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THE FLORIDA 4‐H SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAM
9 Approximately 2200 million firearms are found in homes in the U.S. today. This statistic alone strongly
suggests a needed awareness of gun safety on the part of our youth.
9 The Florida 4‐H Shooting Sports Program is a youth development education program sponsored by the
National 4‐H Shooting Sports Committee.
9 The Florida 4‐H Shooting Sports Program uses the skills and disciplines of shooting (rifle, pistol,
shotgun, archery, muzzleloading and hunting/wildlife) to assist young people and their leaders in
attaining knowledge and developing essential life skills.
9 The Florida 4‐H Shooting Sports Program is designed to:
• Give boys and girls thorough instruction in gun safety;
• Provide proper training in the use of firearms;
• Develop self‐confidence, personal discipline, responsibility and sportsmanship;
• Create an appreciation and understanding of natural resources;
• Provide volunteer instructors safe and proper instructional techniques;
• Show volunteer leaders how to plan and manage a 4‐H Shooting Sports Club.
9 Specific goals and objectives of the Florida 4‐H Shooting Sports Program are:
• To encourage participation in natural resources and related natural science programs by
exposing participants to the content through shooting, hunting and related activities.
• To enhance development of self‐concept, character and personal growth through safe,
educational and socially acceptable involvement in a shooting activity.
• To teach safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment including sound decision
making, self‐discipline and concentration.
• To promote the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
• To expose participants to the broad array of vocational and life‐long avocational activities
related to shooting sports.
• To strengthen families through participating in life‐long recreational activities.
• To complement and enhance the impact of existing safety, shooting and hunter education
programs using experiential educational methods and progressive development of skills and
abilities.
9 The National 4‐H Shooting Sports Committee requires the Florida 4‐H Shooting Sports Steering
Committee to conduct state‐level leader training workshops.
9 State‐level workshops in Florida are conducted to certify leaders in one (1) of the basic disciplines:
rifle, muzzleloading, shotgun, archery, pistol and hunting/wildlife.
1
9 Training in a discipline in Florida requires a minimum of twenty (20) hours of instruction. The format of
workshops cannot be extended enough to permit multiple certifications in a single workshop.
9 The workshops center on safety and responsibility, teaching skills, coaching principles, 4‐H objectives
and organization, sources of support and means of linking Shooting Sports to other 4‐H Programs.
9 The 4‐H Shooting Sports Program is done the 4‐H way. Specifically, with emphasis on SAFETY:
Simple
Action Oriented
Fun
Educational
Totally Family Oriented
Youth Centered
9 Proven 4‐H Techniques:
• Pupil‐Coach Relationship
• Positive Reinforcement – Oreo Technique “Cookie”, compliment the pupil on something they
are doing right. “Cream”, positive instruction on how to perform a skill correctly without telling
them they are doing something wrong. “Cookie”, following up with a compliment to the skill
you just taught them.
• Early Participation = Early Success
2
Kids ‘N Guns
National 4‐H Shooting Sports Committee
Position Statements
Why does 4‐H have a Shooting Sports Program?
4‐H uses shooting sports to teach youth development. Our programs are valuable for helping
young people develop self‐confidence, personal discipline, responsibility, teamwork, self‐esteem
and sportsmanship. The discipline and self‐control required for responsible firearms use carries
over into many other aspects of life.
4‐H programs provide a positive experience for youth and promote the safe and ethical use of
firearms.
It is our belief that firearm education reduces gun accidents.
Hunting and shooting are rich American traditions. 4‐H shooting sports programs help continue
this tradition through involvement of the total family: youth, teens, parents, grandparents, etc.
Life skill development.
Don’t shooting programs like those run by 4‐H help spread the American’s violent gun culture?
No, in fact, there is ample evidence that the opposite is true. The 4‐H shooting sports program is
designed to teach good self‐concept and character, and to promote the highest standards of safety
and ethical behavior. In addition, with 60 – 80 million gun owners in America, and the vast majority
of them using guns safely and responsibly, America has a PEACEFUL gun culture.
In a society that has chosen to possess firearms, all members, regardless of age, should be provided
adequate training to ensure safe, ethical and responsible interaction with firearms.
Isn’t easy access to firearms one reason for the violent behavior we’ve seen in Columbine and
other school shootings?
The safest location for a responsible gun owner to store a firearm is the secure environment of his
or her home.
Firearms should be stored so that they are inaccessible to unauthorized users.
Isn’t hunting inhumane and unnecessary in modern life?
Four primary values arise from hunting: societal, economic, ecological, and historical.
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SOCIETAL: Hunting is a viable and healthy food source, promoting good sportsmanship and ethics.
It is a valued part of our American heritage and is exceptionally good mental/physical exercise.
Hunting is an ideal and common family activity.
ECONOMIC: Hunting minimizes the economic loss of human life and property damage that may
result from road kills and crop depreciation. Hunters spend millions of dollars each year to pursue
the sport, and much of that money goes directly into wildlife management.
ECOLOGICAL: Hunting is a vital wildlife management tool. Hunters’ dollars support wildlife habitat
projects in every state in the USA. Hunting improves the health of natural wildlife populations and
contributes to the conservation of our natural resources. A well‐placed shoot by a skilled marksman
is a more humane cause of death than natural causes experienced by wildlife.
HISTORICAL: Hunting was a necessary method of obtaining food and clothing by our forefathers.
The act of hunting and utilizing the game animals, in similar ways, helps us to appreciate the
demands and sacrifices that our ancestors faced in the historical development of modern
civilization.
The National 4‐H Shooting Sports Website is the location for the
National Invitational Rules and Guidelines and can be found at:
www.4‐hshootingsports.org
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4-H
Emphasizes
citizenship,
leadership
and life
skills in all
4-H
activities.
5
Florida 4‐H Shooting Sports Disciplines
RIFLE
Participants will, through lecture, demonstration and hands‐on‐experiences, learn the
fundamentals of Air Rifle and Small Bore Rifle (.22) safety and marksmanship. Included will be
instruction on specific techniques to teach these fundamentals to youth. The National 4‐H
Shooting Sports curriculum materials will be used. Participants will prepare lesson plans and
practice teaching using the Shooting Sports curriculum.
SHOTGUN
Participants will, through lecture, demonstration and hands‐on‐experiences, learn the
fundamentals of shotgun safety and marksmanship. Although classroom time is scheduled, the
majority of participant time will be spent on the range practicing teaching techniques to teach the
fundamentals to youth. Content will be based on a “make the first shot a success” principle.
Safety is a primary concern in the operation of the class. Participants will prepare lesson plans and
practice teaching using the National 4‐H Shooting Sports Curriculum.
ARCHERY
The archery discipline focuses of the techniques for instruction youth in basic and intermediate
archery skills. Dual certification will be offered to instructors who desire both National Archery
Association Level 1 and 4‐H certifications. The program includes classroom, range and lab sessions
covering archery instruction, equipment, equipment selection, basic skill development, training
techniques, archery games, etc. Participants will prepare lesson plans and practice teaching using
the National 4‐H Shooting Sports curriculum.
MUZZLE LOADING
The muzzle loading discipline focuses on the techniques for instructing youth in the basic use of
muzzle loading firearms. Participants will, through lecture, demonstration and hands‐on‐
experience, learn the fundamentals of muzzle loader safety and marksmanship. Included will be
the instruction on specific techniques to teach these fundamentals to youth. Participants will
prepare lesson plans and practice teaching using the National 4‐H Shooting Sports curriculum.
6
PISTOL
Participants will, through lectures, demonstration and hands‐on‐experience, learn the
fundamentals of Air Pistol safety and marksmanship. Included will be instruction on specific
techniques to teach these fundamentals to youth. The National 4‐H Shooting Sports curriculum
materials will be used along with other resources. Participants will prepare lesson plans and
practice teaching using the Shooting Sports curriculum.
HUNTING/WILDLIFE
Emphasis is on preparing adults to teach 4‐H’ers how to be successful, responsible and ethical
hunters. This discipline minimizes classroom lectures and maximizes hands‐on, out in the woods
teaching methods. Hands‐on activities will be used to teach hunting skills such as: stalking, blood‐
trailing, camouflage, compass use, game spotting, survival skills, etc. Camera hunts will be used to
allow participants to apply the skills they have learned to “bag” game. Participants will prepare
lesson plans and practice teaching using the National 4‐H Shooting Sports curriculum.
NOTES:
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4‐H Shooting Sports is a …… Program 1
Ronald A Howard, Jr. 2
The 4‐H Shooting Sports Program is simple at its surface, a recreational shooting and safety
program with obvious links to natural resources programming through the hunting and wildlife
section of its program. By design and in practice it is much more than that. Each of the items listed
below (and many more that are not mentioned) could be inserted in the blank space in the title. All
of them are addressed either in the materials, in the delivery of the program or in the relationships
that develop of necessity during the program.
Youth Development History and Heritage
Safety Education Community Service
Natural Resources Avocational Development
Self‐concept Development Volunteer Management
Stress Management Volunteer Development
Educational Achievement Adult Development
Social Development Parenting Skills
Violence Prevention Survivorship Skills Training
Career Exploration Mentor/Role Model Based
Motor Skills development Life‐long Recreation Development
Citizenship Development Youth Oriented and Based
Leadership Development 4‐H Introduction and Expansion
Progressive Learning Highly Adaptable
Personal Responsibility 4‐H Recruitment
Family Centered Long‐term Relationships
Moral/Ethical Development Family Relationships
Competitive Events Rural and Urban
Cooperative Learning Concentration Development
Critical Thinking Youth Leadership
Science Literacy Physical Fitness
Analytical Skills Goal Setting and Achievement
Consumerism Training Shooting Skills
Does any of that sound familiar? That is what 4‐H is all about. The attractiveness of shooting is
used to accomplish all of these program objectives in a safe, positive and societal acceptable
manner. It is part of the preventative model of youth education and development –an ounce of
prevention for a better future.
1
Condensed from suggestions collected in workshop sessions with the Arkansas 4‐H Staff, 1994.
2
Professor and Extension 4‐H Youth Development Specialist, Texas Agricultural Extension Service
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Shooting Sports And Youth Development
Ronald A Howard, Jr. 3 __________________________________________________________
The Roots of the 4‐H Shooting Sports Program
The creation of 4‐H Shooting Sports rests in the shooting and hunter education communities, the
arms and ammunition industry and 4‐H itself. Each organization entered the cooperative venture
of building the program with a different set of objectives. Later those objectives merged into a
cohesive program structure.
Shooting and hunter education organizations shared a concern about recruitment and
development. Although shooting is almost as attractive as track and field in international sporting
events, competitive shooters were relatively rare and aging. Recruitment involved shooting
organizations reaching out to people who were already interested in shooting sports. Like many
other organizations, including 4‐H, the recruitment efforts were directed at the easily reached
audience of shooters who had a shooting tradition.
Hunter educators were concerned about teaching essential skills to produce safe and ethical
hunters. The need was particularly acute for people coming from non‐hunting and non‐shooting
backgrounds. Attacks on hunting made both recruitment and effective preparation more critical.
They also outlined a need to broaden the base of understanding about hunting and other types of
consumptive wildlife recreation or enterprise.
Industry had a strong, economic incentive. Sales of shooting equipment, ammunition and
accessories were their livelihood. Economic stresses, anti‐gun activities and declining participation
rates in shooting and hunting were warning signs of economic hardship. Industry also faced a
declining pool of skilled professionals in specialized areas of manufacture. Engravers, stock makers
and other skilled artist or gunsmiths were in demand but rare and hard to find. Introduction of
young people to safe and responsible use of shooting equipment and to careers related to shooting
was viewed as a long‐range solution.
The 4‐H program also faced several problems. Males, both members and volunteers, were under‐
represented. Nationally, participants were nearly 65 percent female. Teens were grossly under‐
represented with a sharp decline in participation at about the age of 13. In many states the core of
the 4‐H program, the clubs, were experiencing a continued, long‐term decline in membership.
Birthright members made up as much as 95 percent of the membership in clubs. The increasing
trend toward urbanization, coupled with the “cows and cooking” or “cows, sows and plows” image
of 4‐H resulted in barriers to participation that could be overcome only with creative programming.
Many youth shooting programs were available, so the subject matter of 4‐H Shooting Sports was
not unique. Several of the programs laid claim to a youth development foundation. Most of them
3
4‐H And Youth Development Specialist, Texas Agricultural Extension Service
9
used a volunteer corps to present the program to young people. A few of them even tried to link
shooting to other areas of concern. The 4‐H Shooting Sports Program tried to combine the best of
all these programs while keeping a relationship with the existing natural resources, safety or
outdoor recreation programs. The materials and training programs emphasized young people and
their life skills as the product of the program while using tested techniques and positive
reinforcement to develop fundamentally sound shooters. Strong and continuing recruitment of
volunteers, intensive volunteer equipping and management, minimal commitment of professional
staff time and attractiveness to males and older teens have been and continue to be key elements
in successful 4‐H shooting programs.
The cooperation with other organizations and agencies, innovation within 4‐H, skills development
and recruitment of identified audiences has been powerful. Where the program goes from here
depends upon the orientation and commitment of the leaders and coaches who drive it.
Ideal Youth Programs
Defining any ideal youth program involves risk. Every person interested in young people has a point
of view and a set of biases. When a committee defines and structures the program, often too many
elements are included because of these opinions. A simple definition may be better.
Ideal youth programs seem to share several elements. Such programs are attractive to kids,
parents and other volunteers. The leaders are well‐prepared, positive and understand the
objectives of the program. They guide program direction, involving the participating young people
in determining the exact nature and content. All participants strive to expand their interests, skills
and competencies. Youth development and the growth of their coping, competency and
contributory skills is the foundation of the program. Those skills are integrated into a matrix with
fun, pertinent, informative and positive activities valued by the young people. Parents and older
youth are actively involved and given increasingly responsible duties. Relationships are more
important than skills, achievement or awards; and those who lead and guide the program ensure
that the priorities remain in order. Finally, the groups are kept small with a high ratio of leaders or
coaches to young people to facilitate building relationships, mentoring and role modeling.
