Illinois youth set sites for first National 4-H Shooting Sports contest
Shotgun team includes Brandon Goldhammer of Logan County

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[June 12, 2015]  LINCOLN - Illinois 4-H will be sending its first participants to the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championship in June. The contest will be held June 21-26 in Grand Island, NE.

Illinois entered the 4-H Shooting Sports program in the fall of 2009, said Dan Dawson, state coordinator of the Illinois 4-H Shooting Sports program. “Illinois was the last state in the nation to offer the shooting sports program through its state 4-H program,” Dawson said.

“The growth has been fast,” Dawson said, with 96 of the 102 counties in Illinois having certified volunteers to offer the shooting sports discipline. “It is the state’s fastest growing 4-H project,” Dawson said.

Illinois will send a team of four youth in the compound archery division as well as the shotgun division, and will send a single participant in the air rifle division. Participants were selected during the Illinois State 4-H Shoot held in October 2014.
 


The Illinois 4-H archery team will include Rhett Bullard of Marion County, Kyle Lex of Sangamon County, Hannah Primm of Menard County, and Aaron Fishburn of Sangamon County. Bill Mohn of Sangamon County will serve as the archery coach.

The Illinois 4-H shotgun team will include Darrin Hawkins of Grundy County, Ethan Mathias of Rock Island, Brice Switzer of Edgar County, and Brandon Goldhammer of Logan County. William Peterson of Rock Island County will judge the team at the national contest.

Greg Bolhaus of Ogle County will compete individually in the air rifle competition. Cheryl Price of Ogle County will serve as coach for this division.

“The national 4-H contest has been very popular since its beginning in 1989,” Dawson said. Nationally, nearly 600 4-H teens representing 37 states will be competing in the national contest.

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“Shooting sports is one of the top three project areas nationally in 4-H,” Dawson said. “Every local club is led by adult volunteers who have been certified through extensive training.”

Illinois currently offers curriculum in compound and recurve archery, air and smallbore rifle, shotgun, and hunting and outdoor skills. Future curriculum may include muzzleloading and the air and smallbore pistol shooting disciplines.

The Illinois 4-H Foundation financially supports the Illinois 4-H shooting sports team. To learn more about 4-H in the community, one may contact the Logan County U of I Extension office at 217-732—8289 or website at  http://web. extension illinois.edu/lms/    

[Amy Hyde, Logan County 4-H]

About 4-H: Illinois 4-H helps youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H impacts the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.

For Further Information Contact:
Source: Dan Dawson, Extension State Educator, Shooting Sports, 217 726 9224
News Writer: Judy Mae Bingman, Extension Media Communications Specialist, 217-300-2113

 

 

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