Local American Legion Air Rifle Team Seeking Youth Participants
August 18, 2018 at 2:48 a.m.
Local American Legion Air Rifle Team Seeking Youth Participants
By Staff Report-
But at the American Legion in North Webster, there is a different season: air rifle season.
This September, American Legion Post 253 Junior Sharpshooter Club will be starting its fourth year of fielding an air rifle team for boys and girls. The team is overseen by John Custer, a local retired reserve sheriff’s officer, and is served by six additional coaches, all of whom volunteer their time to this endeavor.
The team is looking for additional children and teens 10 to 18 years old to join in and learn a new sport, make friends, and possibly find an activity in the shooting sports that they can engage in well into their adult years, according to a news release from the Legion Post.
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Unlike football, basketball, baseball and other sports, size, strength and quickness are not requirements for engaging in competition air rifle programming. Attributes that a shooter needs include strong mental capacity, steadiness, a willingness to practice for long hours (and perhaps forego more preferential activities with peers), and the desire to learn and be the best that he or she can become. So the diminutive child who has not hit their growth spurt yet, or the teen who is either not all that athletically gifted or to whom traditional sports are not an attraction, perhaps entry into the shooting sports is a much better fit, the release states.
For parents on a budget, money need not be an issue either as the Junior Sharpshooter Club provides all of the equipment and training your child will need to participate in this sport. That includes rifles, hearing protection, safety glasses, pellets, shooting mats, kneeling roll and targets among other equipment. There is not even an annual fee to be a part of this team. Funding for the air rifle program comes from the American Legion, a grant from the Friends of the NRA and fundraisers. Parents who have the means can buy their child his/her own equipment if they want.
The program starts back Sept. 12. Practice night is every Wednesday, September through May, from 5:45 to 8 p.m., with breaks during the holidays. Competitions with other programs in the area are held throughout the year, and last year the team participated in the American Legion Indiana State Championships.
On Aug. 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., an informational meeting will be held at the American Legion Post 253 in North Webster for parents and their children interested in learning more about this program. Contact John Custer at 574-527-1579 or David Shultz at 843-283-9007 to let them know you and your child will be in attendance, or to ask for additional information about the program.
In the event that you cannot make this meeting, the program is open, meaning that a child can enter at any time of the year.
But at the American Legion in North Webster, there is a different season: air rifle season.
This September, American Legion Post 253 Junior Sharpshooter Club will be starting its fourth year of fielding an air rifle team for boys and girls. The team is overseen by John Custer, a local retired reserve sheriff’s officer, and is served by six additional coaches, all of whom volunteer their time to this endeavor.
The team is looking for additional children and teens 10 to 18 years old to join in and learn a new sport, make friends, and possibly find an activity in the shooting sports that they can engage in well into their adult years, according to a news release from the Legion Post.
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Unlike football, basketball, baseball and other sports, size, strength and quickness are not requirements for engaging in competition air rifle programming. Attributes that a shooter needs include strong mental capacity, steadiness, a willingness to practice for long hours (and perhaps forego more preferential activities with peers), and the desire to learn and be the best that he or she can become. So the diminutive child who has not hit their growth spurt yet, or the teen who is either not all that athletically gifted or to whom traditional sports are not an attraction, perhaps entry into the shooting sports is a much better fit, the release states.
For parents on a budget, money need not be an issue either as the Junior Sharpshooter Club provides all of the equipment and training your child will need to participate in this sport. That includes rifles, hearing protection, safety glasses, pellets, shooting mats, kneeling roll and targets among other equipment. There is not even an annual fee to be a part of this team. Funding for the air rifle program comes from the American Legion, a grant from the Friends of the NRA and fundraisers. Parents who have the means can buy their child his/her own equipment if they want.
The program starts back Sept. 12. Practice night is every Wednesday, September through May, from 5:45 to 8 p.m., with breaks during the holidays. Competitions with other programs in the area are held throughout the year, and last year the team participated in the American Legion Indiana State Championships.
On Aug. 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., an informational meeting will be held at the American Legion Post 253 in North Webster for parents and their children interested in learning more about this program. Contact John Custer at 574-527-1579 or David Shultz at 843-283-9007 to let them know you and your child will be in attendance, or to ask for additional information about the program.
In the event that you cannot make this meeting, the program is open, meaning that a child can enter at any time of the year.
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