Posted: June 5, 2023
Pennsylvania 4-H'ers from across the state participated in several shooting sports contests held recently at Penn State's Ag Progress Days site, at the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Scotia Range in Centre County and at the Shenecoy Sportsman Association in Huntingdon County.
The 4-H shooting sports program focuses on positive youth development and is designed for youth who enjoy the outdoors and hunting. The project covers firearm safety and responsible handling and use. 4-H'ers practice and compete under the supervision of trained instructors.
The state shooting sports contests provide 4-H members with the opportunity to compete at the state level. Contests are designed to challenge a 4-H member's skill and knowledge and to recognize demonstrated safety, abilities, marksmanship and concentration.
In the recent contests, participants competed in air pistol, air rifle, shotgun, smallbore, .22 rifle, recurve archery and compound archery.
In the junior division of the compound archery contest, Walter Wukovitz, of Adams County, earned first place. The senior division winner was John Bruner, of Indiana County. Cora Stine, of Bucks County, won first place in the senior division of the recurve archery contest.
The winner of the junior division of both the air rifle and smallbore contests was Maggie Palfrey, of Indiana County. Sadie Palfrey, of Indiana County, took first place in the senior division of air rifle, while Daniel Miller, of Cumberland County, earned first place in the senior division of the smallbore contest.
In the air pistol contest, Naomi Cross, of Susquehanna County, earned first place in the junior division. Sydney Seman, of Susquehanna County, won the senior division.
Brendan Cole, of Greene County, won the junior division of the shotgun contest. The first-place winner of the senior division was Luke Bivens, of Fulton County.
The Pennsylvania 4-H shooting sports program focuses on safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment, fostering sound decision making and promoting safety, sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
Event coordinators expressed appreciation for the organizations that allowed Penn State Extension to host the contests at their facilities, including the Ag Progress Days site, which hosted air pistol, air rifle and archery; the Shenecoy Sportsman Association, which accommodated the shotgun contest; and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which held the .22 rifle contest at the Scotia Range.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the United States Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension 4-H website.