Youth Development
Many groups have analyzed young people and offered suggestions concerning their needs. Often
and with some justification young people are viewed as a generation at risk. Their world is more
complex. The impact of ignorance, errors in judgment or lack of preparation is more severe. Young
people suffer from economic and social stresses within the economy, and those stresses are
compounded by alterations in family structure. Development of fundamental life skills in a low‐risk
environment, where a young person can make a mistake and learn from it, is a critical need.
10
The 4‐H Shooting Sports Program can and must be a low‐risk environment with abundant
opportunities to practice and develop life skills.
Youth professionals in 4‐H have lumped fundamental life skills into three major categories of skills;
coping, competencies and contributory. Like any taxonomic scheme, this one is dynamic and open
to interpretation and alteration. Some critical components require effort to fit into the scheme.
Others seem to span the major categories.
Coping skills are related to developing a positive self‐concept, social skills, positive attitudes toward
the future and a sense of control. These skills are strongly and positively linked to avoiding major
risk factors for young people. A sense of future worth and personal value are insulators that help
prevent dropping out of school, drug abuse, teen pregnancy and similar risk factors for young
people. Social skills are vital to self‐concept and positive interactions with others. They are learned,
practical skills. Self‐respect is the foundation of positive attitudes toward other people, the
environment and productive use of one’s allotted time. Wise and productive use of leisure time is
also essential to coping with the risks and stresses of today’s world. Decision‐making and analysis
of alternatives are also part of coping with a world having a deluge of information and a dearth of
analytical thinking. This list could go on and on.
Competencies are learned abilities that cover an unlimited range of critical areas. Young people
must learn to use accepted practices of physical, mental, emotional and social health and safety.
They benefit from exploring of careers and job opportunities, expanding their range of potential
roles in the society and achieving self‐satisfaction from tasks well done. Competency as a citizen
demands basic understanding of the environment, social interactions and politics.
Finally, acquiring knowledge, attitudes and skills in the subject matter provided by the 4‐H program
increases the breadth and depth of information and analytical strength in introducing areas of art
and science related to physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, history, clothing and textiles,
wood science, foods and nutrition, psychology, physical fitness and natural resources. Leaders and
coaches must help participating young people see the potential linkages and build these
competencies.
Contributory skills involve productive discharge of personal, social and civic responsibilities.
Developing leadership skills and exercising those skills in a progressively responsible manner is as
strength of the 4‐H program. Community service activities and involvement in community affairs
should be encouraged to enhance these skills. Contributory skills are a natural out‐growth of
success and satisfaction with program activity. Leaders and coaches must be aware of participant
interest and be prepared to encourage such activities.
Very few young people are interested in a program overly focused on coping, competencies and
contributory skills. The concept of life skills development is neither attractive nor exciting. As a
result, these elements are imbedded in hands‐on, experiential learning in subject matter that is
FUN.
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Leaders and coaches must understand their role in teaching life skills, but they must carefully coat
the medicine of life skills education with the easily swallowed activity of shooting and related
interests. Opportunities to address the philosophy of life, roles of competition and cooperation,
responsibility, emotional control, personal responsibility, decision making and other elements of
life skills development will be abundant. However, the leader or coach must be looking for them
and be willing to address them. These concepts and principles can be threatening topics for a
volunteer; but, like the discussion of ethics in hunter education, these issues can be among the
most significant and rewarding for the instructor and member alike.
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The Significance of State Workshops
For Leaders and County Programs
Ronald A. Howard Jr.*
_________________________________________________________________________________
Shooting sports workshops are offered infrequently and the scheduling is never convenient for
everyone who might like to attend. The time commitment required for a workshop is significant,
consuming a long weekend or more. Workshop costs are held to a minimum, but the financial
investment is significant. Shooting sports materials are carefully controlled and made available only
to workshop graduates. Agents and volunteers deserve an explanation for this control and the
significance of the workshops. This system is justified, perhaps even required, to continue
delivering a strong, cohesive and effective 4‐H program in shooting sports. Without exception,
leaders who have invested in a workshop agree with this.
Numerous reasons for exceptions to the workshops have been offered, but none have been
convincing. Where exceptions to the workshop‐based system have been tried, avoidable difficulties
with program content, objectives, orientation, recruitment, methods and continuity were
encountered. This caused the programs to drift from the core of 4‐H program objectives and
incidence of program failure. Where a strong workshop‐based foundation is built, the program has
been an outstanding recruiter and an excellent tool for delivering youth development and
conservation messages. In addition, it offers opportunities to expose youth to other 4‐H programs.
To take advantage of those potentials, young people need to interact with well‐prepared, highly
motivated and interested leaders. Responses to common questions about the program follows.
Is shooting sports a traditional 4‐H program?
Yes and no. Shooting sports is both traditional and innovative. It is traditional in the sense of
including all the core elements of a 4‐H program – a youth development base, safety education,
skill development, interaction with positive adult role models and career exploration. The roots in
natural resources, riflery and archery are also traditional. The hands‐on teaching methods are
traditional, and the leader development model is a major innovation that is becoming traditional in
delivery of other programs. The team‐teaching approach, the relatively free format for delivery and
the audiences are relatively non‐traditional. In many states, the proportion of adult volunteers and
youth not previously 4‐H members (or birthright 4‐H families) prior to enrolling in shooting sports
exceeds 80 percent. The program is traditional where it counts. Its non‐traditional components
may be showing the way for new innovations and impacts in the 4‐H program across the nation.
_______________________
*
4‐H and Youth Development Specialist, Texas Agricultural Extension Service
13
How much agent time is required to develop and maintain the program?
The amount of time county staff must devote to the program varies with organizational style,
willingness to develop volunteer management systems and personal interests. Original
development may require as much as 40 to 80 hours over the course of a year, including attending
a workshop. Some agents have spent as little as 15 to 20 hours getting the program started
effectively. Maintenance time also varies. It may require as little as 8 to 12 hours per year giving
advice and consent to a volunteer committee and handling normal communications with leaders,
committees, state staff and youth.
Some agents elect to maintain a higher profile and deeper involvement. My advice would be to
limit your involvement to the amount needed for visibility, understanding and personal
satisfaction.
How much time is expected from a volunteer?
The time commitment for volunteers varies dramatically. Many shooting sports volunteers are
deeply committed to the content and process. The biggest challenge with them is managing that
willingness to avoid burn‐out and high volunteer turn‐over. A comprehensive, basic program can
easily involve 50 to 80 hours of direct youth contact in instruction alone. Involvement with practice
sessions, shoots, fund‐raising and planning activities can multiply that time commitment. If a small
team of instructors (worst case scenario: team = one) commits that kind of time, they usually burn
out within two to five years. Three years is about the average. Use a large team of volunteers to
deliver small segments of the total program with small individual time commitments. One program
grew in volunteerism from 16 leaders for 32 kids to 56 leaders in a single year. The next year
involved 86 leaders. Within three years the leadership had grown to over 100 adults. Some of them
gave as little as one hour. Others committed up to 40 or so hours.
Having so large a leader corps ensures a high leader to youth ratio. It also increases the potential
for youth‐adult mentoring, development of “significant other” relationships and multiple
approaches to program elements. It requires constant recruitment of volunteers by volunteers and
meaningful involvement of newly recruited leaders. Like the training model, this shared leadership
model holds great potential for 4‐H use in today’s environment. Very few potential leaders will
refuse to invest one or two hours in something they enjoy with a youth audience. Usually the
problem is getting leaders to pick limits to their commitment rather than trying to get more time
from them.
14
Why can’t I simply use any existing hunter education instructors or instructors certified by other
agencies or organizations to conduct a program?
Existing hunter education instructors, NRA certified instructors or coaches, certified archery
instructors or similar individuals are excellent resources for starting the program. For them, the
prime function of the workshops is orientation to the scope, intent, orientation and methods of
working within the 4‐H program. Without that background, the programs that emerge are often
renamed repetitions of the existing programs available through those other organizations. The
distinctive orientation, approach and methods of this program make it uniquely 4‐H. Without those
elements and guidelines for program management and support, the program risks its integrity and
effectiveness, as well as value as a 4‐H recruitment tool. Workshop content is designed to help
leaders deliver an effective, high‐quality and self‐sustaining youth development program using
shooting as a vehicle. The workshops seek to assure quality control and program consistency.
Testimonials from NRA training counselors, NRA instructors, NAA instructors, hunter education
instructors (and coordinators), police firearms instructors, NBEP instructors and others who are
highly qualified and experienced in teaching their disciplines underscore the value of these
workshops to persons who are already qualified by another organization. One NRA training
counselor and chief firearms instructor for a metropolitan sheriff’s department attended four of
the programs. He said, “Even very experienced instructors will find this workshop well worth the
time. I learned several new techniques in each session.”
Do the 4‐H techniques differ significantly from those used in other programs?
The proven techniques we are using in the 4‐H program are compatible with currently existing
programs offered by other organizations. They differ in being pointedly based upon youth
development objectives and in addressing shooting sports broadly rather than as a disconnected
set of individual disciplines. Young people and adult leaders are our products. The highly successful
techniques we promote yield high success rates with both personal development and shooting skill.
What kinds of content are covered in a shooting sports workshop?
The workshops are a microcosm of the shooting sports program. The core centers on safety and
responsibility, teaching skills, coaching principles, 4‐H objectives and organization, sources of
support and means of linking shooting sports to other 4‐H programs. A set of basic disciplines
(archery, coordination, hunting and wildlife, muzzleloading, pistol, rifle and shotgun) branches from
the core. Additional workshops may be offered in more advanced elements of those disciplines
(skeet, trap, sporting clays, light rifle, silhouette and waterfowl identification). Every leader receives
the core materials, and each one is equipped in a specialization. Only one may be taken at any
given workshop because of the time requirements and content load that must be communicated.
The basic elements are essential before a leader may go on to more advanced training.
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A dynamic team approach to teaching and program management is strongly encouraged. Each
instructor receives more training than required for certification by the outside certification
organization in their discipline. The objective is to teach them how to teach using 4‐H methods in
the 4‐H way with 4‐H objectives. Shooting ability is not necessarily a prerequisite to effective
instructors through the program. Enhanced marksmanship is a frequent by‐product of the training,
but teaching the instructor how to shoot better is a bonus and a demonstration of the effectiveness
of the techniques.
Why is shooting sports a valuable addition to the offerings in my county?
Shooting sports has the highest value to your county program when it is used as a recruitment
device for young people and adults not already in the 4‐H program. It has appeal to a wide range of
youth in all socio‐economic levels in both urban and rural settings. It promotes learning
fundamental life skills, has direct links to natural resources education and leads to exploration of
careers and life‐long avocational pursuits. It provides many links to the rest of the 4‐H program,
including leadership development. In short, is it another tool you can use to increase the impact of
4‐H in your community.
Why do we equip leaders through state‐level workshops?
Quality control, leader preparation and efficient use of the volunteers and professionals who make
up the state training team all contribute to using this approach.
Who does the training?
Instruction is provided by people with national training in their disciplines or by persons groomed
to provide equivalent instruction. Outside instructors with a 4‐H orientation are also employed
when available. Nearly all the instructors are certified by other organizations or agencies, and the
instruction provided surpasses the requirements for instructor certification by those organizations
and agencies.
What kind of training is included?
A summary of the training content is listed above in the “content” question. The current format for
the workshops includes instructional experiences and cross‐training in another discipline of choice.
Why send a team of leaders?
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A team of leaders provides mutual support, broader insight and stronger program development for
the county. As the team gets larger (at least up to 15 or 20 persons), the intensity, depth and
breadth of the program tend to increase.
Why can’t a single leader cover this project?
It is too large of a program to take that approach. Training in a discipline requires 16 to 18 hours.
Common subject matter requires another 10 to 12 hours. The format of the workshop cannot be
extended enough to permit multiple certifications in a single workshop.
In addition to the constraints of the training, two other problems, both potentially more serious
arise. First, the leader may feel overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the program, electing either to
give it up or to limit it to his or her own special interest. While having a program delivered by
someone with that special interest is ideal, limiting the program to one element severely cripples
recruitment and retention potentials. The other serious impact is the burn‐out problem outlined
above. Asking one leader to cover everything on shooting sports is like asking one leader to cover
everything in livestock. They may try. They may even have some success. BUT they will be gone
very quickly because of the stress of trying to do more than they can accomplish effectively without
support.
If I cannot send a team, what is the best way to get the program started?
Bring someone who is willing to explore the coordinator’s role and assist in recruiting a cadre of key
leaders who are willing to take the state training and take the material home. It may require a
longer time, but this approach has shown its value many times in the past. Unlike the lone, single‐
discipline instructor, the coordinator is positioned to organize a team of supportive instructors and
to press for high‐quality training for them. This is also a means of getting access to the basic
materials distributed at the workshop so they can be used as recruitment tool for leaders.
What kind of experience or background is necessary for leaders?
The prime requisite is a commitment to helping kids develop a willingness to learn. An open and
active mind is also essential. Willingness to take the risk of trying new methods or new ideas in
order to build successful programs is also helpful. Training, certification or shooting skill can be
helpful, but they are not essential. Experience with shooting and shooting instruction using dated
materials my pose some barriers to learning sound instructional methods.
Excellent target shooters may or may not be excellent instructors. The key is not shooting ability,
but coaching and instructional ability. The objective of the instruction cannot become the trophy or
the winner’s circle. It must remain the development of the young person to make “every kid a
winner”.
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Send us caring, self‐disciplined people with a love for and desire to help kids . . . and we will send
you back a well‐founded and prepared shooting sports instructor.
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Summary of the Topics Listed
As Links Between Other
Areas of 4‐H and Shooting Sports
North Central and Western 4‐H Shooting Sports Coordinators Workshop, Reno, Nevada
Ronald A. Howard, Jr.
Purdue University
In our session on linking 4‐H shooting sports to other parts of the 4‐H program, we took 10 minutes
to generate ideas to share. The summary of your comments covered four pages in the first draft. I
have tried to condense the ideas a bit here, grouping the ideas into logical clusters. I hope they
have some utility for you as you continue to develop your state programs. I have tried to list at
least one direct link to another 4‐H program with each activity or project suggested. The listed links
do not by any means exhaust the possibilities, but they seemed obvious to me and were added to
stimulate your thinking.
