North Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports Certification Workshops Planned

Do you enjoy shooting sports and would like to share your passion with youth? If so, then the North Dakota 4-H Outdoor Skills/Shooting Sports program needs you.

"Volunteers provide as little as 20 to 40 hours through the year and give up a weekend once every six years to become a certified leader. The Shooting Sports program is very flexible. It can be run as a short term activity or as a traditional club with regular meetings," explains Al Ulmer, North Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports coordinator.

The program includes the shooting disciplines of archery, rifle, pistol, shotgun, black powder and the areas of hunting and reloading. Each discipline has its own instructional materials developed by the National 4-H Shooting Sports Curriculum.

Volunteers who want to instruct and assists with Shooting Sports are required to be certified in the specific shooting discipline. Several two-day workshops will offer volunteer leader certification in each of these disciples as well training in managing a youth development program. Workshop participants spend 14 hours discussing topics such as the stages of child development, the role of competition, instructional tips and the best practices for teaching kids.

Dates, locations and disciplines for workshops are:

• Jan. 17 - 18 in Carrington at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center with certification in archery and rifle.
• Feb. 14-15 in Dickinson at the Stark/Billings County Extension Office, 1340 W. Villard St, with certification in archery and rifle.
• April 25-26 in Washburn at the Western 4-H Camp with certification in archery, rifle, shotgun, pistol, hunting, black powder, and reloading.
• May 2- 3, in Casselton at the Casselton City Hall with certification in shotgun.

Each workshop starts at 6:00 p.m. on the first day and 8:00 a.m. on the second. A $45.00 registration fee is required to attend the workshops.

The North Dakota Outdoor Skills/Shooting Sports is an educational program that promotes youth-adult interaction and peer leadership. It uses the skills and disciplines of the shooting sports to assist young people and their leaders in gaining knowledge and developing skills.

The program is part of the North Dakota State University Extension Service 4-H and youth program. It began in 2001 and has grown to more than 57 volunteer leaders and with more than 250 youth participating in 25 counties and two Native American Reservations across the state.

The program helps youth develop character and personal growth by learning standards for safety, sportsmanship, and ethical behavior through safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment.

As with all North Dakota 4-H projects, the Outdoor Skills/Shooting Sports Program is open to any youth ages 8 through 18.

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