A Clover High School team is rallying support to save its practice field after they said a neighbor’s noise complaint threatens to take the space away.
The school’s clay target team is the only district-supported team of its kind in South Carolina. An online petition calling to save its practice space alleges the team’s fate “hangs in the balance” if they were to lose access. About 1,300 people signed in support as of Friday.
But according to Clover School District, the sport will continue regardless of what happens with the field.
“The district found this space when the team was taken off their original land,” spokesperson Stephanie Knott said. “The district has been fully committed to ensuring that the team has a space, whether on the existing space or a better space.”
Clover’s 38-person team will continue practicing at its current district-owned property next to Clover Middle School through at least the end of the school year, according to the district. The petition creator declined to comment on the matter.
Neighbors have expressed both support and concern over students practicing in the area, Knott said.
Athletes shoot flying clay targets out of the sky with a shotgun. More than 53,000 athletes participate in the sport nationwide, according to the USA Clay Target League.
The petition alleges one “disgruntled neighbor” made repeated noise complaints. Parents are concerned students will be displaced from the location that homed their sport.
“If one single complaint is enough to consider forcing the team to find another location then hundreds of complaints against the unfair unwarranted complaint is surely enough to negate any decision against field access,” the petition states.
The York County Sheriff’s Office previously conducted two noise tests at the request of the district, which “wanted to be good neighbors” after receiving complaints, according to Sgt. Jonathan Moseley, who oversees code enforcement.
Moseley conducted the first test from a roadside ditch and determined noise exceeded the decibel level allowed under York County law. Noise in residential areas cannot exceed 60 decibels on or beyond a property line.
After the district reoriented students’ shooting position, a second noise test found they were in compliance, Moseley said.
There’s a “great deal of misinformation circulating on social media” about the situation, Knott said. The team doesn’t need a petition because it already has the district’s support.
Clover School District has sought out and provided practice locations before and uses its own maintenance crew to help with upkeep. Clover High School also provides staff to “help advance the club” and assist with communication, she said.
“Those (neighbors) that have expressed concern are very supportive of the program and think it is great for kids. They simply asked if there were other areas that might serve the team better,” Knott said. “Exploring whether other spaces might be a better fit does not mean that the team is kicked off their field.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
The Herald
Nick Sullivan is The Observer’s regional accountability reporter for York County and the South Carolina communities that border Charlotte. He studied journalism at the University of South Carolina, and he previously covered education for The Arizona Republic and The Colorado Springs Gazette.