Minnesota to Host World's Largest Youth Trapshooting Tournament

Source: Minnesota State High School Clay Target League

MINNEAPOLIS and SAINT PAUL, Minn., May 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League (MSHSCTL) is proud to announce that 3,948 registered student athletes are scheduled to participate in the 2014 Championship, June 6-10 at the Alexandria Shooting Park in Alexandria, Minnesota.  For five days, student athletes representing 176 Minnesota high schools will compete for individual and team achievements in Novice, Junior Varsity and Varsity classifications.

Minnesota State High School Clay Target League 2014 Championship at the Alexandria Shooting Park in Alexandria, Minnesota June 6-10, 2014. With 3,948 registered student athletes it is the world's largest youth trapshooting tournament.

"Five years ago, we had a couple hundred student athletes and the tournament doubled the number of participants from just last year," said Jim Sable, Executive Director of the MSHSCTL. "With an expected 15,000 attendees including 3,948 student athletes, our Championship will be the largest youth trapshooting tournament in the world," Sable said.

The 2014 Championship is also the team-qualifying tournament for the inaugural 2014 State Tournament presented by the Minnesota State High School League. In addition to 104 individual qualifiers, 24 teams will qualify from the Championship and compete for the ultimate recognition as state champions on June 14, 2014 at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The Minnesota State High School League will become the first and only state high school interscholastic athletic association in America to provide support and recognition for trapshooting as a high school sport.

Generous supporters for the Championship includes The Sportsman's Guide™ as title sponsor and supporting sponsors including Federal Premium Ammunition®, Minnesota Youth Shooting Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Runnings, Ice Castle Fish Houses, and Mark Zauhar.

6,100 student athletes representing 185 high school teams recently completed their spring season in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League. Since 2001, the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League has no reported injuries or gun-free zone school violations.

The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League attracts student athletes to participate in shooting sports while creating a "virtual" competition among high school teams throughout Minnesota. Family travel is minimal because practice and competition are conducted at a shooting range near the school's location. Conferences are determined by team size rather than geographic location for fair competition. Athletes earn True Team Scoring™ points as determined by their performance and ranking against all athlete scores within their team's conference. The team score and overall standing are calculated by adding the earned points from qualifying athletes and posted on the League's website. Athletes and their families track their athlete's individual and team performance on their phone, tablet or computer via the Shooter Performance Tracker™.

The USA High School Clay Target League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and operates the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League as the independent provider of shooting sports as an extra curricular co-ed and adapted activity for high schools and students in grades six through 12 who have earned their firearms safety certification. The organization's priorities are safety, fun and marksmanship – in that order.