Scholastic clay target team signing up for new members
WAYNESBURG – Greene County’s scholastic clay target team, the Hunting Hills Hawkeyes, will hold registration in preparation for its eighth season.
The Greene County Department of Recreation will host signups for 2015 returning students from 1 to 2 p.m. Feb. 21 at Building No. 9 at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Registration fee is $50, or $30 for students who have already renewed their National Sporting Clays Association membership. A copy of the NSCA card must be provided the day of signups.
New students in third through eighth grades can register that same day from 2 to 3 p.m. A safety and training session for new team members is mandatory and will begin at 3 p.m. following signups. A $50 registration fee applies for all new students.
Because of large participation numbers, new students will only be accepted in the category levels of rookie (grades 3, 4 and 5) and intermediate (grades 6, 7 and 8).
Practice sessions will be held at several locations at 1 p.m. each Sunday beginning April 10. All students are required to bring a 12- or 20-gauge shotgun, semi-automatic or over-and-under, and shells for each practice session.
Head coach Chuck Mallory, assistant head coach Randy Coss and several volunteer coaches will instruct the students on gun handling, mounting, stance, lead and shot, and will prepare them for the state competition, scheduled June 18 at Buffer Creek Sporting Clays in Somerset.
The Hawkeyes were formed in February 2009 as part of a pilot Scholastic Clay Target Program in the county. More than 60 students in grades 5 through 12 have participated in the program each year. The team’s home base of Hunting Hills is owned and operated by Sally and Roy Sisler, who first approached the Greene County commissioners in 2008 about starting the program.
The program’s mission is to promote and teach young people the fundamentals of gun safety, team work and outdoor sports.
For more information about registration, or for anyone interested in helping sponsor the Hunting Hills Hawkeyes’ 2016 season, call the county’s Department of Recreation at 724-852-5323 or go online to www.co.greene.pa.us.