Over the next two weeks, more than 150 athletes from 15 Iowa colleges and universities will participate in the 2021 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Collegiate Championships in Skeet, Sporting Clays and Trap. Many of these athletes have been shooting in the SCTP since middle school or high school and have been continued competing at the collegiate level.
Over the past five years, collegiate shooting sports programs in Iowa has grown from four to 21 teams, including community colleges and four-year universities, mirroring the increase in participation seen in the Iowa middle school and high school teams, which has grown from 1,400 athletes to more than 4,200 athletes since 2011.
“The continued growth of the Scholastic Clay Target Program in Iowa’s colleges and universities benefits both Iowa’s high school athletes and the colleges,” said Chris Van Gorp, shooting sports coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Iowa has a history of cultivating talented shooting sports athletes and these collegiate programs are providing an opportunity for them to continue competing past high school.”
The day-long events will take place in mid-April at two locations:
- April 9-10: Collegiate Skeet and Sporting Clays, Mahaska County Ikes, Oskaloosa
- April 17: Collegiate Trap Championship, The Stockdale Gun Club, Ackley
The Scholastic Clay Target Program is the largest, fastest growing, and exciting youth clay target program in the US. Student athletes from elementary through high school and college have the opportunity to compete in sports such as trap, skeet, and sporting clays, as well as Olympic disciplines like bunker trap and international skeet.
“The SCTP is a youth development program, first and foremost and we do this through the shooting sports and competitive shooting,” Van Gorp said. The SCTP’s mission is to help kids reach their highest potential in becoming the best athletes and young adults they can be. For more information on the Scholastic Clay Target Program in Iowa, contact Van Gorp at 515-313-8048 or chris.vangorp@dnr.iowa.gov.