NSSA - National Skeet Shooting Association

The National Skeet Shooting Association is the world's largest organization dedicated to the sport of Skeet Shooting.

NSSA Endowment Exploration Framework

By

At the recent winter meeting of NSSA and NSCA governing bodies, a plan was made to explore a potential endowment program to benefit NSSA and NSCA. A workshop will be held to initiate the effort. President Don Kelly and Past President John Haugh prepared a statement on the plan, inviting interested members to participate:

Throughout the history of our association, our members, members’ families, and friends within the shooting community have donated both real property (e.g., guns) and financial contributions.

Currently, we have ad hoc resources and personnel to properly and legally receive and process these donations.

As a result of 3-5 years of observing NSC staff handle this process, coupled with research from professional fundraising and marketing firms, the NSSA has formed an “Exploration Team” to evaluate the necessity to formalize the infrastructure, personnel, and governance and refine the addressable donor population.

Next Steps:

  • As of January 16, 2020, the NSSA has received private donations or pledges of $75,000 to fund the exploratory effort.
  • The Exploration team is a volunteer, vetted team nominated and selected across both of our disciplines (sporting and skeet).
  • A workshop will be held in March-April 2020 at a location to be determined. We will invite subject matter experts from professional fundraising firms, marketing firms, and our selected NSSA-NSCA volunteers.
  • The workshop will provide the NSSA Executive Committee and NSCA Executive Council a report with recommendations for action to develop an endowment program or refrain from this pursuit.
  • Inherent to the report, if determined we proceeed with an endowment program, the exploration team will define a design, implementation and execution phase, narrowly focused on 18-36 months of the program.

Interested Volunteers and Donors:

If you are interested in participating in the workshop or have a recommendation for consideration, please contact John Haugh at 216-533-4203 or Don Kelly at 920-619-3504 no later than February 15, 2020.

    Donald J. Kelly, NSSA President

    John C. Haugh, NSSA Past President

     
     

NSSA Shoot Register: See Upcoming Shoots

By

NSSA Shoot Register
Click image to view NSSA Shoot Register – Tournaments

You can plan your registered shooting events for the next three months with our printable NSSA Shoot Register.

So you won’t have to search through monthly target listings to find registered tournaments, we’ve separated those two categories into separate lists.

Our list is automatically updated weekly, so you can check back at any time to find events for the next three months, by state. You’ll also find Top 100, Zone, and State shoots on every month’s listing.

View/Download the NSSA Shoot Register – Tournaments

View/Download the NSSA Shoot Register – Monthly Targets

High School Seniors: Apply for NSSA-NSCA Scholarships

By

NSSA and NSCA will each award four $2500 college scholarships this year to deserving members who will graduate from high school and start a four-year college program in 2020.

The scholarships will be awarded based on academics, citizenship, and participation in NSSA or NSCA. Applicants must submit an application, a short essay, a transcript, and a letter of recommendation. The scholarships are paid incrementally by semester, and students must maintain a B average.

The deadline to apply is March 1, 2020. Scholarship winners will be notified prior to the end of the school year and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Clay Target Nation.

See full requirements and application forms below.

NSSA Requirements and Application Form

NSCA Requirements and Application Form

 

 

Three NSSA Rule Changes Adopted for 2020

By Leave a Comment

The NSSA Board of Directors has adopted three rule changes that will be effective January 1.

Colliding Targets While Shooting Doubles

The change to rule III-E eliminates some language regarding the ruling on Doubles or Proof Doubles. Deletions from the current rule are struck through.

2.  If a double is thrown but the targets collide, before the result of the first bird is determined, it shall be declared no bird, and the result of a proof double shall determine the score of both shots.

5. If the shooter is deprived of a normal second shot for any of the following reasons, the result of the first shot shall be scored even if an apparent gun malfunction may have occurred on the second shot, and the second target only shall be declared no bird and a proof double shall be fired to determine the result of the second shot.

     g. The first shot is lost and a collision occurs before the result of the second shot is determined.

Explanation:
This rule change stems from inconsistency in how the rule is applied. Additionally, it does not allow a referee to “watch the (first) target to the ground…” Some referees do make a call of, “no bird; nothing established, proof double to determine the results of both targets,” but it is not consistent across referees.  The rules regarding breaking both targets with one shot (III-E-5-e), or a piece off the first target properly broken breaking the second target of a double (III-E-5-h).  Both these instances will still be, “first target dead; proof double to determine the results of the second target,” would not be affected.

This rule gives the shooter the benefit of the doubt when the targets collide on a pair.  The rule change will also help in more consistent calls when this situation does arise.

