By Mike Donahue
Moapa Valley Progress
Six young Moapa Valley 4-H members met Saturday morning at the High Ridge Ranch in Logandale (formerly the Tai Arabian Ranch) to practice marksmanship and test their firearm knowledge.
The youths, all members of the Moapa Valley Stick Slingers 4-H Club, were preparing for a Feb. 19 4-H Shooting Sports Program match in Alamo in which they will face competitors from Ely, Alamo, Las Vegas, Tonopah and Pahrump, according to Lori Leas, 4-H shooting instructor and 4-H coordinator for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE).
Club members, including Jake Allen, 11, Justin Paystrup, 11, Katie Hendrix, 13, Natasha Ortiz, 13, Pierce Kirk, 10, Aaron Brandon, 11, and Jeremy Brandon, 15, reviewed safe firearm handling, parts of the firearm and firing range commands, before participating in live fire practice.
Nevada’s 4-H Shooting Sports Program started in the early 1990s, Leas said. It stresses youth development and firearm safety and teaches life skills as youth learn marksmanship, safe use of firearms and the ethical principles of hunting.
“It’s pretty much like other 4-H programs,” Leas said. “We take something the kids are interested in and while they’re learning to master the activity, they’re also learning some important life skills.
“The shooting program is very disciplined. Shooting is something that takes a lot to get good at. Besides following directions there are a lot of things that can affect shooting. Teaching them to focus on exactly what they are doing. It takes a lot of work to get better and better.”
The Moapa Valley 4-H club teaches members how to safely handle and be proficient with shotguns, .22 caliber rifles, air rifles, air pistols and muzzleloaders, as well in archery, Leas said. The Moapa Valley Stick Slingers picked their name because they started with archery.
“I have been trying to get a shooting club going for at least two years,” Leas said. “The main problem was getting certification for instructors because the shooting class training is only twice a year. So far Mark Allen and Brent Paystrup, the parents of two club members, have committed to go to the certification.”
