Larimer County 4-H Members Compete at Nationals

We are so proud of the four Larimer County Shooting Sports members who traveled to Grand Island to participate in the 4-H Nationals Shooting Sports Championships from June 25–30, 2023.

The championships consist of three days of competition for nine disciplines including Air Rifle, Air Pistol, Compound Archery, Muzzleloading, .22 Pistol, .22 Rifle, Outdoor Skills, Recurve Archery, and Shotgun. Members are busy all week beginning with equipment check-in, state team pictures, practice time at the ranges, teen socials, and ceremonies. It’s an amazing week for the members and their families!

In Colorado, senior 4-H members qualify at the state shoot the previous year to represent our state on the national level. Members are only eligible to attend in each discipline once—it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

This was the biggest National Shooting Sports Championships in the event’s history. There were a total of 719 participants from 42 states represented.


Here are the results for our Larimer County shooters:

Walker Cameron, Compound Archery

Day 1: FITA = 1st Place
Day 2: Field = 10th Place
Day 3: 3D = 4th Place
OVERALL = 4th Place out of 111

Jude Rudd, Compound Archery

Day 1: FITA = 49th Place
Day 2: Field = 35th Place
Day 3: 3D = 32nd Place
OVERALL = 38th Place out of 111

Tristen Noyer, Recurve Archery

Day 1: Field = 30th Place
Day 2: FITA = 40th Place
Day 3: 3D = 33rd Place
OVERALL = 37th Place out of 68

Tait Simpson, Muzzleloading

Day 1: 50-Yard Bullseye = 44th Place
Day 2: 25-Yard Novelty = 51st Place
Day 3: Silhouettes = 56th Place
OVERALL = 57th Place out of 71

Click each photo to enlarge and show names of team members and coaches.

The Colorado teams placed as follows for each discipline overall:

Air Pistol = 3rd Place
Air Rifle = 7th Place
Compound Archery = 3rd Place
Muzzleloading = 6th Place
Outdoor Skills = No Full Team
Recurve Archery = 9th Place
Shotgun = 13th Place
.22 Pistol = 3rd Place
.22 Rifle = 10th Place

Please join us in congratulating our members on this accomplishment. We encourage you all to set your sights high and aim to qualify to attend this awesome event!

To view more photos of the Colorado Compound Archery Team, visit Sharel Cameron’s photo gallery here.

Click here for more information about the National Championships.

State Shoot Fees

For the members who qualified for state shoot teams, the fees are due by Thursday, July 27 at 10:00 p.m. Please check your email for the total due for your family and the link to pay via the SignUpGenius.

Fees are $20 per participant plus $5 per class, except shotgun which charges $15 per class.

A few items to note:

  • Larimer County 4-H leaders are handling the registration for each member’s state shoot disciplines. You will receive multiple auto-generated emails from 4HOnline as this process is completed. One will state that you owe payment to the extension office before your registration will be active. You are paying these fees now SignUpGenius. Please disregard those 4HOnline emails.

  • If you have any questions about your fee total or the payment process, please contact Sam Webb by clicking here.

  • A schedule of tentative relay times for state shoot will be available at Interview Judging on August 1, but relays will not be finalized until the week of the state shoot.

Outdoor Skills Contest / September 16, 2023

Date

Saturday, September 16, 2023, 7:30 a.m. check-in, 8:00 a.m. start time

Location

Near Morrison, Colorado (specific location will be sent to all registered participants)

Registration

Participants must be enrolled in the 4-H Hunting & Outdoor Skills project to participate.

Register by Friday, September 8 at 4HOnline.com.

Fee

$30 per participant

Competitions

  • Rifle

  • 3D archery course with hunting skills

  • Shotgun sporting clay course

  • Compass course

  • Map reading contest

  • General knowledge test

  • Geer judging contest

  • Animal identification

  • Shoot/No shoot scenarios

What to Bring

Bring your own ammo and firearms, bows, arrows, compass, pencils, and clipboard. Rangefinders are not allowed. Bring your own eye and ear protection (both are required for every shooting competition).