Additional Shooting Activities:
• Silhouette shooting
• All phases of competitive shooting
• Benchrest shooting
• Olympic competitions in shooting
• Family fun shoots
• Muzzleloading
Directly Related Non‐Shooting Activities:
• Outdoor cookery: foods, nutrition
• Food preservation: jerky, canning fish, smoking fish
• Outdoor cooking equipment: Dutch ovens, coffee pots
• Planning a trip: equipment, medical, food, gear
• Care for game bagged
• Uses of game animals
• Care and processing of hides
• Survival: cold water, outdoor
• Orienteering, map and compass, land navigation
• Rendezvous
• Careers in shooting sports
• Gun collecting and firearms history
• Wildlife law enforcement
• Hunter ethics and responsibilities
• Refinishing guns
• Building guns from kits
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• Engraving
• Gunsmithing
• Cartridge collecting
• Collecting outdoor books and writings
• Shooting accessories
• Taxidermy
• Skinning techniques
• Making a long bow
• Making flint, chert, or obsidian arrow heads
• Making quivers
• Making arrows
• Reloading metallic’s and shot shells
• Making a loading bench
• Game calling
• Making game calls
• Hunting tactics
• Knife sharpening
• Tracking and reading wildlife sign
• Handgun hunting
• Collecting patches and brassards
• Stalking techniques and games
• Learning animal tracks
• Duck identification
• Conducting fund raising shoots
• Setting up shooting ranges
• Selecting scopes for hunting
• Care for guns
• Fitting gun stocks
• Storing and transporting guns
• Gun shows
• Safe use and care of knives
• Ballistics: practical and applied to hunting
• Gunsmithing tools and techniques
• Chronographing and related high tech activities
• Matching cartridges to game animals
• Storytelling and hunting folklore
• Duck wing collection for teaching
• Shooting of hunting diary
• Stock making (including carving and checkering)
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Animal Science: Horse and Pony
• Horse packing (good material from several states, e.g. NY)
• Poisonous plants
• Using pack animals
• Making pack saddles or panniers
• Livestock nutrition
Animal Sciences: Dog
• Training field dogs (bird dogs, retrievers, hounds, flushing dogs)
• Basic dog obedience
• Care of gun dogs
• Dog first aid and emergency care
• Transporting dogs
• Dog training as a career
• Selecting a breed for hunting
• Selecting a puppy
• Demonstration field trials
• Breeding and raising hunting dogs
• Nutrition for hunting dogs
Animal Sciences: Poultry
• Raising game birds
• Raising quail for dog training
• Restocking game birds
Animal Sciences: Meats
• Preparing game for use at home
• Characteristics of wild meats
• Nutritive value of wild meats
• Uses of wild meats
Animal Sciences: Livestock
• Relationships between game and livestock
• Wildlife and livestock food preferences
Vet Science:
• Wildlife diseases
• Wildlife pathology and human safety
• Disease vectors for wildlife, wildlife and humans
• Animal health: preventative maintenance
21
Foods and Nutrition:
• Nutritive value of game meats
• Wildlife cookery
• Edible plants
• Poisonous and medicinal plants
• Planning menus and excursions
• Survival foods and high energy snacks
• Nutrition for athletes
• Planning game dinners
• Preserving meats and other wild foods
• Freezer storage of fish and game
Clothing:
• Selecting and constructing outdoor clothing and equipment
• Sewing hunting vests
• Sewing shooting vests or coats
• Customizing outdoor clothing
• Sewing a hunting parka
• Making leather or fur clothing
• Using kits to make outdoor gear
• Historical garments
• Building a tent or tepee
• Selection of clothing systems for wilderness use
• Care and maintenance of clothing and related gear
Health and Safety:
• Assembling a wilderness medical kit
• Making a pocket first aid kit
• Making a pocket survival kit
• First aid (basic and advanced – Red Cross)
• CPR
• Water safety
• Boating safety (state or Coast Guard small craft course)
• Hypothermia
• Poisonous and medicinal plants
• Parasites and water purification
• Survival kits and survival skills
• Physical conditioning and physical fitness
• ATV, motorcycle and trial bike safety and responsibility
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• Automotive safety
Heritage and History:
• Indian culture
• Pottery and clay vessels
• Tanning hides for various uses
• History of the fur industry and relationship to community history
• Flint and steel fire starting kits
• Stone arrow heads
• Black powder guns
• Early gunsmiths
• Local gunsmiths and related industries
• Role of firearms in local history
• Conducting a rendezvous
• Hunting (fishing, trapping) lore from older residents of the community (e.g. Foxfire)
Consumer Education:
• Selecting outdoor gear
• Selecting equipment for camp cookery
• Selecting optical equipment for observation, shooting, and hunting
• Selecting a firearm (bow, fishing rod, fly line, knife, Brodhead, reloading press, boat,
shotgun, etc.)
Natural Resources: Aquatic Science and Fisheries
• Fish identification
• Aquatic entomology
• Fish foods (a collection)
• Pesticides and toxic chemical contamination
• Fish populations and management
• Characteristics of water
• Water management
Natural Resources: Ecology and Environmental Education
• Plant identification
• Wildflower identification
• Geology
• Nature trail or hiking trail development
• Environmental awareness
• Ecological principles
• Citizen action in environmental issues
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• Use of keys to identify wildlife and plants
• Valuing wild things and wild places
• Principles of conservation
• Wildlife requirements
• Wildlife sketching and painting
• Keeping a field notebook
• Nature photography
• Nature study
• Climate and weather
• Reading weather signs
Natural Resources: Resource‐based Recreation
• Mountain bikes and bike camping
• Mountain climbing
• Fishing
• Ice fishing
• Fly tying
• Lure making
• Decoy carving
• Primitive camping
• Camping
• Backpacking
• Cross‐country skiing
• Trapping
• Making a fly or lure selection board
• Researching outdoor trips
• Orienteering (land navigation)
• Mapping
Natural Resources: Forestry
• Forestry ecology
• Forest management
• Tree identification
• Uses of trees
• Wood technology and selection
• Tree planting for community pride
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Natural Resources: Soil, Water and Range
• Soil and water conservation
• Range management
• Wildlife – livestock interactions
• Hydrology
• Geology
• Habitat assessment
• Soils
Natural Resources: Wildlife
• Bird watching and bird identification
• Wildlife food habits
• Wildlife photography
• Furbearing animals and uses of fur
• Wildlife field notebook
• Relationships of wildlife to your community
• Wildlife observation
• Wildlife behavior
• Wildlife habitat enhancement (nest boxes, food plots, cover plantings, artificial den
structures, guzzlers, etc.)
• Habitat evaluation
• Wildlife management principles and practices
• Censuing wildlife populations
• Tracks and signs
• Wildlife identification (game animals, waterfowl, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians,
invertebrates)
• Life histories and habitats of wildlife
• Taxidermy, tanning, study skin preparation
• Acres for wildlife
Entomology:
• Insect identification
• Aquatic entomology
• Economic entomology (ticks and other disease vectors)
Electric:
• Quiz boards
• Arrow cut‐off wheel
• Cresting lathe
• Electronic scoreboards
25
• Communications systems for field days or special events
• Remote triggers for wildlife photography or observation
Woodworking:
• Reloading bench or desk
• Fly tying bench or tray
• Loading block for center fire hand loading
• Portable bench rest
• Gun rack (bow, arrow, etc.)
• Loading stand for muzzleloading pistol
• Bullet block for muzzle loader hunters
• Climbing blocks
• Portable tree stand
• Shooting box
• Gun cabinet
• Gun stock
• Ramp for handicapped access to shooting facilities
• Stiles over fences to prevent fence damage
• Wood duck (squirrel, blue bird, etc.) nest boxes
• Transportation kennel for gun dogs
• Wooden game calls
• Wood boats
• Canoe building
• Decoy carving
• Decorative plaques (or taxidermy bases)
• Wood fishing lures
• Book shelves for outdoor books
• Tip‐ups, tilts or tip‐downs for ice fishing
• Portable blinds
• Elevated stands (controlled access area only)
Computers:
• Calculating ballistics
• Interactive quiz games
• Calculating scores
• Writing and editing stories
• Accounting
• Record keeping
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Crafts:
• Wildlife art (painting, drawing, carving)
• Wildlife needle work (embroidery, cross stitch, tapestry)
• Lapidary
• Leather crafts (belts, scabbards, slings, sheaths, possible bags, bullet pouches, etc.)
• Bead work (also quills, etc.)
• Engraving
• Powder horn building (could be carved or scrimshawed)
• Antler, horn, wood, bone or similar shooting accessories
• Hatchet
• Knife
• Engraved work
Plant Science/Horticulture
• Wildlife shrubs from seeds or cuttings
• Demonstration plots for wildlife foods or cover
• Arboretum development for wildlife food studies
• Plant pathology
• Integrating wildlife into agriculture
• Vertebrate damage control
• Wildlife habitat enhancement
• Backyard wildlife habitat projects
Entrepreneurship:
• Shooting sports crafts, collectibles, and tools
• Fly tying and jig casting
• Handmade accessories
• Specialty products
Human Development/Leadership:
• Camp counselor training
• Leadership development (junior leaders)
• Video training tapes
• Demonstrations (firearms safety, hand loading, etc.)
• Local, state and national citizenship programs
• Public speaking
• Community pride projects (clean‐up campaign, tree planting, wildlife food plots, habitat
enhancement projects, nature trail development, hiking trails, acres for wildlife, river watch,
handicapped access, landowner relationships programs, promoting fair chase, etc.)
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• Self concept development (internal motivations and satisfactions, positive self‐image,
realistic goal setting, concentration, self‐discipline, confidence) lifetime recreational skills
acquisition
• Career exploration
• Radio or television spots
I cannot tell a lie. I added a few as I went along. Most of the ideas listed above are yours, however. We
could build this into a real, benevolent monster with a little effort. Good luck. I hope you found it
useful.
Ron
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Building a Spider Diagram for 4‐H Shooting Sports
Ronald A. Howard Jr. 1
Humans can perceive a three‐dimensional world, even though we can conceptualize multi‐dimensional
constructs. G.E. Hutchinson’s ecological niche concept, for example, is considered an n‐dimensional
hyper volume. Even very young children can grasp that meaning, if not the words, when concrete
examples are used with familiar plants or animals. Simplifying that construct to a two dimensional
diagram, even if perspective is added to give the appearance of three dimensions results in loss of
richness. The same thing is true for other things that have a complex structure. We often depict them
as simplified diagrams, usually in two dimensions, in an attempt to capture some of the content. 4‐H
Shooting Sports included a triangle or pyramid model for many years.
International competition
The base of the triangle represents education, and
we feel that is the most fundamental of the levels Competition
we must address. Recreational shooting comprises
the majority of the second tier. Competitive shooting Recreation
is placed at the top of the box, with the tip representing
the international level of competition. The model is Education
heuristically pleasing. It shows that most of our efforts
should be in education and the development of recreational shooting, with relatively smaller
proportions of our efforts being devoted to competitive shooting. It carries the implication, however,
that competitive shooting and international competitions shooting particulary are the height of
achievement and the ultimate objective of the program. Substitution of “Achievement” and “High
Achievement” could make the model more broadly applicable, but it still carries a two dimensional
construct for the program was a whole. Since the 4‐H Shooting Sports Program more closely resembles
an “n‐dimensional hyper volume,” a more realistic model is needed to demonstrate its nature and
objectives.
That structure can be modeled in numerous ways. A molecular model, for example, shows that
achievement can be individually defined and that nearly an infinite number of ultimate endpoints are
available. This model starts with a large core of basic content and program objectives represented by a
large ball. Slightly smaller balls are attached to that core
representing the central disciplines of the shooting sports;
archery, hunting/wildlife, muzzleloading, pistol, rifle, and shotgun.
In a very real sense, others could be added if desired,
like coordinators, volunteer development, family relationships…
__________________________________________________
1
Professor and Extension 4‐H Youth Development Specialist, Texas Agricultural Extension Service
29
Secondary, disciplines, represented by slightly smaller balls can be attached to each one. Archery,
for example, might include bowhunting, target archery, 3‐D archery, recreational shooting,
equipment and crafting, or others. Hunting could be divided into big game, small game, upland
birds, waterfowl, hunting equipment and related skills. Muzzleloading could be divided into
hunting, muzzleloading firearms, reenactments, buck skinning, target shooting, and recreational
shooting. Pistol might include plinking and recreational shooting, target shooting, silhouette
shooting, hunting, and related skills. Rifle might include plinking and recreational shooting, target
shooting, silhouette shooting, hunting, and rifle equipment and related skills. Shotgun might
include recreational shooting, hunting, clay target games, and shotgun equipment and related
skills. Note that cross‐linking is already apparent at this level and that is becomes more complex as
the process continues.
A tertiary layer of skills, modeled by the next smaller series of balls, includes items that can be
attached to each to the secondary items. The clay target shooting games discipline, for example,
might include skeet, trap, sporting clays, miscellaneous shotgun games, and informal games. These
could have another layer attached with smaller balls representing divisions of those disciplines.
For example:
Skeet: international and American skeet
American skeet: all bore, small‐bore (20 gauge), sub‐small‐bore (28 gauge) and .410
Trap: international trap, modified (wobble) trap, international doubles trap, ATA trap, informal
trap games
ATA Trap: 16 yard, handicap, doubles
Sporting Clays: tradition sporting clays, five‐stand
Traditional sporting clays: quail walk, tower shoots….
Continuing to subdivide the disciplines with progressively smaller balls until five to seven layers of
structure are visible and the smallest balls are about the size of marbles is instructive. Each one of
these could be represented by a triangle of achievement. Perhaps a youngster that you find
through an archery program will go on to become the next great engraver of sporting arms.
Perhaps a kid attracted through hunting will be the next John Browning of firearms engineering.
Perhaps a pistol shooter will become the next Jack O’Conner or Warren Page in sporting journalism.
Perhaps...Perhaps...Perhaps – maybe the youngster will just learn to handle firearms safely and
prevent an accident or find that shooting is the key to stress relief. All of it is positive. Any of these
represent achievement. Ultimate achievements must be defined by the kids themselves, not by
someone external to them; and achieving their objectives, however defined, represents a
defensible and worthy endpoint of involvement.
The molecular model is best assembled in parts by the volunteers in a discipline session with the
challenge of making their segment as expansive (beyond the basics) as possible. Guidance from
discipline leaders is helpful in getting a well‐organized product, although nuances of organization
are not critical. Once each discipline group has finished, assemble their segments on the common
30
core, having volunteers from that group support the model. Even with short connectors a model 15
to 20 feet across is easily generated, giving a graphic image of the scope of this program.
