Last Friday, August 4th over 150 individuals (including 30 beginners), gathered just outside of Washington, D.C. to participate in the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) August Recess Clays Competition. This event brings together staff from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, sporting-conservation leaders, and industry partners for a day at the range filled with bipartisan competition, outdoor education and camaraderie. 30 teams, shooting both sporting clays and trap, completed the Prince George’s County course, a premier clay target shooting facility that has served as the home to numerous CSF events for over two decades.
The August Recess Clays Competition represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate the American System of Conservation Funding, specifically the Pittman-Robertson Act in practice. Through the excise taxes of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment under the Pittman-Robertson Act, sportsmen and women provide the bulk of funding for wildlife conservation and access. Last year alone, the Pittman-Robertson Act contributed roughly $1.2 billion through the user pays — public benefits structure. Roughly 80% of this funding is generated from recreational shooters, such as those individuals participating in the event.
Over the span of the event, each participant had the opportunity to break 75 clays at a variety of stations on the sporting clays course and the trap field. The challenge of the event not only determined the top clays staff member on Capitol Hill, but it also provided an avenue to determine the Top Gun at the entire event.
After a fantastic day on the courses filled with a good dose of healthy competition, participants ate lunch together – sharing their favorite parts of the day and enjoying storytelling about our time-honored traditions. Following lunch, raffle winners were announced, and Taylor Schmitz, CSF’s Director, Federal Relations, took the stage to present the competition’s winners:
- Top Gun: Jack Thompson
- Top Gun Female: Rachel Dawson
- Top Trap: Will Hollier
- Top Sporting Clays: Cooper Mullinox
- Top Beginner: Andy Ho
Congressional Staff:
- Top Gun: Samuel Bryant
- Top Gun Female: Mckenzie Dallas
- Top Trap: Cody Garner
- Top Sporting Clays: Andy Polesovsky
CSF would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the participants who joined us for the event as well as our partners and sponsors whose support made this event possible, including:
Title Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Outdoor Sportsman Group, and Richard Childress Racing
Host Sponsors: CropLife America, Dallas Safari Club, Ducks Unlimited, Ecentria, Federal Forest Resource Coalition, Hornady Manufacturing, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Nuclear Energy Institute, Safari Club International, Scheels, Shimano, Taft Advisors, Vista Outdoor and Winchester.
Co-Host Sponsors: Airline Pilots Association,International, Pet Food Institute, and Union Sportsmen’s Alliance.
