COACH & ATHLETE RESOURCES

STATE OF IOWA SHOOTING SPORTS

By providing programs and facilities for shooting sports, the Iowa DNR ensures the future of hunting, shooting and outdoor conservation for generations.

Scholastic Clay Target League

Scholastic Action Shooting Program

Iowa Archery in the Schools Program

Iowa DNR Hunter Education

PROGRAM LINKS

2026 Coach Conference
Resources

Resources from Matt Harlow / Keynote Speaker 2026 Coach Conference:

Youth Shooting Sports Recruiting Toolkit

By understanding the reasons youth do and don’t participate in shooting sports, we developed resources and strategies coaches can use to increase participation in shooting sports.

The toolkit contains social media marketing resources and communication templates, along with guidance on their effective use in youth shooting sports team recruitment efforts and implementation across various scenarios.

More Info

National R3 Clearinghouse

The National R3 Clearinghouse is a centralized, open‑access digital asset library created by the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports. It contains and extensive collection of youth shooting sports images. You can search, filter, and download assets for outreach, education, marketing, and program development.

More Info

These efforts were funded by the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (#F24AP00100), a program supported by funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and jointly managed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS

Meet the instructors who assist with the growth of Iowa SCTP student athletes and coaches. The Iowa SCTP board's mission is to grow the knowledge and shooting sports in the state of Iowa.

Ryan Smithart

Performance Instructor specializing in American Skeet

Ryan Smithart began his shooting career with Oskaloosa SCTP Team followed by competing collegiately with Lindenwood, MO and carried his passion for shooting sports and the outdoors to his professional career with Brownell's.

2011 NSSA All American 1st team Collegiate concurrent

2012 – 2016 ACUI HOA Team National Champion

2013 ACUI International Shootout National Champion

2013 SCTP American Skeet National Champion

2014 ACUI Combined Skeet National Champion

2014 ACUI International Skeet runner-up

2014 ACUI All American

2014 Iowa State .410 bore Champion

2014 World 12 ga A Class Champion

2015 Zone 5 28 ga Champion

2016 Missouri State 20 ga Champion

2016 World Doubles 3rd Place

2016 World 28 ga Runner up

2016 World.410 A Class Champion

2016 World HAA AA Class Champion

2017 Iowa State 12 ga Champion

2017 Iowa State 20 ga Champion

2017 Iowa State 28 ga Champion

2017 Iowa State HOA Champion

2017 Zone 5 20 ga Champion

2017 Zone 5 Doubles Champion

2017 Zone 5 HOA Champion

2017 Wisconsin State 12 ga Champion

2017 Kansas State 28 ga Champion

2017 US Open 28 ga 3rd

2017 US Open HOA 3rd

2017 Mini World Doubles runner-up

2017 NSSA All-American Honorable Mention Open Team

2020 Illinois State 20 ga Champion

2020 NSSA All American 1st team Triple Sup concurrent

2020 NSSA 20 ga High Average Runner up .9940

2 Time NSSA Class All American

Former Member of Team USA for International Skeet 2013-2015

51 Registered 100 Straights

Kolton Manning & Nicole Manning

Former Iowa SCTP athletes
Current ATA members

Kolton Manning formerly of Maquoketa SCTP and collegiate athlete for Iowa Central Community College; Kolton brings no-nonsense and networking of shooting sports to a new level. Kolton's accomplishments are many and he has a passion to want to bring youth up with shooting sports.

Nicole Manning formerly of Grinnell SCTP and collegiate athlete for Hawkeye Community College and Wartburg College. Nicole keeps us grounded and has skills to share her knowledge as it relates to all levels of shooting.

Both Nicole and Kolton have grown through Iowa SCTP and now as adults have a passion for knowledge sharing with coaches and youth. Beginning student athletes can join their Trapshooting 101 class in the late winter of 2024.

Come learn Trapshooting basics to build lifelong skills with Kolton and Nicole!

Dave Miller

Shotgun Expert

David Miller has over 25 years of experience in the competitive shooting community and has lived to see the sport evolve into the world’s fastest-growing shotgun sport.

