Lincoln, Neb. —For Scottsbluff 4-H member Gavin Carrizales, 2020 is on target to be a memorable year.
At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has forced everyone to make adjustments in their lives, often with negative impacts, the 12-year-old sixth grader has also made positive memories with his remarkable accomplishments in 4-H shooting sports. Carrizales has won statewide contests in both archery and small-bore firearms, and in the process posted unprecedented perfect scores.
In 4-H state archery competition, Gavin accomplished a trifecta, winning all three events over the course of two statewide meets in 2020: outdoor competition in September near Grand Island and indoor competition last January in Columbus. His indoor score was the first-ever perfect score for his age group in Nebraska.
With his .22-caliber rifle, Carrizales achieved a perfect score in the Nebraska Youth Smallbore Silhouette Invitational in September near Broken Bow. He hit all 40 silhouette targets to win the championship, according to results reported by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. It was the first perfect score in the history of the smallbore silhouette event.
Gavin is the son of Aaron and Katie Carrizales of Scottsbluff. Aaron is the cross-country coach at Scottsbluff High School. During the pandemic, he has been home-schooling with his grandparents, Tom and Libbey Lundgren of rural Morrill.
Gavin said his interest in shooting dates back to when he was 5, starting with BB guns and bows. His enthusiasm springs out of his enjoyment of bow and firearm hunting for a variety of game: deer, antelope, pheasants, duck, geese, and turkey. He has been involved in 4-H shooting sports since he was 8 and eligible to join 4-H.
Discussing Gavin’s success in 4-H shooting sports, Grandfather Tom Lundgren points out that volunteer leaders are key to the 4-H experience. Gavin is a member of the Western Nebraska Shooters 4-H club, which has enjoyed a lot of success at competitions.
“They have a great team and a great coach,” Lundgren said, Western Nebraska Shooting Sports Club is currently led by Justin and Jenny Bohl, and Lundgren also gives credit to former club leaders Troy and Jennifer Svoboda. And Alan Weinhold coaches the silhouette event and provides a place for silhouette shooters to practice.
One thing that drew Gavin to 4-H is that his mother and father grew up in 4-H, had a lot of fun and learned a lot. He attributes his shooting success to “practice, probably.”
“And you have to be able to concentrate,” he adds. He likes to shoot his bow every day after school if the weather is not too windy or cold. Hunting seasons offer plenty of opportunities to go out and shoot.
Gavin said he enjoys firearms and archery equally. What he loves the most is “the challenge of making every shot as good as the last one, if not better. You have to concentrate on every shot.”
4-H shooting sports offer opportunities for youth to learn safe gun-handling skills and sound fundamentals of shooting under the guidance of caring, knowledgeable adult volunteers. Participants can choose from archery; air rifle, air pistol, and BB gun; smallbore rifle and pistol; hunting and outdoor skills; shotgun; and muzzleloading.
Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports focus on the total development of the 4-H member, utilizing the activities as a vehicle for human growth and development. The programs and activities also promote positive youth-adult interaction and peer leadership, according to the Nebraska 4-H website.
For Gavin the archery and smallbore competitions provide a wide variety of challenges. The outdoor archery meet consists of two events, the 3-D and the 600 round. In 3-D, contestants make their way around a field and shoot at realistic, three-dimensional targets representing snakes, deer, elks and moose. Competitors must guess at the range to each target, which Gavin said is as challenging as making an accurate shot. The 600 Round consists of shooting 60 arrows, 20 arrows each at ranges of 30, 20 and 10 yards. He posted the two highest scores ever for his age group, 597 in the 600 round and 310 in the 3-D event. All were personal bests.
The indoor meet last January consisted of one event, firing 60 arrows at a small bullseye target from a range of 10 yards. Gavin’s perfect indoor score of 300 was the first for his age group. Last year he scored 297. “I was hoping I would do well,” he said. “I didn’t know if I’d do that well.”
It was Gavin’s third year competing in state 4-H archery. Last year he finished second in his age group, and in 2018 he finished third.
Gavin’s teammates Aleena Wagner and Jordan Wagner also participated in the state archery meet. In the 600 Round, Jordan finished 10th in her age group and Aleena 4th in her age group. In 3-D, Jordan finished 9th and Aleena 3rd in their respective groups.
Gavin’s perfect score at the Nebraska Youth Smallbore Silhouette Invitational was the first perfect score in the 40-year history of the meet, according to a report on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission website. His score of 40 earned him the overall state champion, while Western Nebraska Shooters 4-H Club won the overall high team score.
The team members include Danika Bohl of Mitchell, who shot a 38 to take the High Girl individual award, and Austin Rahmig of McGrew, who shot a 39 to win High Boy. It was the second straight year that Western Nebraska Shooters won the team championship. Laney Bohl of Mitchell is the fourth member of the team.
The 74 competitors in the Smallbore Invitational fired rounds of .22-caliber ammunition with rifles at steel animal silhouette targets at ranges of 100, 77, 60, and 40 meters, respectively. They shot from a standing, offhand position (no support for the rifle).
Gavin says his goal in shooting is to compete in the Junior Olympics. He won a 2020 qualifying meet to qualify for the 2020 State Junior Olympics, but it was canceled because of the pandemic.