Shooting Sports
Contact (unless otherwise specified):
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Awards in most Shooting Sports events are based upon the Lewis Class System with numbers of classes and awards determined by the registrations on the entry deadline for each age and equipment class.

State 4-H Shooting Sports Games
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
The Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Games are held every July in San Antonio at the National Shooting Complex. Match include 6 archery , 3 hunting (one with 4 parts), 4 muzzle loading, 12 pistol, 14 rifle, and 6 shotgun events plus overalls for both individual and teams. This is an open match for all 4-H Shooting Sports participants. Pre-qualification (aside from membership in 4-H and either the Shooting Sports or Field and Stream projects) is NOT required. In addition to the youth competitions, an adult fun match is provided as a fund raiser for the Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Committee, Inc. In 2007, a total of 1016 shooters registered for and competed in this match, our annual outdoor championships.

Shooting Sports Ambassadors
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Senior 4-H Shooting Sports members may apply from July through the end of November to become 4-H Shooting Sports Ambassadors. A selection committee will review all documents and contact applicants prior to the January meeting of the committee. Ambassadors represent and interpret the program and the state at a variety of events, promoting the program in their regions.

4-H Shooting Sports Camp
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Four camps are planned for the program year. They differ in content and age/experience requirements.
Beginning and Intermediate Shooting Sports Camp - Designed for beginning and intermediate shooters to expand and broaden fundamental skills, this camp is for junior and intermediate shooters.
Intermediate Level Shotgun Junior Olympic Camp - This camp, based in College Station, focuses on American skeet and trap as well as 5-stand sporting clays for junior and intermediate shooters. It lays a solid foundation of basic and intermediate skills for those who wish to improve their shotgun skills.
Advanced Junior Olympic Shotgun Camp - This camp, also based in College Station, is designed to enhance the skills of Senior 4-H shooters in international skeet and international trap.
Archery Camp - This College Station based camp is designed to teach and expand intermediate level archery skills for 4-H archers.

National 4-H Shooting Sports Games
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
The national 4-H Shooting Sports Program offers a national match each year in June or July for senior shooters (14 but not more than 19 on January 1, 2008). Texas 4-H requires evidence of having participated in all events included in each discipline for which any member applies. All eligible Texas 4-H Shooting Sports members having met age and experience requirements (outlined in the applications) are invited to apply for membership in one of the nine, four-member teams to represent the Texas 4-H at this national event. The event moves biennially and will be held in Nebraska in 2008 and 2009. Teams will be selected for recurve archery, compound archery, air pistol, smallbore pistol, hunting, muzzle loading rifle, air rifle, smallbore rifle, and shotgun events. Applications are due in the State Office before the end of November, and selections will be made in January. Selections use the entire application and are blind until initial rankings are complete. Names are added in the next phase to allow known abilities to be considered. A participant may participate in any given set of matches only once, but may return in other disciplines if age and abilities permit. Applications are posted on the web site.

4-H/Jaycees BB Gun Match
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Texas 4-H Shooting Sports and the Texas Jaycees cooperate in hosting an annual BB Gun Match that qualifies the winning team and runner-up to represent the state in the Daisy International BB Gun Contest. The event moves its location annually. Watch the Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Newsletter on our web site for information in January. The event is open to Junior (8-12) and Intermediate (13-14) shooters only.

4-H Indoor Rifle Contest
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
This match permits the top three teams and the top three individuals (if not on those teams) to represent their district in a half-course, indoor, 3-position smallbore rifle match. The event uses A-36 targets and standard 50 foot smallbore rifle rules. Entry is made through forms on the web site, with early notification of the top three teams and individuals from each match requested. Pending development of a near-campus shooting site, the match will be conducted in Rosenberg. The top six individual shooters after the match will compete in a 10 shot standing finals round with scoring after each shot is fired to determine final placing. The team scores are determined by using the top three scores in each position to form a team composite. In keeping with Roundup Rules, all members of winning teams are barred from future competition in this event.

TPWD/Whizbang Sporting Clays
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
This 5-stand sporting clays event is held in conjunction with EXPO each year with invitations coming from Charlie Wilson on behalf of Texas Parks and Wildlife. The State 4-H Office supports, but does not control or manage, this event.

Texas Youth Hunting Program
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
An independent program managed by the Texas Wildlife Association with support from Texas Parks and Wildlife, this is an effort to get young people into the field with qualified adult mentors and guides. Mr. Jerry Warden directs the program from the TWA offices in San Antonio. Note that some Field and Stream or Shooting Sports clubs have developed their own hunting programs using this model.

4-H Indoor Archery Match
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
The Texas 4-H Indoor Archery Match is held annually in March or April. The match includes the indoor FITA (10 ends of 3 arrows each at 18 meters on 60 cm (recurve) or 40 cm (compound) targets for most archers.) First year junior archers may elect to shoot at 9 meters and shoot only 30 arrows if desired. Clover Kids are not permitted to participate in this event. Lewis Class scoring will be applied where sufficient entries exist.

4-H Outdoor Archery Match
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
This match will be included in the Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Games in 2008 with re-evaluation of doing so in the January 2009 meeting of the committee.

Shooting Sports Educational Presentation
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Educational presentations relating to any 4-H Shooting Sports program element, including archery, black powder, hunting, pistol, reloading, rifle or shotgun may be included in this category. No actual firearms, live ammunition, live primers or powder may be used in this program; but inert materials or simulations may be used. Strict firearms and ammunition handling safety are expected at all times. Participants may have demonstrations with archery tackle, but no arrow may be nocked during demonstrations (captive devices to simulate shots with air piston shaft control may be used). Arrow shafts may be used with no bows present in arrow making demonstrations.

Shooting Sports Project Leader Position Description

4-H Shooting Sports Volunteer And Junior Leader Training
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Both youth and adults are equipped to lead this program and to assist others in learning the disciplines of Shooting Sports. Training programs are announced through the Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Web page and by direct communication with selected county offices. Youth 14 and older may attend the 2 to 4-day training workshops with an adult sponsor to become certified as junior leaders in the program. Certified volunteers receive approximately 30 hours of training in all disciplines except hunting, where training programs approximate 65 hours in length. Volunteers and youth attending these programs receive general orientation to the program and its objectives and methods and complete a single discipline at each workshop: coordinator, archery, black powder, hunting, pistol, reloading, rifle or shotgun. We attempt to hold two workshops annually in each of the four Extension Regions at the invitation of regional specialists or county Extension Agents. Additional workshops may be offered as time permits and demand dictates. In general, single discipline workshops, except in hunting and reloading, are discouraged.

Advanced Shooting Sports Training
Contact:
Dr. Ron Howard, Extension 4-H and Youth Development Specialist
ra-howard@tamu.edu 979-845-1214
Periodic efforts are made to expand training to include more advanced instruction as demand for those elements is demonstrated. Some volunteers are able to complete advanced training as coach-counselors at various Shooting Sports camp programs. Others seek external training through cognate organizations like, NADA, NRA, NSCA, NSSA, CMP, and USA Shooting. These supplement, but do not substitute for, basic 4-H training.