Local shooter advances to 4-H nationals
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POLSON — Summer for some rising high school seniors might entail a summer job or some serious Flathead Lake time, and Cody Grant might be one of those students. But he’s also heading to the 2013 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational in Grand Island, Neb., for four days of shooting on June 23-28.
After winning the Montana 4-H shotgun championship two years in a row, Cody will compete in American trap, skeet and sporting clays.
With approximately 600 shooters attending from 33 different states, he said it should be fun to meet and shoot against kids from all over.
According to Cody, in American trap shooting all the clay pigeons are thrown from the same place while in skeet they vary from side to side. The shooters rotate from left to right shooting stations, shooting target rounds. During the sporting clays competition, shooters walk through a course and clay pigeons can come from anywhere.
Cody said he likes sporting clays, because every target is different.
Beginning 4-H shooting sports at age 8, Cody learned from Fred Grant, his dad, Les Mutchler and other experienced shooters along the way.
“We stress safety,” Mutchler said, adding that kids can shoot with a Walmart gun and compete.
“In shotgunning, the fit of the gun has to be there before you can hit,” Les said.
This year Fred, Les and Ben Cates, who’s been helping, have about 40 kids involved in their shooting sports program.
The kids shoot air pistols, air rifles, .22s, archery as well as shotguns. During the winter months, its quiet, but fall, spring and summer the shooters usually shoot on Sunday afternoons.
The shotgun shooters meet at Van Voast’s Big Sky Sporting Clays on Irvine Flats Road to shoot.
“It’s like a little lesson every Sunday,” Cody said.
In football Cody said your chance of being great is not too high, but with shooting sports you can do anything with it. He’s proof since he’s going to the 4-H nationals and then hopefully on to the Junior Olympics.
“4-H shooting sports is the best thing that every happened to me,” Cody said.
(Editor’s note: To help finance his trip, Cody has been selling chances on an iPad mini at areas businesses. Tickets are $5 each or three for $10; to purchase them call (406) 883-1880.)
