Being able to represent your country in a major sports competition is a dream of many athletes. Competing to be the best is a common motivation for many that take up their chosen sport. It’s not always obvious how an athlete can get from picking up the sport into one day representing his or her nation, and it is what this “Get-IN” series is exactly about: To find out the steps one needs to take or standards required for selection into the National Team.
As the selection policies for different sports and associations/nations change from time to time, the Get-In team provide updates for major changes and revamps of selection systems and policies, as far as we know.
Revised SSA Shotgun Development Programme
As of April 3 2021, the Singapore Shooting Association made an announcement of a Revised SSA Shotgun Development Programme, with the illustration of the programme also updated on their website. This means our previous post in 2020 regarding the Shotgun national team has to be updated to cover this new and (in our opinion) improved version of the development programme. The programme is open to Singapore Citizens only.
Overview of the programme
The programme is split up into 2 main levels with their own sub-layers with 3 levels of subsidies (on ammunition & clay) that correspond.
Level 1- The junior & youth team (50% subsidy)
After the basic ‘Learn to Shoot’ pool, selected participants (age 13-18) will be recommended to the probational junior development team. This first sub-layer does not have any score requirement and shows SSA’s generous willingness to invest in potential with a 50% subsidy.
One step up is the Junior Development team, where a score of 39/75 would qualify for the 50% subsidy. That is an average of 13/25 per detail, with 1 hit qualifying you for 1 year! Subsequent continuation of staying in the programme requires 45/75 & 85/125 for boys and 42/75 & 75/125 for girls. Again, the willingness to encourage and invest in youths to take up this sport is very obvious with the scores requirement! SSA is showing their commitment to meet junior shooters halfway with a hefty 50% subsidy. The Junior development teams are only open to shooters which have never been in any SSA junior programme.
However, if you have been in a junior programme previously but are still considered a youth (lucky you) at age 20 and below, there is the National Youth Team, where a score of 90/125 for boys and 80/125 for girls would qualify you for 50% subsidy for 1 year.
Level 2 – Development Team (50% subsidy)
For those of us who were born in a previous millennium, SSA has kindly extended an olive branch to everyone. As long as you have never been in a national team before, regardless of age, you are eligible for the development team once you get to an average of 100/125 (men) or 83/125 (women) for a 1 year tenure, with the requirements going to 103(m), 85(w) for the 2nd year and 105(m), 88(w) for the 3rd year. Being in this team qualifies you for 50% subsidy for a maximum stay of 3 consecutive years. The average score is taken by counting the average of 2 best scores in 6 months.
Level 3 – National Training Team (70% subsidy & 100% subsidy)
This level caters for the top shooters in Singapore, where even ex-national shooters are eligible to qualify. The intermediate level provides a very substantial 70% subsidy if one is able to hit an average of 108 (men-trap), 110(men-skeet), or 90(women-skeet/trap) over 4 shoots in a 6 months period. There is also a monthly rolling review of 6 months tenure, which places the national training team under greater scrutiny, expectedly so too.
The tip of the pyramid brings us to the accomplished national training team, where you get 100% subsidy for meeting 112(men-trap), 114(men-skeet), 92(women-skeet/trap). Similar to the intermediate level, this is an average taken from 4 shoots in 6 months and subject to the monthly rolling review.
Understanding the programme and its rules
The programme has specified 3 objectives:
a. To improve on Shotgun Development in Singapore
b. To recruit new and junior shooters into ISSF Shotgun events
c. To provide a support system for ISSF Shotgun shooters
To improve on shotgun development likely means having a more competitive team, raising the standards and scores of the competitors in the country in order to have a chance of medaling in the regional and world competitions and the whole programme likely has this as the overarching end goal.
The focus is then put on the ‘new and junior’ shooters as can be seen by the scheme giving a lot more leeway to potential in youth and shooters that have never been supported through the national team schemes previously. This scheme focuses on youth but does not discriminate against age, if you are good enough, you are accepted into the development scheme for 3 years to prove yourself. If by then, you do not make it to the upper tiers, I think it’s definitely not for a lack of investment by SSA.
When talking about the support system, it’s a very generous support system which starts at 50% subsidy. In terms of the dollars and cents, a 50% subsidy for 6 details equates to $96 a day! This is far more generous than most support schemes from various National Sports Association, also owing to the fact that the sport is a financially taxing one due to the cost of ammunition and clays.
Rules & Caveats
There are several rules & technicalities linked to the programme to look out for:
- Only shooters who have never been in an SSA Junior Programme are eligible for the probational junior development team.
