New Sports Club For CRCS

By Joshua Walther

COBLESKILL - At the CRCS Board of Education meeting held last Monday, Athletic Director John Henry came before the members to highlight his idea for a brand new sports club, dubbed the Clay Target Team.

As it sounds, the Clay Target Team would be centered around trapshooting, or competitive clay pigeon shooting. With the sport being on the rise in other school districts, this may be CRCS’s chance to introduce their own version of the club.

Mr. Henry explained that the sport would be all-encompassing and inclusive, so everyone can participate regardless of disability or athleticism. He also said that no one would be “sitting the bench,” as each team member would get their chance to shoot.

In addition to this, there are a few select scholarship opportunities that could stem from this, which may incentivize the 40% of the student body that’s not already involved in extracurricular activities.

Mr. Henry also ensured the Board that safety would be of the utmost priority. Before anyone is introduced to the range, they would have to pass a hunter’s safety course to understand how to handle a firearm.

Students would also be judged on their safety with firearms before they’d be allowed to shoot. If anyone is caught with a safety violation, they would immediately be removed from the club’s grounds.

As firearms and munitions are not allowed on school grounds, the Richmondville Fish and Game Club agreed to be their host site. This would mean that parents would have to provide transportation for when the club meets, most likely on weekends.

Mr. Henry recommended starting the club with grades 7-12 in its early days, which could then be readjusted as needed.

However, boxes of ammunition aren’t cheap. He posed a budgetary consideration of $330 per student, though this could be offset by financing from parents or sponsorships.

As his overview concluded, Mr. Henry said that he hosted a small meet-up to garner interest for the club, where he counted twenty two students that would be willing to try the sport.

The Board members seemed to be excited about the prospect of a new sport coming to CRCS. After congratulating him on his research, the Board unanimously passed a motion to approve the Clay Target Team, setting Mr. Henry himself as the volunteer coach.