• Information on two trap and skeet fundraiser shoots to help send Arizona's youth champs to the SCTP nationals
  
  
• A recap of the Commissioners' Cup sporting clays championships  

Help send Arizona's youth champions to the Scholastic Clay Target nationals 

Arizona youths had a strong showing at last year's Scholastic Clay Target Program national championships

If you enjoy skeet and trap shooting, you're invited to participate in two fun competitions that will raise money to help send Arizona's state youth champions to the Scholastic Clay Target Program national championships in Rochester, N.Y., and Sparta, Ill., this summer.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host the events on Saturday, May 20 at the Tucson Trap and Skeet Club in Tucson, and Saturday, May 27 at the Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club in Scottsdale. Open to the public, each event offers the option to compete in trap, skeet or both. Cost is $25 for either trap or skeet and includes the opportunity to shoot at 50 clay targets. Prizes will be given to the top three scorers in each class.

This year, Arizona will send six three-person squads to the skeet/sporting clays national championships, and four five-person squads to the trap championships. The squads earned the right to represent the state by winning their divisions at the Commissioners' Cup state championships in March and April.

Last year, the first for the state's Scholastic Clay Target Program, Arizona squads had a strong showing at the nationals, taking two first-place finishes in skeet, a second and third in sporting clays, and a fourth in trap.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program introduces young people to shotgun shooting sports in a fun, team-based format. Arizona's program is sponsored by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, administered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and patterned after the national initiative developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. More than 800 kids participated statewide this year; about 7,000 from 35 states participated nationally. Participants and their parents praise the program for teaching safety, responsibility and discipline.

To register for either fundraiser competition, print off a registration form using the links below, and fax or mail to Anthony Chavez, shooting sports coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, at the contact information listed on the form. For more information, contact Anthony Chavez at (623) 236-7395.

The Tucson Trap and Skeet Club is located at 7800 W. Old Ajo Highway in Tucson. The Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club is located at 15001 E. Beeline Highway in Scottsdale.

Click here for the Tucson registration form (May 20 event)

Click here for the Red Mountain registration form (May 27 event) 

Sporting clays competition wraps up Commissioners' Cup championships
Winning teams set sights on Scholastic Clay Target nationals

Patrick Wood of Scottsdale had the high individual scores in the senior experienced division in both sporting clays and skeet

The Arizona Game and Fish Department's Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) finished a successful second year with the conclusion of the Commissioners' Cup sporting clays championships on April 29 at the Ben Avery Clay Target Center in Phoenix. Squads from the Red Mountain Target Terminators team, from the East Valley area of metropolitan Phoenix, took first place in the senior experienced and senior novice divisions, while squads from the Tucson Trap and Skeet Youth Club took first in the junior and rookie divisions.

The sporting clays competition was the last of three segments of the Commissioner's Cup championships. The others were in skeet April 1 at the Tucson Trap and Skeet Club in Tucson, and in trap March 25 at the Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club in Scottsdale.

In the skeet and trap competitions, squads from the Red Mountain Target Terminators, the Tucson Trap and Skeet Youth Club, the Ben Avery Clay Crushers (from the central/north area of metropolitan Phoenix) and the Huachuca Hot Shots (Sierra Vista area) took the team titles.

The winning senior and junior teams in skeet and sporting clays are eligible to represent Arizona at the SCTP national skeet and sporting clays championships July 14-16 in Rochester, N.Y. The winning senior, junior and rookie squads in trap are eligible to represent Arizona at the SCTP national trap championships Aug. 8-9 in Sparta, Ill.

Each Commissioners' Cup event this year drew 150 to 250 young people, ages 9-19, from different parts of the state. "We had a great turnout at all the events," says Anthony Chavez, shooting sports coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "Participation was up more than 30 percent over last year."

Team and individual results from the sporting clays championships are below. To see results from the skeet and trap championships held earlier this spring, click here.

SPORTING CLAYS CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 29, Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix.

Team Results 

Senior Experienced Division Ninth through 12th grades 

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Red Mountain Target Terminators	262	Danny Bush, Chandler; Kyle Wandelear, Queen Creek; Patrick Wood, Scottsdale	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale

Senior Novice Division Ninth through 12th grades 

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Red Mountain Target Terminators	249	Mark Clary, Jr., Mesa; Cameron Westmoreland, Queen Creek; Hunter Williams, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Huachuca Hot Shots	235	Brielle Eaton, Sierra Vista; Brisden Eaton, Sierra Vista; Scott Usry, Hereford	Ft. Huachuca Sportsman's Center, Sierra Vista
Third	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	234	Bradley Barber, Glendale; Kimberly Peters, Peoria; Nick Warren, Cave Creek	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix

 Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades 

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Tucson Trap and Skeet Youth Club	228 (won in a shoot-off)	Diego Garcia, Tucson; Gregory Moffett, Oro Valley; Jeremy Spencer, Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Second	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	228	John Heim, Glendale; Jared McNiel, Glendale; Lane Shank, Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	215	Ryan Bollinger, Phoenix; Chase Karvanek, Anthem; Cameron Martin, Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under 

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Tucson Trap and Skeet Youth Club	164	Brandon Carlisle, Tucson; Luis Gloria, Tucson; Perry Kurker-Mraz, Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Second	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	156	Cody Baird, Cave Creek; Tanner Bissell, Desert Hills; Jessica Nemmer, Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	White Mountain Clay Busters	146	Cade Gardner, Eagar; Alix Hoyt, St. John's; Dennis Stover, Springerville	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Individual Results – Sporting Clays Championships

Senior Experienced Division Ninth through 12th grades 

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Patrick Wood	94	Scottsdale	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Kyle Wandelear	86	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	Danny Bush	82	Chandler	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale

Senior Novice Division Ninth through 12th grades 

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Brisden Eaton	90	Sierra Vista	Huachuca Hot Shots	Ft. Huachuca Sportsman's Center, Sierra Vista
Second	Hunter Williams	86	Gilbert	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	Cameron Westmoreland	84	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fourth	Kimberly Peters	80	Peoria	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fifth	Clinton Barnes	79	Buckeye	Buckeye Sportsman Club	Buckeye Sportsman Club, Buckeye

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades 

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Jeremy Spencer	94	Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Youth Club	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Second	Lane Shank	91	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Tim Hoyt	78	St. John's	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Fourth	Ryan Bollinger	78	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fifth	Wes Borie	75	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under 

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Luis Gloria	74	Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Youth Club	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Second	Dennis Stover	70	Springerville	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Third	Tanner Bissell	68	Desert Hills	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fourth	Brandon Barnes	60	Buckeye	Buckeye Sportsman Club	Buckeye Sportsman Club, Buckeye
Fifth	Holden Huff	50	Scottsdale	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix