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The Missouri Youth Sports Shooting Alliance

The Missouri Youth Sports Shooting Alliance (MYSSA) is funded through the MidwayUSA Foundation. Our relationship with the MidwayUSA Foundation allows MYSSA to receive funds from our endowment each year. The MidwayUSA Foundation provides the same opportunity to more than 2,500 teams, providing nearly $100 million in grants since their inception as a nonprofit with nearly $500 million in endowment funds.  

The MidwayUSA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity working to sustain and grow shooting sports by providing long-term funding to youth shooting teams. Every donation made is tax-deductible and allows the Foundation to assist in expanding and enhancing the leadership skills, confidence, and discipline of today’s youth through shooting sports activities. We support all shooting disciplines.

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Purpose

To expand, enhance, and perpetuate youth shooting sports activities to help young people improve their confidence, discipline, and leadership skills through shooting sports education.

Mission

We help communities and organizations raise funds to support their high school, college, and other youth shooting teams and activities. We also manage a variety of special purpose endowed funds for the support and advancement of youth shooting sports.

Vision

To be the most respected, most influential, and best run foundation serving the shooting, hunting, and outdoor sports industries.

VALUES

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Humility
  • Respect for Others
  • Teamwork
  • Positive Attitude
  • Accountability
  • Stewardship
  • Loyalty

How We Work Together

MYSSA helps the MidwayUSA Foundation live out its mission by serving as a conduit to Missouri students, high schools and shooting team coaches to help them make shooting sports a safe, achievable part of their school’s offerings. 

We do this by organizing and training instructors in National Rifle Association Level I Certification. To give Missouri’s youth the opportunity to compete, MYSSA subsidizes youth shooting events throughout the state and organizes events of its own as well. This provides Missouri’s youth shooting teams reputable contests to practice their skills.

Through the relationship with MidwayUSA Foundation, MYSSA provides some support for range development and rehabilitation for youth shooting teams. In addition, our monthly newsletters provide information and reminders suitable for youth, parents and coaches. Lastly, for students interested in continuing with team shooting sports after college, MYSSA helps them to find collegiate shooting opportunities.

MYSSA History

The Beginning of MYSSA

The Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance (MYSSA) was created in 2006 to improve synergy among the state’s youth shooting programs. MYSSA began by focusing on communication between organizations, coordination of activities and, importantly, consistent coaching certification in the fast-growing shotgun sports.

As a result, a group of individuals met and created an organization to address these improvement areas and provide a way to increase youth shooting sports participation in Missouri. In 2007, MYSSA was granted a 501(c) 3 designation by the IRS and is registered as a not-for-profit corporation with the state of Missouri. MYSSA has a 12-member board of directors who serve as 100% volunteers.

Growing Participation, Building Skills

In 2012, MYSSA worked with the Missouri Legislature to pass House Concurrent Resolution 43, which calls for Missouri schools to recognize the sport of trapshooting. 

Currently, MYSSA works with more than 24,000 Missouri youth shooters who will participate in some type of shooting experience during the year. Additionally, MYSSA works with NRA National Coach Trainers to provide shotgun coaching certification. Missouri now has over 1,000 Level I or Level II certified shotgun coaches. 

Each year, MYSSA sponsors a series of 13 statewide spring shotgun competitions (Spring Break ‘Ems) designed as warm ups prior to the annual Paul Larsen Memorial State High School Trap Championship. In September, we host the annual MYSSA Fall Classic youth trap shoot. These events average approximately 1,200 shooters annually.

MYSSA Board of Directors

The Board of Directors for MYSSA is composed of 12 at-large members from across Missouri. Each of these board members bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in all youth shooting sports. Meetings occur six times during the year. The Executive Director supports the Board of Directors.

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David Hart

President

Greentop, MO

David, a life long Missourian, is Owner and President of Hart Systems LLC and Advanced Machining & Automation Inc. He has a degree in Industrial Technology. Since 1994 he has been designing and building custom machines and assembly lines for clients around the world. He still enjoys farming and raising cattle. David works to ensure that the youth of Missouri have the opportunity to enjoy the shooting sports that fortified the values he grew up with, one of his deepest passions.

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Jake Hindman

Vice-President

Jackson, MO

Jake is the founder and President/CEO of the Student Air Rifle Program (SAR), a nonprofit dedicated to facilitating an introduction to the sport of target shooting to school aged youth in grades 4-12. Jake holds a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Conservation Biology and a Master’s degree in Public Administration, both from Southeast Missouri State University.

