This year (2025) the Pro Squad/Pro Class will be utilized at all Regionals, the US Open, and Nationals for all 100-bird 12-gauge events, but only the Main Event will be random squadded. There are separate payouts for the Pro Class for each of these events that will be equal to the Master class payouts, but Pro Class and Master will still be combined for punches and points races. Each club will be handling their own random squadding.
Criteria for the Qualified Pro Squad (both Men and Ladies):
- Top 5 shooters and 5th place ties from each of the prior year Regional Championships Main Events, Open and Lady
- Top 5 shooters and 5th place ties from the past five (5) NSCA U.S. Open Main Events, Open and Lady
- Top 15 shooters and 15th place ties from prior two (2) National Championship Main Events, Open and Lady
- All-American Open and Lady First Team from prior year’s points race
- World English Sporting Clays and World FITASC Champions from the past five (5) years, Open and Lady
- National Sporting Clays Champions from the past 10 years, Open and Lady
- 2025 NSCA U.S. Open, World English Sporting Clays, World FITASC, and Regional Championships, Open and Lady Champion, Runner-up, and Third. See the full 2025 Pro Squad criteria..
The list of names is to be published no later than the week after the 2025 All-American Team is announced.
See the 2026 National Championship Pro Squad Criteria
Goals of the Qualified Pro Squad Rotation:
- Fairness with weather/wind conditions
- Self-policing of scoring, enhanced integrity
- Increased excitement, audience enjoyment, marketing opportunities, video/streaming opportunities
- Staying within a maximum rotation squad of 80 shooters, which is easily attainable
- Number of shooters based solely on the criteria
Important Considerations:
- Participants who do not qualify to be members of the Pro Squad Rotation are still eligible to win the Main Event, regardless of their rotation.
- To be eligible for awards, punches, points, and money in class or concurrent, those who qualified for the Pro Squad Rotation must shoot this rotation. If he or she chooses not to, their score will not be listed, and they will not receive any recognition, awards, or money.
- Pro Squads will be made up of four (4) random-draw shooters per squad (to the best of the club’s ability based on participation). Men will be squadded together, and ladies will be squadded together.
During the National Sporting Clays Championship:
- All will shoot the main event starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday, October 23 and ending with the 3:30 rotation on Sunday, October 26.
- Pro Squads will be made up of four (4) random-draw shooters per squad (to the best of the club’s ability based on participation). Men will be squadded together, and ladies will be squadded together.
- The squads will be random squadded during the North Central Regional at Game Unlimited using the same method we used the last two years. Once the squads have been established, we will open the auction.
- The fifth spot on each squad will be auctioned off, with proceeds being split between an increased prize purse and the USA Sporting Clays Teams.
- On the last day of the National Championship, all Pro Squad shooters will be re-squadded from lowest to highest, and the top 20 shooters from the Pro Squads will be re-squadded into four five-person Pro Squads.
- The shooters who won the auction spots on all squads will also be randomly re-squadded with new squads for the final day.