Reclassification of a Classified Shooter

Changes are made to rule V-A-11. Deletions from current rule are struck through; additions are bold italics.

c. A classified shooter may reclassify upward or downward an unlimited number of times in each individual gauge or doubles during the shooting year. However, downward reclassification is limited to no more than one class below the shooter’s starting class at the beginning of the year. For example, a shooter starting the year in Class A in the 12 gauge can reclassify upward thru to AAA, and downward to B, any number of times.   by averaging without limit during the shooting year including into AAA, but may not reclassify downward more than one class during the year, and again at the end of the year.Downward reclassification may be declined by entering the higher class on the classification card in the blank for assigned class after reclassification. This will preclude later downward reclassification after another event for the remainder of the shooting year, since this is the equivalent of declaring upward. Should a shooter reclassify downward between a preliminary and main event, or between events of the same gauge or doubles at a registered shoot, and then subsequently reclassify upward at the completion of that registered shoot, such an occurrence will NOT count as the shooter’s “one time downward” reclassification. Note: If, after the final event of the shooting year a shooter’s 5-event average places him/her in a class below the class shot in the last event, then the starting class for the new shooting year will be that lower class so long as it is not more than one class below the class started in in the previous year. For example, a shooter starts the year in Class B and at the end of the year shooter’s 5-event average places him/her in Class D, the shooter will start the new year in Class C.  If downward reclassification occurs as a result of the last event of the shooting year, the shooter starts the next year in the new, lower class. A downward reclassification at the end of the shooting year does not preclude a subsequent downward reclassification during the new shooting year, even after the first event of the year. The first downward reclassification may occur at any time during the year, but the second only at year-end.Example: The shooter’s annual classification card lists his/her last five shoots of the previous year in 12 gauge as: 

He/she then shoots 100 straight in the first shoot of the current year. The new average and class are (dropping 95 at the top of the list): 94+97+97+99+100=487/500=.9740 and is still in class A for the next shoot.

d. A classified shooter who wishes to self-declare into a higher class may do so, including into AAA but thereafter may not shoot below the declared class for the remainder of the shooting year. When a shooter so elects, he/ she must present his/her card at a registered shoot and have his/her card marked by management with his/her self-declared class before competing in the event for which he/she is declaring upward and also be entered upon the official entry form as self-declared. 

The rule change stems from the following:
Our current re-classification rules are not easily understood by all our members, are difficult to police, and sometimes result in individuals inadvertently shooting in an incorrect class. Removing the “one time down” restriction will improve compliance with the rules and, possibly, provide a classification system more representative of a shooter’s ability.The Rules Committee felt that there should be a limit on the downward re-classification.  A shooter should not be able to reclassify more than one class below their starting class at the beginning of the year in an individual gauge or doubles.

Recognition and Awards

Changes to II-H-1-b. Deletions from current rule are struck through. The rule is returned to its original intent and includes the Robert Nesbitt Veteran HOA Award.

That for the consideration for Annual High Average Leader (Open and Concurrent) recognition, only targets shot at registered shoots with ten or more entrants per event will be counted. Monthly targets and targets only are excluded from the calculation, except where a Sub-Junior, Junior or Collegiate shooter chooses not to pay the mandatory purse portion of an entry fee. This rule applies ONLY to the seven (7) Jay Schatz Annual High Average Leader awards for Open 12, 20, 28, 410, Doubles HOA, Lady HOA and the Robert Nesbitt Veteran HOA award., and any national team, award or recognition based on averages.

The Rules Committee provides some history on this rule and why this change is being made: 

It recently came to the Rules Committee’s attention that the rule regarding qualification for High Average Leader is being applied to awards it was not originally intended to. To wit, the Honor Squad. The requirement for there to be at least 10 entries in an event for the score (average) to count was originally intended to apply ONLY to the seven annual High Average Awards (Jay Schatz) that are presented at the Hall of Fame banquet for the high average individual in the five gauges, HOA and Lady HOA. The rule currently states this, but, at the end of it, the Nesbitt award “…and any national team, award or recognition based on averages” are also included.

In June 2006, the Executive Committee voted to send a ballot to the Board of Directors to change II-H-1-b (which was II-I-1-b at that time), adding the requirement for 10 or more entries in an event and to exclude monthly targets and TOs from the high average calculation, but ONLY for the seven Jay Schatz awards. The change was approved by the Board, retroactive to Nov. 1, 2005 (the start of the 2006 shooting year), and it was worded that way in the Rules Book, and every year through 2012.

In 2013, the wording was changed, adding the Nesbitt Award and any national team, award, or recognition based on averages. In 2012, we had a rather lengthy rules ballot as part of the consolidation effort for the Rules Book, but II-H-1 was not part of the revision. Nothing could be found in any Rules or Executive Committee meeting minutes in 2012 or 2013 recommending the addition. When, or how, the wording was changed is unknown.

The current wording of the rule affects not only the Honor Squad and Robert Nesbitt awards but also, unintentionally, Sub-Junior, Junior and Sr. Veteran All-America teams because they use a “hybrid” of points and averages to select those teams. The All-American Selection Committee Chairman was unaware that some individuals were removed from consideration for those teams in past years. Additionally, individuals were not included on the High Average lists in the Records Annual if they didn’t have the standard requirements of registered targets from events with at least 10 entries; the “10-entry” requirement was intended to apply only to the individual with the highest average, not to anyone else.

The new rule offers more shooters the opportunity to be recognized and does not dissuade shooters from participating in smaller events while still maintaining a competitive requirement for the top nationally recognized high average awards.

Clay-Target-Nation-LOGO-transparent-cropped

Skeet

Sporting Clays

National Shooting
Complex

Museum &
Hall of Fame

About