Youth Field Day

[Adam Helmer]

Yesterday we had the Annual Tioga County (PA) Youth Field Day at Ives Run in Tioga, PA. We had 159 kids ages 8 to 15 in 10 groups every 35 minutes all day long except for a 40 minute lunch break. I was on blackpowder with two other people. One person loaded our 5 rifles, I did the introduction to muzzleloaders for a few minutes and then capped all ML arms at the firing point for each kid. After they fired, I handed the empty rifle to worker #3 and he handed me a loaded rifle.

Our 159 kids shot an average of 4 times and then each kid's required adult sponsor fired at our balloons 30 yards from the firing point. My pedometer said I walked 6.6 miles between 0900 and 1600 yesterday! That is a bit much for an old guy, IMHO. Many adults were women who never fired a gun before. Most broke the balloon targets while firing a 50 grain charge of Triple 7 and 50 caliber patched round ball.

All the young folks will be voters one day and I hope they take a positive view of firearms into the voting booth with them.

Adam