started in 2001
“Safety, Fun, Marksmanship – In that order.”
- USA Clay Target League
- 2008 Minnesota State High School Clay Target League
- 2012 USA High School Clay Target
- 2014 the MNSHSCTL Championship was the largest shooting event in the world
- 2018, nearly 26,000 students on over 800 teams in 20 states were participating
- http://usacollegeclaytarget.com/about-us/history/
USA College Clay Target League
- 2018 Minnesota College Athletic Conference
USA High School Clay Target
- started in 2012
- largest youth clay target shooting program in the world
- over 32,000 participants yearly
- Five students is the minimum number for a team (no maximum number)
- Each team competes in their own conference with teams of similar team member size
- one of the largest sports in Minnesota High Schools
USA Clay Target League
990 Lone Oak Road, Suite 120
Eagan, MN 55121
About the USA Clay Target League
The USA Clay Target League is the largest youth clay target shooting program in the country, running trap and other clay sports as school-based team activities for students in grades 6 through 12, with a college program as well. It began in 2001 when Jim Sable, a retired advertising executive and trap shooter, started an after-school mentoring program at the Plymouth Gun Club in Plymouth, Minnesota. That effort became the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League in 2008, starting with 3 teams and 30 students.
Growth since then has been remarkable. The USA High School Clay Target League was created in 2012 to expand beyond Minnesota, a college league followed in 2018, and the first national championship was held in Michigan in July 2018. By the 2018-19 school year close to 30,000 student-athletes on more than 900 teams in 30 states were taking part, and participation passed 38,000 students in 2021. The league is open to boys, girls and adaptive athletes, and its motto puts safety first: “Safety, Fun, Marksmanship – In that order.” It reported no injuries since its 2001 start, a record that matters to schools and parents weighing shooting sports programs.
Key Facts
- 2001: Jim Sable starts a youth trap mentoring program in Plymouth, Minnesota
- 2008: Minnesota State High School Clay Target League forms with 3 teams and 30 students
- 2012: USA High School Clay Target League created for other states
- July 2018: first national championship held in Michigan; college program launched that year
- 2018-19 school year: about 30,000 students on 900+ teams in 30 states
- 2021: more than 38,000 student participants
Sources
- Youth Shooting Revolution: USA Clay Target League (Shooting Sports USA)
- High school gun clubs and teams in the United States (Wikipedia)
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