Young Shooters Put 11,000 Rounds Downrange At SSC Demo

For Immediate Release:
June 01, 2009

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Mike Dalton, co-founder of the Steel Challenge, said “steel sucks bullets out of guns,” and he wasn’t wrong.

Some 11,000 rounds went downrange this past weekend as more than 400 young shooters, as well as some parents and coaches, tried their hand at the new Scholastic Steel Challenge (SSC) during the Tennessee State Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) match at the Montgomery County Shooting Complex.

The response to SSC, a team-oriented youth pistol shooting program developed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) for young men and women ages 12 to 20, far exceeded organizers’ expectations.

"The response to the SSC was tremendous and this first event was a huge success confirming that America's young adults are eager for the opportunity to compete in the sport of Speed Shooting," said Scott Moore, director of SSC. "With help from Glock, Smith & Wesson, Action Target and Winchester Ammunition, who made this first shoot possible, we have witnessed the future of the Shooting Sports and it is very bright."

Officials from the Montgomery County Shooting Complex agreed.

"When we first heard of SSC we thought it was a great idea," said David Adkins, president of the Montgomery County Sportsmen Association. "After seeing how the kids loved shooting it this weekend, we knew it was a great idea! We're planning on organizing squads very soon."

Organizing squads in the Volunteer State shouldn’t be a problem considering the state already has a thriving youth shooting program thanks to Moore’s previous work with SCTP, a program started by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) that now boasts upwards of 1,300 participants in Tennessee alone.

Many of the young competitors, their parents and coaches as well, expressed immediate interest in the new shooting program.

That interest was voiced by Ray Compton of Paris, Tenn., father of Bailey Compton, who told SSC officials, “My daughter, Bailey, loved the shooting. It has kindled a desire among a lot of the shooters we have to explore an SSC team here in Paris.”

Taking advantage of this overwhelming response and growing SSC into what several in the industry believe will be an even larger success than SCTP falls on Moore’s shoulders. Moore previously worked for NSSF and helped build SCTP into the largest youth shooting program of its kind.

Already he has secured for SSC grant funding from NSSF as well as major commitments from Action Target, Glock, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network and Smith & Wesson totaling in excess of $150,000. And the industry is eager to help further. Action Target provided steel plates for the event while Winchester helped secure the ammunition, and both Glock and Smith & Wesson sent support staff to the three-day shoot. Moore points to this kind of cooperative effort as evidence of how valuable the program is to the industry.

“The first SSC shoot could not have happened without the efforts of our hosts, the Montgomery County Sportsmen Association, who didn’t hesitate to roll out the red carpet for us. And with the help of Cindy Noyes on behalf of Glock, and Tom Yost for Smith & Wesson, we were able to really showcase the fun and excitement of the pistol shooting sports,” explained Moore. “Industry leaders are working together to make SSC a real success.”

Both Noyes and Yost shared Moore’s enthusiasm.

“These children and others like them are the future of the shooting sports in America,” observed Noyes. “I was proud to be a part of this kick-off event and look forward to watching these young shooters someday take their place alongside the great champions of our sport.”

“Smith & Wesson has a rich tradition of supporting the shooting sports and the Scholastic Steel Challenge sponsorship is just the latest example of that ongoing commitment,” said Yost. “For three days we saw nothing but happy kids with ear-to-ear smiles after shooting the SSC demo. This program is really beginning to snowball and anyone in the firearms industry that overlooks its potential is missing the boat.”

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Contact: Dave Thomas
(360) 855-2245
dave@steelchallenge.com

Steel Challenge Shooting Association• 826 Metcalf Street, PMB 73 • Sedro-Woolley, WA 99284-1423