Middleburgh Central School is considering following the lead of Sharon Springs and lending its name to a Clay Target Club.
The SSCS Clay Target Club got its start in 2022; it November 2023 competition, the Spartans placed second out of nine schools in its conference, with a dozen of its members placing individually in the top 25 for male and female shooters.
Jeff Almy of the Middleburgh Rod & Club, where members would practice and compete, pitched the idea of the Middleburgh Knights Clay Target Club to the MCS School Board Wednesday.
It’s a sport that’s rapidly growing, he said, and since the start in Sharon, teams have been created locally in Schoharie, Cobleskill, Greenville, and Jefferson.
The USA High School Clay Target League offers college scholarships and clay target shooting is both a college and an Olympic sport.
Mr. Almy stressed it’s also a safety-first sport; parents, students, and coaches must all first compete a safety course and NRA-certified range safety officers will always be on-site.
Also, he said, Middleburgh Rod & Gun performs background checks on all of its members.
“It’s safety first,” Mr. Almy said. “The fun, the competition comes second.”
The Knights Clay Target Club would exist outside the school, Mr. Almy said; they’re only asking to use the MCS name.
There would also be no cost to the school with expenses—about $350-$340 a student—financed through fundraisers and practices and competitions would be scheduled so they didn’t compete with other sports.
Five students ages 12 and up would be required to form a team—not a problem, Mr. Almy said, based on the interest the idea has generated so far.
Mr. Almy’s already been discussing the idea with MCS Superintendent Mark Place.
“We’ll keep talking,” Mr. Place said. “We’ve started that conversation.”
The spring season would begin with registration in February and March with the fall season a separate registration.
The SSCS Clay Target Club shoots at the Sprout Brook Rod & Gun Club.