I Have Returned

After virtually a weeks absence, I am back to the blog...I know you missed it, because I did. I hope all of the Moms out there had a nice Mother's Day - the weather was nice in Eastern NC...

So last Sunday, Me and Jonathon Casper (Program Staffer) headed off to the land of the Mountaineers to gain our certification as National Volunteer Shooting Sports Instructors. This important certification allows us to train adult volunteers at camp and across the state to support what is one of the most popular and effective activities in perpetuating life skills in youth. I gained my certification in Riflery, while Casper flicked sticks in Archery. The training, held annually, was located in Jackson's Mill 4-H Camp, outside of Weston, West Virginia. Jackson's Mill is also the oldest 4-H Camp in the Country. Set in a peaceful cove of the Allegheny Mountains, the historic camp was quite the site...it has many parallels to out beautiful Eastern 4-H Center, but with many more of the inconveniences.

Let me first give yo the downsides to the training...

Food - We ate more pork products than I care to remember. We also had a salad at every meal...trust me.

Lodging - the North Carolina Volunteers, 10 of us, stayed in Lewis Lodge with approximately 20 other full grown, snoring men. IT was tough to sleep...some people sounded like they were craking chainsaws as they snored. The lodging was still nice, better than most facilities...oddly enough, the Lewis Lodge was right next to the old barn where Gen. Stonewall Jackson was born. in 1998, I also stayed in Lewis Lodge, with the Alabama 4-H Forsetry Judging Team...The lodge was good luck - my team won the NATIONAL COMPETITION. So I am pretty much a National Champion...who can say they were the best in the country at anything at any given time - I just did!

Free Time - There was none...I had to work out at 5:00 am in the "barn" just to burn off my energy that was built up in classroom time.

The Weather - It rained 24-7 all day every day. It was 50 degrees all the time. West Virginia is now under a state of emergency because of all of the rain - trust me.

Now - The good!

Class - Finally, a workshop that taught me and others what we MUST do to make shooting sports the best program in can possibly be...Not how to become better marksmen and markswomen, but how to teach adults how to teach kids...this wasn't to much of a problem, since I do this every summer with about 30 college kids.

Instructors - Jim Simms, retired West Extension Agent was the lead Instructor, while Albert Fuller was the additional instructor. Albert is an Extension Educator form the University of Florida. It was difficult to tell which instructor was the "Lead", because both contributed heavily to the instruction. Albert was great at processing teaching points, while Jim was able to give great stories and ideas to enhance our teaching programs...I gave both of them high marks on my evaluation. Apparently, we had the "toughest" instructors, but everyone passed their certification. Both instructors were insistent that we learn to teach in order to make the program the best it can be.

Auction - I love an auction...especially one that offers competitive bidding on great items. The Auction was held in the dark - guess why - THE POWER WENT OUT!!!! But everyone pushed through, and Jim Simms, my instructor was the auctioneer. He was good, too! I wona couple of items, mainly souvenirs. One item was a one of a kind Gail Pittman 4-H Mug. Mrs. Pittman no longer does these special orders, only serves Paula Deen and Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network! While her work is expensive, I garnered an incredible deal, mainly because no one knew who she was...

The drive - There is nothing more scenic than the Appalachian Mountains in the rain. While the "WATCH FOR FALLING ROCKS" signs were great warnings, we never saw any falling rocks...we had only seen the fallen rocks, strewn across the mountain passes on US 33. Some of the rocks were the size of Labrador Retrievers, not big, but would stop my Jeep on a dime.

This is what you must understand about 4-H Shooting Sports...

It is not designed to make children great shooters. Shooting Sports is a VEHICLE for teaching life skills in children that will make them productive citizens in our world. Shooting Sports is an active program is all but a couple of states, with Illinois being the newest as of this training. I was able to witness history when the FIRST EVER Illinois Shooting Sports Coordinator was graduated. Life Skills instruction and activation in youth is what 4-H promises it will do, and does! 4-H Camp is another GREAT delivery mode for Life Skills. From "responsibility" in cabin clean-up to "learning to learn" in Ecology, Life skills are imparted at every turn in 4-H Camp.

When I returned, the first thing that Lee said to me was "your forehead is getting bigger", he was insinuating that I was "growing a receding hair line...thanks for the warm welcome, Lee!

Enjoy the day...