Daisy's Homecoming

Don't look now—the Daisy BB Gun Championship Matches just got better.

Story and Photos by Wendy LaFever

“Welcome to my hometown,” grins 13-year-old Britt Woods of the Ozark Youth Shooting team.

Every year, 5m BB gun teams from all over the nation gather to compete in the Daisy National BB Gun Championship Matches (DNBBGCM). This year for the DNBBGCM's 45th anniversary, Daisy tried something new: They invited everyone home with them. Held for the first time in Daisy's hometown of Rogers, Ark., the change of venue was only the beginning of an expansion of the event from championship matches to a full-featured family vacation…and an experience the young competitors will never forget.

"We've always wanted to bring the matches back to Rogers," smiled Joe Murfin, Vice President of Marketing for Daisy Outdoor Products, "but we didn't have the right kind of facilities until now." The completion of the brand-new, state-of-the-art Rogers High School field house, which would be the envy of many universities, meant the time was ripe.

As teams arrived from all over America at the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend, they realized that the normal rhythm of registration, inspection and practice just got a lot more exciting.

The first night, Daisy sponsored a trip to the Arvest Ballpark to watch the Northwest Arkansas Naturals take on the San Antonio Missions. The next morning, more treats were in store: First, Daisy bussed teams to their manufacturing facilities for special plant tours. At the plant, young shooters got to watch their coaches pick out and build a Daisy BB gun. (Daisy's BB gun builders can do it in 60 seconds or less, if you can imagine that.) Barrels filled with BBs lined one side of the plant. As kids plunged their hands elbow-deep into the cool metal pellets, the guide informed them that each and every barrel held two-and-a-half million BBs. "So you're saying we shouldn't tip ‘em over, then?" joshed one competitor. Everyone laughed, including the keynote speaker of the Opening Ceremonies due to take place that evening: Nancy Johnson, Olympic Gold Medalist in air gun from the 2000 Olympics.

2010 will be 15-year-old Lane Archer’s last DNBBGCM competition due to his age, but he won’t be forgotten soon: He shot an incredible 100 from the standing position!

From there, it was off to Rogers' tidy downtown, where the Daisy Airgun Museum can be found. There, the teams learned that Daisy began its history as the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in 1882. Six years later, a man named Clarence Hamilton showed his all-new metal air rifle to Lewis Cass Hough, a director of the company. "Boy, that's a daisy," remarked Hough...words that would prove prophetic when, seven years later, the company turned away from windmills and began exclusively manufacturing BB guns.

That evening, fun and solemnity combined for the Opening Ceremonies. Each of the 43 teams dressed up in team colors, from simple t-shirts to elaborate "Southern Belle" costumes. In a stirring address, Nancy Johnson recalled that one day long ago, before her Olympic gold, she too had started her life in shooting with a Daisy BB Gun. (The following morning, shooters would make a queue stretching the length of the gym for her autograph!)

The next day brought competition in earnest. Over two days of matches, competitors shoot in four positions: prone, standing, kneeling and sitting. Each competitor must also excel in a 50-question written test to qualify for the top title. There's a method to this; Daisy's reasoning is that thorough knowledge of gun safety holds equal importance with marksmanship, so you cannot win without a great test grade!

After the test, it was time to relax and have some more fun, and if you've been reading InSights for a while, you know what that means: Barter Bar! Teams brought trinkets and mementos from their hometowns to swap and trade with each other—getting to know each other better while they built their collections of swag. "I'm on a mission for bumper stickers and interesting things like these ‘cheese' necklaces the Wisconsin team is trading," said Caitlin Case of Harrisburg, Pa.

Cole Oakley, of the South Dakota Highmore Junior Shooters, made a 14-hour drive with his team. How did he shoot that day? “Awesome.”

"The changes to the Championship—they're great. The factory tour was fun," enthused Ryley Cooper, 14. Fifteen-year-old Nicole Sprinkle, last year's national champion, couldn't agree more. "It's really cool that [the Championship] is in Daisy's hometown. There's stuff to do during our downtime instead of just sitting in the hotel."

Good news for the kids, but there's good news for their parents and coaches, too. Daisy's decided to provide all participating teams with a prepaid $1,000 Visa card to defray expenses.

"We do plan to continue offering the Visa card," confirmed Murfin, "since it's been instrumental in boosting participation." And the good news continues: Daisy's locked in to hold their matches in Rogers for at least the next three years. In addition to fantastic indoor match facilities, Rogers offers a visitor-friendly ambiance with a nearby airport, plenty of great hotels, places to eat and shop.

Are you interested in bringing your 5m BB gun team to next year's DNBBGCM? The top three teams in any state's sanctioned championship state match can qualify. To learn more about the match and how to get involved, visit www.daisy.com/daisynationals.