A few weekends ago, the boys got to compete in their first 4H events. Several months ago, Remi was asked to join in with several buddies to form a trap shooting team. Of course, Roen wanted to jump in on the fun as well. Archery shooting was on the same competition day, and since Remi had just gotten a bow for his birthday in September, he was all over this as well. Roen doesn't have a bow, so he sat the archery out.
Remi's age group is 6th-9th grade and so not only was the competition a bit tougher, but there were many more participants in this age group. He shot his bow pretty well, though he did not place. It was out in the woods with 20 3D targets and really was such a cool experience. Trap shooters shoot two sets of 25 rounds in groups of 5. His first round he shot 9 of 25 and then on his second, he shot 16 of 25. He didn't really even come close to placing in this event, but I was proud of his progress, as was he! Parents have no involvement in assisting once they step up in the shooting field. There is something about watching these boys know how to load their own guns, use safety protocol and handle their shotguns carefully and confidently, that made me so very proud. The boys have only practiced a few times, so I knew going in, if they hit any clay, it would be a miracle. They surpassed my expectations and watching them handle these guns was quite an incredible experience!
Little Roen probably only had about 1/3 of the competitors in his 3rd-5th grade age group. I knew going in, with him only being 10 that he would have a much better chance at placing. His first round, he also shot 9 and in his second 25 he shot 14. Because of his shorter arms, he had to use the over-under, which really is much more gun to handle than Remi's 12 gauge would have been, but that little booger took those mighty kicks like a true champ! He shot well enough to place 4th and immediately asked when the next shoot was!
Both boys had a blast and I love watching them try new things! The boys always have been rough and rowdy little wild animals, and this type of competition was right up their ally!
