Phelps Trap Club Expanding Into Scholastic 3D Archery
In fall of 2014, the Phelps School Trap Club approached The Wilderness Reserve about using their facility for Phelps students to begin trap shooting as a club sport. This was developed for students to enjoy the shooting sports in hopes to keep students engaged in the outdoors. The club has been self sustaining for its four years of existence, only using The Wilderness grounds and some storage of the gate house. Within the next year we hope to partner with The Wilderness Reserve to trim back some of the brush and sapling trees within the field, and hopefully supply a storage shed for all the shooting supplies to be stored. We hope that the students can provide the work for the maintenance of the trap field, and the construction of the shed, not to take resources or time away from the Wilderness team.
For the students to participate they have to pay a minimal fee of $20 each year to cover their costs of insurance through the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). The rest of the money is raised each year through one fundraiser to supply targets, ammunition, and participation in other larger state and regional shoots. These types of activities are important for students as they teach accountability, responsibility, self discipline and gun safety, which is very important in todays world. It also gives students an opportunity to be competitive in a sport that is not a traditional school sport as we compete each week against another participating school virtually. This virtual competition allows schools to compete without travel to one another’s locations giving it the competitive feel each week, yet the safety and convenience without the travel.
