As the De La Salle Collegiate Clay Target Shooting program has grown, so has the cost of the ammunition needed for practice and competitions. 
 
According to DLS staff member Mike Jolly, who initiated the DLS Sportsmen’s Club 17 years ago, and moderates the Clay Target Shooting program, ammunition prices have continually increased, as the demand from the general public continues to grow. 
 
“It is a daunting task to find retailers who will give us deals to help their future customers, our kids, and solidify their interest,” Jolly said. 
 
Consequently, Jolly recently contacted the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), a group he has reached out to in the past to assist the Sportsmen’s Club Archery program. 
 
The Beards and Spurs Chapter of the NWTF, representing Macomb and Oakland Counties, decided to assist the DLS students, and has donated $500. 
 
“Their generosity will help us continue to provide ammo at no cost to our kids,” Jolly said. 
 
Dave Potter, father of DLS alumnus Austin Potter, ‘16, presented the check to Jolly, and senior captains Eddie Olejniczak and Lorance Morrison, in a brief ceremony on November 12. (The third senior captain, Mark Fratarcangeli, was unavailable.) 
 
Austin Potter is currently captain of the Northern Michigan University football team, and was a member of the 2014 DLS State Championship football team. He has assisted at numerous NWTF banquets and activities.  
 
The late Dan Potter, Austin’s grandfather, was the “godfather” of the Beards and Spurs Chapter, and the prime mover for the group’s first grant for the De La Salle Archery Program. Jolly says the group’s initial grant to DLS for the archery program was worth roughly $4000. 
 
“Dan recently passed away which makes this gift even more significant. He was a wonderful man and his memory is rich with his generosity and support,” Jolly said. 
 
DLS teachers Jacqueline and Tom Van Thomme now run the archery group at the Brother Robert Activities Center.