A similar approach can be taken using a human “spider diagram”. Although limited by the number
of people in the group and the number of attachments they can make (unless strings or other
connectors are used), this approach has some advantages over the molecular model. It relieves the
long sitting spell that usually is part of the start‐up segment of a workshop. It gets the volunteers to
meet other people in the group, within and outside their discipline group. Finally, it beings to
stretch their minds beyond their own experience and interests toward the potential outreach and
impacts of the 4‐H Shooting Sports Program. That stretching process is vital to long‐term program
recruitment, since casting the next broadly at the beginning tends to recruit from a wider array of
volunteer and youth interests. That provides a robust springboard for diversification of the
program as it grows in strength. Limited models are seldom as successful as those that use an
introductory smorgasbord followed up by more in‐depth experiences in areas of youth and
volunteer choice and specialization.
Try these techniques to promote a broadly defined, mutually supportive program from a group of
volunteers with intense loyalty to individuals’ disciplines. Remind your volunteers that the
foundation upon which all of this rests is the 4‐H commitment to youth development, positive
adult‐youth relationships, support for families, and making the best better.
31
The Green Transfusion
“A 4‐H Perspective for Adult Volunteers”
Speaker begins by giving SHORT background information
Why are we were?
Primary reason is an interest in young people, their personal growth and well being.
Secondary reason is to promote the safe and ethical use of sporting arms and archery equipment.
Objectives of most coaches or instructors:
1. To have fun, both you and the shooter
2. To help young people develop:
a. Physically
b. Psychologically, learning to control emotions and develop a feeling of self worth
c. Socially, learning cooperation, appropriate behavior and sportsmanship
Most coaches or instructors must decide whether they will pursue victory at the possible expense of
the young people well being.
*NO SINGLE DECISION YOU MAKE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR PRIORITY OF THESE
OBJECTIVES*
KIDS MUST COME FIRST and Winning Second
The following is a bill of rights of young athletes. Whether you consider 4‐H Shooting Sports an
educational activity or an athletic one, you should be using these rights as guidelines in program
development.
EVERY YOUNG PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO:
*Participate in sports
*Participate at a level commensurate with their maturity and ability level
*Have qualified adult leadership
*Play as a child not an adult
32
*Share in the leadership and decision‐making of their sports participation
*Participate in safe and healthy environments
*Proper preparation for participation in sports
*Equal opportunity to strive for success
*Be treated with dignity
*Have fun in sports
Former football coach Vince Lombardi was credited with saying, “Winning isn’t everything, It’s the only
thing” This was a reporter’s aberration of what was said. Coach Lombardi actually said, “Winning isn’t
everything, Striving to win is”
Coach Lombardi is a prime example of a person who put the welfare of these players first.
Winning is important, winning must be kept in perspective by adults by recognizing that striving to win
can bring out the best in young people i.e. performance, commitment, and moral character.
When winning is kept in perspective shooting sports programs will produce young people who:
‐ Enjoy to participate
‐ Strive for excellence
‐ Who dare to risk error to learn
‐ Who grow with praise and constructive criticism
4‐H IS FOR ALL KIDS
LEARN TO TAKE SATISFACTION IN WINNING THE SMALL BATTLES
33
The Art of Teaching Kids
(And Crusty Old Codgers)
Ability in Balance with Challenge
The term ABC can refer to the “basics” of whatever the topic is at hand.
The ABC’s of teaching young people, or very basic concept that must be understood in order to be an effective
teacher, is the concept of maintaining “Ability in Balance with Challenge.”
X Teaching Target
Challenge
Zone of Learning
X
Starting Ability
Point
Flipchart Paper before Presentation
The preceding graph illustrates the ability of the young student represented on the y‐axis. The challenge that
is posed to the young person as they are exposed to a learning experience is represented by the x‐axis. The
two parallel lines represent the zone of acceptance where learning can occur. The objective of an educational
activity is to take a student from the starting point on the graph to the teaching target, each represented by
the x’s.
If the educational activity lies on the lower right portion of the quadrant shown in the graph, not very
challenging and well within their ability, how would kids describe the activity? Kids would describe such an
activity as “Boring”! If the educational activity or message lies on the higher left portion of the quadrant, very
challenging and well outside their ability, how would young people describe that activity? Adults would use
words like frustrating or aggravating to describe such a situation. Young people would call that “Boring!”
Boring in kid language can mean that an activity is either too easy (not challenging enough) or too hard (too
challenging).
34
The artful teacher of young (and older) people knows that the learner must be challenged with new and more
difficult experiences, but after each challenging episode the learner must be brought back into the comfort
zone where education occurs between the two parallel lines. In order to make educational progress (moving
people from the starting point to the teaching target) an individual must be “ratcheted” up between the
challenge portion of the graph and the comfort zone of learning. (Draw the dotted line stair step as shown
below as the next line is spoken) Challenge them, and back off into the comfort zone, challenge them again
and back off, challenge, and back off. The teacher who can maintain this balancing act between challenge and
ability of his/her students is a teacher who can engage students to learn.
Boring!
X
X Teaching Target
Challenge
Zone of Learning
X
X
Boring!
Starting Ability
Point
Flipchart Paper after Presentation
Another analogy to illustrate the concept of keeping “Ability in Balance with Challenge” can be illustrated
with a swimming pool and the act of teaching a young person to swim. Imagine the concept of maintaining
“Ability in Balance with Challenge” as a swimming pool. The skill to be taught to the young person in this
example is swimming. If we never let the swimming student out of the swallow end of the baby pool, that
student becomes bored and loses interest in learning the skill to be taught.
But what if the activities or events that kids are involved in are extremely challenging and well outside their
range of ability? What if we tried to teach a young person to swim by throwing them in the deep end – with
weights tied to them? When we throw kids into an extremely challenging activity well outside their ability it
can be very frustrating, aggravating, and scary.
Perhaps a new swimmer needs to learn some basics in the shallow end but be allowed to test the waters on
occasion in the deep end. As the learning swimmer is allowed to venture more and more into the challenging
“deep end,” their skill as a swimmer increases.
If we provide the opportunity to challenge young people without boring them in the shallow end of the pool
or drowning them in the deep end, learning can occur and skill levels are increased.
35
Tell me, I forgot;
Show me, I remember;
Involve me, I understand
What do the letters TSI stand for when speaking of teaching? T – Tell me, I forget, S – Show me, I remember;
I – Involve me, I understand.
Try to remember the many boring lectures and speeches your have sat through in the past. Research clearly
demonstrates that teaching is more effective if the learner is more involved in the learning activity. The more
senses involved in a learning experience makes for a more profound and unforgettable learning experience.
Note: At this point in the presentation, involving an audience member in a live
demonstration can help drive the point home about the importance of TSI. The
demonstration used by the author is a basic trick roping demonstration that can
be accomplished by just about anyone. That demonstration is described below.
Feel free to substitute any appropriate demonstration to make the point.
To illustrate the concept of TSI, I need a “victim” or I mean “volunteer” from the audience. With the help of
(audience member’s name) I will demonstrate the concept of TSI. The most basic trick roping trick is called the
flat loop. Note: a cotton or nylon rope about 5‐6 ft. long with a Honda tied in it will work for this
demonstration.
A loop about two feet wide is made with the rope and about a foot or so of the rope extends from the Honda
to the end where you hold the rope during the spin. The rope is spun in a counter clockwise motion while the
loop is flat (horizontal). The trick to properly performing the flat loop (loop is spinning) is to allow the part of
the rope in your hand to spin freely in your hand. If the rope is not allowed to spin in the hand, the loop
becomes knotted up in just a couple of spins of the rope.
Note: Now hand the rope to the audience victim. They should be able to perform the trick. If they have
difficulty, start the trick for them and hand if off while the rope is spinning.
(As the audience member is spinning the rope) I could have told (name) about the importance of letting the
rope spin in his/her hands, I could have shown (name) how to let the rope spin in his/her hands, but until
(name) actually felt that rope spinning in his/her hand, they really did not understand the concept being
explained. Not until you are actually involved do you truly understand.
36
Focus on the Kids
Focus on your audience, in this case – kids. It is very easy for adults, with their
broader frame of reference in worldly matters, to think and speak in ways that young
people have no change to comprehend. An example of this concept is the following
list compiled in 1998 at Beloit College in Wisconsin.
This list is compiled each year to try to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of each year’s incoming
freshmen. Here are a few of the things that “wise and experienced” (politically correct term for an old know‐
it‐all) educators need to be mindful of regarding their target audience.
• They never took a swim and thought about “Jaws.”
• They have no idea that Americans were held hostage in Iran.
• Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.
• The expression “you sound like a broken record” means nothing to them.
• They have always had an answering machine.
• As far as they know, postage stamps have always been about 33 cents.
• They cannot imagine not having a remote control for the television.
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
• There have always been VCR’s, but they have no idea what a BETA machine is.
• There has always been MTV.
This list was compiled with 18 year olds in mind. How about the frame of reference of a 9 year old? Perhaps
educators of young people need to keep the following list in mind when working with kids.
Things I’ve Learned
• I’ve learned that if you spread the peas out on your plate it looks like you ate more. – age 6
• I’ve lea rned that you should never jump out of a second story window using a sheet for a parachute. –
age 10
• I’ve learned that you shou ldn’t confuse a black crayon with a Tootsie Roll. – age 10
• I’ve learned that when you have three of your wild friends in the car, the driver freaks. – age 9
• I’ve learned that you can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. – age 7
• I’ve learned tha t when I wave at people in the country they stop what they are dong and wave back. –
age 9
• I’ve learned that if you laugh and drink soda pop at the same time, it will come out your nose. – age 7
• I’ve learned that goldfish don’t like Jello. – age 5
• I’ve learned that girls sweat just as much as boys. – age 11
These are the kinds of things buzzing through the mind of a young person. The educator of young people must
be tuned into and focused on this youthful train of thought before a connection can be made with you
a udiences. A skilled educator is able to put themselves in the shoes of the people sitting in the audience.
37
Teachable Moments
What do the letters TM stand for regarding the topic of teaching kids?
Many people guess things like time management, trademark, or even transcendental medication. TM stands
for “Teachable Moments”.
The trademark ™ of an effective educator is the ability to devise and utilize the “Teachable Moment.” Setting
up a “Teachable Moment” is actually like setting a trap, and springing the trap on your victim at the opportune
moment. When the trap has been sprung, the victim knows that they have been had, or in the case of
education, they know what the point is as it is being made. The trap must not only be set properly, but
educators must take the time and effort to even set the trap in the first place.
A great example of creating a “Teachable Moment” is the manner in which the information in this
presentation is being presented. (Pointing to the down arrow/underwear symbol to be covered later on the
newsprint) I’ll bet that all of you are anxious to know what his symbol of a “D” and a pair of underwear is all
about! I’ll also bet that when I get to that point in a couple of minutes you will all be attentive and ready to
hear the answer. That’s an example of creating “Teachable Moments!”
Allow Kids to Screw Up
What do these symbols mean? They mean screw up. We have to allow kids to mess up. That is, as long as they
are in a safe environment we need to let them screw up. If we were teaching someone to operate a chain saw,
we probably would not want to let them screw up too bad.
The truly life‐long lessons that you’ve learned are those in which you have learned from your mistakes. Many
times want to rescue their kids from adversity. When we do that, we rob young people of powerful learning
experiences.
38
Leave Them on a High Point
What does this symbol represent? It represents mountains. What would a symbol of mountains have to do
with a presentation about teaching kids? The point to be made here is to ‘leave them on a high point”. Many
times educators pull out their best educational tricks at the start of class or at the start of the educational
activity. If the “best trick” is used in the first 10 minutes of the activity and the last 50 minutes are “Boring!”
what will the kids remember on the way home. They will remember the boring part. But I we conclude the
activity with our “best trick” that’s what they remember and that’s what they will talk about on the way home.
Leave them on a high point with your best trick and they will come back for more at the next educational
event or activity – and they might even bring a friend!
De ‐ Brief
What in the world could a down arrow and a pair of underwear mean? In order to explain this concept I need
to tell a story about when I was in high school.
One of the funniest things that my friends and I would do in high school gym class, especially when the
cheerleaders were in the gym, was to sneak up behind one of our unsuspecting classmates and pull their gym
shorts down around their ankles. This was known at my high school as “de‐briefing” someone.
What does this story have to do with teaching kids?
The point is that educators many times do a tremendous job of education but then fail to stop, discuss what
has just happened, and drive home their educational message in a good de‐briefing session.
39
It Has to Be Fun!
The last concept that needs to be addressed as we discuss the art of teaching kids is the word “fun”. (The
presenter just writes the word fun in big letters anywhere on one of the flipchart papers on the wall) If kids do
not have fun while you are providing them a high quality educational experience, it will not be as effective as it
could have been. And if it’s not fun you might find yourself alone at the next scheduled educational activity. If
people are in the education business and do not realize the importance of this concept, they may realize their
full potential as an educator.
Making an educational experience fun with some well‐placed and appropriate humor can also open doors to
educational opportunities with sensitive or controversial issues that need to be addressed.
That concludes this presentation on the art of teaching kids (and crusty old codgers). Are there any questions?
Note: The symbol SPE is conspicuously placed on the wall on newsprint, on a sheet of its own. The SPE symbol
is in very large and multi‐colored print so that no one in the room can miss it. After you prematurely announce
that the presentation is over, just sit back and wait for someone to ask, “What does SPE mean?”
Sneaky Prophylactic Education
Any clues as to the meaning of SPE? (Write out the words on the flipchart paper as you say the meaning) The S
stands for sneaky, the P stands for prophylactic, and the E stands for education.
What in the world does sneaky prophylactic education mean? If you look up the word prophylactic in the
dictionary, you will see that it means “preventive”. Preventative refers to the fact that if we take a nine year
old 4‐H member and keep them busy for nine years, teach them a ton of subject matter for nine years, and
teach them a wide variety of life skills so we produce a productive citizen at the age of 18 – that is
preventative. If we keep them busy for nine years while they are growing up – that’s preventative.
The sneaky part comes in when we make those nine years fun. When we make the experience fun, they (the
kids) don’t even know we’ve done it (SPE) to them.
