Chambana Sun

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships took place in Grand Island, Nebraska, from June 23 to June 28, 2024. Over 700 teenage participants from more than 40 states gathered for the event, which included disciplines such as shotgun, archery, rifle, and pistol in an Olympic-style competition. Illinois fielded two teams this year.

The Illinois 4-H Shotgun team consisted of Jakeb Paul (Wayne County), Nathaniel Kern (Franklin County), Gianni Zanelli (Macoupin County), and Benaiah Bremer (Madison County). They competed in sporting clays, skeet, and trap shooting events. The team finished in 18th place out of the participating states. Notably, Jakeb Paul achieved a 9th-place finish out of 129 shooters in the trap shooting event.

In recurve archery, the Illinois team included Eve Snider (Mason County) and siblings Allison, Rebecca, and Nathan Perkins (McHenry County). They participated in the 3-D, F.I.T.A., and Field archery contests. The team secured a commendable fifth place overall nationally. Rebecca Perkins stood out by finishing ninth among 66 competitors in the challenging 3-D range contest.

Curt Sinclair from University of Illinois praised the positive atmosphere at the championships: “No one I saw or spoke with all week had one negative thing to say about this national experience.”

A tradition at these championships involves trading state representative hat/lapel pins among participants to foster friendships and cultural exchanges. The Illinois participants returned home with new connections from over 40 states.

Illinois 4-H is part of University of Illinois Extension's youth development program under the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. It aims to develop leadership skills among youth through hands-on experiences.

For further information contact Curt Sinclair at sinclair@illinois.edu.