By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
A group of parents has banded together to work with the Elkhorn Area School District in hopes of bringing together a competitive shooting club for students at Elkhorn Area High School.
Elkhorn Area School District Athletic Director Dan Kiel said during the Elkhorn Area School District Board of Education’s meeting Nov. 23 parents came to him a little over a month ago to ask about the possibility of forming a trap shooting club for high school students.
Kiel said this isn’t the first time the idea has come up, noting it’s come up last year for sure and possibly the year before.
“There’s a lot of kids that want to do this,” he said. “These people have put a lot of time into pulling this all together and being able to answer all of your questions regarding something that’s becoming more and more common in this area.”
Kory Garlock, mother of an Elkhorn Area High School Student, said the first order of business in pulling together the club was finding a venue, a place to hold practices and competitions.
Reviewing the area, Garlock said she spoke with Wally Utter, President of the Delavan Sportsman Club, who was very accommodating of the clubs interest.
“He was very gracious and accommodating,” she said. “Whatever we needed, he was like yes, we’ll make it happen, and he just really wanted to promote young people and children picking up this sport.”
Delavan Sportsman Club would provide workers to launch clay birds, score keepers, concessions for students and families, a possible discount on the purchase of shells for students and possibly more.
At this time, the club has not determined who would coach students, though Garlock noted they have several parents, community members and members of the sportsman club interested. She said they were waiting to secure a coach until they received approval from the district.
Coaches would need to obtain training set by the Scholastic Clay Trap Program and pass background checks, Garlock said. Additionally, students would have to follow dress code, rules for safety and the codes of conduct of the program.
As for the cost, Garlock said it would cost students $20 to cover insurance and awards through the Scholastic Clay Trap Program, $105 to cover the cost of three tournaments – which students could choose to do more or less – $15 for a uniform and $35 for Delavan Sportsman Club’s membership fee, which includes a family membership, though the club is trying to get the fee waived for students.
Students would have to provide their own firearm, shooting vest or pouch and ammunition, a cost of about $3.50 per round of 25 clays.
The shooting season would run from March 1 through about the end of June, with opportunities available for additional shoots for individuals who want to travel or have additional competitions.
The club aims to meet twice a week, one evening and one Saturday option, giving students the opportunity to practice or log scores for conference. With “Week of” shoots, every team shoots at their home range on a specific night, but not necessarily the same night as other teams. For away shoots, the team can choose to shoot at a host’s club, but do not have to.
Parents or guardians would be responsible for providing their own transportation to all events and practices.
Other schools with similar clubs include Burlington High School, Badger High School and Wilmot High School.
While the club has received the School Board’s blessing to move forward, not all details are final yet. More information will be available at mywalworthcounty.com on the club when it becomes available.
These associations perceived that each had their qualities, yet exclusively they don’t give a solitary wellspring of data or support for beginning up school shooting programs.