Read about how Charles is making a difference.
It was a sultry Sunday afternoon in July of 2021 and a handful of parents were gathered after an AIM trap event at Arrowhead Gun Club located in Lunenburg County, Virginia. The conversation was about the possibility of starting a Scholastic Clay Target Program team (SCTP) at the club for youth athletes to compete in the shotgun sports disciplines of skeet, trap and sporting clays. By the end of the conversation, I had committed to help start the team and be the head coach for at least the first year. That day marked the beginning of Arrowhead Young Guns SCTP team. The team was started on the first day of the SCTP season, September 1, 2021. No one imagined the growth and excitement it would create with the youth athletes, coaches, volunteers and parents. In the first year, the Arrowhead Young Guns team, made up of 4 female and 9 male athletes, competed in various trap, skeet and sporting clay tournaments throughout Virginia. Ten members of team and their families traveled to Marengo, Ohio to the SCTP Nationals for a full week of competition in all three shotgun disciplines.
Our team has experienced rapid growth as we start a new season with 7 female and 12 male athletes along with 8 coaches and 4 adult volunteers. Through the Scholastic Clay Target Program, the Arrowhead Young Guns team provides kid from elementary through high school and college with the opportunity to participate in the challenging sports of skeet, trap and sporting clays. SCTP in the feeder program to USA Shooting and is a path to the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team. In addition, the Arrowhead Young Guns team provides student athletes a supportive environment where shotgun sports serve as a catalyst for teaching life lessons and skills that emphasize character traits and citizenship values.
Working with our youth has proven to be medicine for my soul.
By: Charles Russell