These stars of air gun shooting braved a 500-year flood to leave their mark on the history of their sport.

Story and photos by Wendy LaFever

June 2008: We watched the news reports with trepidation as the Des Moines River, the Cedar River and other Iowa waterways rose higher and higher, bursting levees and burying huge swaths of Iowa’s cities under water. Our hearts broke for the cities’ residents as what the National Weather Service called a “500-year flood” pushed them from their homes and businesses. In the face of such hardship we hardly had time to wonder if the NRA Junior Air Gun Championship and Training Summit, set for just two weeks after the waters rose, would take place.

Then came the call from downtown Des Moines: The floodwaters are receding. The mess has been cleaned up. We are open for business. With a renewed respect for the courage and “can-do” attitude of America’s heartland, 150 competitors, with their coaches, parents and NRA staff, boarded airplanes and piled into cars to make the trek to the Championship.

A 500-year flood is exactly what it sounds like: Something this severe only happens once every 500 years. It marks its passage with what is called a “high-water mark,” proving that, no matter how incredible it might seem later, it was there. But not all high-water marks come from disaster. Some, I was soon to learn, are the result of years of hard work, discipline and sheer talent.

The NRA Junior Air Gun Championship is a competition among the best of the best air gun shooters in the United States. Some of the most talented air rifle shooters in the 
country attend and compete for top honors, but the truth is that simply being there is proof that a shooter is someone to watch.

This stuffed badger stands guard as the good-luck charm for the Wisconsin team.

At the Championship, kids as young as 10 years old compete with peers and older teens, in both the Sporter and the Precision classes, over two days of competition consisting of two relays each day. Each relay includes shooting from the prone, standing and kneeling positions. Everyone shoots alongside one another, which makes for some interesting contrasts. A talented 10-year-old, brand-new to the sport, clad in jeans and a t-shirt, confidently sighted down his rifle while on either side of him, teens a foot taller and decked out in shooting jackets and pants fired at their own targets.

After the first day of shooting, everyone retired to the Des Moines Quality Inn and Suites Event Center to relax and unwind. The sound of kids having fun echoed from the large, heated indoor pool, but by 10 p.m. the hotel had fallen silent. The next day would be exciting and informative for everyone, so nobody wanted to sleep too late.

Kids in the Sporter and Precision classes shoot alongside one another at the Championship.

Friday morning brought the “training” portion of the Air Gun Championship and Training Summit. The shooters and coaches gathered eagerly for some top-notch presentations from NRA staff and other noteworthy speakers. The training kicked off with doughnuts to munch and an educational session about how to plan a shooter’s training schedule, given by Marcus Raab, the NRA’s National Coach Trainer and frequent contributor to InSights. Next followed a presentation on what the NRA’s Youth Programs have to offer, courtesy of Kerrin Brinkman with the NRA’s Education and Training department. Victoria Croft with the NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division offered advice on collegiate shooting; Raab offered tips on creating a shooting resume; Patti Clark with the NRA’s Board of Directors discussed Finals; and Bill Johnson with the Iowa State Historical Museum gave a fascinating talk about Iowa’s history and contributions to the nation.

Things kicked up another notch after lunch. Bob Foth, an Olympic silver medalist and director of youth programs and coach development with USA Shooting (www.usashooting.com), gave a presentation about his experiences on the way to the Olympic winners’ stage, along with some advice for young shooters. He emphasized the importance of shooting as many matches as possible, both with the NRA and USA Shooting. After fielding questions from his eager audience, he allowed the young shooters to come close and hold his silver medal. The expressions of awe on the kids’ faces as they cradled it in their hands said it all.

Dave Butz let the kids try on his Super Bowl rings—what a thrill!

The excitement of the day came to a pinnacle as Dave Butz, a member of NRA’s Board of Directors and a former defensive lineman for the Washington Redskins (with three turns at the Super Bowl!), took the podium. The young shooters listened raptly to his talk, entitled “What it Takes to be Ready.” Drawing parallels between the focus and drive needed for professional sports and serious competitive shooting, he dazzled the audience with behind-the-scenes tales of his football adventures and his good-natured humor. Emphasizing safety, he passed around two of the scarred, battered helmets that had protected him from head injuries on the field. After his presentation, he delighted attendees by allowing them to try on his Super Bowl rings. One shy young shooter approached with her coach. “We’re having a ‘fun shoot’ next,” said the coach, “and she’d very much like to have you as her partner. Will you do it?” With a broad grin, Mr. Butz graciously agreed.

What makes the fun shoot so much fun? The chance to teach Dad a thing or two about the art of the air gun.

On to the fun shoot! As a stress reliever, the NRA’s Competitions department had organized a friendly competition in which young shooters would pair up with a parent or coach to shoot a relay in the standing position. Even the organizers got in on the fun, strolling down to the line with a junior shooter to gauge their skills against the youths’. It was amusing to watch as kids and teens quickly briefed their elders on the basics of safety and operating the rifles. The hour flew by, then it was time to head back to the hotel for dinner, and to prepare for the night’s festivities.

Hanging out with old and new friends at the Barter Bar and Raffle.

With nightfall came the much-anticipated Barter Bar and Raffle. The teams gleefully gathered in the Quality Inn’s ballroom to trade items from their home states: team pins, badges, stickers and items unique to each team’s home state were laid out on tables to be traded. No money changed hands: The Barter Bar is strictly for fun. Kids mingled and talked, learning more about each other and forging friendships for years to come. “What do you like best about the event so far?” I asked one young lady.

A $1 raffle ticket garnered this lucky competitor a brand-new Avanti.

“This. Meeting people who shoot. There aren’t a lot of kids in my school who do this, so it’s really nice to spend time with other people who like this sport as much as I do.” Then she turned away to trade some of her stickers for a bandanna.

“It’s true, you know,” whispered one of the coaches. “I’ve seen it. The friendships they make here, they’ll last a lifetime.”

It was getting late, so it was time to launch the raffle. Pyramyd Air, (www.pyramydair.com), which sponsored the Championship, had donated 40 Crosman Nightstalker CO2 air rifles to be raffled off; Daisy and Crosman directly donated an Avanti Medalist air rifle and a Crosman 2260; Center Shot Sports offered discounts on specialized shooting clothing; Gamo donated some handy cleaning kits—all this great stuff was up for grabs! Tickets were only $1 each, so plenty of people got in on the fun. Since all funds from this raffle will be plowed directly back into competitive events that the NRA organizes for young shooters, everyone was a winner.

These young ladies celebrated the last day of competition by sporting fun t-shirts they’d made.

Saturday morning, the last day of competition, dawned bright and beautiful. The shooting lines were studies in silent concentration; the coaches and parents observed solemnly. It all came down to this. Who would take the top honors for each discipline? See the sidebar to find out…

In the cab on the way back to the airport, I watched the swollen Des Moines River flow by and thought about high-water marks. Soon, the soggy places where the river had crested would no longer be visible. But the achievements of that weekend’s shooters, the fun they had and the friendships they made would never be erased.

For complete results, visit our results webpage at http://www.nrahq.org/compete/natpdf/08-jr-ag-champ.pdf