Youth shooting championship returns to Mansfield
C.J. Stanton has an important legacy to preserve this week.
C.J., 12, is among hundreds of young shooters from across the country who are at Mill Cove Environmental Area near Mansfield for the National Rifle Association's Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) national championship.
C.J. is the youngest member of the Troy Junior Sportsmen team, which is competing in the YHEC event, but he's not new to the sport.
"My father went through the program. I've been shooting ever since I was 8 or 9," C.J. said. "I'm trying to have fun. I like all the events."
The YHEC national championship, started in 1985, alternates between Mansfield and Raton, New Mexico.
The event is a big deal, not only for the shooters and their families but for the communities that host them, according to Bob Davis, NRA national manager of outdoor recreational programs.
"We had almost 1,400 people on-site Monday, and today is comparable. We'll have between 1,300 and 1,500 on-site all week," Davis said. "We have 367 competitors from 15 states, as close as Pennsylvania and as far away as Oregon, Utah and New Mexico. In 31 years, over 1.2 million youth have gone through the program. It seems the last five years or so I'm getting a lot of dads walk up to me and say 'I participated and now my children are participating' and that's awesome."
As the name implies, the YHEC championship tests the skills of competitors in a variety of outdoor and shooting events, including shotgun, .22-caliber rifle, muzzleloader, archery, orienteering and wildlife identification.
The Troy team is well-represented at this week's event, said team President Darin Rathbun.
"We have 25 kids from the Troy program, from all over the Northern Tier — Athens, Towanda, Troy, Mansfield and Canton school districts, and home-schooled," Rathbun said. "The level of competition is always stepped up. The kids work hard. Last year our junior team took second at the nationals and our senior team took third place. This year, the kids are relaxed and having a really good time."
Recent Troy High School graduate Mitchell Robson is competing in his seventh national championship, and said it's a great learning experience.
Girls take aim at shooting contest
"It's been a ride. I've learned so much more than just shooting," said Robson, 18. "It's nice to see people from Utah and see how they do things. I've had a great time. You meet all sorts of people."
YHEC isn't just for boys either. A growing number of participants are girls, including Brianna Rathbun of Troy.
"It's all the same, you just shoot and have fun, basically," said Brianna, 15. "I like all the events but my favorite is muzzleloader."
Competition will continue through Thursday and there will be a closing ceremony Friday.
Chemung County-based Sullivan's Sharpshooters also has competitors at Mill Cove this week, including a mix of veterans and rookies.
"We have two brand new members this year. The veterans are helping them along," said adult mentor Joe Morton. "The kids are being very aggressive, and loving the new experience. I think we'll do pretty well."
Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray.