Some of David's Accomplishments are:
Level 3 NSCA Instructor
Two-time Guinness World Record Holder in Clay Shooting
The Most Clay Targets Shot In One Hour - Total 3653
The Most Clay Targets Shot In 12 Hours By A Team of Five – Total 14,167
CZ Shotgun Expert
SCTP Shooting Coach
Multi-State Sporting Clays and F.I.T.A.S.C. Champion
17-year Master Class Competitor
Professional Sporting Clay Course Designer
Pro Shooter for American Bird Hunter TV Series
Mayor Proclamation from the City of Grain Valley, MO
Certificate of Recognition from the Kankakee, IL County State Attorney
NRA Certified Range Safety Officer NRA Certified Shotgun Instructor
Missouri All-State Team: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023

Gun Fit tutorial that Dave Miller shared in 2024 Coaches Conference

Katie Jabob

Team USA & World Cup Team Athlete

Katie Jacob possess extensive experience in the shotgun sports, having embarked her journey within the SCTP framework at the age of 8. Her initial accomplishments in skeet shooting seamlessly translated into achievements in both trap and sporting clays disciplines. Subsequently, her focus shifted towards International Skeet, where she has achieved notable success.

Katie has benefitted from coaching at the highest echelons of the sport! Now Katie is giving back and sharing her knowledge with Iowa SCTP athletes to help take your game to the next level! Katie's strong desire to impart the wealth of knowledge she gained to the upcoming generation of shooting enthusiasts can benefit you!

Katie has distinguished herself with numerous medals on the global stage. Noteworthy accolades include:

Junior World Championship title,
Individual World Cup Bronze medal,
Mixed team Gold,
Secured the top spot at the USA Shooting National Championship

Katie joined the 2024 Coach Conference as the keynote speaker. And has offered coaching to Iowa coaches and athletes in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Ben Berka

NSSA Coach Level II Instructor

Ben Berka has been helping hunters and clay target shooters have more fun since 2003. Through his business, AA Shooting, Ben provides professional clay target and wing-shooting coaching to help shooters reach their goals on the range and in the field. Ben works with both competition and recreational shooters interested in improving their game in trap, skeet, sporting clays or upland bird and waterfowl hunting. Ben also provides shooting coach education and training.

In skeet, Ben is a NSSA Level II certified instructor and has served as the NSSA instructor trainer for Zone 5 since 2015. Group or individual instruction is available in central Iowa or at your home club.

You can contact Ben through his website AAshooting.com or through Facebook facebook.com/aashooting or YouTube youtube.com/@AAshooting

Brendan Appel

Performance Instructor specializing in American Skeet

Brendan Appel is a former Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) athlete who competed with the Des Moines Clay Crushers, and later shot collegiately for Lindenwood University in Missouri, one of the nation’s premier shooting sports programs.

Notable accomplishments include:

Lifetime Member, National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA)
2009 SCTP National Skeet Champion (3-Man Team)
Lindenwood University Shooting Sports Athlete (2010–2014)
8-Time Iowa State Skeet Champion
16 Perfect 100s in Registered Skeet Competition
Member of the ACUI All-Around Team National Champions (2011–2014)
2011 ACUI National Trap Champion (Individual)
31,050 Lifetime Registered NSSA Targets
Two-Time NSSA All-American
Former ACUI All-American
Former NRA All-American
NSSA Instructor

Dr. Will Thomas

Team USA & World Cup Team Athlete

Dr. Will Thomas began his shooting with Des Moines Clay Crushers SCTP Team. Will possess extensive experience in the shotgun sports, and embarked on his journey within the SCTP framework at the age of 10. His initial accomplishments in skeet shooting seamlessly translated into achievements in both trap and sporting clays disciplines. Subsequently, his focus shifted towards International Skeet, where he achieved notable success.

