The crack of a small-bore rifle on the range may be what first catches a visitor’s attention, but ask any Clay County 4-H Shooting Sports Program member what they’ve gained from the program, and they’ll likely mention something else entirely: leadership, discipline, teamwork, responsibility, and perseverance. While youth learn the fundamentals of safe firearm and archery practices, the real targets of 4-H Shooting Sports are life skills that last long after the competition ends.

The Clay County 4-H Aims Our Game Shooting Sports club is a program underneath Clay County 4-H.  Youth in the program learn life skills, firearm safety, operation, and responsible handling within the archery and small-bore rifle disciplines.

This past year, the Clay County 4-H Shooting Sports program was a recipient of a grant from The NRA Foundation to grow the small-bore rifle program.  Our program was awarded a generous donation of rifles and scopes from The NRA Foundation grant.  When organizations donate generously to 4-H clubs and programs, the youth feel the impact and grow in their 4-H project knowledge.

Daniel, an Aims Our Game member who became a junior rifle instructor with the program this year, shared, “The spotting scopes provided through the NRA grant are a huge help during our range practice because they let us check our progress and encourage each other.  I’m grateful for the support that keeps our club learning, growing, and moving forward.”

In addition to in-kind and monetary donations, the donation of volunteer time from caring adult volunteers impacts the development of youths’ life skills.  Pat McQuiston serves as one of our rifle instructors for our Shooting Sports program.

“Seeing the smiles on participants’ faces when they successfully hit their targets is incredibly rewarding,” Pat shares.  “Beyond these moments, the program has a meaningful long-term impact on our community by helping develop young individuals who understand the importance of the Second Amendment and who practice safe, responsible firearm use. These participants are equipped to share their knowledge and experiences, helping to preserve the longstanding traditions of hunting and shooting sports.”

For each youth who enters the Clay County 4-H program, the goal is to help them develop becoming healthy, productive, and engaged citizens.  It begins with initially connecting youth to meaningful opportunities like our Shooting Sports program where they feel like they belong.  Recent high school graduate and 4-H alumna Mackenzie McCool credits the Clay County 4-H Shooting Sports program in helping her be beyond ready as she starts her studies at St. Johns River State College to start on her path in veterinary medicine.

“Through this program, I’ve built confidence in my abilities, learned the value of patience and precision, and developed leadership skills that I’ll carry with me into the future,” Mackenzie shares.   “More than anything, it’s given me a supportive community, new friends, and memories that have made my final year of high school and 4-H truly meaningful.”

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