Young Tenn. shooters on target for national honors
If you didn’t know about Tennessee’s Scholastic Clay Target Program before the recent SCTP National Team Championship in Sparta, Illinois, let the record show:
The Haywood County Young Guns claimed the Varsity Division Doubles Skeet title sparked by a 99of-100 score by Zachery Tensley of Bells. Adding to their second-place finish in Doubles Skeet, the Young Guns also won the JV Division title in American Skeet, breaking 580 of their 600 targets.
The Henry County No Fly Zone combined for a first-place total of 583 of 600 targets to win the Varsity Division in American Skeet. Hunter Fletcher of Paris and Caleb Orr Puryear led the No Fly Zone with 195 targets each. Orr is the grandson of Brenda Valentine, a member of the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame and known as the “first lady of hunting.” Briar Ray of Puryear finished with 193. The No Fly Zone also claimed the Intermediate/Advanced Level Division in American Skeet, combining for 558 out of 600 targets by shooters Stuart Archer, Drew James and Bryce Townsend. Plus, Skye McLean was the Female National Varsity champion, with 194 of 200.
Houston Carson, a rising senior at Munford High, accomplished something that no other competitor did during the six-day competition at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, hitting 200 consecutive targets on the two days he competed.
Chelsea Mathis of McKenzie took second high all-around in trap and skeet. She’s headed to Bethel University on a shooting scholarship.
“How’s that for shooting?” said Lance Rider, Region 1 educational officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Female National Varsity champion Skye McLean (with Henry County No Fly Zone coach Bill Neese) hit 194 of 200 targets in American Skeet. Resources Agency and the agency’s liaison for the state’s fast-growing SCTP program. Hey, we aren’t through. There’s more to this amazing recent run by West Tennessee young shooters.
How about trap-shooter Ellie Roditis, an incoming senior at McKenzie High School who recently captured the silver medal in the U.S. Junior Olympic shooting meet in Colorado Springs, Colorado? Roditis’ performance earned her a berth on the U.S. junior shooting team at the World Cup in September in Italy.
If you are looking for some good news in today’s newspaper, we’ve got it.
More than 2,400 competitors took aim at 872,500 clay targets in the SCTP National Team Championships. To give you an idea of how popular the sport is in Tennessee, about one-third of the shooters were from the Volunteer State.
The SCTP is a youth development program in which adult coaches and other volunteers use the shooting sports of trap, skeet and sporting clays, as well as the Olympic disciplines of bunker trap, trap doubles and international skeet to teach and demonstrate positive life skills, such as sportsmanship, responsibility and ethics.
“I’m telling you, it (SCTP) is busting at the seams,” Rider said, obviously proud of what Tennessee shooters did at the National Team Championships and how Roditis, who shoots for his team, is receiving national attention.
Carson admits to calling on a higher power for his perfect rounds.
“I did a lot of praying,” said Carson, 17, who competed in the American 16yard trap at the SCTP Nationals. “The first hundred was OK, and I felt good on the second day but I admit I got a little nervous near the end. I’d done 199 (out of 200) before, so I was glad to get through those final five shots.”
Tinsley had quality support from teammates Ford Ellington (Brownsville) with 92 and Michael Hunter Campbell (Somerville) with 91 to help lead Haywood’s Young Guns to the Varsity Division Doubles Skeet title.
About five years ago, Bill Neese, 69, a lawyer and avid sleet shooter, was asked to coach the Henry County No Fly Zone’s three skeet teams. It was, you might say, love at first shot for Neese, who has been practicing law for 43 years in Henry County.
“It has become an important and enjoyable part of my life,” Neese said. “These kids are great. If all our young people had the character, ambition and respect for themselves and others these kids do, we would only need a third of the law enforcement and jails we have today.”
Scarlett Orr, Caleb’s mother, agrees.
“The friendships and the relationships make winning that much sweeter. Basically these kids practice for five months as teams to participate in three organized tournaments,” Orr said. “Two of those tournaments (were) being held in the absolute hottest time of year. The heat index in Sparta on the second day of trap was 108. It takes a dedicated shooter made of tougher stuff than some to be able to hold up in those conditions on the line.”
Orr and her mother, Brenda Valentine, had a double reason to cheer.
Not only does Caleb participate, but so does Orr’s daughter.
“There are several families that have more than one child in the shooting program,” Orr said. “No matter your height, weight, gender or age, you have the potential to succeed as a shooter. The family-type atmosphere that the No Fly Zone program has is very encouraging to young people.”
In five years, the No Fly Zone has grown to about 75 shooters en route to winning four national championships, four national runners-up, many national honors, several Mid-West Regional championships (eight states) and individual success at the West Tennessee and state levels.
“I have been very impressed with the sportsmanship and honesty these kids display, like calling a broken target on the other team when the official called it lost,” Neese said. “These athletes have made many friendships with shooters from all over the country.”
One of those friendships has been with coach Rad Ellington’s Haywood County Young Guns.
“We scrimmage with our friends and neighbors from the Haywood County Young Guns,” Neese said. “There are many great teams in Tennessee, but lately it seems these two teams swap out wins. We try to beat each other but cheer for the other to take second place. Coach Ellington runs a great program in Haywood County. “
For additional information about SCTP, which was started by the National Shooting Sports Foundation in 2001, go to www.sssfonline.org. Got an outdoors item of note? Email Larry Rea at lroutdoors@att.net or go to his website at lroutdoors.com; listen to Larry Rea on Outdoors on Saturday mornings from 6-7:30 on ESPN 790-AM.