The 2008 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational is expected to draw about 438 competitors to Grand Island this month. This year's event will be held at the Heartland Events Center and Heartland Public Shooting Park just west of Grand Island.
More than 30 states are expected to be represented at the event June 23-26, said Steve Pritchard, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educator and coordinator of Nebraska's 4-H shooting sports program. Participants will be coming from across the country and as far away as Florida and Washington, said Pritchard.
Awards will be given in nine discipline areas, including small bore rifle, small bore pistol, muzzleloading, shotgun, air pistol, air rifle, hunting skills, recurve archery, and compound archery.
Participants will include 27 4-H'ers from Nebraska, Pritchard said. These youth, from across the state, will compete in air rifle, air pistol, small bore pistol, small bore rifle, recurve archery, compound archery, and shotgun events over the three day competition.
This is the first year the event has been in Nebraska. Grand Island also is scheduled to host the invitational next year.
UNL Extension is a division of the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
