Olympics Spur Record Year for Scholastic Shooting Program

NEWTOWN, Conn., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the Olympics prepare to
showcase shooters among the world's athletic elite, America's "Little League
of Shooting Sports" is celebrating record participation as well as its
influence on the Games in Beijing.

The U.S. Shooting Team has just eight spots for shotgun shooters. In trial
competitions, 25 percent of those spots were won by alumni of the Scholastic
Clay Target Program (SCTP), a national youth shooting league that's become a
phenomenon across the country.

U.S. Shooting Team Coach Lloyd Woodhouse credits SCTP with introducing and
developing shooting skills in America's youths -- whether or not they become
Olympians.

"I've not observed any other shooting sports program that touches so many
young people in this country. I don't know of anything that even comes close.
It's just incredible. It's the greatest program that I can think of in the
shooting world," said Woodhouse.

Managed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) in partnership with
USA Shooting and other governing bodies for shooting sports, SCTP is enjoying
record participation in 2008 with 9,135 student competitors and 1,562 adult
volunteers nationwide.

"The anticipation and excitement of the Olympics and two SCTP heroes competing
in the Olympics appear to be helping drive interest in our program this year,"
said Steve Sanetti, president of NSSF.

Sanetti said the future of shooting will be on full display before the
Olympics. More than a thousand youngsters from across the country are expected
to compete in the SCTP National Championships in trap, skeet and sporting
clays. The big event is July 31-Aug. 5 at the World Shooting and Recreational
Complex in Sparta, Ill.

SCTP was developed to provide school-age participants in grades 12 and under
with opportunities to showcase competitive shooting skills, earn recognition
and win scholarship awards. The program is designed to instill safe firearms
handling, commitment, responsibility, leadership and teamwork.

Many SCTP shooters go on to compete at the collegiate level. Olympians are
more rare, but former SCTP stars Corey Codgell and Vincent Hancock will
represent the U.S. in Beijing in women's trap and men's skeet, respectively.

SCTP teams compete in the sports of trap, skeet and sporting clays as well as
the Olympic versions of trap and skeet.

USA Shooting, the Amateur Trapshooting Association, National Skeet Shooting
Association and National Sporting Clays Association partner with NSSF in
support of SCTP.

Visit SCTP online at www.nssf.org/sctp.

SOURCE National Shooting Sports Foundation

Bill Dunn of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, +1-203-426-1320,
bdunn@nssf.org