USA High School Clay Target’s new program provides virtual competition for college clay target teams. League athletes now have a new way to continue competing after graduation.
The just-launched USA College Clay Target League provides the opportunity for clay target teams at any post-secondary institution—from community colleges to four-year universities—to compete virtually, just as is done at the high school level. With roughly 20 percent of high school League participants graduating every year, and about 66 percent planning to go to a college or university, according to League surveys, creating an opportunity to continue clay target competition at the next level just made sense.
“There are many universities and colleges that currently have trap shooting clubs, but they typically just participate in events,” says League Vice President John Nelson. “So they’ll travel for a weekend to compete head to head with someone. What we’re going to offer is a virtual competition regardless of team size, where they can compete in the sports of trap shooting, skeet shooting, sporting clays and five stand.”
Signing up is simple. Whether a team is more than a century old or brand new, as long as it is a registered student organization that follows the rules set forth by its institution, it can compete in the virtual league. The cost will be $35 per student athlete and conferences will be determined based on the number of members on a team (five is the minimum), regardless of school size or geographic location. Students must have their firearms safety certification and the team needs an adult coach.
Nelson says the League hopes to get 100 colleges and universities on board this year. It has already received interest from about a dozen.
“What’s really terrific about us offering the college program is it complements our mission, which is to get young people involved in clay target shooting sports,” he says. “Now we have the opportunity to o er this to students who are not only in sixth grade, but for them to continue that all the way through post-secondary education.”
The new college program follows the League’s recent partnership with the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, which makes clay target shooting a varsity sport for participating schools. Find more information about the new USA College Clay Target League at collegeclaytarget.com.
