HOPE, AR – The University of Arkansas Community College at Hope is starting its first Collegiate Team with the announcement of the U of A Hope -Texarkana Shooting Sports Club. The Shooting Sport Club, sponsored by Dr. Robbie Carter and Smiles of Arkansas, will give students the opportunity to compete both in Arkansas and nationally in shotgun sports including trap, skeet, and sporting clays.
Shooting sports has grown in popularity among high schools in UACCH’s primary service area. This growth is contributed to the development of the Arkansas Shooter Sports Program that was developed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and has over 5,000 students participating annually. The College is looking forward to providing these talented students an opportunity to compete in this popular sport as they pursue their higher education at UACCH.
Shooting sports is UACCH’s first experience in its fifty years of service to southwest Arkansas to have a collegiate team sport. With the talent in the region, the college is looking forward to competing with larger colleges and universities from across the state and nation. The shotgun shooting sports is unique in that it will allow schools of varying sizes to compete without unfair advantages to the larger size universities. UACCH’s service has had multiple Junior Olympic qualifying shooters and many that have ranked very favorably in the state at the high school level. Therefore, UACCH looks forward to recruiting regional talent to have a very competitive team.
Dr. Carter is an avid outdoorsman and appreciates the opportunity the Arkansas Shooting Sports program has provided for high school students in the region. The shooting sports team will be selected from the U of A Hope and Texarkana Shooting Sports Club that will be open to students from both campuses. The club will allow students to hone their skills in leadership, time management, and sportsmanship while improving their shooting sports skills and hopefully be selected as a member of the traveling competition team. The support of Dr. Carter and Smiles of Arkansas will assist the traveling team members with scholarships and additional travel expenses.
For more about UACCH and the development of Collegiate Sports on campus, visit the College website at www.uacch.edu.
Pictured left to right: Dr. Peyton Aven, Dr. Courtney Murray, UACCH Chancellor Chris Thomason, Dr. Robee’ Carter, Reese Shuffield, and James Jackson of the Smiles of Arkansas Team recently presented a $10,000 check to UACCH Chancellor Chris Thomason to support the new U of A Hope and Texarkana Shooting Sports Team.
