UHV trap and skeet club receives second grant of practice ammunition
The University of Houston-Victoria Trap & Skeet Shooting Club has received another gift of practice ammunition this year from the National Rifle Association Foundation to further its efforts to teach firearm safety and prepare for future collegiate competitions.
With the gift of 5,000 shotgun shells from the NRA Foundation, the club hopes to expand its reach to students who are interested in sports shooting and have fun while learning proper firearms procedures, said Daniel White, a UHV associate professor of biology and faculty advisor for the student organization.
“We are ecstatic to be funded again for this grant,” White said. “With ammo prices the way they are, it’s hard to get anybody to come out and try something new because it’s cost prohibitive.”
The grant offsets more than half the cost of having someone out on the range, White said. The UHV Trap & Skeet Shooting Club is open to all UHV students, faculty and staff members. The club meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month for practice, White said.
The club was founded before the COVID-19 pandemic by a student who was a longtime competitive skeet shooter, White said. Due to restrictions at the time, the club took a hiatus but is now fully operational.
UHV’s Andy Tomek said he has been part of the UHV Trap & Skeet Shooting Club since its inception. Currently he serves as the club’s treasurer, working to oversee the financial aspects of the club, which includes managing and overseeing the disbursement of funds.
“I’ve always liked shooting, but I never did much shotgun shooting, and I really wanted to get into that,” Tomek said. “Dr. White told me I should join, and I started shooting with him in the summer. It was a lot of fun.”
With the average price of shotgun shell boxes sitting around $8 to $10 per box, the gift of 5,000 shotgun shells will greatly reduce the number of financial stresses on the club and allow members more opportunities to practice, Tomek said.
“It’s just relaxing to be able to go and do something after getting out of class,” Tomek said. “It’s something I look forward to throughout the month.”
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.