Jerome-4-H Team Wins GOLD in Nebraska

Four members of the Jerome Junior Rifle Team traveled to Grand Island, Nebraska on June 19, 2021 for the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships. The week long event attracted more than “600” 4-H shooters from all over the United States.

The Somerset County 4- H Rifle Team won First Place in the 3-Position (3-P) category and the team also won a Third Place medal for high overall score in the small-bore competition and a Fifth Place in the steel-silhouette competition. Ruby, Haley, Nicole and Elissa.

Ruby Korenoski, Haley Fetterman, Elissa Barron, and Nicole Rininger make up the “Four Person” 4-H small bore rifle team. Barron and Rininger are both North Star High School students. Korenoski is a Conemaugh Township High School student and Fetterman is a 2021 Conemaugh graduate.

The teammates qualified to participate at the 4-H National Championships by winning the Pennsylvania State 4-H, 3-P Championship last April. That event was held at the Shenecoy Shooting Range near Huntingdon, PA.

Practicing is street clothes was the rule for two of the 22 Caliber competitions in Nebraska. Their 3-P leather coats and pants were NOT allowed. That gear would only be used in the 3-P event.

The four ladies started practicing in early spring with bolt action and auto-loading rifles that were new to them all. The Nebraska event was all outdoors, but during rain days back home the team practiced indoors with their scoped mounted rifles.

Team shot with Coach, Mike Knapp, at Opening Night Ceremonies near center stage at Nebraska’s Heartland Events Center. .

Each Team was able to have a photo taken with their State Flag. After the Official Start of the event, including the singing of the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-H Pledge all the State teams were introduced and filed into the arena.

There were 32 State 4-H Chapters represented at this national event . There were 600 shooters, plus coaches, officials, volunteers, parents, family members and spectators. Several thousand people filled the stands.

Mike Knapp was happy to return to the 4-H National Championships and reunite with some of the Range Officials he’s met in the past. Knapp was proud of his 4-H group and he had confidence the girls would do well during this high level of competition.

The Range Safety Officials gave an in-depth account of the rules for the Three Rifle Category. It was standing room only.

None of the Somerset 4-H team members had ever shot in competition with a scoped rifle before or shot steel silhouettes or competed in rapid fire events. This was unfamiliar territory for them.

On Day One of the championships, 21 teams, including young men and women from across the U.S. shot at steel silhouettes representing chickens, hogs, turkeys and rams. The steel targets are set up at ranges of 40, 60, 77, and 100 yards. Steel targets have to be scored and reset.

This event requires bolt-action rifles or semi-auto loaders with variable-power scopes. There were 80 individual marksmen from 21 States registered for the three days of 22 caliber relays.

The Nebraska winds were a real challenge for all the competitors on the day of the actual match. Even though our team was a bit disappointing by their overall score, due to the tough conditions, the Somerset County “Four” 4-H team still came in Fifth Place.

The Yellow Ribbons for Fifth Place put a smile on their faces and gave them a confidence boost for the rest of the competition. Even Parents and Grand Parents were smiling.

On Day Two of the championships, the ladies fired 22-caliber Ruger auto-loading 10-22 rifles at paper targets in the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) match.

This is a slow-fire and rapid-fire event at ranges of 25 and 50 yards. This style of rifle and timed event is new to these ladies, who have years of experience with bolt-action target rifles. When scores were tallied the Somerset Four found themselves in 10th Place.

After an intense, timed fire and rapid fire event, the shooters took a break to enjoy a few milk-shakes and smoothies from the Ice Cream Truck.Day Three of the championship competition posed a familiar style of shooting for this team. The members each have their own target rifles and all have won numerous competitions and awards in the past in this Olympic style, Three-Position (3-P) open sight, 50 yard event.

Fetterman and Korenoski are both members of the Conemaugh Township High School Rifle Team.

Haley is a recent 2021 graduate of Conemaugh Twp. and Ruby will be a Senior there this fall.

Elissa Barron will be a Senior this fall at North Star High school and is a top shot on her High school Team.

Nicole Rininger will be a Junior this fall at North Star and she is also a consistent top shot on the North Star Rifle Team.

When the shooting was over these 4-H Four from Somerset County came away with the “First Place” GOLD. Congrats to the team and Coach Knapp.

The coach of the 4-H team, Mike Knapp of Hooversville, Pennsylvania, was proud of his group as they powered through difficult weather conditions to pull out a National Championship. “Our ladies were poised, confident and successful and I knew they’d do well here in Nebraska.”