08/17/12 kb
HAYS,
Kan. -- An outstanding collection of Winchester Model 70 bolt-action rifles
recently benefited the Fort Hays State University Shooting Club by a total of
$25,000.
One
hundred tickets were sold at $100 apiece, and at a drawing held at Joe Bob
Outfitters, Hays, Rob McClure, Tescott, won the four Winchester Model 70s in
"The 'Nearly Perfect' Rifle Battery," commissioned from Winchester by
Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA, a catalog and Internet retailer, and
the MidwayUSA Foundation, Columbia, Mo., which encourages and supports shooting
teams at universities and colleges.
The
rifles were all Super Grade Model 70s, which retail from about $1,300 to more
than $1,500 individually. The Varmint Rifle was chambered in .22-.250
Remington; the Deer & Antelope Rifle was chambered in .270 Winchester; the
Elk & Moose Rifle was in .300 Winchester magnum; and the Dangerous Game
Rifle was in .375 H&H magnum. Each rifle had its name engraved on the
magazine floorplate.
"The
Potterfields have made a real commitment to youth shooting and they have
dedicated a lot of financial resources to promoting youth shooting in the United
States," said Dr. Duane Shepherd, associate professor of health and human
performance and Shooting Club sponsor. "There are a lot of people
benefitting from it nationwide, not just at FHSU."
MidwayUSA
commissioned 100 of the sets from Winchester and offered them to schools
willing to commit to raising $10,000.
FHSU's
first competition in the 2012-2013 Scholastic Clay Target Program will be in
North Platte, Neb. The FHSU team is technically the sponsor of that meet, but
Hays does not have the facilities to host it.
Tiger
shooters will compete until October, when the season takes a break until
starting up again in February or March.
The
MidwayUSA Foundation provided the rifles for the drawing. The $10,000 in ticket
money was divided two ways. The team received $5,000 directly, and the
remaining $5,000 was deposited into the team's Scholastic Shooting Trust with
MidwayUSA. Midway matches that money, and all other funds raised by the FHSU Shooting
Club, at a 3-to-1 ratio, in this case, another $15,000.
The
Potterfields, through the foundation, established this program for scholastic
shooting teams across America in 2008.
"We
are building that fund up so that we can draw off 5 percent of that a
year," said Shepherd. At last count, the account held $75,000, which
includes the receipts and matching money from "The 'Almost Perfect' Rifle
Battery."
"My
long range goal was to get that account up to $100,000 before we started
drawing on it," he said. "I think at the end of this semester we'll
have that."
When
the club begins drawing on its trust, it can use the money however it sees fit,
for targets, travel or other expenses.
The
$5,000 that went directly to the club, said Shepherd, will go to equip another
skeet field at the Hays City Sportsmen's Club range.
"We've
got a great working relationship," said Shepherd. "They let us use
the facility at no cost, and they're going to build another skeet field. We
have so many kids in our club now that we need another skeet field, and we'll
buy the machines for it. That will be huge for us. We can now practice
more."
He
said the FHSU Shooting Club, in turn, helps the Sportsmen's Club with their shoots and activities and
with the facilities. Shepherd also teaches shooting-related courses there.
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