The Santa Ynez Valley Scholastic Clay Shooting Program, also known as SCTP, is wrapping up its eighth year. Eighteen kids from the Santa Ynez Valley, along with kids from Santa Maria and Goleta, have been practicing trap shooting since January in preparation for the final State SCTP shoot on June 20 in Kingsburg, Calif.

“At this point, preparing the kids to shoot 200 rounds in 105-degree heat is key,” says Coach Rick Tomasini.

When asked how that’s done he says: “Take them to Bakersfield for the Central Zone shoot where it’s hot and shoot 200 targets.” The kids also shoot 100 to 150 targets locally at practice each Friday.

The program started in 2001 with six children. This year there are 25 children, ranging from grades six through 12. This is the first year girls have not competed.

Coach Vickie Craine, one of the founding coaches of the local SCTP group, says she really enjoys watching “kids being safe and having fun and seeing the change in attitude as they grow.”

This year there are 24 boys shooting competitively. For some, it’s the first of many years to come; for others it’s their fourth, fifth or even seventh year shooting. Jordan Puccinelli is one of the boys competing. He says he really likes the competition.

“I have more respect for guns ’cause I thought they were just for shooting animals, and now I know you can compete with them,” he says, adding he would encourage his friends to try it because “the (safety) guide lines are so that there is little chance of getting hurt, and I think they’d have fun.”

Puccinelli says he’s found a sport that he can do until he’s 90.

Hunter Jacobsen, who started at age 7 and is now 16, says he is now “an expert.” When asked what makes one an expert, he replies, “shooting 199 out of 200 two years in a row at state.”

Wyatt Caldera says, “getting to shoot” and his goal to “be the best trap shooter he can be” is what he likes.

Clay Hutchinson, 8, from Santa Ynez, says he started the year hitting four out of eight and now can hit 10 out of 25 with a 28-gauge gun that’s on loan from the gun club. He says he hopes to shoot on a squad next year with his brother’s gun.

He smiles and then turns to his dad and says, “You could have got me a gun for my birthday, Dad.”

Clay’s father, Brad, says this program teaches the children a lot of respect for guns and he hopes “this proves to anti-gun people that something positive can be done with guns other than just bad things.”

A recent practice started as all the others with kids and parents paying their low weekly fee and then taking their seats inside the Santa Ynez Valley Sportsman’s Club. The coaches then take roll and go over the safety rules. The coach calls on the kids randomly, asking for a rule.

“Eyes and ears!” “Don’t point at anything you don’t want to shoot!” “Know what’s behind your target!” “Don’t put your gun on your toe!” “Treat every firearm as if it were loaded!” And the list goes on.

This day, Coach Charlie Carroll has taken time to paint the usually bright orange trap targets all different colors and added some “puff targets,” which omit a puff of powder when hit.

The kids will shoot at least 100 rounds, and when they’re done, they get to pick a “fun shoot.” This could be a big chip, shooting from the rock or several others.

This time, however, the kids get to follow a special tradition. Justin Greer has shot 25 straight, and now everyone lines up with guns at the ready to take aim at his hat, which has been weighted with a soda can. When the hat is thrown high into the sky, a volley of gunfire sounds off as the hat falls back to earth.

The hat jerks from the impact as hundreds of shots hit their mark. The hat is retrieved, and a proud Greer, surrounded by his friends, inspects the now sticky, BB-laden hat. He’s all grins as his father takes his picture.

Justin’s mother, Lisa, says this was Justin’s first year, and Justin was definitely coming back next year. She says she hopes that her daughter will shoot next year, as well.

“It’s a great sport,” she says. “It teaches sportsmanship, responsiblitly and builds camaraderie, as well as being very affordable.”

Coach Carroll says that the fee of $28 is made possible by annual grants from Friends of the NRA. The grants allow the club to charge the flat fee, which covers all the shells and targets for the Friday practices.

The grants also help defray the cost of shells at the state shoot and are used to purchase guns for the club to loan out. The coaches often recommend kids borrow guns during the first year before making a purchase. This way the kids and parents have a better idea of what will work the best.

Floyd Holmes travels every Friday from Goleta so his son Anthony can shoot.

Holmes says he appreciates the one-on-one instruction and the life learning experiences that they can pass along to their kids or friends.

“The future of shooting will be passed on with these kids,” he says.

Coach Tomasini says that since this is a scholastic program, school grades need to be kept up,

“Many kids have missed a practice or two because parents weren’t pleased with grades,” Tomasini said. “We’ve had our own kids sit out when a bad grade came home.”

Last weekend at the Central Zone Shoot, the SCTP kids competed against the adults for a chance to make either the Men’s or Junior State Team, along with individual class awards.

Justin Mortensen and Hunter Jacobsen secured a place on the Junior State Team, and Jake Wilks of Ballard took alternate after losing in a shoot off.

Coach Craine, who lives in Buellton, made the Women’s State Team.