Snacks and water.

National Qualifier

This competition is primarily intended for participants interested and available to qualify and compete at the 4-H National Shooting Sports Championships in June 2024. Senior 4-H members who are eligible will take priority if the field is limited. This is a first-come, first-served event.

Muzzleloading County Shoot Information

The Muzzleloading county shoot will have two relays on Saturday, July 15. The first relay will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the second relay will begin at 12:00 p.m. There is no signup—just arrive in time to set up and shoot the relay you prefer.

.22 Rifle is having a potluck if you wish to participate. Bring a main dish, side, or dessert. 

Awards will take place after the last Muzzleloading relay is finished, the ranges are cleaned up, and the scoring is complete.

From key leaders,
Rod Bergstrom and Jerry Clausen

.22 Rifle County Shoot Information

County shoot is just around the corner! Please read this message thoroughly.

Please pay close attention to the starting time of your relay. It is very important to arrive on time (if not early) to your relay as the check-in process is a bit more involved than during regular practices and takes longer.

At check-in, we will be weighing rifles to ensure that they fall within the correct weight range for your given class. We will also be checking ammunition. Ammunition needs to be lead, and no hollow-point ammunition will be shot during the county shoot. If you are in need of non-hollow-point, lead ammunition, we have county ammunition that can be used. But please bring your own if you are able to.

We are still in need of help to set up the check-in station as well as the range. Setup will begin at 6:30 a.m. For those that help, there will be breakfast burritos!

Things to bring:

Pop-up tents (if you have them). This day gets really hot and long. It is important to have some shade available. The firing line will be completely covered by pop-ups and we will have a few back by check-in but more are always welcome.

Sunscreen!

Chairs! You'll want a place to sit when you are watching your 4-Her shoot. And they may want a spot to sit when they are not shooting. There are no chairs up at our location, so please bring your own.

WATER! It is really important to stay hydrated. This day can be long and hot. Bring lots of extra water for everyone who is joining you during this event.

Snacks are always a good thing to pack as well. It is important to stay fueled up while you are shooting and staying in the sun/heat.

Activities for siblings or others who are joining you.

Potluck

We will be hosting a potluck during this event! We are in need of mains, sides, and desserts. Please bring what you can.

Awards

Awards will begin after ALL shooting is completed (.22 Rifle and Muzzleloading) and both ranges have been fully cleaned up. Cleaning up the ranges can feel tedious, but many hands make light work. Please jump in and help when it is time to clean up!

Archery Awards and Potluck on Thursday, July 13

We’re looking forward to celebrating with the awards for Archery county shoot as well as a potluck dinner. We will gather on Thursday, July 13 at 6:00 p.m. in the field to the east of the McKee Building at The Ranch.

We will provide:

  • Main dish of Sloppy Joes

  • Plates, cups, and utensils

  • Water

Please plan to bring:

  • Dessert (last names beginning with A–M)

  • Side dish (last names beginning with N–Z)

  • Chairs

  • Pop-ups

  • Bug spray

  • Sunscreen

  • Other drinks, if you wish

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

(If you are unable to attend the awards and potluck, the results will be posted soon in the Results menu under 2023 County Shoot Results.)

Sharel CameronArchery
Archery County Shoot Information

Please read this post in its entirety—there is important information throughout.

Who: Archers who met county shoot requirements and registered for county shoot

What: Larimer County 4-H Archery County Shoot

Where: Field east of the McKee Building at The Ranch (same location as practices)

When: Saturday, July 8 starting at 1:30 p.m.

Why: #1 – Competition to demonstrate the skills and sportsmanship you’ve learned this year in archery, #2 – Determine teams for the Colorado state shoot.

Check-in

Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled start time.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions including a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, rain jacket. Be sure to follow the 4-H Shooting Sports dress code. You are allowed to carry your water bottle on the range with you.

