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4H Shotgun Sports - Serious Gun Control! |
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Written by Anne Vinnola
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 06:48 |
 When reporting on kids and guns the American mainstream media seems to only find tragic stories about drive-by shootings and gun accidents when covering youth involved in shooting. Any time a child or innocent person is injured or killed by a person mishandling or worse yet intending harm is truly sad, heart wrenching and horrifying. I am in no way trying to minimize the heartbreak of those involved in the tragic events leading to the harm and death of children and view responsible gun ownership as vital. The American media in general though is not telling the entire story of America’s youth and the handling of their guns.
This Labor Day weekend I was at the Colorado State 4-H Shotgun competition with my family as my daughter and son were competing with their junior and senior county teams respectively. Families come to support the teams from all over the state and many set campers up or stay in nearby hotels gearing up for the long weekend of shooting, understanding that a serene trip to the lake or mountains is not going to happen. We do get to spend the weekend at the foot of gorgeous Pikes’ Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but quiet it is not!
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| Kasye Housman with her perfect 100 patch |
For those not familiar with 4-H Shotgun competitions, there are three events; Trap, Skeet and 5-Stand Shooting. Boys and girls compete with each other and are not separated. In fact the girls on our Fremont County team shoot so well that one year the boys on the team gave serious thought to wearing pink shirts saying “You Are Right I DO Shoot Like A Girl.” to the state competition in proud support of their female teammates!
Trap shooting involves five shooters standing in a line with a trap house in the center that launches clay targets out from the center in random directions. Each person shoots five clay targets in each of the five stations while standing 16 yards back from the trap house for a total possible score of 25 per round.
Skeet shooting is meant to simulate the action of bird hunting. The shooter shoots from 7 positions in a semi-circle and an 8th position halfway between stations 1 and 7. There are two houses that hold throwers that launch the targets at different heights, one at each corner of the semi-circle.
Five Stand shooting has five gates or stands to shoot from. There are usually somewhere between 6 and 8 traps that throw targets at all angles even along the ground simulating a rabbit. Participants shoot in turn at each of the 5 stands and various combinations of targets are thrown from the traps with a possible score of 25. Usually there is a menu card that will advise the shooter of the sequence of targets.
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| Kyle Ratkovich after his perfect 50 score |
When, over the crackling intercom, the crystal clear voice of a sweet young lady was heard singing our National anthem, everyone at the range stopped what they were doing and held their hands over their hearts watching the flag blowing in the gentle breeze. Men, young and old, took their hats off out of respect, kids stopped talking or giggling out of respect for our flag. Even a man in a car who was trying to park stopped and waited patiently, hand over heart after noticing what was going on around him. There was no sound lovelier to anyone on the range.
The competition began with each county team on a separate range. Safety rules were given before each event to be followed explicitly. The youth at these events are so well trained by their instructors and parents that gun and range safety is the same to them as any well trained athlete. It is practiced from the very start of their 4-H shooting career and becomes second nature. A recent study by American Sports Data, Inc. - A Comprehensive Study of Sports Injuries in the U.S. showed that compared to other popular forms of recreation including basketball, football, golf, running and baseball the shooting sports have some of the lowest occurrences of injury.
The really fun part about watching our very close knit Fremont County Junior and Senior teams compete is the support on the range among the shooters. High-fives when good rounds were shot and “Shake it off,” and “Relax,” was heard when disappointing rounds were over. When our junior team competed, all of the seniors and parents were there to cheer them on and vice-versa. These young men and ladies are very competitive in many ways even attending rival high schools, but on the shooting range they are family.
Watching each shooter perform is much like watching a carefully choreographed dance. Each one has their own way of producing the best shot and easing the nervousness in their body. Sometimes the dance resembles that of a chicken scratching in the dirt while others rock back and forth setting their minds and feet on a straight path to a win, still others have nerves focused only in single-minded concentration blocking out all distractions and instilling total quiet in the crowd.
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| Jenny Vinnola celebrates after shooting her personal best |
When perfect scores of 25, 50 and more are shot, the breathless crowd behind the shooter finally breathes and cheers, while applause and shouts of encouraging words are heard. If several shooters in the same event shoot perfect scores then an intense shoot-off is held. Tricky shots are appreciated and the shooting community as a whole is encouraging to kids who are struggling, with advice and pats on the back. After a perfect 25 is shot a fun custom is having the shooter’s hat launched into the air while the whole team shoots at it making it a sort of badge of honor if there is anything left!
One heartwarming, thrilling event of the weekend was watching a beautiful, extremely talented young lady; senior shooter Kasye Housman from Boulder, Colorado shoot a perfect 100 score in the Trap Shooting Event on Labor Day. This is an extremely difficult feat, but she pulled it off with skill, grace and humility beating scores of young men in the process! Even though they were disappointed none of them acted rudely or with jealousy. She was congratulated by each competitor for a job well done.
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| Team shooting perfect score hat! |
The weekend was filled with hundreds of young shooters in serious competition and fierce rivalry; some things are very different though in my observation of 4- H shooting sports than with some other team sports I have attended. I never witnessed crying children and screaming parents or unruly teens. The shotgun shooting completions I attend are well managed; the team spirit high and sincere appreciation of hard work and talent from all attending is the norm.
4-H Shooting Sports is a great way to introduce youngsters to the shooting world. They come away with so much more than just shooting experience. The positive life lessons learned are so much bigger and more powerful than just shooting targets. They receive their “highs” from doing their personal best not from drugs. The kids in the shooting disciplines learn how to perform under pressure as well as encourage others to do the same. They make goals and watch each other achieve them with the full support of their families and teammates; gaining confidence as young men and woman in a difficult but highly rewarding sport. I was able to watch the most remarkable young men and women compete with grace, honor and respectful sportsmanship. Gun control to these kids means shooting straight in life as well as on the range!
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