Students across the region will descend on the Sale Field and Game Range on Wednesday, June 14, for the 2023 Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships.
The 2023 Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships is the 44th annual clay shooting competition, attracting thousands of students since its beginning in 1978.
Sponsored by Gary Howard and Gary Schuback with support from Winchester Australia, the event began at Anderson’s Paddock, on Maffra Road, Sale, using a manual trap with stacked hay bales as the ‘trap house’.
Maffra High School, coached by Rick O’Connor, Sale High School, coached by Col Evison and Andrew Daff, Sale Tech, coached by Jill Tucker and Bruce Houston and STAGGS, coached by Trevor Coster and Viv Cooper, were the four schools to compete in the inaugural shooting competition.
Gary Howard was the advisor, referee and presenter.
In 1979, the competition moved to the ‘gravel pit range’ at the Southern or rear entrance to Kilmany Park, with the manual trap placed in the pit, below the competing shooters. Schools from Bairnsdale and Traralgon participated for the first time in the second annual Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships.
A long lever trap and trap house was built in 1980, by Bruce Houston, Viv Cooper, and students Morris Cox and Shawn Anders, with the help of park manager Eric Frith.
Eventually, the competition moved permanently to the Sale Field and Game Range at Longford, where it is still sponsored by H&S Firearms (Sale).
Several Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships participants have represented Australia in international events, including two shooters who represented Australia at the Olympic Games – Keith Ferguson in the Rio and London Olympics and Aislin Jones in the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The local shooting competition’s popularity has grown from no more than 50 competitors at the inaugural Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships to more than 220 student shooters in 2014, attracting schools from Warragul to Mallacoota and everywhere in between.
Last year, the first post-COVID event, 118 students from 11 schools, attended the annual shooting competition, with facilitators anticipating a larger turnout in 2023.
Schools will arrive at the Sale Field and Game range, off Chessum Rd Longford, on Wednesday, June 14, from 9am, with shooting beginning before 10am.
All shooters competing in the 2023 Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships will complete two rounds of 10 targets.
Students will compete in one of the four age categories, with schools also vying to win the school title.
Shoot-offs for placings will occur, with presentations usually completed by about 2pm.
Reigning 2022 champions, Gippsland Grammar is gearing up for what they hope will be another successful year at the annual Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships.
“Shooting has a long history at Gippsland Grammar, with the sport running consistently since 1967, other than lockdowns through COVID,” Nick Kuch, Gippsland Grammar teacher in charge of shooting, said.
“Students are very excited for Wednesday, especially the current group of Year 12s that has been involved in the shooting program since Year 8 and who enjoy this competition more than any other competition we contest throughout the year.
“Why do we keep being involved? Because of the strong student interest. The students love it,” Mr Kuch said.
“We have between 80-100 students every year register to participate in our shooting program. They train every Thursday afternoon plus compete in five competitions each year.
“Unfortunately, our Year 7 students haven’t been involved in the program for the last six years due to these large numbers.”
Gippsland Grammar has won the school title at 17 of the past 43 Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships. Will they make it 18 in 2023?
“The dedication, discipline, organisation and effort the students put in each week needs to be commended,” Mr Kuch said.
“I also attribute our success and level of involvement to the amazing group of dedicated volunteers from Sale Field and Game Association.
“They assist our students with technique and skills in the various disciplines of Clay Target shooting.”
For more information about the 2023 Howard and Schuback Inter School Clay Target Championships or local conservation, hunting, and clay target sports, go to facebook.com/salefieldandgame/ or fieldandgame.com.au/home/