 When you arrive:

  1. Assemble your equipment and come to check-in.
    (Do NOT bring your phone, smart watch, other electronics.)

  2. Complete equipment inspection.

  3. Receive instructions about scoring.

  4. Begin your FITA target round with your scheduled group.

If you are unable to make your scheduled start time, come to check-in as soon as you are able—we will attempt to schedule you as soon as there is an opening. Please be patient. We will do our best, within reason, to make sure that all qualified archers get to shoot. As soon as there are no more archers waiting to shoot and the FITA range is empty, we will start tearing down the range. Once the range starts coming down, latecomers will no longer be allowed to begin.

Every effort will be made to find lost arrows, but there is a time limit on searching. Just as in practice, arrows must always be in a quiver unless you are shooting them.

Course

Time: The course will take 2–2 ½ hours to complete.

Practice End: Every group begins with practice arrows at a 20-yard FITA target.

Course: FITA targets first, followed by 3D Targets.

Juniors 

  • 3 arrows at each FITA target distance (starting with 40, 30, 20, and then 10 yards) for a total of 12 arrows. Participants have up to five minutes to shoot the round at each distance.

  • 2 arrows at each of four 3D targets placed at unknown distances up to 40 yards for a total of 8 arrows. Participants have up to two minutes to shoot each target.

Seniors 

  • 5 arrows at each FITA target distance (starting with 50, 40, 30, and then 20 yards) for a total of 20 arrows. Participants have up to five minutes to shoot the round at each distance.

  • 2 arrows at each of 10 3D targets placed at unknown distances up to 40 yards for a total of 20 arrows. Participants have up to two minutes to shoot each target.

Scoring

  • Do not touch any arrows until all scores are recorded!

  • Mark all arrows with the provided black Sharpie before pulling them.

  • Senior archers will score their own groups. Juniors will be assisted by a volunteer.

  • It is your responsibility to ensure that you receive the correct scores. Please be sure you know how to read the Orion scorecards. 

  • If you disagree with an arrow score or have questions, raise your hand and call for a range officer to clarify before touching any arrows. Advocate for yourself.

  • Once you sign your scorecard, it is final.

 3D Targets

  • Binoculars are allowed. Rangefinders are NOT allowed.

  • Nobody will be allowed to inspect the targets or the scoring rings before they shoot on Saturday. 

  • Nobody will be allowed on the 3D range prior to the competition except the few volunteers who are asked to help with set-up.

  • Don’t talk about 3D distances or scoring rings with anyone, including fellow competitors.

  • Don’t walk over to a 3D target unless you are going to score and pull arrows at that target.

  • Don’t offer to help find arrows at a 3D target where you have not yet shot.

Spectators

What to Bring

  • Water

  • Healthy snacks

  • Sunscreen

  • Chairs

  • Pop-up or umbrella for shade (If you have space in your shade, please invite others to join you.)

Reminders

  • Keep your participants’ phones. Participants may NOT carry electronics on the range. This includes phones, smart watches, etc.

  • Parents will not be helping to score their own family members or helping to pull their arrows.

  • Coaching from parents or anyone is prohibited during the competition. If you think your child needs water or a snack, ask a range volunteer for help.

  • Questions or concerns may be respectfully brought to the attention of a range volunteer. 

  • Disrespecting range volunteers or any attempt to gain an unfair advantage over fellow competitors will not be tolerated and may result in people being asked to leave the range, or disqualification in extreme cases. 

  • You may use binoculars, but rangefinders are PROHIBITED for everyone at the county shoot.

We know that we won’t have any issues because we have great kids and families in our 4-H Archery program!

Awards

Thank you for allowing us to adjust our normal county shoot schedule to allow our 4-H archery leaders and families to attend the memorial service for our beloved Jim Easthouse in the morning.

Because the competition will now run late into the evening, we will schedule the awards for another day. Watch your email and the calendar for details!

 

 

This is a lot of information, but there is a question we didn’t address, please reach out to the key leader team. Trust that our goal is to have a safe, inclusive, fair, and FUN competition.

Thank you!

Your 2023 Archery Key Leaders:
Jeremiah McConnell
Jordan Zick
Karley Rivera
Rob Noyer
Beth McConnell, Administration

Sharel CameronArchery