The fall season is underway for 1,252 student athletes on 95 high school teams participating in New York State High School Clay Target League (NYSHSCTL) programs. The NYSHSCTL is a part of the USA Clay Target League, which provides clay target shooting sports as an extracurricular activity to thousands of schools nationwide.
“The league provides schools with the opportunity to give their students a place to develop their confidence, sportsmanship and teamwork without the high costs and limited playing opportunities of traditional sports. Clay target shooting sports are accessible to everyone, and the opportunity to participate on their school’s team influences athletes’ lives for the better.” said John Nelson, president of the USACTL.
“Over 13,000 new athletes joined the league across the country through their school’s teams this year, thanks to the efforts of the shooting ranges, coaches and parents that make teams flourish.”
More than 4,000 students on 174 high school teams participated in league programs in New York in 2025. You can find a list of schools that participate on the league’s website.
About the USA Clay Target League
With over 55,000 participating athletes in 2025, the nonprofit USA Clay Target League is America’s largest clay target shooting organization. The league offers trap, skeet, sporting clays and 5-stand leagues to secondary and post-secondary schools across the country.
The league the only 100% school-approved clay target shooting sport program in America. Every team must have school approval to participate. Most participating schools have lettering programs as well as yearbook inclusion for the teams. In addition, tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships are provided to qualifying seniors by the League and post-secondary institutions each year.
The league’s co-ed and adaptive nature are key attractions to schools nationwide: it’s fully Title IX compliant with both male and female athletes competing on the same team, and it’s an adaptive sport, which allows students with physical disabilities to take part.
The league’s priorities are safety, fun and marksmanship – in that order.
The league is the safest sport in school, with not one reported injury since the inception of the league in 2001. Each athlete must complete firearm safety certification before participation.
Visit http://usaclaytarget.com for more information.
