Over 10,000 Students Participating in 2016 Minnesota State High School Clay Target League

In addition to attending class, 10,361 student participants from 319 high school teams will participate in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League's (MNSHSCTL) 2016 spring season, which began April 3. Those are the highest numbers ever for the state, according to league officials.

“This League continues to be the fastest-growing activity in Minnesota schools,” said Jim Sable, Executive Director of the MNSHSCTL. “Such high participation shows the continued demand for alternative high school activities related to Minnesota's longstanding outdoor traditions.”

The league's co-ed and adaptive nature are key attractions to high schools in Minnesota. The league is fully Title IX compliant with both male and female athletes competing on the same team. Additionally, it's an adaptive sport, which allows students with physical disabilities to take part.

Upon completion of the Spring League’s regular season, all student athletes are invited to participate in individual and team competitions at the 2016 State Championships. The Trap Shooting Championship—the world's largest shooting sport event with about 7,000 competitors expected—is scheduled for June 14-21 at the Alexandria Shooting Park, while the Skeet Championship will be held at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake on June 26.

The trap shooting season culminates with the State Tournament presented by the MNSHSCTL. The State Tournament provides the opportunity for the highest qualifying individuals and teams from the clay target league to compete for the ultimate recognition as MNSHSCTL Champions. The MNSHSCTL was the first state high school interscholastic athletic association in the U.S. to provide support and recognition for a high school trap shooting state tournament.

The MNSHSCTL attracts student-athletes that have earned firearm safety certification in classes participate in shooting sports while creating a “virtual” competition among high school teams throughout Minnesota at no cost to the schools. Family travel costs are minimal because practice and competition are conducted at a shooting range near the school's location. The league is also one of the safest sports in high school athletics, with no reported injuries since the league’s inception in 2001.

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 individual and team performance on their phone, tablet or computer via the Shooter Performance Tracker.

The Minnesota State High School Clay Target League is an affiliate of the USA High School Clay Target League, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The League is an independent provider of shooting sports as an extracurricular co-ed and adaptive activity for high schools and students in grades 6 through 12. The organization’s priorities are safety, fun, and marksmanship—in that order. 13,000 student-athletes are currently participating in 12 state high school clay target leagues in the United States.

For more information visit http://mnclaytarget.com and http://usaclaytarget.com. Contact John Nelson at 612-490-1388 or by email at jnelson@mnclaytarget.com.