LOWVILLE — Add Lowville Academy and Central School to the list of north country districts offering trap shooting to their students.
“We’re pretty excited about this,” High School Principal Brian E. Finn said. “And the kids are excited about it.”
“It will give the kids the opportunity to do something else they’re interested in,” added District Superintendent Cheryl R. Steckly.
The Board of Education on Monday, after giving tentative approval to the proposal a couple months ago, approved the creation of a club team to compete in the second-year New York State Clay Target League.
An informational session for interested students and their parents was held Feb. 1, and 37 students in grades 7 through 12 — including a mix of boys and girls — have signed up to participate, Mr. Finn said. Six people have also volunteered to be club advisors, he said.
The school’s agriculture teacher, Melvin T. Phelps, is a certified hunting and firearms safety instructor and plans to offer a requisite safety course at the Lowville fire hall prior to the start of competition April 2, Mr. Finn said.
Much of the first day of shooting will likely be dedicated to firearm safety, as well, he said.
Students from Belleville Henderson, Sackets Harbor, Copenhagen, Carthage and Beaver River Central school districts competed in the trap league’s inaugural season last spring.
Teams shoot at their home ranges every Sunday, then they post scores that are compared to determine individual and team winners. All teams then come together for a year-end state championship, with neighboring Beaver River taking home the team title last year.
Officials at Lowville Fish & Game Club have been very supportive, offering to provide range officers each Sunday and allowing students to purchase targets at their cost, Mr. Finn said. There will be no cost to the district, and students will need to pay a $35 registration fee and roughly $20 per week for ammunition and targets, he said.
Plans are to conduct four hour-long rounds each week to accommodate up to 40 students at the gun club’s 10-station facility, Mr. Finn said.
Other accommodations will need to be made if, as expected, more students sign up in upcoming years, he said.
The club schedule will allow team members to also participate in a spring sport if they so choose, and Mr. Finn said he knows of at least a few who are considering that.