Rifle team posts successful fall season
Burnet County 4-H Youth Rifle Team member Weiss Stanley netted a silver medal at the TSRA Junior Olympic Championship in December 2023. Photo by Guy Taylor
The Burnet County 4-H Youth Rifle Team wrapped up its fall season with top finishes at several competitions and a nomination of one of its athletes to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
Awards cataloged by the air rifling squad included five placements in the State Prone and 3-Position Championships, a silver medal at the TSRA Junior Olympic State Championship, and a seventh-place finish in the Pardini Air Rifle National Championship.
Coach Guy Taylor credited his team’s performance with the countless hours of practice his squad endured, beginning in late summer.
“We start a lot earlier than most programs,” Taylor said in a media release. “You can see the benefits early and later in the season. Other clubs are trying to catch up.”
Taylor pointed to the squad’s new indoor air rifling facility (featured in the September edition of The Picayune Magazine) as one of the main reasons for success.
“It was not long before the early start and additional facilities began to pay off,” he said.
The team started its run in September at the State Prone and 3-Position Championships at Copperhead Creek Gun Club.
“Copperhead Creek Gun Club is the only range in Central Texas capable of handling a championship caliber competition,” Taylor said.
Athletes Maggie Moore, Harper Sitra, Morgan Sitra, Weiss Stanley, and Bethany Butler all placed at the event.
The team followed the September contest with another strong showing at the USA Shooting and TSRA Junior Olympic State Championships at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth with Stanley earning a silver medal in men’s small bore.
The competition also served as a qualifying match for the National Junior Olympic Championships held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in April 2024.
Butler and Morgan Sitra automatically qualified after their performance at the Fort Worth event.
“As the Olympic Committee evaluates the scores, we expect more of our members to be invited,” Taylor said.
The team finished its fall season in December at the Pardini Air Rifle Championship in Port Clinton, Ohio. Out of 30 teams invited to the competition nationwide, the Burnet squad finished in seventh place.
“I was very happy with how they placed,” Taylor said. “They faced the best teams in the nation and proved they could hang with them.”
Butler announced her commitment to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs at the end of the fall season.
“She has had a superb 4-H career and has demonstrated leadership and academic qualities to receive a nomination in one of the most difficult universities to enter,” Taylor said.
Taylor lauded Butler’s growth throughout her tenure with the team.
“There is no doubt that her leadership qualities were improved by the 4-H programs,” he said. “Coaches look for this and are looking at our program for potential recruits.
Email olympicrifle@icloud.com to learn more about the Burnet County 4-H Youth Rifle Team.