That’s what the letters SPE stand for.
Some people have asked why I don’t just use the term “Sneaky Preventative Education” instead. My response,
“I probably would not have gained your attention as well if I would have said “Sneaky Preventative Education”.
40
How to Develop a County/Area Notes
4‐H Shooting Sports Program*
Step 1. Contact 4‐H Professional –
A. How professional can help you with county/area program:
‐ 4‐H philosophy
‐ General knowledge and support of program
‐ Youth development
‐ Communications network
‐ Developing committee
‐ Long range planning
‐ Visual aids/teaching aids
B. What not to expect from 4‐H Professional:
‐ On‐line project involvement
‐ Coordinate project activities
‐ Recruit resource people
Step 2. Establish a County/Area Committee –
A. Who:
‐ 4‐H Professional
‐ Coordinator
‐ Parents
‐ Junior Leaders
‐ Members
‐ Resource
B. Considerations for Shooting Sports:
‐ Program objectives
‐ Primary program areas
‐ Leader training
‐ Age/Experience Requirements
‐ Leader to Youth Ratio
‐ Equipment
‐ Local Funding
‐ Fund Raising
‐ Publicity and Promotion
Step 3. Recruit Volunteers
A. Volunteers working with volunteers:
41
‐ Involvement
a. Identify
b. Select
c. Orient
‐ Motivation
a. Train
b. Utilize
c. Recognize
‐ Commitment
a. Evaluate
B. Multiply
Coordinator
Discipline Instructor
Coordinator
Discipline Discipline Discipline
Instructor Instructor Instructor
Assistant Assistant Assistant Assistant Assistant Assistant
Instructor Instructor Instructor Instructor Instructor Instructor
Step 4. GO! – Implement
A. Marketing
B. Secure Facilities and Equipment
C. Teaching Principals
D. Club Program Planning
E. Evaluation
Adapted from material originally developed by Marilyn W. Bergum, Minnesota 4‐H Shooting Sports Wildlife Project Leader, 1985.
42
How to Start 4‐H Shooting Sports:
10 steps to a Strong and Successful Program
Ronald A. Howard Jr.
Experience has shown that establishing a strong and robust shooting sports programs involves about
10 major steps. There may be short‐cuts, but these suggestions are offered to assist you in planning and
building the program in your county. From start to finish, the process of developing a local shooting sports
program should take from 3 to 6 months. Each annual cycle becomes easier, and a flow of new leaders usually
develops from interested parents and friends of leaders. New approaches and ideas for more advanced
programming also will appear. Capitalize on the availability and abilities of your leaders and young people to
develop unique county programs. Please share those ideas and approaches with me, so they can be shared
with other leaders and agents. Do not hesitate to call for advice or support. You will not that the outlined
approach is designed for a total shooting sports package, including a large segment of what is currently
delivered through the Field and Stream Program. There is no need to create artificial boundaries. All of these
activities are part of the Natural Resources 4‐H Program.
1. IDENTIFY A KEY LEADER OR LEADERS IN YOUR COUNTY.
The first critical step in establishing a shooting sports program is to find a key individual or group of
individuals who know the human resources of the county in this discipline. Hunter training instructions,
dedicated and ethical hunters, gun dog trainers, conservation officers, and local gun club or conservation club
members or officers are often excellent contacts. If you do not know one or more key people in these types of
positions, contacts with sporting good dealers, outdoor writers, conservation officers, or (in some areas)
police agencies may help you get access to potential leaders. Even if those people are not personally
interested in the program, be sure to ask if they know of anyone who would be interested in kids, shooting,
hunting, and wildlife. Target shooting skills and previous experience are NOT prerequisites, but interest in
young people and helping them get a start in this area is! Generally it is best to seek leadership outside the
ranks of current 4‐H leaders if one of your objectives is to use shooting sports as a recruitment tool.
Remember that interest in kids, not targets, is a key to locating good leaders.
2. IDENTIFY A GROUP OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN COOPERATING TO ESTABLISH AND
SUPPORT A SHOOTING SPORTS PROGRAM.
Keeping the criteria listed above in mind and trying to get representation from a broad range of
shooting disciplines, tries to identify a larger group of potential volunteer leaders in cooperation with the
leader or leaders identified above. Every major component of the shooting sports curriculum should be
represented by at least one person: archery, hunting (wildlife), muzzleloading, pistol, rife, and shotgun. If
possible, those could be subdivided further to have representatives for trap, skeet, silhouette, position rifle,
hounds, bird dogs, etc. at the initial meeting. The more interests and organizations that group represents, the
broader your base of support will be.
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3. INVITE THAT GROUP OF POTENTIAL LEADERS TO AN INITIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS
ORGANIZING A COUNTY SHOOTING SPORTS PROJECT.
Hold a formative meeting where the philosophy, purposes, objectives, and possible content of the
program are discussed. Assistance from the state specialist or a nearby member of the state shooting sports
committee can be extremely helpful in setting the tone of this meeting. Leaders from nearby counties with
exemplary programs can also be very helpful, but the risk of getting a partial or limited view of the program is
much greater in that circumstance. Your objective is not to imitate another county’s program, but rather to
create one that is uniquely adapted to your team members and local conditions.
4. MEET WITH THE “SURVIVORS” OF THAT MEETING TO FORM A COUNTY TEAM (OR TEAMS)
WHO WILL BE TRAINED AND EQUIPPED TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM.
A county training team should be selected from that initial meeting. Although programs can be started
with a partial group of key instructors, those programs are weaker and more likely to diverge from the ideal
models. Where additional leaders in any given discipline can be recruited and trained, the multiple
representations of various topics leads to a strong synergism. Two leaders in a topic produces impacts closer
to those expected from three instructors operating independently. The apparently multiplicative impact lasts
through at least four instructors and perhaps beyond six. The county team should attend a major workshop to
be equipped to serve as recruiters and trainers of local instructors. In reality, they will be very likely to conduct
most of the youth sessions during the first year or so of the program; but they should be recruiting others and
cloning themselves, OR THEY WILL LIKELY BURN OUT OR STAGNATE WITHIN THREE YEARS. At least minimal
discussions of potential program content prior to attending a workshop can be very beneficial.
5. ATTEND A TRAINING WORKSHOP.
Agents installing a shooting sports program should attend a training workshop with their team.
Attending a workshop gives the agent and the leadership team a shared base of common knowledge and
common points of reference on objectives, mechanics, and roles of the various parties. Agents lacking that
pool of shared information may experience difficulties with program management, objectives, content or
impacts. The bond of common knowledge about the program is extremely helpful. Having at least one full
team trained at the workshop prevents frustration over being unable to receive training in all the disciplines
offered at a single workshop (each discipline holds about 12‐16 hours of specific subject matter training.) It
also helps to prevent drift toward using only a small portion of shooting sports program content. One of the
main reasons 4‐H has succeeded where NRA junior programs failed is the broad exposure to possible shooting
activities 4‐H has promoted.
If a county cannot develop a full team initially, consider the options of 1) sending a coordinator and as
many members as possible or 2) joining with another county to service an entire team for both counties. DO
NOT PRESUPPOSE THAT SHOOTING SPORTS LEADERS WILL NOT ATTEND A WORKSHOP. SHOOTERS AND
SHOOTING SPORTS LEADERS ARE DIFFERENT!
6. DEVELOP A COUNTY (OR MULTI‐COUNTY) PLAN.
A significant part of the coordinators session at the training workshops is the development of county
plans. Prior planning is quite helpful, and the process should be continued as soon as possible after the team
returns home. If more than a couple of weeks elapses between the end of the training session and the next
planning session, the excitement and confidence built at the workshop may begin to fade or yield to normal
routine. “Potential Structures for 4‐H Shooting Sports Programs” can give you some ideas on alternatives for
delivery systems.
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7. DEVELOP THE NECESSARY SUPPORT FOR THE PROGRAM: HUMAN, FINANCIAL, AND
MATERIAL.
Each team member receives some information on resources available in their discipline. The
coordinator (and initially the agent, we hope) will have more extensive training in this area. EQUIPMENT AND
FACILITIES ARE NOT LIMITING FACTORS IF A LITTLE CREATIVITY IS APPLIED.
8. SET THE COUNTY PLAN IN MOTION BY RECRUITING LEADERS AND YOUTH.
Personal recruiting and radio sports writer announcement of the program should identify enough
youth and adults to start the program. Try to keep the size of the group manageable. Be alert for potential
volunteers during the course of the program, and try to involve them at the earliest possible moment in
activities appropriate to their interests and abilities. Many successful clubs operate on the premise that every
youngster involved must be accompanied by an adult who accepts some responsibility for program
management or support. It works, particularly with newly recruited audiences who have not been
preconditioned to the notion of 4‐H as a babysitting service. Those adults are also the first line of new
instructors for the program. Volunteer recruitment presents the request for assistance in working with 4‐H
youth as an honor and evidence of respect, rather than sharing a burden. The parent‐volunteer‐agent coalition
thus formed is extremely strong and robust.
9. LET THE VOLUNTEERS RUN THE PROGRAM WITH AGENT ADVICE AND CONSENT.
Agent authority, advice, consultation, and consent is important; but the volunteers should have a
strong sense of program ownership. Committee actions will be the main focus of agent oversight, and other
agent involvement in program delivery should reflect his/her personal interests and participation in key
meetings or activities. Agent expertise will be necessary in evaluating the program, and immediate debriefings
of leaders after each program segment can supply the basis for formative evaluation and program
development. The two biggest errors an agent can make with this program are trying to control the entire
program themselves and abdicating all responsibility for the programs’ operation and direction. The agent
needs to maintain a youth development focus to reinforce the green injection given to every leader trained in
a state‐wide workshop.
10. DRAW ADVANCED PARTICIPANTS INTO ROLES AS ASSISTANT LEADERS OR COACHES.
Advancement opportunities and youth participation in defining their wants and needs are vital to long‐
term program success. Like other 4‐H programs, this one needs to incorporate older youth, building a core of
second generating leadership. That is most easily accomplished by involving them as leaders, coaches, and
ambassadors while they are still members.
The national committee sometimes seems overly confident that the methods outlined above will work.
Frankly, none of us has ever seen it fail. The model has shown itself to be robust, transferable across state
lines, and applicable to numerous other types of 4‐H programming. It has survived budget crunches, changes
in personnel, and internal friction in county committees. In short, it works! The trick is to find the right
combination of people and to spend the time and energy needed to equip them for the task. Those things
accomplished, one need only give those good folk enough room to show us what they can do.
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4‐H Volunteer Job Description
Position Title: Coordinator – 4‐H Shooting Sports Program
Time Commitment: Length of service is one year. Renewable. Three year commitment preferred.
Program ranges from 10‐40 hours.
Location: Function from home and serve youth within the county/area.
Type of Position: Volunteer middle manager; no direct salary
Supervision: Extension professional in charge of 4‐H (youth) programs.
General Purpose: Be responsible for the overall coordination and management of the county/area 4‐H
shooting sports program.
Specific Responsibilities:
1. Coordinate planning and delivery of 4‐H shooting sports program.
2. Schedule trainings, meetings, tours and service projects.
3. Communicate plans with members, parents, instructors, volunteers and Extension professionals.
4. Recruit and supervise instructors and volunteers (adults/teens).
5. Develop resources such as cash, equipment and use of facilities.
6. Promote the 4‐H shooting sports program.
7. Liaison with the local 4‐H advisory committee and the Extension Service.
Qualifications Required:
1. Age 21 or older.
2. Ability to work with adults and delegate responsibility.
3. Have an interest in the development of youth and shooting sports.
4. State certification and recertified as required.
5. Previous leadership experience.
6. Organizational, management, communication, public relations and marketing skills.
7. Knowledge of networking and collaborating.
8. Knowledge of overall 4‐H program and activities and/or willing to learn about them.
9. Moral standards consistent with the 4‐H philosophy.
Support to be provided:
1. 4‐H shooting sports coordinator training workshop (20 hours minimum).
2. 4‐H shooting sports curriculum handbook upon completion of the workshop.
3. Local volunteer training programs.
To Apply, Contact:
The Florida 4‐H Program, a component of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Florida, is an equal
opportunity employer, and applications will be accepted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, nation
origin, age, sex, handicap, or Vietnam‐era veteran status.
46
4‐H Volunteer Job Description
Position Title: Discipline Instructor (Air Pistol, Archery, Rifle, Shotgun, Black powder, Hunting and
Wildlife) – 4‐H Shooting Sports Program
Time Commitment: Length of service is one year. Renewable. Three year commitment preferred.
Program ranges from 8‐36 hours. (Preparation time is not included).
Location: Serve within the county/area.
Type of Position: Volunteer key leader; no direct salary
Supervision: Shooting sports coordinator and Extension professional in charge of 4‐H (youth)
programs.
General Purpose: Be responsible for the overall teaching of knowledge and skills related to a specific
discipline to 4‐H members, ages 9‐19.
Specific Responsibilities:
1. Stress shooting safety.
2. Coordinate activities with shooting sports coordinator.
3. Coach members on proper shooting techniques.
4. Attend all shooting club meetings and activities.
5. Recruit and train assistant instructors as needed.
6. Inform Coordinator about and help secure needed equipment and facilities.
7. Recruit parents and members.
8. Participate in all additional training programs the local shooting sports committee decides to include:
(I.e. Hunter Education, Red Cross First Aid, 4‐H Leadership).
9. Help plan the yearly program.
10. Actively encourage and support members.
11. Encourage members to participate in other 4‐H events and activities.
Qualifications Required:
1. Age 21 or older for all disciplines except archery which is 18 or older.
2. Ability to work with youth and adults.
3. Have an interest in shooting and some knowledge of shooting techniques.
4. State certification in specific discipline and recertified as required.
5. Be familiar with 4‐H objectives and philosophy and/or willing to learn about them.
6. Moral standards consistent with the 4‐H philosophy.
Support to be provided:
1. 4‐H shooting sports coordinator training workshop (20 hours minimum).
2. 4‐H shooting sports curriculum handbook upon completion of the workshop.
3. Local volunteer training programs.
To Apply, Contact: The Florida 4‐H Program, a component of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service and the University of
Florida, is an equal opportunity employer, and applications will be accepted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual
orientation, nation origin, age, sex, handicap, or Vietnam‐era veteran status.
