Members shooting for national recognition

In the years since shooting sports became part of the 4-H curriculum in the 1930s, there has only been one small accident in Texas, according to Les Mutchler, the current leader of the shooting sports program in Lake County. The program stresses safety, and it has become extremely popular in the nation and Lake County.

“It is the third most popular in the nation, with about 30,000 participants, and 3 million students have gone through the entire program nationwide,” Mutchler said. “I’ve been doing this in Lake County for 10 years, and the program has grown from four or five students to over 50.”

The shooting sports competitions for the Lake County Fair begin two days prior to the rest of the events. Competition begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 26. It is a highly anticipated program due to the success of its participants beyond the local fair.

“In the past 10 years, we have sent two kids to nationals,” said Mutchler. “My son, Christopher, went in 2010, and Cody Grant, who just graduated from Polson High School, went in both 2012 and 2013.”

The national competition brings together about 600 students in Grand Island, Neb., and Mutchler is hoping to take more kids if they are willing to commit to his program.

“No matter how good I got and how much I practiced, there were always more challenges to overcome,” said Cody Grant. “After I completed each challenge, the rewards were exponentially greater. My advice for kids would be to stick with it and have fun with it. You will get out of it exactly how much you put in, and if you put your heart into it, a whole new world will open up and be yours.”

According to Mutchler, the commitment to become a good shooter is huge.

“We begin practicing on Oct. 1, and meet once a week at the community center,” he said. “But a good shooter should be practicing on their own, every night.”

One student who is willing to make that commitment is Polson’s Charmaine Zempel, an 11-year-old from who already proved her chops last year at state in Bozeman. She got a score of 233 with two “X’s” with a bear bow--which is free handed and has no sights.

“I’m working on improving,” Zempel said, “I have the basics and now I just need to excel in those areas.”

Zempel said her goals are to go to nationals when she turns 14 and to keep on competing.

It is that drive for competition that makes her excited for the imminent Lake County Fair.

“I love shooting,” she said. “It makes me happy when everyone can see my progress and what comes from how much I practice.” Zempel does her best to attend sessions with Mutchler and the rest of the group every Tuesday night.

Carson Chisolm, of Ronan, is another student who enjoys competing and learning alongside the 4-H club. He has been involved for four years and turns 18 this fall.

“I do alright with my bow and usually shoot in the high 200s,” he said. “My biggest goal is to keep getting better and improving. With archery you can never be 100 percent, so you have to work hard.”

However, according to Nori Pearce, the county extension officer for the fair board, the weekly rendezvous is not only about competition.

“They shoot once a week but they also do science and some history of shooting,” Pearce said. “There is a lot of science used in good shooting--things like propulsion and gravity. Nationwide, 4-H is trying to get more kids interested in science and math and this is one of the things we offer to do that.”

According to Pearce, the Lake County shooting program abides by the STEM curriculum, which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It leads them through various activities and a number of lessons.

“We talked about the paradox of the arrow,” Pearce said. “How it looks straight when it flies but actually rotates and flips several times in the air. It’s just fascinating.”

The fair’s archery and shooting contests will be the culmination of all of that learning. According to Mutchler, a number of beginners and well-seasoned shooters will be competing, which will make for interesting performances.