2004
Mill Cove Environmental Area & Mansfield University
Mansfield, PA
July 26-30, 2004
( click on image )
The Pennsylvania Senior Blue Team !
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Copied from the NRA's WebsiteDespite Rain,
Young Hunters Shine at NRA YHECKellie Zurowski competes at the 2004 Youth Hunter Education Challenge.
Although Zane Kraetsch was 2,000 miles from his favorite duck blind in Colorado, the rain pouring on him while he broke clay birds with his shotgun during the NRA 19th Annual International Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) made him feel right at home.
"It was just like duck hunting," said the 15-year-old Kraetsch, from Pagosa Springs, after he completed the 30-target shotgun portion of the event, "except I've hunted ducks in worse weather. I had the mentality that the rain was going to affect everyone but me."Determination under tough conditions often separates successful hunters from those carrying an unfilled tag at the end of the season, and nowhere was persistence more apparent than at this year's YHEC, held July 22-26 in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Nearly three inches of rain fell during the first three days of the event, forcing the 323 participants from 16 states to trudge through soggy meadows that rivaled the sponginess of Alaska muskeg.
The YHEC program tests skills learned by young hunters in state/provincial hunter education courses and is designed to enhance basic knowledge by increasing practical, in-the-field experience. After graduating from a hunter education course and competing in a state- or local-level YHEC, youngsters are eligible to enter the annual international event. Participants vie for two overall titles, top individual and top team, in two age classes -- junior (ages 14 and under) and senior (ages 15-19). The competition also includes a division for adult coaches.
YHEC consists of eight events, including four shooting activities designed to simulate genuine hunting conditions. Young hunters take aim during .22 rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader and archery stages, complete an orienteering course and hunter safety trail, identify wildlife from around the United States and take a written hunter safety exam. This year, rising waters from an adjacent reservoir flooded the hunter safety trail, canceling this portion of the challenge.
Pennsylvania youngsters once again emerged as top hunters at YHEC, capturing first-place honors in both the senior individual and senior team competitions. The historically strong hunting state also fielded a junior group that finished third in the younger age-class team event.
For the second time in two years, Devon Babcock, 16, of Rome, Pennsylvania, claimed the top senior individual title. Babcock is no stranger to YHEC excellence, and this year marked the fourth time he has walked away with an individual win.
"There isn't really a secret to doing well here," said Babcock of his impressive string of victories. "It's all about practice, and I do that every chance I get. Practicing has definitely improved my shooting skills, and it has taught me how to be safe with firearms."
It was apparent at the YHEC awards ceremony that skilled young hunters also reside in Louisiana. The Pelican State's Joshua Briscoe took home a first-place finish in the junior individual category, while the DeSoto Youth Sportsmen Team notched their fifth consecutive victory in the junior team event.
Jonathan Clemons, a member of the DeSoto Youth Sportsmen, said that the bond that exists between his teammates brings them success.
"We're all friends, and we all love to hunt and shoot," he said. "Practicing together and going to YHEC is a lot of fun, and we've all learned how to work together as a team."
More than 50,000 young hunters across the nation and Canada each year participate in YHEC. Since the program was started in 1985, it has stressed the development of marksmanship, safety and ethics.
"As we approach the 20th anniversary of YHEC, we take great pride in how this program has affected a generation of hunters," said Craig D. Sandler, NRA Executive Director of General Operations. "Through the efforts of parents, volunteers and hunter education instructors, more than a million youngsters have become safer, more responsible hunters, and they have become ideal representatives of the sport as well. The impact of YHEC on hunting will be seen for years to come."
Next year, YHEC will return to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M. For more information on the YHEC program or how to get involved, call the NRA Hunter Services Department at (703) 267-1500 or log on to www.nrahq.org/hunting/youthed.asp. Following are the top finishers in this year's YHEC.
2004 YHEC CHAMPIONS
Top score in each individual event is 300 points. Normally, highest possible score for all eight events is 2,400. Since the hunter safety trail event was canceled this year, highest possible score for seven events is 2,100.Senior Individual Overall Winners
1. Devon Babcock, 1607 Pennsylvania
2. Clyde Pangle, 1555 Virginia
3. Jacob McCurry, 1550 MissouriJunior Individual Overall Winners
1. Joshua Briscoe, 1325 Louisiana
2. Tyler McCormick, 1316 North Carolina
3. Jessica Kite, 1293 North CarolinaTeam scores are calculated by adding the five team members' individual scores in each event to arrive at team total. Top team score in each event is 1,500. Normally, highest possible team score for all eight events is 12,000. Since the hunter safety trail event was canceled this year, highest possible team score for seven events is 10,500.
Senior Team Overall Winners
1. Pennsylvania Senior Blue, 6836
Lynsey Arnold, James Bradley, Garrett Desmond, Chad Setzler, Dustin Troutman, Doug Desmond (coach)
2. Missouri Back-Forty Sharpshooters, 6818
Jacob McCurry, Christopher Pearre, Jacob Pearre, Chase Rogers, Tyler Rogers, Phil McCurry (coach)
3. North Carolina Forbush High School, Red Team, 6710
Cynthia Abell, Nathan Eddleman, Jordan Holcomb, Samuel Hughes, Drew Todd, David Moxley (coach)Junior Team Overall Winners
1. Louisiana DeSoto Youth Sportsmen Team, 5986
Eric Beasley, Jacob Carpenter, Jonathan Clemons, Jeffery Jeansonne, Landon Royer, Jon Pat Clemons (coach)2. North Carolina Fall Creek Gray Eagles, 5625
Jessica Kite, Tyler McCormick, Nathan McCormick, Kurt Russell, Travis Sloan, Carson Hobson (coach)3. Pennsylvania Junior Blue, 5427
Austin Adams, Levi Castle, Ian Copenhaver, Zachary Knepp, Jared Lewis, Doug Knepp (coach)
2004 International YHEC Updates can be found at this link.
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