MidwayUSA Establishes Missouri Endowment to Benefit Young Shooters
Imperial, Missouri - The Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance (MYSSA) is pleased to announce the creation of the Larry & Brenda Potterfield Endowment which has been established to support youth shooting programs in Missouri. Established with a generous $100,000 donation by the Potterfields, the endowment will allow MYSSA to continue to offer assistance to various organizations to help realize the organization's goals of making safe shooting sports accessible to all Missouri youth.

MYSSA was founded in 2006. Its mission is to bring together all youth shooting programs in the state. Today MYSSA represents over 21,000 Missouri youth, each of whom will have firsthand experience with the shooting sports each year.

MYSSA continues to grow as shooting sports programs from across the state join the organization as affiliate members, providing the lifeblood necessary to keep the program vibrant and relevant for today's young shooters.

MYSSA has accomplished some notable achievements in the few years of its existence. The Alliance facilitates the training of excellent shooting coaches to help assure that young shooters have qualified leaders as they enjoy and gain proficiency in the sport. The first statewide event hosted by MYSSA was the MYSSA Fall Classic trap shooting competition, which was a remarkable success as it drew nearly 300 young shooters from across the state to compete in Linn Creek, Mo.

Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, is a longtime friend of youth shooting programs. He and wife Brenda are founders of the Scholastic Shooting Trust Fund, which was created to raise money for shooting teams for high schools, colleges, and universities all over America.

For more information about the Potterfields or MidwayUSA, visit www.midwayusa.com or call 1-800-243-3220.

For more information about the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance, visit www.moyouthshooting.org

 

Missouri Legislature Introduces Resolution Recognizing Youth Trapshooting

SECOND REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 76

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES PARKINSON (Sponsor), WELLS, NIEVES, FUNDERBURK AND TRACY (Co-sponsors).

5225L.02I

Whereas, the sport of trapshooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting and is growing in popularity throughout the United States and Missouri; and

Whereas, the trapshooting games were originally meant for the hunters to develop their skills, but these shooting games have obtained international recognition and are encouraged by sports associations; and

Whereas, trapshooting is a sport where flying clay targets are fired at with a shot gun. Trapshooting is considered to be an exciting and challenging sport where many people, young and old, compete in trapshooting events; and

Whereas, trapshooting has been a sport since at least 1793 when it used real birds, usually the Passenger Pigeon, which was extremely abundant at the time. Fake birds were introduced around the time of the American Civil War as the Passenger Pigeon was nearing extinction. Clay targets were introduced in the 1880's; and

Whereas, Olympic trap is one of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) shooting events, introduced to the Olympic program in 1900. The current version of the sport was introduced in 1950; and

Whereas, the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) is the primary governing body of American trapshooting and has launched a major initiative to attract more youth shooters; and

Whereas, a great deal of coordination and discipline is needed for trapshooting. Trapshooting sports test a player's skill in marksmanship and strategy and improve confidence of youth who may not possess the physical attributes to compete in other competitive sports offered at their schools; and

Whereas, the goal of any program of youth trapshooting should be to provide instruction and promote gun safety, personal responsibility, and sportsmanship among primary and secondary students; and

Whereas, the ATA and many state organizations also award scholarships to college-bound trapshooters based on citizenship, scholarship, and need. Many youth trapshooters are now attending college with the help of those scholarships; and

Whereas, our youth should have the opportunity and be encouraged to participate in this extracurricular activity in the same manner as other youth extracurricular activities, such as football, baseball, softball, basketball, track, scouting, or band; and

Whereas, the boards of education of every Missouri school district is encouraged to promote and include trapshooting as a high school spot:

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-fifth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby encourage the school boards of every school district in the State of Missouri, in conjunction with the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance, to voluntarily promote and include trapshooting as a high school sport for the youth of our state; and

Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro, the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance, and each school district in Missouri.

Missouri Youth Shooting in the News
TV report on effort to make trapshooting a high school sport

Click here for a link to YouTube video of St. Louis Channel 11 report on efforts to have trapshooting recognized as a high schooll sport statewide.

 

It is great to learn of the formation of the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance (MYSSA). USA Shooting wholeheartedly supports the MYSSA effort to be an umbrella organization, providing support for, and fostering communication between, established shooting programs that will provide additional shooting and training opportunities to the youth and coaches of Missouri. USA Shooting relies on partner organizations like the MYSSA for the development of coaches and young athletes, some of whom will progress into our programs and ultimately represent the United States in International and Olympic competition.