Special thanks to Wendy LaFever, editor of InSights magazine, for her hard work and determination in getting the following report to NRAblog from Kentucky, where she is observing the International BB Gun Championship Match:

With 42 teams coming from 17 states, this year's International BB Gun Championship Match is one of the largest IBBGCM matches in the last 13 years. This surge in participation is, no doubt, in part due to Daisy's visionary new program that offers $1,000 to each team that participates. According to Susan Johnston, Daisy's marketing guru, this push has enabled teams that might otherwise have been sidelined by strained budgets and a faltering economy.

It's crucial that this championship continues to attract the support and participation it's getting. Bill Wayda, Chief Range Officer at IBBGCM opines, "These are the grass roots, this is where young shooters get started to go on through the collegiate ranks...and maybe even on to the Olympics."

IBBGCM is all about encouraging the newest and youngest shooters as they begin competing. No participant can compete in two consecutive years, a measure designed to keep the playing field open--and this year, it's anyone's game. There's a unique level of one-on-one work with coaches and shooters. "You won't see this kind of coach involvement in most competitions," advised NRA's own HQ Moody. "This competition is one-of-a-kind."

Shooting will be taking place in Western Kentucky University's Diddle Arena, and if the weather for today's registration and open-practice activities is any indication, IBBGCM is off to a great start. Clear, sunny skies and pleasant 80-degree temps welcomed the participants, some coming from as far away as Oregon. Driving in, I noted an SUV full to the rafters with equipment and cheering kids. Painted on the windows, it read: "Bowling Green or Bust!"

Thanks Wendy! We look forward to hearing more and seeing your photos. Look here for more information on the 2009 International BB Gun Championship Match.

As promised, here is the full listing of team results from the 2009 National Junior Air Gun Championships!

Sporter Class Results:

• Club Team: Moore County Wildlife Club Gold
• JROTC Team: La Cueva Sporter
• Scholastic Team: Kenton High School
• State Association Team: Hawaii Venturing Crew #123, Aloha Council

Overall Sporter Teams:

• 1) Montana State Rifle & Pistol
• 2) Buckhorn High School
• 3) Penna "Posse"

Precision Class Results:

• Club Team: WI-FORCE De Pere Sportsman's Club
• JROTC Team: La Cueva Precision
• Scholastic Team: El Dorado Precision
• State Association Team: Crusader Precision Gold

Overall Precision Teams:

• 1) Washington State Rifle & Pistol
• 2) Penna "Posse Too"
• 3) Ohio State Rifle & Pistol

Congratulations to these teams! Don't forget to check out tomorrow's photo slide show of the banquet and awards ceremony!

The 2009 National Junior Air Gun Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio, has finally come to an end. Competitors, coaches and families gathered in the Hough Auditorium tonight for the awards ceremony, and here are the full individual results for awards given. Team results will follow shortly! 

 

Sporter Class Results:

Position Champions:

• Prone: David Picard
• Standing: David Picard
• Kneeling: Leo Funk

Sub-Junior Category:

• 1) Victoria Wolfe
• 2) Mitchell Van Patten
• 3) Kevin Brubaker

Intermediate Junior Category:

• 1) Alyssa Wolken
• 2) Dahkota Hayes
• 3) Logan Stribling

Junior Category:

• 1) Max Kinna
• 2) Kristy Inyoue
• 3) Rich Barton

Overall Sporter:

• 1) Christopher Potts
• 2) David Picard
• 3) Brook Kinna

Precision Class Results:

Position Champions:

• Prone: Dan Hermsmeier
• Standing: Andrea Lynn Dardas
• Kneeling: Cole Bures

Sub-Junior Category:

• 1) Sarah Banks
• 2) Noah Marne
• 3) Samantha Fuller

Intermediate Junior Category:

• 1) Denise Martin
• 2) Matthew Martin
• 3) Chelsie Hata

Junior Category:

• 1) Cody Enders
• 2) Kyle Rebillion
• 3) Justine Moquino

Overall Precision:

• 1) Andrea Lynn Dardas
• 2) Abigail Stanec
• 3) Dan Hermsmeier

Congratulations to this year's winners! Check in with NRAblog tomorrow for a photo slideshow from tonight's banquet and awards ceremony!

