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4-H BB Gun Club
| Name | Jason Caudill | | Situation | The agent had a 4-H Shooting Sports certified rifle instructor interested in starting a BB Gun Club modeled after the BB Gun Competition that is prevalent in Georgia. This Club would be categorized as an Extension natural resource education activity. Oconee County Extension Office had held several shooting sports events over the past several years with great success. Many of the participants expressed interest in starting a club so that they could meet more regularly. One of the initial problems that we had was finding a meeting site that was convenient and fit the needs of the club.
| | Response | In the fall, the volunteer and the agent discussed what kind of equipment the club would need to get started and it was ordered using local 4-H funds and forestry money. The agent put together some flyers in order to promote the club and get interested candidates. The flyers were distributed to schools and local organizations. We were able to find a sponsor, the Seneca chapter of the American Legion, who allowed us the use of their building for a meeting site. This worked out well since it was in downtown Seneca, a good central place for the county. In January we had our first meeting and continued to meet each week and had more kids as we went along. In the 4-H Shooting Sports program the agent and volunteer rifle instructor taught fire arm safety and marksmanship. In addition, they gave each youth the opportunity to coach the other team members. Parents were trained and used as volunteers for the program. The agent and volunteer tried to pair parents up with kids that weren't their own which fostered the best learning environment for each of the kids. The club competed in a regional meet in Elberton, GA and placed 4th among 7 teams. Then they competed at the state meet at Rock Eagle, GA on May 1st and did extremely well.
| | Impact | The members of the club learned skills in fire arm safety, marksmanship, and leadership. The adults reported that the youth also displayed more self confidence. The parents of the kids also gained confidence and bonded with the kids by getting involved with coaching. The team will continue to meet over the summer and some members will enter the 4-H FACE competition to learn more about wildlife management. The natural resource specialist and the agent discussed plans to host a competition for SC in the fall once more teams are started in the state. The club members are developing their computer technology skills, also, as they are creating a website for their club.
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Last update4/7/2008
This website is maintained by D Jason Caudill.
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