Chambana Sun

Thirteen participants from Illinois 4-H recently demonstrated their shooting skills and sportsmanship at the 2023 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships held in Grand Island, Nebraska, from June 25 to June 30. This annual event saw a record participation of 718 youth from 42 states.

The National 4-H Shooting Sports program emphasizes safety and education, helping young participants practice self-discipline, goal setting, sportsmanship, and problem-solving under the guidance of certified adult mentors. The national competition is considered the pinnacle event for those involved in 4-H youth shooting sports.

“When youth come to nationals, they gain a sense of belonging and are part of an event shared with youth across their state and the country,” said Conrad Arnold, chair of the national committee for 4-H Shooting Sports. “We love to see the youth develop mastery of all the different skills necessary to compete in the different disciplines. When youth compete at this event, youth develop higher levels of focus, determination, independence, responsibility and the ability to pay attention to details in ways that will benefit them in other future pursuits.”

The competition included various shooting disciplines such as compound archery, recurve archery, air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shotgun, muzzle loading and hunting/outdoor skills.

Illinois teams had notable performances:

- The Compound Archery team consisting of Jacob Nusz (Stark County), Dylan Blair (Edgar County), and Ian Sundberg (LaSalle County) secured an 11th place finish out of 32 teams.

- The Shotgun team comprising Jonathan Barbee (Piatt County), Morgan Tracey (Fulton County), Kody Roberts (Piatt County), and Alex Paul (Wayne County) finished in 28th place out of 34 teams.

- The Air Rifle team with Rebecca Perkins (McHenry County), Paige Martin (McLean County), and Cheyanne Bierman (McHenry County) achieved a ranking of 17th out of 22 teams.

- The .22 Small Bore Rifle team made up of Liaden Gray (Winnebago County), Jacob Schaper (Madison County), and Corbin Gray (Winnebago County) also placed 17th out of a total of 23 teams.

Participants competed both as part of teams and individually. Curt Sinclair noted a significant achievement: “A special accomplishment from this great group of 4-H youth is the performance of Jacob Nusz in compound archery. This popular discipline attracted 111 top archers nationwide and Jacob finished in sixth place. That’s just incredible.”

Support for Illinois's participation came from organizations like the Illinois 4-H Foundation and Illinois Farm Bureau. Shotgun coach Tom Bates expressed his enthusiasm about the experience: “The whole experience is just amazing as it opens up the eyes of our youth to a whole new world of friends and opportunities beyond shooting sports.”

For more information on local youth shooting sports programs contact your local Extension Office.

### Source: Curt Sinclair

Writer: Carissa Nelson

About Illinois 4-H: Illinois' flagship youth development program focuses on empowering young people through hands-on experiences that prepare them for future careers while fostering community involvement.

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