** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSP), which offers young people the opportunity to learn safe firearms handling, teamwork and citizenship through developing shooting skills, has great news for Junior competitors. They're changing and broadening their wildly popular Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) to include a rimfire rifle component. Obviously, this necessitates a new name: The program will now be known as the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP).
Possibly the best part of the new SASP is that it will increase the number of potential participants. Although the original pistol program was only offered to athletes grades 6 and above, the new rifle discipline features a "Rookie" division for grades 5 and below (depending on federal, state and local range requirements), which allows younger athletes to join the fun!
This change is an outgrowth of overwhelming requests from coaches and state SPP leaders, who have asked the Foundation to offer other disciplines that their teams can learn and compete in. The SSSP listened: Beginning this January, current Scholastic Pistol Program teams and new teams may add rimfire rifle as another discipline, which will use the same rules, scoring and course of fire as the original pistol program.
Tammy Mowry, National Program Director, enthuses, "We're excited with the opportunity of adding rimfire rifle as a component of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program. We feel that this additional discipline opens the door for younger athletes to learn firearms safety along with the thrill and excitement of competition. This is a positive step in giving our teams more opportunities to pursue their passion for the shooting sports. We want to be able to introduce young shooters to a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime."
Want to get involved as a coach or a student? Click here to find out how.
Possibly the best part of the new SASP is that it will increase the number of potential participants. Although the original pistol program was only offered to athletes grades 6 and above, the new rifle discipline features a "Rookie" division for grades 5 and below (depending on federal, state and local range requirements), which allows younger athletes to join the fun!
This change is an outgrowth of overwhelming requests from coaches and state SPP leaders, who have asked the Foundation to offer other disciplines that their teams can learn and compete in. The SSSP listened: Beginning this January, current Scholastic Pistol Program teams and new teams may add rimfire rifle as another discipline, which will use the same rules, scoring and course of fire as the original pistol program.
Tammy Mowry, National Program Director, enthuses, "We're excited with the opportunity of adding rimfire rifle as a component of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program. We feel that this additional discipline opens the door for younger athletes to learn firearms safety along with the thrill and excitement of competition. This is a positive step in giving our teams more opportunities to pursue their passion for the shooting sports. We want to be able to introduce young shooters to a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime."
Want to get involved as a coach or a student? Click here to find out how.
