Mineral County shooters win awards
Luke Boyce, shooting in the prone position, lines up his shot.
At the Flathead 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational this past February, eight Mineral County competitors claimed six awards in the three-position (prone, standing, and kneeling) air rifle and air pistol events. Top honors went to Luke Boyce shooting in the 13-14 year old age division. Luke had one of his best performances this season when he finished in first place in his age claiming the gold medal by posting a new personal best score of 251 (out of 300 possible) Luke’s top score was also good enough for him to finish 4th overall out of all competitors from all age groups. First and second finishers overall were from the 15 and over age division, the third overall shooter was from Beaverhead County’s 11-12 year old age division, and then Luke in 4th from the 13-14 age division. Luke had a great day of shooting that Saturday because he also shot a new personal best in the standing position with a 78 (out of 100 possible).
Another medal winner, Kade Parkin, came home with a bronze for his third place finish in the 9-10 year old age division. This was Kade’s first medal after only a few months of shooting. Kade also shot a personal best in the kneeling position with a 52. Kade was followed in quick succession by a block of Mineral County shooters in the next five places. Earning ribbons for 4th through 6th place were Margaret Parkin, with a score of 136; Maddie Courser, with a score of 134; and Jonna Warnken, with a score of 132.
Dani Vander Ploeg and Kathryn Parkin followed in 7th and 8th place with a 131 and 127, respectively. Dani’s 131 three-position score was a new personal best, exceeding her previous personal best by eleven points. That improvement was possible because Dani shot a new personal best in the prone position, a 73, four over her previous personal best of 69.
David McGuffey competed for Mineral County in air pistol in the 15 and over age division. Although the toughest age group, David at 15 years old was pleased with his 5th place ribbon. He was looking forward to an even higher pistol score for a higher ranking in his next competition.
The Flathead Invitational proved to be a valuable experience for Mineral County shooters, especially the cadre of new shooters competing in their second shoulder match of their careers. They found out that most of their competition came from none other than their 9-10 year old teammates.