Will's trajectory encompasses membership in the USAS Junior National Team and World Cup Team. He served as a team captain at Lindenwood University where he notably stood out as an all-around team member and earned multiple honors as a Collegiate All-American in the all-around category. His pinnacle achievement was clinching the combined skeet national championship (both International and American) during his senior year of collegiate study. Notably, Will is also on the verge of completing his studies in Chiropractic school, where he has adeptly merged his academic pursuits with his passion for shooting sports. This fusion has propelled him to contribute significantly towards elevating the shooting sports domain.

Will has benefitted from coaching at the highest echelons of the sport and wants to help take your game to the next level!

Hank Garvey

USA Shooting Coach

Hank Garvey started 3GE, LLC with his wife Mary to help build bunkers globally and increase the number of bunker/Olympic trap shooters within the sport. He has built innovatively designed bunkers out of both metal and concrete. Based on his extensive experience with numerous bunkers around the globe, his design solutions provide the customer with the best solution for their needs.

Hank is a coach, mentor, leader and innovator. Sharing the sport is an important part of Hank’s life and his volunteer work for various organizations is abundant.

• 3GE, LLC

o Designed and constructed Fort Worth Trap and Skeet bunker

o Designed and consulted with Hillsdale College on their bunkers

o Rewired North Mountain Sportsman’s Club and Texas A&M bunkers

• USA Shooting – Assistant Coach and Master Instructor

o Led USA Shooting Junior Teams to multiple international matches in Germany and Italy

o Rewired and upgraded Olympic Training Center bunkers

o Led Advanced Coach Class for twelve coaches

• New England International Junior Shooting Sports, Inc. – President

o Formed a 501c3 for New England shooting, with purpose of supporting and encouraging the shooting sports for youth athletes

o Raised over 200k and built bunker

o Raised over 2 million dollars and distributed to NE SCTP teams through the MidwayUSA Foundation

o Coached 5 athletes to the USA National Junior Team

• Scholastic Clay Target Program

o NE Regional Field Rep growing teams in NE

o Head Coach of Minute Man Sharpshooters

o Head Coach of Harvard Shooting Team

o Lead Coach for USA Shooting Camps at Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs

o Coach for SCTP International Camps at Cardinal Center

• NRA - National Coach Development Staff

o Taught hundreds of coaches across the US

• Ducks Unlimited Chairman 13 years

o Guest hunter/guide on 3 DU TV Shows

• Youth Hunting Mentor for 30+ years at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

• Lead negotiator for Boston 2024 Olympic Range

Pro Staff and Professional Affiliations:

• Sitka Gear Pro Staff • Yeti Insider

• Raymarine Pro Ambassador • NRA Life Member since 1989 • USA Coast Guard 25T Masters License

Paul Wojtaszek

Performance Instructor

Paul Wojtaszek is a Program Manager and Six Sigma/Lean expert for Raytheon and lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife, Adrienne. A 2002 graduate of the Naval Academy, Paul began his coaching career while at the Naval Academy serving to train incoming classes in both rifle and pistol. After leaving the service and moving to the Boston area, he became a NRA certified shotgun Instructor and coached the Minute Man Sharpshooters SCTP youth team and Harvard University’s Skeet and Trap Team. Paul was recognized by USA Shooting in 2016 for his dedication, leadership and ability to develop youth athletes and was designated as a High Performance Development Instructor for USA Shooting. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors for New England International Junior Shooting Sports, a charity dedicated to helping youth teams in New England. He is an assistant coach for the Lawrence County SCTP Team, an assistant coach for the SCTP International National Team, and a SCTP Coaches Instructor for developing new and advanced coaches. Paul has also developed and mentored athletes and coaches at oplmpic development camps for USA Shooting and SCTP.

CERTIFICATIONS

USA Shooting High

Performance Instructor

NRA Shotgun Instructor

SCTP Certified Coach

SCTP Coach development Instructor

EDUCATION & MENTORING

The Iowa SCTP, Inc. understands the vital role that volunteer coaches play in the success of youth shotgun and action shooting sports teams; utilize educational and mentor opportunities around you to help student-athletes and adult volunteers succeed.