For a few Oregon teenagers, it was their one shot to line up, hold their guns steady and fire away among hundreds of peers.
Jake Knutz, 19, got his turn during the small-bore pistol competition at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational in Nebraska. But it wasn't all about winning.
"The greatest part was being a part of the shooting community," Knutz said. "They're shooting because it's their passion, so I guess that inspires me."
Five people represented Oregon in pistol and rifle events at the tournament, held in Grand Island from June 24 to 29. Although some were dissatisfied with their final placement, the tournament was a chance to get to know other sharpshooters and represent their home state.
The national tournament disciplines include pistol, rifle, shotgun and archery. To compete, participants must be between the ages of 14 and 19.
About the reporters
This story was written by student journalists participating in The Oregonian's High School Journalism Institute, a collaborative effort with Oregon State University to promote diversity in newsrooms of the future.
To see more of the students' work, visit the
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To encourage more competitive diversity, the contest guidelines allow shooters to compete only once per discipline, Match Director Steve Pritchard explained. Shooters have worked for years to earn this "once in a lifetime" chance, he said.
"It's kind of like making it to the Olympics," he said. "That was their one and only opportunity."
What it takes
To attend the national tournament, shooters have to first qualify at the state level.
Getting that good takes practice.
Knutz said he started shooting at age 12, first with a shotgun before focusing on the pistol. He joined the Yamhill County 4-H shooting club Bullet Holes and Bull's-Eyes four years ago.
Sharpshooting girl ready for next year’s national tournament
For Julia Reinsch, her chance to compete at youth sharpshooting nationals could be next year.
Reinsch, 14, is also a member of the Corvallis Sharpshooters Junior Rifle Club. Her interest in shooting started when she saw a poster about an open house for the group. She joined with her brother, Arin, 17.
Reinsch said she likes shooting because it’s relaxing. It’s also a mental game — it takes focus, calm muscles and a steady gun, she said.
“It just takes practice, really, because if you get frustrated, your shooting gets worse,” Reinsch said. “You have to think that every shot counts, and you can’t really think about anything else.”
Reinsch will be a freshman at Corvallis High School this fall and plans to keep practicing with the club. She said she has qualified for the 2015 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational and is hoping to compete.
Although a majority of the members of the Corvallis youth sharpshooters club are male, Reinsch said she doesn’t feel the sport is male-dominated.
She watched her brother compete this year at nationals, held in Grand Island, Nebraska, from June 24 to 29. Seeing young women score in the top 10 at the tournament was evidence that what counts is how well a person can shoot, she said.
Reinsch hopes to continue to prove that. Looking forward to next year, Reinsch said she feels better prepared after watching this summer’s events.
“It would be nice to do really well,” she said. “I know that I can actually be really good and do Oregon proud.”
Alex Burton, 14, and Arin Reinsch, 17, are members of the 4-H Corvallis Sharpshooters Junior Rifle Club. They have been shooting the .22-caliber rifle competitively for two years.
Jim Birken, principal adviser, has coached the Corvallis club for 30 years. The club has 29 members, he said. During the school year, the club practices weekly for two hours at Oregon State University's indoor target range.
At practice, Reinsch and Burton suit up in protective gear before firing at a target 50 feet away. They shoot from different positions, including standing, kneeling and lying flat on their stomachs.
Reinsch, Burton and Knutz all agree that shooting isn't just about time spent at the range.
It takes focus, and in some ways, serenity, said Burton, comparing shooting to yoga. If he misses a shot, he reminds himself to stay calm.
"Don't get agitated," he said. "You got to get in that Zen."
The tournament
That degree of focus would prove crucial at the national tournament.
According to Match Director Steve Pritchard, 558 competitors participated in the tournament. Along with Burton, Reinsch and Knutz, two other sharpshooters represented Oregon in pistol and rifle events, according to Jake Knutz's father, Mike Knutz, an Oregon State University Extension Service faculty member and 4-H official.
The tournament included several rounds, such as silhouette events. For silhouette, shooters take aim at steel targets in the shape of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams, hoping to knock them flat. For other rounds, shooters also try to hit bull's-eyes on targets.
Shooting rifles a new experience for student journalists
For a story about a junior rifle club, institute journalists Olivia Decklar and Austin Thongvivong got to attend a shooting practice. Little did they know they would both also get a chance to fire away. Here's more about their experiences:
Olivia Decklar:
When I put on the earmuffs, it sounded like I was underwater.
As time went on, my ears became acclimated to the muffled noise. But just as I was getting comfortable, Jim Birken, the Corvallis Sharpshooters Junior Rifle Club coach, said it was my turn to shoot. I was instantly nervous again.
Well, to be quite honest, I was so nervous I couldn’t aim steady at the target. So, I just let it be and pulled the trigger slowly.
And then the scary part was over, the part that had my heart beating so loud.
When Birken brought the paper target close, we saw that I had missed the mark entirely. He teased me about my lack of aim, prompting laughter to fill the shooting range.
It was my own laughter, too. For all I knew, I was shooting sideways. But the fact that I took aim at all was good enough.
Austin Thongvivong:
I was nervous and scared because I had never touched a gun. Being so close to a gun was a new experience. I was glad we were shooting in a safe environment.
Lying flat on my stomach, I took a few practice shots without any bullets. Then, calmly and slowly I loaded my gun, did my best to aim, and took four shots at the targets.
After I finished shooting, we reeled in the paper target. Not knowing how I had done, I looked at my results: I had hit the center of the target with all my shots. I was surprised — all my shots that hit would’ve earned me points in a competition, according to some of the club members. Even the coach joked that I was a natural at shooting.
Oregon's rifle team placed 12th out of 18 teams, Pritchard said. Jake Knutz placed 40th out of 46 in his small-bore pistol individual competition.
Although it was exciting to make it to nationals, each sharpshooter said they would have liked to score higher.
"It was satisfying and disappointing," Burton said.
The value of the tournament wasn't just in the shooting competition.
Shooters from 34 states got to meet through events such as dances and trips to a nearby waterpark.
Burton remembered meeting shooters from Louisiana and Missouri.
Jake Knutz said he enjoyed trips to the waterpark and saw it as a chance to bond.
The tournament community of youth sharpshooters is growing, Pritchard said. The tournament has added more than 150 participants since 2008.
"No matter what part of the country they are from, it's amazing how well they connect," Pritchard said.
Looking ahead
Back in Oregon, it's unclear who might try for the national tournament next year.
Mike Kuntz said some sharpshooters have already qualified for next year. If Burton and Reinsch want to return, they must meet the standards in a different discipline.
Reinsch said he is not sure if he will keep shooting competitively. He'll be a senior at Corvallis High School, and he wants to focus on track and make it to state.
At 19, Jake Knutz is too old to return to the tournament. But he plans to keep shooting as he works toward his associate degree at Chemeketa Community College's McMinnville campus.
Burton plans to return to the rifle club in the fall. He'll be a freshman at Corvallis High School and is considering switching to air rifle.
Birken is proud of how far his sharpshooters have come, whether they make it back to the national tournament.
"These kids here shoot a lot better than me," Birken said.
--Olivia Decklar, Gresham High School
--Austin Thongvivong, Parkrose High School