Wayne County 4-H Shooting Club shines at state tournament

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on December 27, 2013 1:47 PM

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rhanchett@newsargus.com

The Wayne County 4-H Shooting Sports Club may not be the biggest shooting organization in the state, but it's certainly one of the best.

After a strong showing at the Eastern Regional Shooting Sports Tournament, the Wayne County team ventured to the North Carolina State Tournament at Millstone 4-H Center in Ellerbe and walked away with a van full of medals.

"We had 12 shooters this year and they each performed beyond expectations," 4-H Shooting Sports program director A.J. Linton said. "It seems like the state tournament grows every year and the competition gets tougher and tougher."

The shooting season began in September when Wayne County 4-H participated in one of three regional tournaments held across the state. The field was broken into two age groups, juniors (9- to 13-years-old) and seniors (14- to 18-years-old).

Trent Connerton, Daniel Dunn, Matthew Lutze, Taylor Glover and Trey Stroud competed as juniors. Alec Linton, Kara Walters, Heather Pickel, Joey Pickel, Matthew Simmons, Wesley Simmons and Amanda Wheaton comprised the senior team.

All 12 shooters from Wayne County advanced to the state competition in at least one discipline.

"If we have enough kids interested in one discipline we team them up, but if not, the kids get to choose which events they want to compete in," Linton said. "I guess that is the nice thing about having a smaller club. Eventually we hope to get our numbers up to a point where we have to have shoot-offs to see who qualifies in each discipline at regionals."

Four club members won individual medals and three teams from Wayne County earned awards at the state tournament.

Daniel Dunn finished second in junior air rifle and junior air pistol. Matthew Lutze took home second place in junior rifle match and junior muzzleloader. Alec Linton placed first in senior recurve archery. Matthew Simmons was second in senior air rifle.

The team of Amanda Wheaton, Matthew Simmons and Wesley Simmons finished first in senior recurve archery. The trio, along with Heather Pickel, finished second in senior air pistol. Trey Stroud, Taylor Glover and Matthew Lutze took second place in junior team air rifle.

Linton attributed the team's success to the supportive sponsors that make the club possible. Johnnie Bryant of Goldsboro provided the team's ammunition for the competitions. The Eastern North Carolina Gun Club provided a place for the shooters to practice their craft.

"We meet once a month to shoot at the range," Linton said. "Everything we do is through donations and word of mouth. The 4-H club provides the transportation to the competitions."

The club also teaches firearms safety and focuses on responsible gun ownership. Depending on the month, approximately 15-20 shooters participate with the club during its monthly practice.