MINNESOTA STATE SCTP CHAMPIONSHIPS 1249 Love Av Mahtomedi, MN 55115 Phone (651) 230-2364 Press Release Contact: Kevin Ritter MN SCTP Advisor Phone: (651) 230-2364 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12 P.M. CST, July 25, 2010 FROM THE MINNESOTA STATE SCHOLASTIC CLAY TARGET PROGRAM (SCTP) ADVISOR MAHTOMEDI, MN, JULY 25, 2010: On Saturday JULY 10, 2010, the third annual Minnesota State Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Sporting Clays Championships were held at the South St. Paul Rod and Gun Club (SSP) in South St. Paul, Minnesota. This state championship event featured a shotgun start followed by lunch and an awards ceremony. Forty-two registered youth shooters organized into fourteen teams took to the field at 9:15 AM amid sunny skies and the hint of a very warm morning ahead. The shooters were presented with a 100 targets laid out over twelve stations. The course was set by SSP Rod and Gun Club s own Bob Steffen. Station menus consisted of singles, report pairs, and true pairs ranging from six to ten targets per station. SCTP is a Youth Development Program providing young people with a positive experience in sports. SCTP is designed to instill in young people a set of personal values and character traits for
Minnesota State SCTP Page 2 fair play, compassionate understanding, individual responsibility, sportsmanship, self-discipline, and personal commitment qualities that will serve them well throughout their lives and will be instrumental in helping each SCTP Athlete to reach his/her full potential. SCTP shooting events are team based with three to five shooters on each team. Only three predesigned shooters' scores will be counted and aggregated. Medals were awarded to the top three teams in each of these five divisions: Varsity, Junior Varsity, Intermediate Advance, Intermediate, and Rookie. Nine teams were awarded medals. Trophies were award for high-overall (HOA) first, second, and third in each of those five divisions. First place Varsity went to team SSP Rod and Gun Club lead by head coach Cal Munkvold and assistant coach Ed Saugestad with shooters Drew Benson, Nick Slipkek, Bryan Green, and Cody Munkvold shooting a combined score of 238 out of 300 targets. Second place Varsity went to team Wild Marsh coached by Mike Ganz and shooters Jared Ganz and brothers Matt and Luke Molus shooting a combined score of 218. Third place Varsity went to team Central MN Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) coached by Jack Rhodes and Perry Nistler and shooters Rory Traut, Matt Jones, and Zach Maruska with a combined score of 205. First place Junior Varsity (JV) went to team SSP Rod and Gun Club lead by head coach Cal Munkvold and assistant coach Ed Saugestad and shooters Nolan Sprengeler, Brad Bohrer, and Colton Saugestad
Minnesota State SCTP Page 3 with a combined score of 238. Second place JV went to team Central MN Ruffed RGS coached by Jack Rhodes and Perry Nistler and shooters Ted Jones, Garrett Loesch, and Michael Nistler with a combined score of 180. Third place JV went to team Stearns County Pheasants Forever (PF) coached by Joe Opitz and Ken Fruth consisting of shooters Paul Kartak, Nick Pfeffer, and Josh Meyer with a combined score of 150. First place Intermediate Advance (IA) went to team Stearns County Pheasants Forever (PF) coached by Joe Opitz and Ken Fruth and shooters David Kartak, Jared Pemble, and Remington Nathe with a combined score of 157. Second place IA went to team SSP Rod and Gun Club lead by head coach Cal Munkvold and assistant coach Ed Saugestad and shooters Elise Ritter and Brent Westemeier with a combined score of 89. First place Rookie went to team Stearns County Pheasants Forever (PF) coached by Joe Opitz and Ken Fruth and shooters Dylan Burns, Jordon Pemble, and Austin Hiltner with a combined score of 133. There were no Intermediate teams registered for the state event. Pictures of the event can be found at http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=minnesota SCTP Drew Benson from Cottage Grove, MN took varsity high-overall (HOA) honors shooting a 90. JV HOA went to Nolan Sprengeler of Green Isle, MN shooting a score of 84. IA HOA went to David Kartak from St. Could MN shooting a score of 64. Rookie HOA went to Dylan Burns from St. Cloud, MN shooting a score of 58.
Minnesota State SCTP Page 4 Thanks to our sponsors Beretta USA for providing shooting numbers and to these fine establishments for opening their club to youth shooting sports: South St. Paul Rod and Gun Club, Wild Marsh Sporting Clays, LeBlanc's Rice Creek Hunting and Recreation, Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club, Caribou Gun Club and Hunting Preserve, Beste s Gun Range, and Del Tone Luth Gun Range. Special thanks to Donna Benson, Lisa Sprengeler, Yvonne Johnson, and the Minnesota Sporting Clays Association (MSCA). Youth from the elementary grades through high school are eligible to participate in the safe, educational and enjoyable SCTP clay target sports of Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, ISSF Trap, and ISSF Skeet. SCTP is ideally suited to be a school sponsored Title IX sport. There is no other sport that offers such an absolutely level playing field for gender integration as does the shooting sports. SCTP is a perfect fit for youth organizations such as Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H, F.F.A., P.A.L., Pheasants Forever, Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited, Boys and Girls Clubs, et al. Any youth organization is welcome to participate in the SCTP. Please contact Kevin Ritter Minnesota State SCTP Advisor. SCTP activities are designed to incorporate two indispensable elements Safety and Fun. Safety is incorporated into every facet of every SCTP activity. The learning environment at team practices and at competitive shoots is designed to include the element of fun for all participants. SCTP participants learn the
Minnesota State SCTP Page 5 safe and responsible handling and use of firearms. They discover the joy of contributing to a shared team goal and the commitment that goes along with it. During this self-discovery process, team members develop proficiency in a sport that can be shared and enjoyed with family and friends for a lifetime. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSP) is a major partner with the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and supports the SCTP. For more information, visit www.sssfonline.org. -End-