The scores have been tabulated and the final results are in for the 2009 National Junior Air Gun Championship. Here are your top individual shooters in each class:

Sporter

• 1) Christopher Potts - 1101
• 2) David Picard - 1093
• 3) Brook Kinna - 1093
• 4) Dahkota Hayes - 1083
• 5) Alyssa Wolken - 1083

Precision

• 1) Andrea Lynn Dardas - 1183
• 2) Abigail Stanec - 1181
• 3) Dan Hermsmeier - 1179
• 4) Denise Martin - 1179
• 5) Cody Enders - 1176

Keep in mind that these results are preliminary! We'll have a full listing of results tonight after the awards ceremony!

The 2009 National Junior Air Gun Championship and Training Summit has come to a close and everyone is anxiously awaiting the results

The Stats Office is hard at work, with a promise of final results coming very soon. Everyone is busy preparing for tonight's banquet and awards ceremony, so bookmark NRAblog for quick access to photos, news, and results!

The 2009 National Junior Air Gun Championship and Training Summit has come to a close and everyone is anxiously awaiting the results

The Stats Office is hard at work, with a promise of final results coming very soon. Everyone is busy preparing for tonight's banquet and awards ceremony, so bookmark NRAblog for quick access to photos, news, and results!

The staff of the NRA National Firearms Museum will be at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia, on July 24, 25, and 26, 2009. Stop by their table--it's usually in the corner near the cafe--to see the following Smith & Wesson revolvers:

• Theodore Roosevelt's engraved .38 New Model No. 3
• Annie Oakley’s engraved No.1 .22
  
• Dirty Harry’s famed .44 Magnum Model 29
  
• and more!

We thank Doug Wicklund for the following overview:

What do Dirty Harry, President Theodore Roosevelt, Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Herb Parsons, and Steve McQueen all have in common? Each of these famous people owned Smith & Wesson revolvers and their intriguing guns will be part of a special National Firearms Museum temporary exhibition, “Six Special Smith & Wessons” at the next National Capitol EXPO Center gunshow on July 24, 25, and 26, 2009.

If you’ve ever asked yourself if you feel lucky, just seeing Dirty Harry’s famed .44 Magnum Model 29 in person will answer that question. This is the actual revolver used by Clint Eastwood onscreen in his Dirty Harry and Magnum Force films. More...

As the last relay finishes shooting, competitors, coaches, and families await the final results before tonight's festivities. Above, a few young shooters play cards to pass the time.

Tonight's banquet will be held at the Camp Perry Clubhouse at 7:00 PM, followed by the Awards Ceremony in the Hough Theatre. Individual awards will given to the top overall shooters in the Sporter and Precision Classes, followed by awards for the top three Sporter and Precision shooters in each age group. Team awards are also presented to the top ranked teams in each class.

We have about another 45 minutes of shooting until the Statistics Office begins to tabulate the finals results, but come back to NRAblog later on for final results as well as photos from the Awards Ceremony!

 

Thanks to Samantha Olsen for sharing the following information with NRAblog:

The 2009 4-H Invitational was held in Grand Island, NE, on June 24-28. The 4-H Invitational is the national event for 4-H shooters from all states to compete. This year’s event featured approximately 490 competitors from 30 states.

"As the National Rifle Association’s 2008 National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassador, I attended the event and spoke at the Opening Ceremony. I talked about about what the shooting sports has to offer, as well as the path to becoming an ambassador." More...

Relay 3 just finished shooting, so here are your top shooters as of Relay 3:

Sporter

• 1) Brook Kinna - 1093
• 2) Dahkota Hayes - 1083
• 3) Alyssa Wolken - 1083
• 4) Max Kinna - 1079
• 5) Timothy S. Teller - 1067

Precision

• 1) Andrea Lynn Dardas - 1183
• 2) Abigail Stanec - 1181
• 3) Dan Hermsmeier - 1179
• 4) Matthew Martin - 1176
• 5) Justine Moquino - 1174

The fourth and final relay just began shooting, so check back with NRAblog for final match results after Relay 4 concludes!