Cottonwood District 4-H shooting sports leaders and parents hosted the 1fourth annual 4-H Winter Classic on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Expo Complex. The four senior team members were Parker Smith, Alivia Bautista, Katelyn Reh, and Woodson Corbett and they placed second as a team. Sedgwick County was the first place team and Cottonwood – Hays placed third as a team.
In the 8 to 10 year age group, the top five placings went to our local members.
There were: first – Cayman Rowan, second – Madison Gaddis, third – Paige Stacey, fourth – Kale Mermis and fifth – Aiden Stacey. Other members participating in this age group were Shae Hoskins, Keaton Wahlmeier and Leighton Stacey.
In the 11-13 year age group, Tate Martin placed third and Mason Stalcup placed fifth. Also shooting in this age group were Liam Proffitt, Noah Deines and Landon Woydziak.
In the 14-15 year age division, Woodson Corbett placed fifth. The top shot for the day was from this age group. Logan Armbrister from Cottonwood-Hays shot a 537 out of 600. Also shooting from Barton County were Will Clark, Dalton Dicks, Cameron Stacey and Gus Corbett.
In the 16 and over age group, first place went to Ryan Savage from Johnson County. second place was Parker Smith, fourth was Alivia Bautista and Katelyn Reh also shot in this age group. The top placing individual in each age group for each position was awarded a gold medal. In the youngest age group, the top placing medal in prone, standing and kneeling all went to Cayman Rowan.
All members in air rifle had to be enrolled by October. However, the archery program started training Feb. 18 and 20. Young people age 8-18 are still eligible to get enrolled in archery and participate in a summer competition. March 1 is the deadline to enroll in 4-H and still be able to participate in the Barton County Fair in the 4-H Division. Call the Extension Office at 793-1910 or visit www.cottonwood.ksu.edu to ask questions and learn more.
The 4-H Shooting Sports Program uses the skills and disciplines of shooting to assist young people to attain knowledge and develop essential life skills. In learning the rules of firearms safety and safe firearms handling, a young person will learn decision-making, develop an inquiring mind, and acquire and cultivate a knowledge of wildlife and natural resources. They will also learn social interaction and communication skills.
Barton County has a dedicated team of shooting sports leaders who have worked with the 4-H members since October. All shooting sports leaders are certified by attending a state three-day training. Leaders certified in air rifle are John Reh, Jeff Clark, Scott Smith, Steve Schultz, Brian Rowan and Jim Kohman. Leaders certified in Archery are Dennis Trapp, Roger McPherson, Dustin Wyant, Bill Abrams, and Kathy McGinnis. Kate Wary serves as the Barton County 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator.

Berny Unruh is the 4-H and Youth Development Extension Agent for the Cottonwood District. She is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune. She can be reached at 620-793-1910 or at bunruh@ksu.edu.