ISU Extension Buena Vista County 4-H and Youth Program is kicking off the 3rd year of their 4-H Shooting Sports Club with their first get together. The club will be meeting on September 10th, 2007 at the B.V. Rifle & Pistol Club beginning at 7:00 p.m. We are always looking for new members for the club, so if you or someone you know is interested, come join us. The 4-H Shooting Sports Club currently has 16 members and two state certified instructors. The club meets at least six times for each shooting discipline. A parent or guardian is required to attend with the 4-H'er.
Buena Vista County has two Shooting Sports Certified Coordinators to help leaders with club organization, promotion and fundraising. The state Certified SESS Volunteers instructors are, Preston Jacobs - Coordinator, Shawn Jesse & Cory Watts - Rifle Instructors and Mike Christiansen & Preston Jacobs - Shotgun Instructors.
According to Buena Vista 4-H SESS Coordinator, Preston Jacobs, the committee encourages interested parents and youth to meet with Buena Vista's Certified SESS Volunteer Team to see what a 4-H Shooting Sports Club looks like and find out how to sign-up for Shooting Sports as a 4-H Project Area.
4-H Buena Vista SESS Coordinator, Preston Jacobs says, "The over-riding goal of 4-H is to enhance the participant's self-concept, character, and personal growth through safe, educational, responsible and socially acceptable involvement in any of numerous activities."
Approximately 45 percent of the homes in the United States have firearms. Safe and responsible handling of firearms is vital to prevent accidents in the home or next door. Shooting is the third most popular international competitive sport behind the combination of track and field and swimming and diving. It is nearly unique in that athletes can remain competitive throughout their lifetimes.
Jacobs says, "Shooting sports attract new audiences to 4-H and create bonds between adults and youth." Shooting sports at the national level may include, archery, muzzle loading, hunting, pistol, rifle and shotgun. These disciplines teach safety, concentration, self-discipline, self-confidence, goal-setting, decision-making, and courtesy to young people as they learn the basic skills and build toward more advanced activities. Both competitive and cooperative skills are included. Participants are exposed to local policies, regulations, laws and thical behavior through repeat demonstrations, and personal practice.
According to 4-H SESS Certified Rifle Instructor, Shawn Jesse, "There are a lot of hunters who live in our state, and there are a lot of parents who want their children to learn safely." Jesse said, "In this class, we teach the 4-H'ers how to shoot, but we also teach them about safety - such as how to carry a gun, cross a fence when carrying a gun and things like that."
"It's all about safety," Jesse continued. "Marksmanship will come, but the main focus is safety."
4-H'ers all over Iowa are beginning to participate in the SESS outdoor skills program. To find out more about the State 4-H supported program, you can visit the web site: /4H/SESS/shootingsports.html