September - Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

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presents THE SHOTGUNNERS’ REPORT he Academics, Integrity and Marksmanship (AIM) program at T Powder Creek is an integral part of teaching gun safety to children, and it’s also a fun way for children to learn and to participate in shotgun activities. Fifty-eight, ranging in age from 9 to 18, have been enrolled in the AIM program since its inception two years ago, a figure which represents more than 25 percent of all <strong>Kansas</strong> youth shooters. Besides developing several successful and competitive youth shooters, the program has taught safety and responsibility to the youngsters. “Our youth program is really important,” Powder Creek co-manager Kevin Maloan said. “We want mom and dad to know they’re going to be safe.” Safety is one of the first elements of the program. “They have to have some responsibility,” Maloan said. “They learn to call the rules on themselves. The Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) has said that Powder Creek is the best at getting the kids to know how to act and to be safe. Our kids are very mature for their age.” Said Blue Valley North junior Matthew Rogers, “The program is great because 22 SEPTEMBER 2010 KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS Kids take AIM at Powder Creek they have all kinds of instructors and they can help teach you fundamentals when you first start out. It’s a great experience and you can learn a lot from it.” After three years of shooting, Rogers has become the second best youth shooter in the country after hitting 99 and 98 targets, respectively, at the Grand Nationals in Sparta, IL, this summer. “I learned how to shoot a lot better,” Rogers said. “I used to be really bad. I was shooting 10 out of 25. Twentytwo is bad for me now; missing one bird is bad for me. The instructors have taught me how to set my feet, how to lead the birds, about wearing the correct glasses for different conditions, and have taught me starting positions and how to follow through on the bird.” In addition to the assistance with his shooting skills, Baldwin sophomore Forrest Ammenhauser enjoys the social side of the program. “It’s a wonderfulprogram,” Ammenhauser said. “I get to meet with my team and practice each weekend. The instructors are great. We get to meet new people. It’s helping me with my social skills. I think the schools should start this program.” Unfortunately few schools systems do.”Most public schools don’t reinforce firearm disciplines,” Shawnee Mission Northwest freshman Anna Whitaker said. “They ridicule it. They shy away from it and tend to not talk about it much in schools. They want to label guns as dangerous and do a broad panning of guns as violent.” Whitaker, who will be participating in IB (International Baccalaureate) and the Naval ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) high school programs, believes it’s important to learn proper respect for firearms. “You have to go out and handle firearms Marc Bowman Contributing Writer properly,” Whitaker said. “You have to have a lot of respect and that’s what we’re taught in AIM. I haven’t found any other kids who are disrespectful. There’s no yelling or arguing. We went over that when we first started our meetings. They emphasize positive behavior and sportsmanship.” Shawnee Mission East sophomore Shane Parcells learned about the program from a friend at school. “The willingness of the instructors to be ‘hands on’ is great,” Parcells said. “They are really willing to help you. Academically, that helps you to stay focused. They stress how good grades are important.” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
presents THE SHOTGUNNERS’ REPORT Like Whitaker, Parcells is also involved in ROTC. “AIM has taught me to be cooperative and has showed me teamwork skills and how to be a good leader,” Parcells said. St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Taylor Ruisch enjoys the unusual aspects of the AIM program, the camaraderie and also the instructors’ help. “AIM is more of a mental sport,” Ruisch said. “It helps me by keeping me focused, but it’s also about geometry. I know that it helps me with focus and that has translated over to school. “It’s not really a very usual activity. I love it. Not only is everyone really, really nice, but we’re all friends and there’s no drama. We went to Sparta and we get to travel around. The coaches are so helpful. You can ask anyone for help. I think it’s so much fun. I love it so much. The AIM Powder Creek will feature exhibition shooter Tim Bradley Oct. 9-10. “We’re going to do some shooting that most people have never seen,” Bradley said. “We’ll do some overhead shots, behind the back, from the hip. We’ll shoot some golf balls and make them go left or right.” A martial artist who got his black belt at age 17, Bradley got his start as a kid by going out and shooting by himself on his family farm in northeast Arkansas. Bradley later became a bounty hunter, while he continued to improve his handling of firearms. “I went out and shot by myself a lot,” Bradley said. “It became a kind of passion of mine, and that’s what happens when you want to do something you like and want to do it better and better, you make things more challenging. I started throwing up golf balls and shooting them, then I started trying to do trick shots like flipping a quarter and putting a hole through a lead disk.” Eventually he came to the attention of world-renowned exhibition shooter Tom Knapp, who invited Bradley to join Team Benelli in representing Benelli shotguns. “I never knew what an exhibition shooter was,” Bradley said. “I did some shooting on ESPN, did some trick shots and that got me some attention. Tom needed a second shooter and he asked me to join the team. It was the luck of the draw. There are lots and lots of people who shoot well who don’t have that opportunity. I shoot well, but there are lots of good shooters. I don’t program is the best.” After hitting 16 of 100 targets in her first tournament five months ago, Ruisch broke 95 of 100 targets at “The Grand” in Sparta. Whitaker also enjoyed similarly dramatic improvements, having recently broken 195 of 200 targets at Sparta. Ruisch and Whitaker are both interested in college scholarships available through AIM. “I really want to keep going with it to get a scholarship,” Whitaker said. “It’s based on grades and also whether you win one of the classes at Grand Nationals. The organized practices (every Saturday at 10 a.m.) have been really helpful. Al and Phil Ghert and Bruce Payne, they are really encouraging. They always tell us ‘just keep shooting, keep coming out here, keep practicing and it’s going to get better.’ It keeps you on board and keeps you practicing and trying.” Exhibition shooter to appear at Powder Creek think by any means that I’m the only one who can do that.” Bradley also has Carlson Choke Tubes and Federal Cartridges as sponsors, but the Benelli Shotgun representation is most dear to him. “I would say being hired by Benelli was the highlight of my career,” Bradley said. “Anytime someone wants you to represent them, when they are saying you’re good enough to put their name on it, that’s the best you can do as an exhibition shooter.” In a related event, the Johnson County chapter of Pheasants Forever will be sponsoring a Youth Hunt and Family Fun Day on October 2 at Eckman’s Hunting Preserve in Baldwin <strong>City</strong>. “At our chapter we’ve really focused on youth and youth activities,” Powder Creek board member and Pheasants Forever supporter Jerry Mortick said. “They are our most important project. Kids today will really dictate what happens to habitats as landowners or as voters. We feel a strong responsibility here in an urban market to focus activities on youth and one of our initiatives is ‘No Child Left Indoors.’ We feel that kids need to get away from the games and the Wii and the electronic games, and see what goes on in the real world.” The event will include a pheasant hunt as well as GPS geocaching, an archery range and a casting competition. Visit this website http://jocopheasantsforever.org for more details. KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS SEPTEMBER 2010 23
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September - Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

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