UHV trap and skeet club receives grant for practice ammunition
A University of Houston-Victoria student organization that teaches students and others about firearm safety and prepares for trap and skeet competitions recently received practice ammunition as a grant from the National Rifle Association Foundation.
The NRA Foundation donated 5,000 shotgun shells to the UHV Trap & Skeet Shooting Club to help members of the student organization practice in order to prepare for future competitions and to support the club’s efforts to allow those with little to no experience to learn about shotguns in a safe environment.
“We’re very appreciative of the grant from the NRA Foundation,” said Daniel White, a UHV associate professor of biology and faculty advisor for the student organization. “This donation will go a long way toward helping members of the UHV Trap & Skeet Shooting Club prepare for competition and grow the club’s membership.”
The NRA Foundation has supported 4-H clubs and other high school clubs in the region in the past, and now UHV’s club will be able to benefit from similar support, White said. The UHV Trap & Skeet Shooting Club is open to UHV students as well as faculty and staff members. The club meets for practice every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Victoria Skeet and Trap Club.
The club started in the fall of 2022 as an opportunity for students who enjoy trap and skeet to get together and practice in a friendly, competitive space as well as teach students who are interested in learning about trap, skeet and gun safety, said Zoen Kuchler, a UHV junior from Inez and president of the club. There currently are 14 students in the club.
“I grew up shooting since elementary school, and I first knew Dr. White from when he volunteered with my 4-H club in high school,” Kuchler said. “We decided to start this club and see if anyone would be interested in joining. It’s been a lot of fun, and now we’re looking at getting ready for some competitions.”
One of the biggest advantages of the grant is that it makes participation in the club’s activities more affordable and convenient by providing each student with two boxes of shotgun shells per practice, said Justin Bautista, a UHV junior from Richmond and the club’s vice president. A box contains 25 shells, which is enough for a full round of trap or skeet.
“Some of us come out every chance we can, and this club has given us an opportunity to practice in a competitive space while meeting people who share our interests,” Bautista said. “But this can be an expensive sport, so this grant makes it so we don’t have to go spend a lot of money on ammo while we practice and helps offset the cost for people who are just starting and learning.”
For more information about the UHV Trap & Skeet Shooting Club, contact White at 361-570-4190 or whitedw@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.