This story, put out by the AP, has been picked up by a surprising number of newspapers.
Here's a link to its appearance in an Los Angeles paper.
http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_3920296
Article Launched: 06/10/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
Valencia High teen outstanding in shotgun sports
BY PHIL H. SHOOK, Associated Press
The first time Mara Desso picked up a shotgun, at age 12, she amazed her father by breaking 21 out of 25 clay targets.
A junior at Valencia High School, Mara has since honed her skills through a scholastic shooting program. At 16, she is one of the top female shooters in her age group in the country.
Shooting clay targets with a shotgun is a growing sport at high schools and elementary schools across the country. More than 7,000 students from fifth through 12th grade now take part in trap, skeet and sporting clay activities and competitions in 35 states.
And unlike more traditional high school sports, everyone who comes out to shoot makes the team.
In clay target shooting sports, no tryouts are required and nobody sits on the bench. Girls shoot alongside boys.
"We have everyone from the No. 1 senior academic student down to kids who are struggling academically. We have some of the top athletes down to those with no athletic ability. I have kids that weigh 80 pounds and kids that weigh almost 300 pounds," says Brad Harker, shooting coach at Chippewa High in Doylestown, Ohio.
In the second year of Chippewa's shooting program, Harker has 78 students.
"It is the largest club, and that includes all the varsity sports, clubs, bands and everything else," he says.
The Scholastic Clay Target Program was introduced six years ago by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms trade group, partnering with national skeet, trap and sporting clay associations. Ninth to 12th graders compete in the program's senior division; sixth through eighth graders in the junior division; and fifth graders and below in the rookie division.
In Tennessee, more than 1,500 students at 100 high schools and middle schools take part in clay target sports, with some offering letters just like in football, basketball and soccer. To benefit from that growth, the state's four major universities have started their own shooting teams.
Coaches and instructors say they have overcome many parents' and administrators' concerns about mixing guns and school by emphasizing the sport's discipline and safety.
Safety classes are sometimes held on school grounds, but no guns are brought on school property. All clay-target shooting practices and events take place at nearby trap and skeet facilities.
Before shouldering a shotgun, every student must complete a comprehensive firearms safety course, says Lance Rider, shooting coach at McKenzie High School in McKenzie, Tenn.
Parents "find our kids are held to a much higher standard than in any other sport they participate in," Rider says. "We have a zero tolerance on safety violations because we have no second chances."
McKenzie High, a pioneer in shooting sports, has gained national attention for its all-girl championship shooting team.
In fact, the Scholastic Clay Target Program reports strong growth among girls: The number of girls ages 12 to 17 taking part in shotgun sports has grown 56 percent over the last five years, says Steve Wagner, spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Shooting sports provide an activity for many students who aren't able to play other school sports, says Gail Miller, a shooting coach at Wood Creek High School in Roseville, Calif.
"These high schools have all gotten big and they have budget issues," he says. "If you look at their sports, the majority of their kids don't get to participate. There are a lot of kids with nothing to do."
Miller says the program in California started five years ago with five kids and now has 600.
"You don't have to have big muscles, run fast or jump high" to compete in shooting sports, adds Karen Dolan, a state program director and shooting instructor for the program in Rochester, N.Y.
Coaches say the discipline required by shooting sports, however, builds students' confidence quickly, and improves their focus and concentration, which carries over to the classroom. Students in Chippewa High School's program pay $25 to take part, and there are loaner guns provided for those who don't have a shotgun.
"We tell the kids not to rush out and buy a shotgun until their skills are developed," Harker says. "As instructors, most of us have several shotguns so we are emptying our gun cabinets out for these kids."
High school shooters compete for scholarships offered by some 30 universities, says Chad Wittenburg, an official with the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, which has provided grants for high school shooting sports since 2004.
Scott Powell's daughter, Heather, is a senior honor student in the trap-shooting program at Chippewa High. She has decided to attend the University of Montana, her father says, in part because the honors dorms have secure gun rooms, and the university offers shooting sports and Olympic training programs.
Like other champions coming out of the Scholastic Clay Target Program, California's Mara Desso aspires to compete at the highest levels. Asked when she first started thinking about competing in world championship and Olympic shooting events, she answers: "Not too long ago, really. It was after I shot my second hundred straight targets."