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4‐H Volunteer Job Description
Position Title: Assistant Instructor (Air Pistol, Archery, Rifle, Shotgun, Black powder, Hunting and
Wildlife) – 4‐H Shooting Sports Program
Time Commitment: Length of service is one year. Renewable. Program ranges from 8‐36 hours.
Location: Serve within the county/area.
Type of Position: Volunteer assistant leader; no direct salary
Supervision: Shooting sports discipline instructor and coordinator and Extension professional in
charge of 4‐H (youth) programs.
General Purpose: Assist the discipline instructor in teaching the knowledge and skills related to a specific
discipline to 4‐H members.
Specific Responsibilities:
1. Stress shooting safety.
2. Coach members on proper shooting techniques as directed by the discipline instructor.
3. Attend shooting club meetings and activities.
4. Participate in all additional training programs the local shooting sports committee decides to,
including: hunter education, Red Cross first aid, 4‐H leadership, etc.
5. Help plan the yearly program.
6. Actively encourage and support members.
7. Encourage members to participate in other 4‐H events and activities.
Qualifications Required:
1. Ability to work with youth.
2. Have an interest in shooting and some knowledge of shooting techniques.
3. Be familiar with 4‐H objectives and philosophy and/or willing to learn about them.
4. Moral standards consistent with the 4‐H philosophy.
Support to be provided:
1. 4‐H shooting sports coordinator training workshop (20 hours minimum).
2. 4‐H shooting sports curriculum handbook upon completion of the workshop.
3. Local volunteer training programs.
To Apply, Contact:
The Florida 4‐H Program, a component of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Florida, is an equal
opportunity employer, and applications will be accepted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, nation
origin, age, sex, handicap, or Vietnam‐era veteran status.
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Potential Structures for Texas 4‐H Shooting Sports
Ronald A. Howard, Jr.
Why Look At Models and Their Characteristics?
Many effective 4‐H programs are readily adaptable to local needs and conditions. The 4‐H Shooting
Sports Program is no exception. As the program has spread across states and counties, many models for
delivery have been tried. Relatively few of them have proven consistently successful. Those successful
models developed both by deliberate design and by trial and error experimenting. Their usefulness has been
demonstrated many times in local programs all across the country. They are robust, effective and transferable
tools for managing shooting sports as an integral part of a total 4‐H program.
These models are not exclusive or copyrighted. They are frequently blended to meet local needs, but
successful blending retains the key characteristics that made their ancestors successful. Those approaches to
the program and their common characters provide a foundation for designing a customized plan of action for
your county or club. That foundation of experience allows county faculty and volunteers to create a first‐best
approach by combining selected program characteristics with their judgment of the unique needs and assets
of their communities. Reiterations can apply the same open‐minded thinking to avoiding problems and
suggestion solutions to improve the program and it’s fit in the community.
Common Characteristics of Strong, Successful Programs
The characteristics of successful 4‐H shooting sports programs listed here is not inclusive, but it
contains most of the apparently essential features associated with success with the organizational models
being used.
1. Strong commitment to the development of young people as the first priority.
2. A strong, cooperative and committed volunteer committee dedicated to program planning and
development.
3. A large, active and dynamic leader corps that sells the program, recruits participation and challenges
themselves to have a real impact on young people and their parents.
4. Youth ownership and involvement in program selection and orientation.
5. Progressive and substantive involvement of youth in program delivery.
6. Active and expanding parental involvement with appropriate opportunities for adult growth and
development.
7. Action and hands‐on learning in a safe and educationally sound environment.
8. Fun for both leaders and youth with positively stated expectations of responsibility.
9. Constant recruitment and equipping of volunteers – offering them the opportunity to share values and
interests with motivated young people sharing common interest.
10. Expanding horizons for young people by exploring links to other 4‐H programs and opportunities,.
Common Characteristics of Weak or Failing Programs
Although I have never observed a shooting sports program devoid of positive impacts on young people,
anyone who has worked with the program can cite examples of programs that were relatively unsuccessful or
transitory. They often bear characteristics nearly opposite those listed above. Hindsight can make these
characteristics painfully obvious, but they are seldom deliberately planned into a program. They may be
regarded as warning signs to assist new programs in avoiding pitfalls and errors and to help existing programs
improve their impact. The extreme enthusiasm and dedication of shooting sports volunteers provides one of
the most pervasive and easily overlooked problems. Excitement and dedication can lead to over‐commitment,
excessive time demands and eventual leader burn‐out. County faculty and volunteer management
49
committees must be aware of that problem in themselves and in the leaders they recruit. A program based
upon a small corps of volunteers has a life expectancy of three to five years or until the volunteers’ children
graduate from the program.
As with the previous list, this one is not all‐inclusive. It does contain most of the serious problems a
committee should try to avoid. A county or club program that exhibits one or more of these characteristics
should be cause for concern.
1. Emphasis on factors other than youth development – the most common one is success in competitive
events
2. Weak, untrained or partial committees – three serious errors may be involved here: A. assuming
volunteers cannot be recruited or will not commit to training; B. Restricting the program to areas of
interest held by the original committee members OR fighting over dominance of the program by a
particular discipline; C. Assuming that leaders with other qualifications (military, NRA, NAA, hunter
education or other) are fully equipped to manage the 4‐H shooting sports program effectively.
3. Possessiveness – committee members or leaders placing personal satisfactions and rewards above the
effects on young people or the program.
4. Failure to recruit replacement volunteers, usually because they are “not needed” or volunteering is
viewed as a burden rather than an honor and opportunity.
5. Failure to apply appropriate teaching methods – either using dated and less effective techniques or
employing “adult” teaching modes, too much talk or technical information, domination or fea4r‐based
instruction in safety and not enough hands‐on action and cooperative coaching.
6. Deciding what young people want without involving them in the process – falling prey to the myth of
adult wisdom.
7. Repetitive emphasis on a single component of the program rather than exposing young people to the
breadth of shooting sports opportunities and links to other 4‐H activities.
8. Winning as a dominating objective
9. Slight, patronizing or menial parental involvement.
10. Leader burn‐out (even if self‐inflicted) or boredom (not having a real role).
How Much is Enough?
The answer depends upon the leadership and membership of the program, but your objectives and
those of the program determine the answer. The program developers envisioned at least those listed here:
To encourage participation in natural resources and related natural sciences programming by
exposing young people to its program content through their interests in shooting, hunting and related
activities.
To enhance the development of the self concept, character and personal growth of youth and adults
through safe, educational and socially acceptable involvement in shooting activities.
To teach young people and their leaders the safe and responsible use of firearms and archery
equipment, including sound decision‐making, self‐discipline, concentration, the development of life skills
and shooting skills.
To promote the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship and ethical behavior in shooting sports
participants through experiential learning.
50
To expose young people, parents and volunteers to the array of vocational and life‐long avocational
activities related to shooting sports.
To strengthen families through participation in life‐long recreational activities.
To recruit poorly represented new or non‐traditional audiences – particularly, but not limited to,
male youth and adults and teens in urban, suburban and rural areas using attractive 4‐H programs.
To complement and enhance existing safety and hunter education programs.
These objectives have been part of 4‐H Shooting Sports since its beginning. Most of them are shared
by many other youth development programs offered by 4‐H and other youth groups. The uniqueness is in the
particular appeal of the subject matter involved.
Reaching all these objectives requires thinking big, using team effort, recruiting and training
appropriate leaders and involving both youth and their parents in program delivery. Viewed as a total
package, the program can seem overwhelming and impossible to accomplish. That challenge has caused many
people to restrict the content or the approach rather than seek adequate support to deliver the program as
developed. Generally those restricted programs have been less robust and successful than more inclusive
programs. Restricting the program is not necessary, however. When leaders are recruited for specific, limited
tasks with a limited amount of time involved, the feeling of being overwhelmed can be eliminated. That
permits presenting a more comprehensive, exposure‐level program with maximum appeal to a new audience
prior to the establishment of more restricted and specialized units. The young people and their parents can
gain an exposure to all the basic disciplines before selecting those holding greater appeal for them.
Where delivery of a broad program is impossible, a program may be started with a minimum of a single
discipline. Organizers must recognize, however, that restricted programs experience more difficulty with
recruitment, maintaining interest and sustained participation than broader programs. Restricted programs
may develop an image of limited scope, recruiting only persons who share the interest outlined. It can make
introduction of new programs more difficult because the new program elements are outside the interest of
the existing participants. It can also make recruiting new members less effective by restricting the potential
audience. Program organizers need to be aware of the trade‐offs in audience appeal and content coverage
inherent in selecting a particular type of delivery system for 4‐H Shooting Sports.
Exposure‐level programs have broad appeal, but they can offer only limited depth in skill development.
They require constant infusion of new members (and often leaders) in order to continue. Limited programs
can concentrate effectively on specific skill development and increasing challenge (a common desire for many
youth and their leaders), but at the expense of generality and broad recruitment appeal. The ideal approach
would appear to be some merger of the types, if that can be fitted to local plans.
There is no magic formula, but there are some workable models. The key to success is vision,
teamwork and adapting the program to fit the local needs while remembering that the youth (and adults
involved) are the product we are trying to build.
Structures for Presenting Shooting Sports
The primary approaches used in presenting shooting sports in the pioneer states (Texas, New York,
Virginia and Minnesota) differed because the primary objectives differed. Growth in the number of
experimental models for the program grew as the program grew. Shared successes, failures, problems,
solutions, strengths and weaknesses from programs at all levels of extension organization helped to refine and
modify basic models for presenting the program. Clearly, the models presented here do not exhaust the
51
possibilities for success. They are proven, practical models offered as an aid for local planning and
adaptation. None of them are the product of a single person or even a single state. They represent the
combined efforts of shooting sport leaders across the country.
Early Models
Although the 4‐H Shooting Sports Program is relatively recent in origin, many states had included some
shooting in their 4‐H curriculum for many years. Hunter education, rifle and archery were the most common
elements, but some counties or states included some shotgun training as well. Many of these programs were
restricted to camp settings. Others were offered as contests or local club activities and projects.
Texas initiated the current program using a local project club model. Clubs were organized
geographically with a project interest. Content and scope of the club was jointly determined by the members
and volunteer leadership. Breadth was encouraged, but each club developed as a unique entity. The
organizational model called for keeping the clubs relatively small (up to about 15 members) and personal.
Once the shooting education and recreation program had become established, the clubs usually grew in scope
to include other shooting elements and other 4‐H activities. Competitive events and educational meetings
were used to introduce new elements. These local 4‐H clubs were quite traditional in structure with a major
emphasis on shooting sports. The early emphasis was on basic marksmanship development and, an array of
competitive events was developed. The program had a strong relationship with the NRA’s Education and
Training Division and the Junior Olympic Shooting Program.
New York followed Texas into 4‐H shooting sports. That program was conceived as a greatly expanded
hunter education program with an experiential learning base. The primary model was a county‐wide special
interest program requiring about 50 to 80 hours of contact. Demand for more in‐depth activity was strong,
and a second layer of programming was added after the second year. Field days were used as focal events to
start local 4‐H clubs similar to those that were being formed in Texas. The majority of the clubs formed
became natural resources clubs with a strong shooting component in their annual calendar of events.
Virginia introduced the program as safety education, generally starting with marksmanship
development in a single discipline. More generalized special interest groups or project clubs emerged from
the introductory programs. Content represented a combination of the Texas program (recreation) and the
New York program (natural resources). Young people were recruited through a firearms safety or hunter
safety special interest group. Broader based project clubs were formed from those special interest groups.
Field days and similar events were used to broaden the interests of the clubs once they were established.
Competitive shooting was a major element of the Virginia program.
Minnesota developed a model based on a nested set of special interest groups united by a project club
and shared leadership. Monthly meetings of the combined club were supplemented by a complex schedule
of project activity meetings. Components were added as the interests of the youth and their leaders grew.
This approach featured a powerful sense of shared ownership and excellent responsiveness to local wants and
needs. The county‐wide nature of its decision making reduced responsiveness to local interests, but flexibility
and leader cooperation tended to make that relatively minor. Recruitment remained strong because the
young people could enter the program for all or only a single element. Broad exposure required a bit of effort,
but the program adapted easily to newly identified talent or interest. Like the others mentioned, it has been a
very successful approach.
Each of these basic program models offers something of value to local program planners, both in 4‐H
shooting sports and in other types of youth programming. These programs are discussed below, without the
bias of state names or titles.
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Exposure‐Level Special Interest Clubs
The greatest strength of this type of program is in broad audience appeal and exposure to a wide array
of shooting sports activities. The content was developed by a committee of interested people using a list of
suggestions provided by the state specialist. It required approximately 50 to 100 hours completing. The team
of volunteers grew from an original 16 to 56 during the first year, almost entirely by self‐recruitment of
interested persons. It evolved into an annual presentation by 50 – 80 adults and teen leaders, each with
specific and very limited time commitments. Participants explored archery (basic marksmanship and bow
hunting), rifles (basic marksmanship, light rifle and small‐bore silhouette), shotgun (basic marksmanship, trap
and skeet), muzzle loading rifle (with related buck skinning activities), hunting (tactics and practice for
waterfowl, big game, small game, and upland birds), wildlife biology, gun dogs and related disciplines.
Participants received hunter training, bow hunter education and waterfowl identification certificates through
a cooperative arrangement with the state conservation agency and participation of the appropriate
instructors. It was very popular, appealed to a large body of both leaders and youth, and provided an
exposure level activity for a broad spectrum of sports. Approximately 85% of the adults and youth involved in
the program were new to 4‐H. Varying percentages were retained, largely depending upon the level of agent
involvement and recruitment in the program; but, an average of approximately 50% of the young people and
adults participating actually became active in local 4‐H clubs.
Local Project Clubs
Project clubs are defined in many ways. In this context, it refers to a club organized in a specific
geographic area (as small as part of a subdivision, a city block, or a neighborhood in a small town or rural area)
and focusing upon a common interest in a particular project area or cluster of project areas. The model
involves clubs selecting program content and scheduling cooperatively, giving the young people involved a
major voice in the process. Parents are incorporated as leaders for some phase of the club’s activities, and
leadership may be shared for specific programs. The clubs are usually kept rather small (fewer than 15
members) to maintain a high level of interaction between youth and adults.
