Team Gotta
Custer Sportsmen’s Club welcomes all students interested in competing on an action pistol team.
Our own “Team Gotta” focuses mainly on “speed steel” shooting as governed by the Scholastic Pistol Program (www.sssfonline.com). We also shoot a little bit of USPSA, bowling pin, falling plate, and NSSF Rimfire competition.
Who Can Participate: Students age 12 to 20, plus college/tech school students.
What Do I Need?: Participants use .22 caliber pistols for their first year, and may begin shooting the 9mm service pistol in the second. Loaner equipment is available free of charge to those who need it.
What Does It Cost?: Thanks to the benevolence of many, there is no cost to participate other than purchasing one’s own ammunition. Second-year students typically receive a 3,000-round allocation of 9mm components, which the student assembles into match-ready ammunition with the help of adult team advisers.
Sponsors: Custer Sportsmen’s Club, Larry and Brenda Potterfield, Yeager’s Sporting Goods, Rainier Ballistics, and various club members (notably John Kaye). Additional support from the Scholastic Pistol Program, Tenex, and Dave’s Sporting Goods.
What’s Expected: We’re successful at this because we ENJOY doing it. Come planning to have fun and learn. On top of practices, participation in various match set-up and range maintenance days is expected. In exchange, Custer Sportsmen’s Club waives some of the students’ match fees.
Travel: Team Gotta travels widely (mostly in summer) and has competed in Eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Georgia, and Illinois.
Record of Success: Both of Custer’s Junior Programs have a stand-out record for success. Team Gotta has upheld that tradition, earning the title of the fastest SSC team in the nation for 2011, 2012, and 2013, defeating the famed Black Knights of the US Military Academy at West Point in Fort Benning in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, Team Gotta switched to the Scholastic Pistol Program, and fielded a rimfire team at the SPP Junior/Senior Nationals in Sparta, Ill. Team Gotta shooters Jordon Castro and Adam Thomas finished first and second, with Castro becoming the first shooter in the history of SPP to shoot a combined time of less than 40 seconds. (Castro was a high school junior. His score out-paced not only the other high school athletes, but all the COLLEGIATE athletes as well.) The team earned the second place trophy – out-shooting 35 other teams. (Our congratulations to the victorious South Texas Juniors!)
The Team won the High School title again in 2014/2015 (setting the national
course record), we won the Middle School title in 2015/2016, and won the
JV High School title in 2016/2017.
In both 2016/2017, and 2017/2018, the team won the “Open” (mixed-age) Optic Rifle title. In addition to pistol, we’re currently the second-fastest rifle team in the country.
We added the states of Ohio and Texas to our list of states where the team
has been.
Volunteerism/Legacy Thinking: Team Gotta’s members are working hard to establish what they hope will be a permanent pistol program at Custer Sportsmen’s Club. They’re several years into the project now, and making great strides.
The team meets on the back range (indoor range in Winter) every Tuesday night 5:30-7:00 pm.
You’ll see representatives of the team (in red uniforms) at virtually every “speed steel” match. They’re held on the third Saturday of every month.
Head Coach Robin Taylor (360) 391-1551 rtaylor@taylorfreelance.com
Assistant Coach: James Coffee (425) 308-9355
Assistant Coach: Gerald Rutgers (360) 319-5361
Assistant Coach: Norm Atha (778) 847-5557 (Vancouver, B.C.)
