates as a program of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The SSSF also manages the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), which covers rimfire rifle, pistol, and international air gun disciplines — a separate program with its own registration track.

Day-to-day operations run through a national director, director of development, administrative staff, and regional program managers. In October 2025, SCTP added a Northeast Programs Manager position — a sign of regional growth and an acknowledgment that volunteer infrastructure alone wasn't keeping up with demand in that geography.

Teams are volunteer-driven at the local level. A single head coach and one athlete are all that's required to register. Adult volunteers who work closely with athletes — including non-coaching roles like team photographers — are subject to the same background check requirements as coaches. That policy is broader than what most youth sports organizations require and reflects deliberate risk management.

The SHOT online system handles registration, team management, and scoring. It's the administrative backbone for everything from initial team registration to nationals results.

USA Shooting is the most significant external relationship. SCTP is the official youth feeder program, which means the competitive pathway from SCTP nationals through the Olympic Trials is a formalized structure rather than an informal understanding. Athletes on the SCTP International Team train with USA Shooting support.

SCTP's organizational relationships and partnerships

The NSSF remains a partner and ally after the 2007 handoff, still active in promoting youth shooting sports nationally. The MidwayUSA Foundation (funded by Larry and Brenda Potterfield) is the primary financial infrastructure partner — running the team endowment system and providing ongoing fundraising support.

SCTP also maintains formal relationships with the three major clay target shooting associations: the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA), the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA), and the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA). Those relationships matter practically — they determine where SCTP teams can shoot, what rules govern competitions, and how youth results integrate with the broader competitive record-keeping in each discipline.

State-level conservation agencies in multiple states have become program partners, connecting SCTP to Pittman-Robertson funding pipelines and broadening the program's reach into rural communities where hunting culture and shooting sports participation already overlap.

Value Proposition

For families looking for a structured youth shooting program, SCTP is the right call in most states. The insurance coverage alone is worth the registration fee — $30 for $10 million in liability coverage is not something a club or parent can replicate on their own. The scholarship infrastructure is real, and for a high school junior or senior who's been competing for a few years, it's worth submitting the application.

For families looking for a structured youth shooting program, SCTP is the right call in most states. The insurance coverage alone justifies the registration fee.

The coach certification requirement and background checks are a feature, not a burden. If you're handing your kid a shotgun in a group setting, you want the adults around them to have cleared some minimum bar. The online certification course is not a rigorous firearms instruction program — it's more of a baseline orientation — but it's better than nothing and it filters out coaches who aren't serious enough to complete it.

Target Demographics

Who benefits most? Athletes who want a legitimate competitive pathway toward Olympic-discipline shooting get the most distinct value from SCTP versus any alternative. The international team, the regional championships, the USA Shooting connection — none of that exists in informal club programs.

If your kid is a recreational trap shooter happy to shoot a local league, SCTP's structure may be more overhead than you need. If they're serious about getting better and competing at higher levels, the program's infrastructure is built for that.

Realistic Challenges

The program is only as good as the local team and coach. SCTP provides a framework, but execution varies widely.

A well-run team with an experienced head coach is a great environment. A team that registered because it seemed like a good idea, with a coach who's figuring it out as they go, is a different experience. Before committing, it's worth talking to coaches at nearby teams and attending a practice — not just looking at the website.

Geographic coverage is also uneven. States with strong hunting and shooting cultures have deep SCTP networks with multiple teams, regular local matches, and experienced coaches. Other areas have thin coverage, and the nearest team might be a long drive. The 2025 addition of a Northeast Programs Manager position is an explicit acknowledgment that the program needed more regional support infrastructure in underserved areas.

The endowment fundraising goal ($40 million for permanent sustainability) puts the long-term picture in honest focus. The program runs on sponsor relationships, volunteer labor, and foundation grants — not a stable institutional funding base. The MidwayUSA Foundation partnership has been significant, but it's worth understanding that SCTP's future depends on continued donor and sponsor support rather than any guaranteed funding stream.

• Scholastic Clay Target Program official website: https://mysctp.com
• Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation: https://sssfonline.org
• SCTP About page: https://mysctp.com/about/
• SCTP Coaches Training: https://mysctp.com/coaches-training/
• SSSF SCTP Handbook (PDF, 2019): https://sssfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-SCTP_HAND.pdf
• NSCA Youth Shooting page: https://nsca.nssa-nsca.org/nsca-sporting-clays-youth-shooting/
• 2016 NSSF Industry Intelligence Report featuring SCTP (available via mysctp.com/about/)

Last Updated: February 24, 2026