Because the clubs are essentially member driven, the content of their annual programs may be quite
variable. Some continuity is maintained through the availability of materials and the training available to
leaders. The clubs normally operate on a year round basis with a minimum of one meeting per month. Club
meetings follow a rather traditional format, but business meeting activity at meetings is held to a minimum.
At least one member participates in a demonstration or leadership experience in each general meeting. The
members contact resource people for planned presentations at the meetings. Activity or workshop meetings
are held as arranged, often on a weekly basis, with participation by interested members. Where clubs with
similar interest are close by, the activity meetings may involve members of several local clubs.
County‐Wide Project Clubs
County project clubs are essentially the same in most respects as local project clubs. The major
difference is in the geographical area covered, but the numbers of youth involved and the amount of parental
involvement or adult/youth interaction may also differ. The temptation to go directly to a county club model
is one of the greatest dangers of the project club model. Having a county club tends to inhibit the starting
new clubs with similar interests, even when adequate leadership and interest exist. An experienced 4‐H agent
once said “the first time you start a county‐wide club in any program area is the last time you will start a new
club in that area.” In a lot of ways he struck at a weakness of the county club approach (and perhaps at the
notion of any club defined by political boundaries) with those words. The club may be considered either an
exclusive, special interest group or the solution to every need in that project area. Comparisons with
membership patterns of most organizations (e.g. conservation or gun clubs) reinforce the need for diversity in
adult organizations. Young people require at least as much and perhaps more diversity. County‐wide clubs
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also require much more travel on the part of some participants. They have the advantage of being minimally
demanding of an instructor corps, but that advantage may be the source of problems and are seldom a
necessity if a well‐trained shooting sports team is put into action.
Limited Scope Clubs
Some states and counties elected to initiate the shooting sports program using existing structures,
working only with readily identified resources or with a very limited array of disciplines. Frequently an existing
shooting activity was merely re‐named without other changes. Other programs elected to introduce a single
element, like rifle or archery. That approach has shown very limited success and seldom reaches either the
recruitment potential or the fundamental objectives of the program. the advantage of clearly defined and
circumscribed content with limited volunteer recruitment and development needs is more than off‐set by the
weak youth recruitment and limited scope. The limited appeal leads to weak recruitment of both, youth and
adults, a well‐recognized problem with most antecedent junior shooting programs. Focusing on
marksmanship development and competitive shooting without the fun, fellowship and educational
components predisposes the program to failure. Creative management is essential if a limited club is going to
overcome its inherent short‐comings.
Leader‐Linked Limited Clubs
One of the creative management approaches to gain the advantages of the specificity of limited‐scope
clubs and the broad appeal of the county project club has been development of a leader‐linked club. It has
shown excellent results were adequate leadership and cooperation existed. An organizational committee
made up of leaders governs the total program with advice and consent from professional staff. The project
club meets on a monthly basis year‐round for programs of common interest, business, fun and social
interaction. Workshop or training sessions are delivered through a series of limited clubs or special interest
activity groups that meet for limited time periods. The leader committee tries to coordinate the meetings of
those groups to minimize the amount of overlap and interference among them. This approach has all the
advantages of the limited club, and it nearly eliminates the major disadvantages. It does not reach the same
level of continuity as do local project clubs, however. This model behaves operationally as a set of project
clubs linked by common organizational leadership.
A Brief Commercial
A combination of a special interest introductory program and subsequent formation local project clubs
seems to be the strongest, most robust and most effective model for reaching the objectives of 4‐H Shooting
Sports. It combines the generality of exposure with local adaptiveness, strong adult/youth interaction and
strong family involvement found in the local club. It avoids any taint of exclusivity or ultimate solution and
provides ample room for program growth and recruitment. It also links with the other elements of 4‐H
programming very easily as newly recruited young people and adults learn about other program offerings in
the 4‐H program. Properly managed by a group of interested volunteers with agent advice and consent, the
model enhances program delivery at minimal energetic cost to the professional staff. It also provides an
example of volunteer managed programming that can be multiplied to enhance program delivery across all
program elements. My experiences with it have been uniformly positive.
Many of you will have noted that these models are generally applicable and wondered why they are
being promoted as being unique to 4‐H Shooting Sports. They are not unique to shooting sports, and anyone
can adapt them to nearly any other project‐based approach to 4‐H or other youth programming merely by
substitution. The models are neither copyrighted nor original. They represent the trials and successes of lots
of people. Please use them to promote your programs, making them the best they can be. If you discover or
develop something that works particularly well in your county or club, please share it. Those successes,
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solutions and ideas contribute to the success of our corporate effort to make the best better and to help every
child become a winner.
YOU DECIDE
The 4‐H shooting sports committee in your county needs to consider these various forms of presenting
the program to their population and decide upon the mode or modes that seem best suited to their situation.
The approach that works well for one county may not be best or even workable for the neighboring county.
Use your best judgment in selecting the type of approach to be used, then evaluate the results to see if it
reached the objectives you set out for yourselves. Modify the approach in progress to make it more fruitful,
and do not be afraid to try something that seems worthwhile just because it failed somewhere else or it has
never been done before. Share your successes and your foul‐ups with your partners in shooting sports. That
way everyone can benefit from the corporate experiences of the group, and the program can grow more
effectively.
Above all, keep the major objectives of the program in mind. The 4‐H Shooting Sports Program is not
merely a competitive shooting program, a safety program, a hunter education program or a life‐long
recreation program. It is all of that and MORE: but, it is, first and foremost, A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM!
NOTES:
55
4‐H Shooting Sports….a
Risky Business!
Richard A Fultz i *
That should have gotten your attention. And it should have raised several questions in your thoughts… for
example: Is this guy nuts?, or Is this guy right? Is a 4‐H Shooting Sports program really a RISK?
To prepare ourselves adequately to lead a successful, enjoyable and SAFE shooting sports program we
need to truthfully answer those questions. And for starters we need to know:
WHAT IS A RISK?
Simply put RISK is the CHANCE OF LOSS. That implies that just about everything we do in life is a RISK, from
getting out of bed in the morning to drinking a cup of coffee to driving to work (or home again) or running a
program involving youngsters who are in need of adequate and basic safety and handling training, and
firearms, mechanical devices which have no thought process nor concern for safety. SO, now that we know
that running a shooting sports program that constitutes a RISK, we should proceed by learning how to:
MANAGE RISK
Managing a RISK can be done in four ways:
1. Assume – Well, that’s what you have done by deciding to have a 4‐H shooting sports program
2. Reduce – you reduce the RISK by recognizing the hazards of the program and working toward
eliminating them, another name is ‘safety engineering’.
3. Avoidance – as the next step, you work to avoid hazards you cannot reduce, such as unsafe backstops.
It could also mean you re‐consider your assumption of the RISK, by cancelling the program.
4. Transfer – the final step is to transfer the responsibility for the results of these assumed RISKS, perhaps
through an insurance policy.
REDUCE RISK
In order to reduce the RISK you bare assuming in running a 4‐H shooting sports program you must first
recognize the specific duties that you have as the ‘instructor’, the ‘professional’, the ‘expert’, the person
responsible duties imposed by the concept of liability:
LIABILITY – A legal obligation or duty
There are two types of liability: CRIMINAL duties due the community
CIVIL duties due to individuals
Under Civil Liability there are two types:
CONTRACTUAL
TORT
“Tort” is what should be of interest in a 4‐H Shooting Sports Program because it is defines as: “a legal wrong
doing committed upon a person who suffers damages as a direct result”. While there are many types of TORT
56
liability, including ‘intentional wrong’, our concern should be ‘unintentional wrong’, an act or the failure to act
in a reasonable manner which results in injury to another. This is NEGLIGENCE.
NEGLIGENCE is defined as the failure to perform a legally owed duty as would a reasonable and prudent
person, with that failure resulting in actual damage that is a consequence of the breach of duty and should
have been foreseen.
There are four elements of negligence that must be present before negligence can be proved:
1. Duty owed – was there a legal duty owed the injured party?
2. Duty breached – was there a failure to fulfill this duty?
3. Actual damages – was there an injury to the party owed the duty?
4. Proximate cause – was the failure to fulfill the duty the direct cause of the injury?
What does this mean for the 4‐H instructor?
FIRST, you have a ‘duty’, read that responsibility, to provide a safe environment in which to conduct your
program. This means simply that you should know what a safe environment is, be able to recognize hazards,
and act to remove those hazards in a prudent manner, or control them through an established procedure and
ensure that you do not, intentionally or unintentionally, and create additional hazards.
SECOND, you have a duty to conduct the activities of your program in a reasonable and prudent manner in
accordance with a recognized protocol or procedure.
While these may seem to be insurmountable obstacles, really they are quite simply addressed. BY
FOLLOWING THE ESTABLISHED 4‐H SHOOTING SPORTS MANUAL OF INSTRUCTION AND LESSON PLAN and
the safety procedures provided in the manual, you will have gone a long way toward satisfying your
responsibility to conduct the program in a proper and safe manner. Certainly there will be times that you
might vary from the letter of the manual, but never from the law it has established. An example of this might
be:
Lesson One of the Manual provides a safe and established procedure for familiarizing students with a
Daisy 853 air rifle. But, what if you don’t have that particular model of air rifle and instead have the use of
Remington 513T .22 caliber rifle and a safe, proper range to fire them on. Then your first lesson would be to
utilize the provided format of familiarization BUT substitute proper instruction for the Remington rifle, or
whatever model of rifle you are going to use, in the place of the Daisy 853.
But, there are other specific duties that are required of you, specific LEGAL duties, as recognized by the
courts, that you should be aware of and fulfill.
You have a duty to:
1. PROPERLY PLAN THE ACTIVITY. Every aspect of the training should be planned prior to instruction and
the instruction should be geared to the existing skill level of the student. The evaluation of the skill
level should be continuous with each student and specific training included in our written lesson plan.
2. PROVIDE PROPER INSTRUCTION. The instruction you give must be consistent with the established
protocol of your program (ie: follow the lesson plan in the manual) and, again geared to the skill level
of the individual student.
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3. EXPLAIN THE INHERENT RISKS. Students must know and understand the inherent risk associated with
the activity. They must be clearly warned of the dangers involved with not following your instruction.
ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH. Repeatedly advise them…”you must wear your safety glasses at all times in the
range”.
4. MONITOR FOR INJURY OR INCAPACITY. It is your responsibility to evaluate students for injuries or
other conditions which would inhibit their ability to be safe and follow instruction. Never force a
youngster to participate against their will and be prepared to remove a student you observe to be
inattentive or distracted (unable to safely participate). The required youth health form could be a basis
for your decision.
5. PROVIDE ADEQUATE, SAFE EQUIPMENT. You must insure that the equipment you provide is proper
for the program, ie: fits the shooter and the course of fire, and is mechanically safe, having been
inspected and certified by a qualified individual. (Maintain an equipment log with written
documentation of these inspections and certifications.)
6. PROVIDE PROPER EMERGENCY RESPONSE. You must have a written emergency action plan, one that
covers responsibilities of supervisory personnel, who to call, who calls, transportation, and who is the
provider of emergency care:
*Have an adequate first aid kit on site and have a trained first responder present.
* Have the required youth and adult health forms available.
* Notify local emergency personnel of your activities and locations before you start your program.
7. MAINTAIN ADEQUATE RECORDS. While there are many formats this can take, the attached Activities
Log is an example of what to include and how to maintain these important records.
8. PROVIDE CLOSE SUPERVISION. Activities should occur under your direct supervision. You and your
associate trainers are always in place and in control.
9. INSPECT, INSPECT, INSPECT. Always ensure a safe environment by regularly and completely inspecting
all aspects of the physical environment you are holding your program in.
Well, lots to remember and do! Certainly, but all these items can become manageable by spending the time
to write them down in one format and establishing a procedure to follow in every activity. This written format
is called a:
RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN!!
Kansas 4‐H Shooting Sports P.A.T. volunteer, Member and lead Rifle Instructor, National 4‐H Shooting Sports Committee
58
RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
A good risk management plan will address specific situations that might be encountered during the program.
These include:
• RATIONALE AND GOALS. Simply, what you want to do, why you want to do it and where you intend to
go with the program, write it down.
• PERSONNEL POLICIES. How you select individuals to assist the program should be spelled out.
1. If your state has a volunteer application and selection program, include that in your plan.
2. Establish and document required training for your personnel.
3. Establish and document procedures of conduct for your personnel. For example: There are
never to be less than two instructors present at all times youth are present. At no time will
an instructor be alone with a student. AND: No instructor is allowed to provide
transportation for a youth unless on a planned and authorized travel event.
• JOB DESCRIPTION. Include a written job description for each of your trainers.
• RECORDS. Keep accurate, thorough, up‐to‐date records of your training activities (see the Activities
Log).
• SUPERVISION. Establish in your written plan what levels of supervision are required, whose
responsibility it is, and the extent of authority assigned to each supervising trainer.
• INSPECTIONS. All equipment and sites should be inspected according to a written procedure (a check
list) on an established schedule.
• LESSON PLAN. Each activity should have a written lesson plan outlining the activity and what will
occur.
• EMERGENCY PLAN. A written emergency plan should be included, outlining specific duties and actions
to be taken in the event of an emergency or injury. This would include the required youth and adult
health forms.
• FIRST AID. First aid kits and trained personnel should be on site at every activity.
• EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. A written policy statement should be drafted and included in your plan
indicating your adherence to the established equal opportunity policy of your State’s 4‐H Program.
Well, a beginning!
You can have a safe learning environment that minimizes the RISK both to the youth and the adult trainers
involved, it just takes a PLAN!
Adapted from and credit given to Preparing to Fire by Bill Christy, copyright 1991 Christy Enterprises, prepared by Richard A Fultz,
3/97. Revised 9/97, with credit to William Ward. Revised 1/99
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A RISK
MANAGEMENT PLAN
I. Staffing/Supervision
A. Training
B. Certification
C. Age requirements/experience
D. Adult/youth ratio
E. Specific requirements (ie: VIP process)
II. Insurance Issues
A. Waivers
B. Health history/parental permission
C. Liability/vehicle insurance
D. Health insurance
E. Equipment insurance
F. Facility insurance
G. Leases
III. Emergencies ‐ Procedures
A. Transportation/emergency vehicle
B. Communication/P.R.
C. First Aid
D. Parental notification
SEPARATE PLAN FOR EACH SITUATION
o Range accident
o Lost child
o Misfire
o Rabid animal
o Flood/fire/tornado
o Vehicle accident
o Other areas as specific to your activity
IV. Equipment
A. Safety check procedures/maintenance
B. Handling
C. Proper storage
D. Transportation
E. Parental permission to use
V. Facility
A. Safety inspections
B. Safety procedures (signage, berms, safety zones, lines, etc.)
C. Insurance
D. Leases
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BASIS FOR ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE
IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING
Hiring or Recruiting Carelessness in hiring or recruiting practices including failure to screen, select,
(staff or volunteers) train, and or supervise staff and volunteers in a manner consistent with the
standards of the field.