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Jennifer Laurent

Secretary

Arnold, MO

Jennifer graduated from St. Louis University and is currently a Staff Scientist at Washington University School of Medicine. Jennifer spends her free time with her husband and twin sons. An NRA certified shotgun instructor and range safety officer, Jennifer is the head coach of Team Henges, assistant director for Arnold YHEC, an assistant coach for Delta Waterfowl Arch Chapter Clay Busters and a Missouri State Advisor for the Scholastic Clay Target Program.

Secretary@moyouthshooting.org

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Tonya Bradley

Treasurer

Memphis, MO

Tonya is the owner/agent of Bradley Insurance Agency in Memphis Mo for the past 21 years. Tonya is mother of 3 children. Tonya helps and supports the Memphis FFA trap teams. Is active supporter of other adjourning county shooting sports teams, and encourages youth to be involved in shooting sports.  She is a member of the Turkey Federation and the NRA.

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Dr. David Vaught

Executive Director

Rocheport, MO

Dr. Vaught, has been associated with the shooting sports since he first began shooting skeet in the early 1980’s. Today he conducts the annual Mid-America Trap Academy and holds an endowment with the Midway USA Foundation. His efforts to promote the shooting sports have lead him to hold an NRA Level II certification.

info@moyouthshooting.org

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Tom Roberts

Member

Lancaster, MO

Tom is a native Missourian teaching and coaching in Missouri schools for 37 years. He holds degrees from Northeast Missouri State University. He is a member of the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a past president of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, past president and life member of the Missouri Trapshooters Association and Life member of the Amateur Trapshooters Association and the Iowa Trapshooters Association.

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Tony Shockley

Ex Officio

Marthasville, MO

Tony is a native Missourian. He is the Youth Chairman for the Missouri Trapshooters Association, a Life Member of the NRA and MTA. He is the Missouri SCTP Youth Director as well as the Missouri A.I.M. Youth Director. Tony is an avid hunter having hunted in Canada and South Africa as well as Missouri. He enjoys fishing, long range shooting, searching for fossils, arrowheads, gemstones, or gold. Tony likes nothing better than spending time outdoors with family

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Rod Zeller

Member

Lexington, MO

Rod is a native Missourian. He attended Southwest Baptist College majoring in biology. He is a retired commercial diver for the offshore oil industry and a retired chief engineer for Missouri River dredging operations Kansas City Reach. Rod is a NRA National Coach Trainer, Training Counselor and benefactor member. He is a state shotgun coach and 4-H county shooting sports director and NRA Whittington Center Adventure Camp shotgun coach.

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Dr. John Picone

Ex Officio

Nebo, IL

Dr. John Picone is the director of special education and scholastic shooting sports advisor for the Louisiana R-2 school district in east central MO. Dr. Picone is a NRA life member, level 2 trap coach, certified Range Safety Officer, certified Shotgun Instructor and MO Hunter Education Instructor.

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Ed Twehous

Member

Jefferson City, MO

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Jim Sappington

Ex Officio

Hartsburg, MO

Jim is a native Missourian, avid hunter fisherman and 4-H volunteer. He serves 4-H shooting sports in several capacities as a volunteer on the local county, as an instructor in several shooting disciplines, as a state instructor in several disciplines and national instructor in Archery and Western Heritage. He also serves as a staff member and program coordinator for the Missouri 4-H Center for Youth Development and as the state coordinator for Missouri 4-H Shooting Sports.

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James Walls

Member

Ashland, MO

Emeritus Members

Lou Rupp

Member

St. Louis, MO

Lou is a life resident of Missouri. He is a graduate of Kemper Military Academy & University of Missouri. He retired after thirty-seven year career of directing Packaging Engineering/Consulting services to a majority of the Fortune 500 companies. Lou is an accomplished hunter having successfully hunted game in 14 western states and 11 countries around the world. He is past chairmen of the Wild Sheep Foundation WSF, Big Game Hunters of St. Louis, and Packaging Advisory Board to University of Missouri – Rolla. He is a current benefactor member of the NRA, Life member and member of the Board of Trustees of WSF, Safari Club International/St. Louis Gateway Chapter, Mule Deer Foundation, Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and Wild Turkey Federation.

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