Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP), one of the largest and most successful shooting programs in the nation, provides athletes the opportunity to go head-to-head in the shotgun shooting sports with their peers across the state.
But the program offers more than just competition.
Tennessee SCTP helps athletes build valuable skills, and for seniors graduating high school provides opportunities to earn college scholarships. After learning proper firearm safety, Tennessee SCTP athletes spend the rest of their time in the program mastering their shooting skills.
>>LEARN MORE: How to find or start a team nearby.
“Doing this requires immense focus and discipline,” said Andrew Peercy, Tennessee SCTP manager.
For many Tennessee SCTP athletes, skills learned on the range can translate to success off the field.
“When we see scholarship applications, we find that many athletes are applying these traits to their studies and even in their pursuits as sportsmen and women,” Andrew continued.
As with more traditional sports, universities in and out of state offer athletic scholarships to graduating seniors who have applied themselves. And because fewer high schools offer clay target programs, fewer athletes are applying for these scholarships than in sports such as football.
Tennessee SCTP also offers scholarships, such as the Robert E. Tipton, Jr. Memorial Scholarship—established by Deborah Dunklin Tipton in memory of its namesake who was a Tennessee SCTP athlete who tragically passed away in 2012.
The Tipton Scholarship and other Tennessee SCTP Scholarships are open to current athletes who are graduating seniors. Applications are distributed to the athletes in the spring.
>>LEARN MORE: See a full list of Tennessee and out-of-state universities offering scholarships.
“When athletes capitalize on all of the opportunities Tennessee SCTP provides, they gain the skills needed to succeed in school and the ability to market themselves during the college application process,” said Andrew.
If you are interested in joining a Tennessee SCTP team visit tnwf.org/explore.
