Six Pacific County 4-H members were among the 146 youth competing recently at the Washington State 4-H Shooting Sports Championships at the Upper Nisqually Gun Club in Eatonville. The Pacific County team included members from the Blue Ribbon Bandits 4-H Club in Naselle and the County Shooting Sports 4-H Club in Raymond. Competing in air rifle were Jacob Lindstrom, Corbin Johnson, Jakobe Johnson, Aiden Kirschbaum, and Jessah Watson; Forrest Carbaugh competed in .22 rifle.

Through hard work and dedication, Forrest Carbaugh qualified at the state meet to be a member of 4-H Shooting Sports Team Washington. He will compete in .22 rifle at the 2018 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships in Grand Island, Nebraska. His father Brian Carbaugh will accompany him as his coach. 4-H leader George Hernandez has worked with Forrest for three years, sharpening his skills and fostering his confidence. Community support and Turkey Shoot fundraisers at the Willapa Harbor Gun Club will help cover registration fees and some of his travel expenses.

Hosted by the University of Nebraska Lincoln and Nebraska 4-H, the National Championships will involve more than 675 4-H youth, ages 14-18, from 37 states, competing in nine disciplines.

“This is a major competition in the country for 4-H shooting sports youth,” said Steve Pritchard, Nebraska Extension educator and coordinator of Nebraska’s 4-H shooting sports program. Fifty-four national 4-H champions, both individuals and teams, will be named during the competition.”

The 27 events in the nine discipline areas include: compound archery, recurve archery, air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shotgun, muzzleloading, and hunting skills.

More than 150 volunteers from Nebraska and 20 other states help organize and conduct the events.

The journey to competing at the state and national level begins at the club level. Each fall members age 8 to 18 sign up to learn safety, ethics, and sportsmanship. According to Toni Gwin, Pacific County Extension Educator and Washington State 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator, “Like all competitors, our members make the grade through dedication and enjoyment of the sport. Competition and camaraderie go together in this project. Our goal is development of youth through leadership, youth-adult partnerships, and community connections through safe educational and socially acceptable involvement in shooting activities.”