Shotgun Sports

SPORTS SHOOTING AWARDED RANGE DEVELOPMENT GRANT

SPORTS SHOOTING AWARDED RANGE DEVELOPMENT GRANT
Posted: Jul 07, 2022

Ottumwa, IA – The Indian Hills Sports Shooting squad has been awarded the Range Development Grant through the MidwayUSA Foundation. Indian Hills is one of 47 programs across the nation to receive the grant.

In collaboration with the Appanoose County Shooting Club (ACSC), the Warriors are the lone collegiate sports shooting program, and just one of four programs from the state of Iowa to receive funding via the Range Development Endowment. In total, $750,000 will be distributed through the cash grant payout to the 47 programs selected to receive the grant. 

Head coach Jake Stalzer, who has been head coach of the Indian Hills program since its inception in 2016, teamed up with members of the ACSC to identify needs that could benefit facilities for the Warrior program along with a number of clubs throughout the Southeast Iowa area. Currently, Indian Hills uses facilities in both Ottumwa and Centerville for competition and practice rounds. 

"The MidwayUSA Foundation Grant will make a big impact on the Appanoose County Shooting Club and our home practice facility for our Centerville campus," stated Stalzer. Not only will it help us out, but many others who use the range, including the Centerville and Moravia High School programs, along with club members of the ACSC, even potentially our Criminal Justice program at Indian Hills."

The grant will be used to help fund additional lighting at the range as well as parking lot renovations. Funds from the grant will cover roughly half the estimated cost of the project with ACSC matching the grant amount.

"The club saw a need for a specific parking lot to help traffic control, especially during those high school practice nights where more than 50 folks could be down at the range at one time," Stalzer added. "That, along with brand new and updated lighting to help get everyone through practice will be a game changer."

"The college has received a handful of other grants to help improve the ACSC since our inception in 2017 and turn it into one of the nicest facilities in Southeast Iowa including an additional trap range, new trap thrower, new skeet throwers, and more. The plan is to continue to try and help improve the range and apply for grants to add additional trap and skeet ranges the next couple years."

2022 marks the second consecutive year that the MidwayUSA Foundation has provided cash grants for programs in one of the nation's fastest growing competitive sports. Recently, Clay Target Shooting was classified as an emerging sport in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

"A fundamental need of a shooting team is a place to shoot, and it is exciting to have the opportunity to fulfill another need in the world of youth shooting sports through our Range Development grants," said MidwayUSA Foundation Executive Director G. Scott Reynolds.

The Warriors, who placed fifth overall in the State meet in the spring, will resume competition at the start of the fall term.