GEORGIA 4-H SENDS FIVE SHOOTING SPORTS TEAMS TO NATIONALS

State 4-H champion teams in Sporter Air Rifle, 22 Rifle, Compound Archery, Recurve Archery and Shotgun represented Georgia 4-H at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships in Grand Island, NE on June 21-25.  Nineteen 4-H’ers and their coaches joined 570 youth competitors from 32 states in the national contest.

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships was the first national 4-H event held following closures due to COVID-19. “Everyone was thrilled to gather after missing the opportunity last year due to COVID-19 cancellations. Repeatedly, youth, parents and coaches kept saying what a joy it was to be back together with their peers from across the nation. They expressed deep appreciation to the National 4-H Shooting Sports Committee for making the decision to hold the contest,” commented State 4-H SAFE Coordinator Craven Hudson.

The Morgan County 4-H Recurve Archery Team became national champions by placing first in all three disciplines: FITA, 3-D and Field. Tim Smith was the high individual overall, and his brother, Thomas, placed fifth individually.  Complete results for all Georgia 4-H teams and individuals may be found at
https://4h.unl.edu/shooting-sports/national-results-images .

Other teams placing in the top ten include Lowndes County Compound Archery (3^rd), Pierce County Air Rifle (5^th) and Coweta County 22 Rifle (9^th).

The Georgia 4-H delegation included the following teams and coaches:

Coweta County 22 Rifle Team with Head Coach Chris Brinton and team members Aaron Boyd, Andrew Boyd, Carson Smith and  Jennifer Brinton.

Pierce County Sporter Air Rifle Team with Head Coach David Turner and team members Emily Turner, Gracen Hall, Luke Wester and  Skylar Morrison.

Lowndes County Compound Archery Team with Head Coach Jim Barker and team members Joel Ford, Kamron Ford, Camden Humphrey and Irelynn Bono.

Morgan County Recurve Archery Team with Head Coach Danny Pincus and team members Tim Smith, Daniel Lott, Dawson Martin and Thomas Smith.

Columbia County Shotgun Team with Head Coach Tripp Ellis and team members Aidan Caldwell, Joshua Ellis and Nate Williford.

Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships and community awareness. As the largest youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches more than 190,000 people annually through the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities. For more information, visit georgia4h.org.