Emergency Training Failure to provide training in emergency procedures and on procedures for any
incident that was foreseeable.
Supervision Ratios Failure to provide appropriate supervision ratios and expectations for
supervision in activities and at all other times children are in the care of the
program provider.
Safe Transportation Failure to provide safe transportation by qualified drivers, operating a safe
vehicle and following procedures for internal control and supervision while
transporting and during loading and unloading.
Equipment or Animals Entrustment of equipment or animals to a person who is too young or for other
reasons not equipped or trained to handle the condition.
Safety Procedures Failure to have safety procedures or failure to teach, instruct or practice
procedures.
Inadequate Warnings Inadequate warning of hazards or warnings not appropriate for the age or
physical or mental capabilities of the participant.
Maintenance Failure to take immediate action on hazardous conditions or failure to perform
routine maintenance such as testing water, alarms, and extinguishers or
repairing, especially after notice, steps, rails, lights, equipment, etc.
Equipment Failure to provide proper or adequate equipment in good condition and
appropriate for intended use.
Secondary Injury Failure to prevent secondary injury through the actions or non‐actions or
treatment of the injured. If the program provider assumes the duty to render
aid, the law imposes a duty of competent and appropriate action.
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HIRING OR RECRUITING:
One of your shooting sports volunteers is accused of striking a member at a club meeting. You know that this
volunteer has a temper, as you have observed her “mistreating” her own children.
• What should you do?
• Can you “fire” this volunteer? If so, how?
• Can you prohibit the volunteer from participating in the 4‐H Shooting Sports Program? On whose
authority?
• Are you protected if the parent of the child who was struck sues 4‐H? What coverage or protection is
available?
• What happens if you get calls from the news media wanting to know what happened? Who talks to
the media? Where do you find out who talks to the media in an emergency? How do you keep others
from talking to the media?
SUPERVISION RATIOS:
A young (age 21) adult male volunteer has volunteered to drive one of your female member (age 15) home
after a shooting event. You have seen them flirting.
• Should you let him drive her home?
• What could possibly happen?
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• How can you prevent him from taking her home?
• What policies and procedures are available to protect:
1. The program?
2. The volunteer?
3. The youth?
SAFE TRANSPORTATION:
Two 4‐H members are injured when they fall off the tailgate of a pickup truck while traveling to the shooting
range at your state camp. A teenager (age 18) was driving the pickup and he has a history of accidents and
has several speeding tickets.
• Do you have a liability problem?
• How could this have been prevented?
• What policies should be in place to protect:
1. Volunteer drivers?
2. 4‐H members?
INADEQUATE WARNINGS:
One of your clubs uses a rifle range that is surrounded by an apple orchard. A hillside provides an adequate
backstop behind most of the range, but occasionally an orchard worker will stray into the danger zone.
• Is this a problem as long as you have a range officer to call a “cease fire” when he sees danger?
63
• What kind of warnings should be available?
• Prepare a safe operations policy for use of this range?
MAINTENANCE:
The steps at the rifle range where you do your state shoot have a loose board. You have asked the owner of
the range to repair the board several times. During the State Shoot, the board slips while a mother of a 4‐H
member is walking down. The mother is badly injured.
• What could have prevented this accident?
• Does your program have a liability since the owner of the range didn’t do his job?
• Why do you have to be concerned about the safety of the mother, since she is not a part of your
program?
• What protection is available for the owner of the range?
SAFETY PROCEDURES:
The Barnburners 4‐H Club Shooting Program has been fortunate. A retired alumnus had offered several
hundred dollars for equipment purchases ten years ago. Using the money, club leaders had bought several .22
rifles. Over the years of hard use several had developed small problems, but otherwise fired accurately. One,
a self‐loader, would occasionally double‐fire two shots with one pull of the trigger. All the instructors knew it,
so they single‐loaded it. Johnny had a gun just like the auto‐loader at home. He fired it all the time without
supervision. He thought it was dumb to only load only one bullet at a time. One night at the club, he loaded a
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full magazine and prepared to fire. The instructor was busy with a couple of other less experienced
youngsters, so when it came time to shoot, Johnny was on his own.
He loaded the 10 round magazine and prepared to fire in the standing position. He aligned his sights, pressed
the trigger, and …. The gun went full auto, firing all ten shots in less than a second. Two hit the target, one hit
above the backstop, and 7 hit the wall and ceiling above the trap. One ricocheted and came back toward the
firing line striking a youngster in the face. Her safety glasses were shattered shredding her eye with glass. The
youngster lost her eye.
• Identify the safety violations and problems observed in this situation.
• What policies and procedures should have been in place to prevent this accident?
• How do you implement and enforce these policies and procedures?
• What are some of the impacts you would expect this incident to have on the State Program?
• Local program impacts?
• How will you respond to the negative impacts?
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EQUIPMENT OR ANIMALS:
George was a new shotgun instructor fresh from his state training. An experienced shooter, he was ready to
teach these youth how to shoot shotgun. When range day came, his youth model shotguns had not arrived.
He was forced to use his full size pump guns.
Rather than wait an extra week, he decided to plunge ahead. All was okay until Bobby came to the line.
Twelve years old and 85 pounds with short arms, he could barely lift the 12 gauge, but George wanted him to
shoot. Since it was hard to get the shotgun up in position, George decided to load 2 rounds in the shotgun and
let Bobby shoot two clay birds before resting the gun.
Two rounds were loaded, a shell chambered, the gun shouldered…”Pull” and Bobby chased the bird and
slapped the trigger.
Struggling with the pump action, he pulled the forearm back and started it forward to chamber the second
shell. Just as it chambered, the butt slipped off Bobby’s shoulder. Frantically trying to stop the gun from
falling, he instinctively squeezed his trigger hand and as the muzzle swung down to the left over George’s foot
it discharged.
George lost 3 toes and Bobby was never again able to pick up a gun.
• What went wrong?
• What policies should have been in place to insure that this type of accident didn’t happen?
• How do you enforce the policies and procedures?
• How will you deal with the negative impact of this accident on your program?
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EMERGENCY TRAINING & SECONDARY INJURY:
It was a silly accident. The snow had been quite heavy and wet. It stuck to shoes and boots like glue. When
the youngsters went into the range, the snow that was stuck to their shoes and boots melted and puddle on
the floor.
Debbie was wearing new shoes with slick soles. As she ran into the range to meet her friend, her feet slipped
on the water and she fell, striking her head on the bench.
Unconscious, bleeding, Debbie lay on the floor. Amanda, a senior instructor, sent all the kids out of the range
with her assistant, Dick. She moved Debbie onto a shooting mat and found a sweatshirt to rest her head on.
A handkerchief was pressed on the wound but the blood kept coming.
After several minutes Debbie turned cool and clammy. She was still unconscious and bleeding quite heavily.
Amanda yelled for Dick to bring a towel or something to stop the bleeding. When Dick brought the towel in,
one of the other members commented that it looked like she was going into shock. When he asked about the
ambulance, Debbie realized that no one had called EMS.
She screamed for someone to call the ambulance. It took another 10 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.
• Identify violations and problems observed in this situation.
• What policies should have been in place to prevent the accident?
• How should the policies be implemented and enforced?
• What implications would a situation like this have on the local or state program?
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4‐H ACTIVITIES LOG
The following information should be included in an Activities Log that is used to record the occurrences during
a live‐fire event or training within a 4‐H Shooting Sports Program.
• The date of the activity.
• The names of the instructors present and their individual duties and responsibilities.
• A roll of the name of everyone present.
• A listing of any 4‐H’er who gave an excuse for their absence.
• A roll of the names of parents present and a list of their duties, if any.
• A roll of all adult volunteers present and a listing of their duties, if any.
• A range safety check list, showing that all items have been reviewed.
• A narrative describing what the activities for the event were, who did them, and a copy of the
instruction lesson plan for the event should be attached.
• A narrative describing any unusual occurrence at the event.
• If any injuries occurred, a completed injury report form should be attached.
• Any comments, suggestions, narratives regarding the event and its conduct.
• A signature line of the person(s) filling out the log.
An excellent format would be a three ring binder, with the sheets pre‐punched. The injury reports and lesson
plans, and all other inserts could be done in the same format. The binder would then be kept at the range
under the exclusive control of the chief instructor and would be turned in to the project leader or extension
agent at the end of the program year.
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4‐H SHOOTING SPORTS ACTIVITY LOG
Activity:____________________________________________________ Date:__________________________
Instructors:________________________________________________________________________________
Responsibilities:____________________________________________________________________________
Name Phone # Sign –in Excused Absent
Parents Present:
Parents Name Duties Performed
Activities Completed:
Name Activity
Safety check (attached) Yes___ No___ Emergency Response (attached) Yes___ No___
Health Forms (attached) Yes___ No___ First Aid Kit Available Yes___ No___
Unusual Occurrence:_________________________________________________________________________
Injury:_____________________________________________________________________________________
Other Comments:___________________________________________________________________________
Instructors Signature:________________________________________________________________________
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WORM ASSESSMENT
PLEASE RESPOND ‘YES’ OR ‘NO’ TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
______1. I have a risk management program documented for my 4‐H program.
______ 2. A first aid kit is available at all 4‐H functions.
______ 3. A list of medically trained volunteers is on file for use at 4‐H activities.
______4. Current medical release forms are accessible for all 4‐H members.
______ 5. Accident/incident forms are completed and filed within 24 hours of a mishap.
______ 6. Our program has an emergency action plan for major activities.
______ 7. Volunteers are trained in risk management and are aware of the emergency action plan.
______ 8. Volunteer participation in the identification of risks and assist in the development of a risk
reduction plan.
______9. Activity rules are posted and reviewed with participants.
______10. Our program is fully covered by accident and liability insurance.
Scoring: to find out your level of worm infestation, count the number of “YES” answers. Check the chart
below for your level of worminess.
10 ‘YES’ Congratulations, You are Worm Free!
8 – 9 ‘YES’ There’s a Worm in that apple.
6 – 7 ‘YES’ Call in the Birds!
4 – 5 ‘YES’ Better Spray
2 – 3 ‘YES’ Infested.
0 – 1 ‘YES’ WORM EATEN!
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NATIONAL 4‐H SHOOTING SPORTS
CODE OF ETHICS
A complete 4‐H shooting sports program must convey life skills development
and be presented in a way that is safe, technically competent, and helps to
instill 4‐H values in participants through teaching and example. Certified
shooting sports instructors and volunteers must be cognizant of their role as a
moral and ethical mentor as well as teacher, to youth and adults in their state
and community.
As a 4‐H Shooting Sports Instructor or Volunteer:
• I will respect the participants, volunteers and property associated with
the 4‐H shooting sports program.
• I will set a good example as a mentor and role model for 4‐H shooting
sports youth and volunteer leaders.
• I will conduct myself and my 4‐H shooting sports program in a
professional and ethical manner.
• I will strive to be knowledgeable of the life skills embodied in the 4‐H
shooting sports program and aid positively in the development of youth
through adherence to those principles.
• I will strive to be technically competent in the subject matter I teach and
adhere to the national 4‐H shooting sports guidelines and curriculum.
• I will respect the dignity of each participant in the 4‐H shooting sports
program regardless of gender, origin, ability, achievement or convictions.
Signature:___________________________________________________________________
Printed Name:_______________________________________________________________
County:______________________________ Date:_________________________________
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Shooting Sports Resource List
RIFLE:
Savage Arms, Inc www.savagearms.com
Remington Arms Co, Inc www.remington.com
Henry Repeating Arms Co www.henryrepeating.com
Browning www.browning.com
SHOTGUNS:
Remington Arms Co., Inc www.remington.com
Ithaca Gun Co www.ithacagun.com
Browning www.browning.com
MUZZLOADING:
Thompson Center Arms Co www.tcarms.com
Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) www.cva.com
Lyman Products Corp www.lymanproducts.com
Hornady Manufacturing www.hornady.com
Remington Arms www.remington.com
AIR GUNS:
Crossman Airguns www.crosman.com
Daisy Manufacturing www.daisy.com
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ARCHERY:
Browning www.browning.com
Precision Shooting Equipment (PSE) www.pse‐archery.com
PISTOLS:
Smith & Wesson www.smith‐wesson.com
Thompson Center Arms Co www.tcarms.com
Browning www.browning.com
AMMUNITION:
Federal Cartridge Co www.federalcartridge.com
Winchester Ammunition www.winchester.com
Remington Arms Co www.remington.com
KNIVES & SHARPENING EQUIPMENT:
Gatco Sharpeners/Timberline Knives www.greatamericantool.com
Imperial Schrade Corp www.schradeknives.com
TRAP EQUIPMENT:
Trius Products Inc at Lyman www.triustraps.com
TARGETS & RANGE EQUIPMENT:
Savage Arms, Inc www.savagearms.com
Birchwood Casey 612‐937‐7933
National Muzzleloading Rifle Assoc 812‐667‐5131
National Rifle Association (NRA) www.nra.org
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OPTICS:
Bushnell Sports Optics www.bushnell.com
Leupold & Stevens, Inc www.leupold.com
REFERENCDE MATERIAL & TRAINING PROGRAMS:
National Rifle Assoc. (NRA) www.nra.org
National Muzzle Loading Rifle Asso (NMLRA) 812‐667‐5131
USA Shooting www.usashooting.com
National Shooting Sports Foundation 505‐376‐2709
National Bow Hunter Education Found 406‐266‐3237
Amateur Trap Assoc 937‐898‐4638
National Skeet Shooting Assoc/Nat Sporting Clays 201‐688‐3371
Civilian Marksmanship Program www.odcmp.com
Blacks Wing & Clay Guide 732‐224‐8700
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