A record number of student athletes signed up for the USA Clay Target League’s 2024 spring season, with 37,158 participants currently shooting their way through several weeks of competitions. 

More than 13,000 new athletes from sixth grade through college joined the league this year. They’re competing on 1,795 high school, college, and homeschool teams nationwide, supported by some 10,400 coaches, volunteers, and staff. Not only is the league billed as the safest school sport, citing a record of zero reported injuries in its 23-year history, but athletes of all abilities and genders can participate.
 

“Clay target shooting sports are accessible to everyone, and the opportunity to participate on their school's team influences athlete's lives for the better,” Clay Target League President John Nelson said in a news release. “The league provides youth an outlet to develop their confidence, sportsmanship, and teamwork without the high costs and limited playing opportunities of traditional high school sports.”

Fielding nearly 52,000 athletes during the 2023-24 school year, America’s largest clay target shooting organization offers trap, skeet, sporting clays, and 5-stand leagues to secondary and postsecondary schools across the country.
 

For high school athletes, the nine-week spring season is underway and ends May 25, followed by state tournaments in June. These events attract tens of thousands of athletes, with the top athletes in the country eligible to compete at the USA High School Clay Target League National Championship in July. 
 

The spring season is shorter for college athletes, who will return to compete in the fall and cap off the year at the USA College Clay Target League National Championship in early November.

We visited the biggest state tournament, the Minnesota Trap Shooting Championship, back in 2021 and were impressed. If you plan to attend this year's event June 10-18 in Alexandria, Minnesota, be sure to look for our Guns.com booth, and stop by and say hi!