BSA Jamboree is the Jam!

Story by Brett Connors, NRA Youth Programs Intern

photo by Phil Schreier

Rock Climbing, BMX, repelling, scuba diving, fishing and shooting sports were just a few of the options offered to scouts for fun at the 2010 Boy Scouts of America Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Fredericksburg, Va. As word spread throughout the tent city, it is no surprise though that the shooting sports quickly became a favorite among the participants. Five different shooting events were offered during Jamboree and at each of them huge smiles could be seen on the faces of the youth as the left the event area—some even got back in line to do it again. The four action centers offered a trap field, shot with 20-ga. Remington BSA 870 Wingmaster shotguns, as well as its own air rifle range, shot with Crosman 761 air rifles. The Scouts could even earn their merit badges by participating in these events and taking the merit badge class offered at Merit Badge Midway by NRA-certified instructors. "Bikeathlon" was also available at the action centers, blending two scout favorite events: air rifle shooting and BMX racing. The scouts raced over a quarter-mile course, stopping to shoot at two stations. Missing a target meant that they were given a penalty to their final time. This event gave the Scouts the chance to feel the effects of shooting under stress and pressure in a competition environment. It also gave them a chance to outshoot and outrace their friends, which is viewed by many scouts as a wonderful opportunity. The high overall time at each action center was also given a special patch, made for fewer than 30 scouts.

Two new shooting events were offered at the 2010 Jamboree and quickly became crowd favorites among the youth. Camp Thunder gave Scouts the chance to shoot 12-ga. Berretta 3901s, made specially for Jamboree, at a more difficult presentation of targets than the trap offered by the action centers. When Scouts were asked what they liked about the event the response was unanimous: bigger guns, more clays, tougher targets and the chance to outshoot your buddy! A new and different shooting event combined competition and the "Old West" for the Venturing exhibit. The "OK Corral" range offered competition-style air rifle shooting at steel drop-down targets; winners continued on to another stage. The second stage consisted of a low-light shooting scenario in which the scouts were able to shoot Crosman NightStalkers equipped with red-green dot scopes, bipods and low-light illuminators. Only the winners of the first round got the chance to shoot the NightStalker, so the "OK Corral" had more then its fair share of repeat shooters. Due to the fast-moving line, many Scouts were able to go through many times in an hour before they continued on through the rest of Jamboree. It was easy to tell the low-light shooting would be popular, when many of the Army Military Police were asking if they could shoot before the Scouts arrived at Jamboree.

Overall, the Scouts most excited to shoot were from was the Hon Kong council, many of whom had never even seen a firearm of any type in person. After shooting at the "OK Corral" they asked if they could even have their picture taken with the 1077 Crosmans so they could show their friends, parents and other Scouts that did not get the chance to come. The scout contingent from Bangladesh also had a great experience shooting and said that the "OK Corral" was the most fun they had a Jamboree—and they couldn't wait to come back and shoot again. It is always a joy to watch anyone's first interaction with shooting sports, especially one that will live in the memory of these particular youth for years to come.

The overall response from the Scouts was unanimous praise and excitement. It was their questions about where and how they could do more shooting activities that really showed how much they cared for the events. The interest in shooting seemed to be sparked enough by one shooting event to cause these scouts to seek out and find other shooting activities at Jamboree. Now the hope is that these same Scouts go back to their troops and continue their interest in shooting sports throughout the rest of their scouting experience and life.