By Cathy Blunier

Nationally, the 4-H Shooting Sports program has been in existence since 1975 with more than 300,000 youth and 46,000 adult volunteer instructors enrolled in the program. The program provides a supportive adult supervised environment in which young people can experience fun, hands-on learning experiences, not only in the shooting disciplines but also in wildlife, hunting and conservation ethics.

The University of Illinois 4-H Shooting Sports program joined the national effort in the fall of 2009. Since then, 416 adult volunteers have become certified to teach the material in their local counties. Currently, there are 78 counties that are eligible to offer the program including Livingston, McLean, Tazewell and Woodford counties.
The next scheduled adult Illinois certified training workshop will be held September 28-30 at 4-H Memorial Camp in Monticello, IL. Adult volunteers are needed and required in order for county programs to function.
If interested in becoming involved please contact the Woodford County Extension office at 309-467-3789. Volunteers must be age 21 or older and complete the 4-H volunteer application and screening process. The registration deadline for the September 28-30 volunteer training is September 20. The next scheduled training will be May 3-5, 2013.
Youth age 8-18 have the opportunity to become involved in the shooting disciplines of archery, air and .22 caliber rifle, and shotgun – a minimum age of 10 will be required for the shooting disciplines of .22 caliber rifle and shotgun. Levels of competitive shooting events will be determined by each county. As the program evolves, there will be local 4-H club, county, regional, state and national 4-H competitive events offered.