For Clay Today
GREEN COVE SPRINGS — This year’s Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) National Championships were held July 10-18 at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio.
The annual event brings together young athletes from across the country to compete in a variety of shooting sports and has become one of the largest youth shooting events in the nation.
One of the competition shooting programs offered by SSSF, the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) provides student-athletes from elementary school through college with an opportunity to compete in action shooting using .22 rifles, .22 handguns, pistol-caliber carbines, and centerfire handguns.
The program gives young athletes the opportunity to develop shooting skills while also learning important lessons about discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship, and personal responsibility. SASP emphasizes both individual performance and a strong team environment, allowing athletes to track personal progress while representing their school or team.
Action shooting offers a wide variety of disciplines and competitive opportunities. What makes the sport especially appealing to many youth competitors is its easy-to-understand format, strong social and team dynamic, and the opportunity to become a champion in multiple categories.
For many athletes, the impact of SASP goes far beyond trophies and competition. One of the SASP athletes who has been personally impacted by the program is Green Cove Springs' Eric Glanville.
Glanville has participated on the St. Johns Classical Academy SASP team for several years, and during that time, competition shooting became much more than an extracurricular activity. It helped shape his confidence, skills and future goals.
“Participating in SASP has made the biggest difference in my life and shooting career,” Glanville said. “It gave me so much confidence in gun handling skills and opened the door to so much more in the shooting sports. SASP is a great community—I’ve made many friendships across the country.”
Those friendships and experiences have also helped Glanville develop a vision for his future. He hopes to eventually build a career in the shooting industry.
Over the past three years, Glanville has earned several podium finishes in both team and individual shooting disciplines. This spring he earned a position on the Florida All-State pistol shooting team. His biggest accomplishment to date came this summer at the 2026 SASP National Championships, where he finished second in the nation in the Intermediate Advanced Men’s Ultimate division.
Finishing second nationally is an outstanding achievement for any competitor, and it is especially impressive considering this was only Glanville's third year in the sport.
With the 2026–27 school year approaching, Glanville is looking forward to another season of competition. However, his transition to Clay High presented a new challenge: the school does not currently have an SASP shooting team.
Rather than allowing that obstacle to keep him from continuing in the sport he loves, Glanville's family helped create a solution.
With the support of his mom and dad, along with NRA Certified Pistol and Rifle Instructor Amanda Wilson, a new SASP team was formed: North Florida Hotshots.
The team was created to provide youth with an opportunity to continue competing in SASP regardless of whether their school currently has a program.
The North Florida Hotshots is open to students from sixth grade through college in Clay, Duval, St. Johns, and Bradford counties.
For Glanville, the creation of the new team represents more than simply finding a place to compete. It is an opportunity to help other young athletes discover the same sport, friendships and personal growth that SASP has given him.
From a developing competitor to a national-level podium finisher, Glanville's journey highlights the impact youth shooting sports can have on an athlete’s life.
And with a new season just around the corner, Glanville and the North Florida Hotshots are just getting started.
The future looks bright—and there are plenty more targets ahead.
