Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

4-H shooting sports program takes aim in New Germany



The Minnesota 4-H Shooting Sports/Wildlife Project targets
personal development and responsible environmental behavior for all members
of the family.

The shooting sports program, which began in New Germany
Jan. 8, includes air rifle, air pistol, BB gun, and archery, in addition
to the wildlife biology section. The wildlife section includes topics such
as tracking, identification and wildlife photography.

Kim Bartz is the lead volunteer for the group that meets
in the New Germany city hall during the winter months. “There is a
50-50 ratio of girls to boys in the program, and the girls are good shots,”
Bartz said. “The girls tend to concentrate more.”

Carver County 4-H Program Coordinator Rachel Bender also
observed that “the girls may work harder because they feel they have
something to prove – that they can perform as well or better than the boys.”

Young people that register in the program must participate
in all of the different types of shooting sports. They meet on Thursday
evenings throughout the winter, and rotate between types every half-hour.

“This is a full program, not just one discipline,”
Bartz said. “We want them to become familiar with all areas.”

When the weather is warm enough, the group moves to the
gun club in Waconia. At that time, the wildlife portion is completed, and
sections are added for black powder rifle and pistol, and tomahawk throw.

“Carver County is one of the top counties in the state
for black powder,” Bartz said.

The program focuses on ethics and responsibility, as well
as marksmanship. “People who are interested in hunting learn about
all aspects of the sport, such as asking to use land before they hunt, identifying
game before taking a shot, and using what they shoot,” Bartz pointed
out.

“They also learn about gun safety and cleaning and
taking care of the equipment,” she added.

The shooting sports program goes well beyond the typical
gun safety course, and this is what draws some people to the program.

“We have some parents who are terrified of guns, but
have enrolled their children in the program,” Bartz observed.

“I talk to people who have never been around guns,
and they don’t want their children to be exposed to them,” Bartz added.
“I ask them, ‘wouldn’t you rather have them know what to do in case
they ever do come in contact with guns?'”

Bartz describes the program as “a family thing,”
that allows all members of the family to participate. “Shooting sports
brings the dads into 4-H, in general. This brings them in the door, and
then they want to become involved in other areas,” she said.

Kim’s husband Dean has been a certified shooting sports
instructor since 1996. Bartz explained that when her daughter wanted to
join the program, she gave her husband the choice of taking her to the meetings
or staying home with the two younger children. He chose the former option,
and has been involved in 4-H ever since.

The shooting sports program requires a parent or other
responsible adult to stay with the participants rather than just dropping
them off.

The program provides an opportunity for participants to
go on to the state competition, which is held the week after Labor Day.
“We average 16-19 kids that go on to state each year,” Bartz commented.

Carver County is one of the few counties that has its own
competition. This runs four hours per night during the last two weeks in
July, and results are posted at the county fair.

In order to qualify for the state competition, participants
must complete 16 hours of instruction in each discipline in which they wish
to compete.

“We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to
practice indoors in New Germany,” Bartz stated. “We are able to
complete more than half of the required hours before summer, which makes
it much less stressful for the participants.”

Bartz said that many programs do not have the luxury of
an indoor facility, and this forces them to complete all of their training
outdoors in the summer.

The training has been done at the New Germany city hall
since 1978. There are 68 participants signed up for the program this year,
including 21 new members.

Bender pointed out that the 4-H policy of “youth teaching
youth” is a big part of the shooting sports program. Participants can
enter the program when they are in third grade. They can participate through
the time they leave 4-H. The wide range in ages of the participants is not
a problem.

“The older kids help the younger kids, and the younger
kids help the older kids,” Bender observed.

Bender noted that youth seventh grade and older can become
certified youth instructors. The opportunity to teach others helps participants
to develop leadership and communication skills that will help them in other
areas.

“Sometimes, the participants learn more quickly from
the youth instructors than they do from the adults,” Bender said.

The cost of participation in the program is $20 per year.
All equipment and ammunition is provided, which is a key benefit.

“This program gives young people a chance to try a
variety of things to see what they like without spending a lot of money
on equipment. This is especially important for activities like archery.
As they grow, they don’t need to spend more money each year to get equipment
that will fit them.” Bartz said.

“Other local shooting sports programs can be found
in McLeod County, which is one of the newer programs at three years old,
and Wright County, which is one of the more established programs in the
state,” Bender said.

Over 4200 young people are registered in the program. There
are over 800 certified adult leaders running local and county programs which
can be found in 50 of the 87 counties in Minnesota, Bartz added.

Bender noted that the Shooting Sports/Wildlife Biology
program is just one of the programs 4-H provides.

“There are 20 4-H clubs across Carver County, and
92 projects that youth can participate in,” Bender explained. “There
are lots of opportunities. If they come to us, we will find something that
they are interested in.”

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