Springtime A Flurry of Shooting Competions

Brevard County Fair FITA Match

My writing has been kind of slow this spring because of my involvement in all of the shooting matches our local kids have been involved with.  But man, was it fun!


The State 4-H Matches - Locally we had about 50 kids participating in the Florida 4-H State Matches giving kids the opportunity to show their skills in archery, trap, skeet, rifle and black powder.  The state riffle match was held first, and Francis D. came in 6th place state wide in three-position air rifle, Intermediate Division.  Next was the state archery match at the new Easton-Newberry Sports Complex near Gainesville.  20 of our top archers competed in FITA, Field and 3-D competitions with most of our club placing or doing extremely well.  Our club is especially proud of Paul T., a 4-H Senior, who qualified for the National 4-H Invitational in June in the Sighted Compound Bow Division.  Our shotgunners did well in trap and skeet over in Bartow, Florida.  In this match, a child does not even place with a score less than 90 usually (of 100) broken clay targets!

Christina learning to
break both targets with one ball! 

I almost forgot to mention our muzzleloaders!  The season's local shooting culminated in the 4th Annual Brevard County Fair Archery Match.  63 shooters, shoulder to shoulder, competing against their peers for big, beautiful rosettes.  Our local club the Sharp-Eye Shooters took most of the awards, but all of the kids representing 11 different Florida counties did very well.

Noah and his Dad shooting together at
the state muzzle loading match.

What pleased me most with all of these events, was the level of safety, volunteer participation and sportsmanship displayed.  It was amazing.


Thanks to all who participated and to our commercial sponsors as well such as, but not limited to Brevard Archers, Action Gun and Archery, Hodgdon Powder, our local gun clubs in Mims and Palm Bay and the Florida 4-H Shooting Sports Program.

Spotlight: HAVA, Honoring our Vets.

A few weeks ago late at night, watching the Outdoor Channel, one of the shows featured HAVA, Honored American Veterans Afield. As a shooting sports educator I was interested, as the son and brother of veterans I was pleased, but as the Father of an active US Marine I was riveted and moved at this organization’s service. Photo Credit: HAVA

HAVA is an incredible organization to raise awareness and assist disabled veterans with the healing process through active participation in the outdoor sports. - As the number of injured men and women returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan grew, members of the firearms industry initiated a non-profit partnership called HAVA to aid disabled soldiers as they transition to their lives back in the United States. The ultimate goal is to increase their confidence and hope for the future by reconnecting with their love of the outdoors and the American traditions of hunting and firearms. Each HAVA veteran is a national hero that has earned our respect and support through valorous service in defense of our way of life.

HAVA has also been featured in on TV in shows such as Shooting Gallery, American Rifleman, Shooting USA, and the Glenn Beck Show. It has also been featured in print, in some the NRA publications.  Please get to know HAVA and offer any support you can possible give. Our disabled service men and women deserve this. Thank you HAVA!

Note from the range...Instant recognition! Nothing beats a target that gives you instant recognition of a hit, such as a brand new clay (skeet) target or a clanging silhouette, aka sillywets by those old muzzleloading shooters!