Franklin 4-H'er brings home top finish at national championships

A student at Hanson Memorial in Franklin and St. Mary Parish 4-H member was part of an air-pistol national championship team at the 2016 4-H Shooting Sports National Championship in Grand Island, Nebraska, in late June.
Carl Taylor Stirling was part of the four-person team that competed in air pistol, which consists of Rapid-Fire, Slow-Fire and Silhouettes. The team finished first among 13 other air pistol teams from throughout the United States.
Other team members included Miles Sinagra of Tangipahoa Parish, Courtney Stephens of Jackson Parish, and Mary Kate McClellan of Franklin Parish. Bob Davis of Jackson Parish was the team’s coach.
Additionally, the team’s score, along with the scores of other Louisiana teams that competed in air rifle, shotgun, hunting skills, archery, muzzle loading, .22 pistol and .22 rifle, was enough to give Louisiana a third-place overall finish in the national overall sweepstakes behind Missouri and Kansas. Thirty-four states competed in the five-day event.
Individually, Stirling finished eighth in the Air Pistol Silhouettes competition.
The championship had 679 participants from 36 states who competed in an array of disciplines, including air pistols, shotguns, rifles and archery.
4-H Shooting Sports is a rapidly growing part of the 4-H curriculum. The focus of the 4-H programs is the development of youth as individuals as well as responsible and productive citizens.
The National 4-H Shooting Sports Program is an example. Youth learn marksmanship, the safe and responsible use of firearms, the principles of hunting, archery and more. The program’s activities and the support of adult leaders provide youth with opportunities to develop life skills, self-worth and conservation ethics.
Bobby and Camelia Soprano, Matthew Fore, Joe’L Pellerin and Scott Battaglio are St. Mary Parish’s volunteer shooting sports instructors.
For more information on the 4-H Shooting Sports Program, contact the St. Mary Parish LSU AgCenter Office at 337-828-4100, Ext. 170.