Clay Target Nation, August 2019

2019 NSSA SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS AUGUST 2019 CLAY TARGET NATION 17 C ongratulations to Gabriel Tharpe of Hamilton Georgia recipient of a 2500 scholarship from NSSA Gabriel is a recent graduate of Harris County High School in Hamilton and shoots at Wagon Wheel Sporting Club and Atlanta Trap and Skeet He plans to attend Auburn University to study Fisheries The son of Courtney and Daniel Nacca Gabriel has been shooting skeet for seven years He got his start in skeet when his middle school handed out flyers promoting his schools shotgun team for SCTP After starting with SCTP he also shot with the JROTC Rifle Team Shotgun Team Gabriels list of accomplishments as a skeet shooter is long and impressive He has been named to the NSSA All American Junior Team the past two years the Georgia State Team and the Zone 4 Team Last year he was the SCTP Georgia State Champion and had a place on Junior podiums of numerous major NSSA shoots I would like to thank Austin Shepherd for starting my shooting career and getting me to a competitive level Gabriel said of his SCTP coach I would also like to thank my present coach Luke Deshotels for fine tuning my shooting techniques and getting me to the competitive level that I am Gabriel plans to continue his shooting career throughout college by joining the Auburn Clay Shooting Team and also by participating in various shoots around the country M ackinzee Swetman an NSSA Life Member from San Antonio Texas has received a 2500 scholarship for her involvement in NSSA accomplishments as a shooter and a student and citizenship She is a 2019 graduate of James Madison High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society She shoots regularly at San Antonio Gun Club The daughter of Clay and Tonya Swetman and granddaughter of NSSA Hall of Famer Helen Swetman Mackinzee is a third generation skeet shooter who got an early start at the sport She began shooting six years ago because of her fathers and grandmothers influence Since that time she has made regular appearances on podiums at shoots in Texas and elsewhere Among her wins she was the 2015 Sub Junior Ladies World Champion and in 2018 she was the Blue Goose 28 gauge Champion In addition to the support and influence of her father and grandmother Mackinzee credits her coach Terry Howard for helping her improve her game and accomplish her shooting goals Mackinzee will attend Texas A M University in the fall where she plans to major in Biology Congratulations to Mackinzee C ongratulations to Avery Lawski of Waverly Hall Georgia on winning one of four 2500 scholarships from NSSA Avery is a 2019 graduate of Harris County High School and the son of Alexander and Dana Lawski He will attend the University of Georgia and study Industrial and Systems Engineering Avery began shooting in the fifth grade when Austin Shepherd former Harris County Shotgun Team Head Coach invited him to join the team After it sparked his interest he went to a practice and observed skeet shooting for the first time Since that time he has accumulated a massive list of awards including the Krieghoff All American Junior Team Georgia Open Team and Zone 4 Team and championships at the Blaser Skeet Classic and Junior World Equally successful in high school academics Avery earned a 43 GPA and membership in the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society Avery credits others who have helped him achieve the success that has come his way The NSSA has numerous members that support the youth shooters and have graciously mentored me over the years says Avery David Morgan and Al Means have been there along the way but Coach Austin Shepherd has not only helped me achieve my goals through teaching the fundamentals of the sport of skeet shooting but rather life lessons of being humble with the ups and downs that come along the way Today I have the honor of being a life long friend Z achary Maucher of Dover Delaware is the recipient of a 2500 NSSA scholarship He recently graduated from First State Military Academy and is the son of James and Andrea Maucher He is a member of the DuPont Fish Game Association This fall he will enter the University of Michigan where he will study Accounting Zachary has been shooting for eight years after being introduced to skeet by his grandfather The sport of skeet shooting has taught me several important lessons including the value of tradition friends and family personal integrity and patriotism says Zachary For these lessons I am extremely grateful My educational and career goals are high only because I am so confident in my own ability to excel towards them He plans to pursue a career in investment banking and securities trading because of his fascination with the structure of our nations economy In high school Zachary was listed on the Commandants Honor Roll the past four years and he played football for two years In addition to shooting Zachary enjoys fishing carpentry auto mechanics and other activities Congratulations Zachary