The temperatures are falling,brand most of Utah is preparing to see white blankets of snow. Spanish Fork GunbrClub, on the other hand, is also planning to see green this winter season. Notbrthe green grass, but the green jerseys of the Skyline X youth shotgun shootingbrteam.
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Skyline X, based out ofbrSpanish Fork Gun Club, is a youth shotgun shooting team for youth ages 8 to 24bryears old that introduces, grows, supports, and educates youth, and theirbrfamilies to firearm safety and shotgun shooting sports.
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The shooting season for thebrscholastic team began Nov. 7, and there is still plenty of space available onbrthe team for anyone that would still like to register.
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“I am excited about the newbrseason,” said Jenny McGowan, Head Coach, Skyline X. “Getting to help kids findbrtheir places in this world is so rewarding. We have many team members who justbrdidn’t love playing a normal sport and just wanted to be in the mountainsbrshooting their guns. They now have found their home on Skyline X. I am so luckybrto watch these kids grow not only in shotgun shooting but in their personalbrlives.”
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“Shooting sports andbrteams like Skyline X offer a fantastic alternative to traditional sportsbrprograms,” explains Brian Beard, President of Utah Youth Education inbrShooting Sports. “Shooting sports does not necessarily cater to one gender orbranother, or even to those with the highest athletic ability. This opens doorsbrto those students that don’t generally participate in traditionalbrextracurricular activities. Shooting sports has also proven to be the safestbrhigh school sport available. Students are not being regularly injured and sentbrhome with concussions, broken bones, bumps and bruises that are oftenbrassociated with traditional sports.”
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Skyline X ended its previousbrseason with just under 60 members making it the largest youth shotgun shootingbrteam in the state. The team is part of the statewide organization, the UtahbrYouth Education in Shooting Sports. Their goal is to develop self-confidence,brself-esteem, self-reliance, respect, personal discipline, responsibility,brcitizenship, teamwork, and sportsmanship through regular practice andbrcompetition at local, state, and national events. Along with the great shootingbrevents and competitions held throughout the season, High School athletes arebralso able to earn Varsity Letters in Trap, Skeet, or Sporting Clays through thebrUTYESS Independent Lettering Program.
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This independent letteringbrprogram not only encourages athletes to do continually improve in theirbrshooting fields but also further stresses the importance of academics throughbrsports.
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“It has been anbrincredible experience watching this youth team grow over the years from just abrhandful of teens, to more than 50 shooters now,” said Kiersten Dumas,brSpanish Fork Gun Club Manager. “It is refreshing to see more and morebryouth get involved. I enjoy watching these kids grow more and more confident inbrtheir shooting abilities.” (Serve Daily submission.)