- Only shooters who have never been in the national team before are eligible.
- Average of 2 best scores in 1 year to be taken, for development team, national youth team and junior development team.
- Average of 4 best scores in 6 months to be taken, for national training team.
- 1 year tenure with 6 months review for development team and below.
- Monthly rolling review of 6 months for national training team.
Lingering Questions & OhkaySports.Opine
There are some questions to be asked about the technical aspects of the rules which might affect potential applicants; such as what the definitions of ‘being in the national team previously’ mean, does it refer to the specific event of either trap or skeet, or does it refer to any discipline, including rifle and pistol? What too, does a monthly rolling review of 6 months mean. Does it mean there’s a review every month to look at the recent 6 months to consider one’s eligibility, or does it mean you would be guaranteed a spot for 6 months with a monthly review thereafter?
Ignoring these obvious questions for now, the revised development programme can be seen to be a generous one with a clear progressive plan which focuses on helping the athletes who are willing to show some form of commitment to improving themselves. The idea of using a partial subsidy automatically provides a screen for committed athletes and also gives some accountability to the program and SSA. It’s almost like the programme is telling athletes, “Only if you are willing to help yourself, will you get the support available.”
That being said, the support and score criteria is actually very liberal, especially for the youth programmes and development teams. Hitting a 1 time score of 39/75 just means scarcely more than half the targets available every detail, i.e 13/25, and it actually qualifies one for support up to a year! Shooters across the world would be jealous of Singapore shooters after hearing of this, but it shows SSA’s sincere willingness to invest in youth and for the long term, as the sport takes quite a while for a shooter to come good, if he/she eventually does.
Finally, there is ample opportunity for more seasoned shooters to qualify for subsidy and being in the development teams! This is a great point to note, that SSA seems to recognise the value that more mature athletes can provide in this discipline and sport, where age is not necessarily a disadvantage. This is seen from the development programme not having an age limit, and ex-national shooters are free to qualify for 70% & 100% subsidy through the national training team.
There are also heightened demands for the national training team to be more consistent in achieving high scores, as they have to take scores from the recent 6 months rather than 1 year, this demand makes sure to keep these high performing athletes on their toes and to seek constant improvement!
Taking a step back from the scores and financial support, the next key to development would be the coaching given to athletes in the program. For the probational Junior Development team, there is a reliance on club coaches, whereas an SSA-appointed coach would be able to help the athletes in the upper tiers. The upcoming years would prove the quality of coaching as the youth/new athletes start to come through the system.
Beyond the development programme, there are also the open trials during selections for major games that everyone can throw their name into the hat and compete for, regardless if they are in the development programme or not.
The design of this revised programme definitely covers all the bases and stands out for the SSA’s willingness to invest, while ensuring integrity and robustness, to achieve the stated objectives! 👍
TLDR: Get into the Development programme to earn subsidies!
What the revised programme means for you.
First, to answer the question, it depends on who you are.
For the young newcomer to shooting.
Newcomers aged 13-18 can look forward to joining the basic shotgun course, open to SSA constituent clubs’ members and MOE schools, and performing during that course to be recommended by coaches through a point👉 system.
Newcomers under age 20 can enter the junior development team (50% subsidy) by hitting 39/75 once, after joining a shooting club and getting the relevant licences. Find out more here.
For newcomers of any age to shooting.
Newcomers will have to join a club, and get the relevant licences, before hitting a score of 100/125 (men) or 83/125 (women) to be eligible for the development team.
For shooters new to ISSF Shotgun events.
Shooters who already have the relevant licences and accreditation can enter the development team and above through meeting the qualifying scores during the official shoots.
For ex-national team shooters in Shotgun.
Shooters have to have the relevant licences & accreditation and also achieve the scores required of at least national training team B (intermediate) to get 70% subsidy. 100% subsidy is available for scores that qualify for national training team A (accomplished).
For shotgun athletes that have a dream or eventual goal of representing your nation, we hope this updated edition of our “Get-IN” series can help you better plot your way ahead! All the very best and we hope to hear your story when you get to shoot for glory, representing your nation one day.
Write to us at ohkaysports.asia@gmail.com!
OhkaySports.Asia – Editor’s notes: All assumptions of national team selection criteria are made based on published policies. Opinions are writer’s own and are to be taken with a pinch of salt or sugar. No confirmation has been sought from SSA at time of writing. Article serves only as a guide for aspiring athletes & joining the development team is by invitation only from SSA.
OhkaySports.Asia 