Here's a link to its appearance in an Los Angeles paper.
http://www.dailynews.com/santaclarita/ci_3920296
Article Launched: 06/10/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
Valencia High teen outstanding in shotgun sports
BY PHIL H. SHOOK, Associated Press
The first time Mara Desso picked up a shotgun, at age 12, she amazed her father by breaking 21 out of 25 clay targets.
A junior at Valencia High School, Mara has since honed her skills through a scholastic shooting program. At 16, she is one of the top female shooters in her age group in the country.
Shooting clay targets with a shotgun is a growing sport at high schools and elementary schools across the country. More than 7,000 students from fifth through 12th grade now take part in trap, skeet and sporting clay activities and competitions in 35 states.
And unlike more traditional high school sports, everyone who comes out to shoot makes the team.
In clay target shooting sports, no tryouts are required and nobody sits on the bench. Girls shoot alongside boys.
"We have everyone from the No. 1 senior academic student down to kids who are struggling academically. We have some of the top athletes down to those with no athletic ability. I have kids that weigh 80 pounds and kids that weigh almost 300 pounds," says Brad Harker, shooting coach at Chippewa High in Doylestown, Ohio.
In the second year of Chippewa's shooting program, Harker has 78 students.
"It is the largest club, and that includes all the varsity sports, clubs, bands and everything else," he says.
The Scholastic Clay Target Program was introduced six years ago by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms trade group, partnering with national skeet, trap and sporting clay associations. Ninth to 12th graders compete in the program's senior division; sixth through eighth graders in the junior division; and fifth graders and below in the rookie division.
In Tennessee, more than 1,500 students at 100 high schools and middle schools take part in clay target sports, with some offering letters just like in football, basketball and soccer. To benefit from that growth, the state's four major universities have started their own shooting teams.
Coaches and instructors say they have overcome many parents' and administrators' concerns about mixing guns and school by emphasizing the sport's discipline and safety.
Safety classes are sometimes held on school grounds, but no guns are brought on school property. All clay-target shooting practices and events take place at nearby trap and skeet facilities.
Before shouldering a shotgun, every student must complete a comprehensive firearms safety course, says Lance Rider, shooting coach at McKenzie High School in McKenzie, Tenn.
Parents "find our kids are held to a much higher standard than in any other sport they participate in," Rider says. "We have a zero tolerance on safety violations because we have no second chances."
McKenzie High, a pioneer in shooting sports, has gained national attention for its all-girl championship shooting team.
In fact, the Scholastic Clay Target Program reports strong growth among girls: The number of girls ages 12 to 17 taking part in shotgun sports has grown 56 percent over the last five years, says Steve Wagner, spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Shooting sports provide an activity for many students who aren't able to play other school sports, says Gail Miller, a shooting coach at Wood Creek High School in Roseville, Calif.
"These high schools have all gotten big and they have budget issues," he says. "If you look at their sports, the majority of their kids don't get to participate. There are a lot of kids with nothing to do."
Miller says the program in California started five years ago with five kids and now has 600.
"You don't have to have big muscles, run fast or jump high" to compete in shooting sports, adds Karen Dolan, a state program director and shooting instructor for the program in Rochester, N.Y.
Coaches say the discipline required by shooting sports, however, builds students' confidence quickly, and improves their focus and concentration, which carries over to the classroom. Students in Chippewa High School's program pay $25 to take part, and there are loaner guns provided for those who don't have a shotgun.
"We tell the kids not to rush out and buy a shotgun until their skills are developed," Harker says. "As instructors, most of us have several shotguns so we are emptying our gun cabinets out for these kids."
High school shooters compete for scholarships offered by some 30 universities, says Chad Wittenburg, an official with the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, which has provided grants for high school shooting sports since 2004.
Scott Powell's daughter, Heather, is a senior honor student in the trap-shooting program at Chippewa High. She has decided to attend the University of Montana, her father says, in part because the honors dorms have secure gun rooms, and the university offers shooting sports and Olympic training programs.
Like other champions coming out of the Scholastic Clay Target Program, California's Mara Desso aspires to compete at the highest levels. Asked when she first started thinking about competing in world championship and Olympic shooting events, she answers: "Not too long ago, really. It was after I shot my second hundred straight targets."
