4-H shooters prepare for national competitions

Mackenzie “Spud” Crabb, Aidan Patko and Luke Boyce stood together with their eyes quietly focused through the scopes on their air rifles. The three members of the Mineral County 4-H Shooting Sports team practiced together Saturday afternoon in the 4-H building in Superior. The boys stayed so silent they could hear a pin drop or more accurately a pellet hit a paper target.

Together, the boys practiced 20 minutes at a time in preparation for an important two weeks ahead. Along with Dahkota Hayes, the other member of the team, the group will attend national competitions in Camp Perry, Ohio.

Hayes and Crabb will compete at the NRA National Junior Air Gun Championship June 23 through June 25. Patko and Boyce will join the other two at the 2011 National Junior Olympic 3-Position Air Rifle Championship June 29 through July 1. Both competitions are held in Camp Perry.

Shooting sports coach Deb Regan said the team qualified last year for the Junior Olympics but they couldn’t afford the trip. This year with Hayes graduating high school, the championships will be her last opportunity. Regan said the trip is well worth it because qualifying next year is no guarantee without Hayes.

“We will need to find a fourth,” Regan said of replacing Hayes next year. “They have to be serious. It takes a lot of hours.”

Regan, who has coached the Shooting Sports team for 17 years, knows the kind of commitment it takes to succeed, and she believes the team has the right work ethic.

“It’s amazing how much time they put into it,” Regan said.

Regan began to instruct shooting as a leader of a hunter safety class. While teaching the class, Regan was approached by Superior extension office employee Kevin Chamberlain. Chamberlain asked Regan if she could take over the 4-H team. At first Regan declined because she was busy raising her family, but after two years Regan accepted the offer. Now, Regan has built a successful team that has qualified for national competitions seven out of the past nine years.

Besides all the success, Regan said it would not be possible without the support from the local community.

“The community has been supporting us,” Regan said. “We have fundraisers and they continue to pull through.”

Between individuals, local businesses, the American Legion, the Lion’s Club and Friends of the NRA, the shooting team has raised $26,000 in the past seven years. Regan said the money raised throughout the year goes towards trips to tournaments and new equipment. In the 4-H building, three cabinets are full of donated shooting essentials including guns, scopes, pellets, gloves, gun cases, different targets, pads, mats, kneeling rolls and lights.

From December to May this year, the team competed in nine tournaments. Five of the tournaments were postal matches, where the results are mailed in so teams can compete against other states. Regan said teams from Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas are known for having strong air rifle shooting teams.

In Montana, the team traveled to Bozeman in February and in March to qualify for both national competitions. Regan said taking a full squad to qualifying matches is a great opportunity.

“A lot of years we don’t have enough for a team,” Regan said. “It makes it fun. Other years we have to compete individually.”

After the team competes in Camp Perry, Hayes and Crabb will shot at the American Legion National Junior Air Rifle Championship at Colorado Springs in August. Regan said next to the NRA and Junior Olympic championships, the American Legion championship is the most prestigious.

Out of over 900 kids who compete in the American Legion championship nationwide, the top 30 scores were taken. Those top scorers shot again and the top 15 remained. Hayes and Crabb made the top 15 in the country, and will represent Mineral County on the national stage for a third time this year. However, Regan said Crabb would not be able to make the American Legion championship due to prior commitments.

Before Hayes travels to Colorado Springs and Crabb competes next year, the two need to keep their team focused on the present competitions in Camp Perry. Although the scoring will be doubled and the national stage will be brighter than the empty 4-H building, the target will still be 33 feet away and the bull’s eye will be the goal. With a few deep breaths, the team members will dial in each shot and try to bring a trophy back to Mineral County.

To keep the guns in perfect condition for the national competitions, Regan came into the 4-H building before the competitions to clean out the air rifles. Regan said maintaining the rifles is important from performance.

“I come down here and check the guns before every tournament,” Regan said while stringing a blue wire through the barrel of an air rifle.