Who are the Blue Eagles?
In 2014, a small group of teens, parents and supporting adults got together with an idea to launch a program that would teach youth the basics of gun safety with a hands on component that took kids beyond a classroom, and into a world that safely and effectively reinforced good gun safety habits and a respect for firearms. It would also open up the opportunity for marksmanship development with a direct pipeline into the competitive clay shooting sports.
With many structural changes and program enhancements from 2014 until now, we have reached well over 100+ youth and parents with the message of gun safety and negligence prevention. To date, we have had 22 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 committed to at least one full season and recognized as a Blue Eagles Shotgun Teammate.
Currently we have a certified Head Coach, an Assistant Shooting Coach and an Assistant Safety Coach. We have a small practice field 30 minutes outside of Richmond, Virginia and we shoot competitively in the Trap discipline across the state. Some of the places we have traveled to include Petersburg, Charlottesville, Charles City, Fairfax and Winchester, VA.
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Our team is inclusive of everyone and has been culturally diverse since it's inception. One of our goals has been to bring in youth and parents from under-served communities that don't commonly have programs related to gun safety nor the opportunities to get out and experience recreational or competitive shooting. We have fostered an environment and culture that allows the right type of exposure to firearms and safe shooting with an educational and leadership approach that has proven to push youth development further beyond their just their shooting capability but also in their leadership, communication and teamwork skills.
We've taken an approach like many traditional sports teams. As a Blue Eagle, there are expectations to learn, participate and compete as these steps along with good coaching and mentorship delivers notable personal growth in young teens as they transition to young adults.
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Safety, knowledge, skills and competition... We are the Blue Eagles.
2025 Season
Registration Opening Soon!
Richmond & Surrounding Area Youth
Boys and Girls Ages 12-17
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2025 Application - CLICK HERE!
2025 Fees:
$25 - AIM Registration
$TBD - Team Registration
The season will consist of classroom orientations, field practice, and registered competition shoots.
If inclement weather prevents range activities, we will proceed with classroom sessions for that day if possible.
The program will transition through:
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Basic Gun Safety On and Off The Field
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Blue Eagles Philosophy
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Range Rules
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Trapshooting Equipment & Operation
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Basic and Mid-level Marksmanship Skills
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Tournaments and Competition
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To lower the overall cost and increase access to the team, competition shoot field fees are no longer built into the Registration Fee and will be paid by the parents at the time of the shoot unless donations are available to offset the costs.
Registration Fees do include all of the practice shoots.
The Regular-Season will consist of 3 orientation sessions, 6 Practices with 350-400 scored targets & 3 Competition shoots with 400 targets scored.
The Post-Season will include any tie-breaking shoot-offs and the Team Awards & Presentation(T.A.P.) for the following seasonal awards(subject to change):
Top Shot | Most Improved Shooter | AIM State Championship Team Leader | Winchester MQP RanK | AIM Zone Championship Team Leader | Jr. Lieutenant | Parental Support Award
Also, during the T.A.P., any Blue Eagle that has reached the end of their career and has accumulated the minimum amount of Honors, will at that time be inducted into the prestigious Blue Eagles Hall of Fame.
The ATA and AIM
The Amateur Trapshooting Association or ATA, is the governing body for American Trap, providing rules and regulations for classification and local, state and national registered competition.
Academics, Integrity, Marskmanship, or AIM, is the youth program of the ATA. AIM extends classification and competition rules into the youth format and provides leagues, competitions and scholarships reserved only for youth shooters at the local and national levels.
Blue Eagles began shooting registered ATA competitions in 2015 and became a registered AIM Team in 2016.
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VYTL - Virginia Youth Trapshooting League
The VYTL allows AIM registered teams and individuals to shoot at their local Trap field and have the scores compiled against other youth shooters across the state. Each season starts Late March and ends in May followed by the 200-Target AIM State Championship in June.
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