Young Marines Adopt Scholastic Steel Challenge

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — The Scholastic Steel Challenge (SSC) announced that the Young Marines, a youth education and service program for boys and girls with over 14,000 participants nationwide, have adopted the Scholastic Steel Challenge as a supplemental training program.

This marks the first time the Young Marines have allowed a centerfire or handgun discipline to be included in their marksmanship program. The organization currently authorizes air rifle and smallbore rifle for the program.

“We’re extremely pleased that SSC is the first centerfire and handgun shooting program approved by the Young Marines,” said Scott Moore, director for the Scholastic Steel Challenge. “We look forward to working with the leadership of the Young Marines to bring SSC to as many of their 14,000 members as possible.”

Already a Young Marines unit from Knoxville, Tenn. has scheduled an SSC live-fire demonstration to be held at a local range run by the sheriff’s department. At the end of June the Young Marines Leadership Academy, a conference for senior students in the program, will incorporate the SSC with a live-fire demonstration utilizing the stage Smoke & Hope.

“We’re excited that the Young Marines have moved forward so quickly on setting up SSC demonstrations and we’re confident that once their members give Scholastic Steel Challenge a try, and experience the excitement of shooting steel against the clock, the program will expand rapidly through ranks,” added Moore.

The Scholastic Steel Challenge is a national team-oriented youth shooting program developed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) and funded in part by a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The program is open to young men and women ages 12 to 20 and offers them the opportunity to compete as a four person team for a national title in the action pistol discipline of speed shooting.

Already the program has received support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Smith & Wesson, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network, Glock, Action Target, EOTAC, Precision Delta and Brownells, which together have committed over $150,000 in funding and product.

For more information on the Scholastic Steel Challenge and the Steel Challenge Shooting Association visit www.SteelChallenge.com, bookmark our online newsroom or follow @ScholasticSteel on Twitter.