Palmyra BB Gun Team claims Silver at Daisy Nationals
Palmyra BB Gun Team claims Silver at Daisy Nationals
By Tyler Frantz
Rogers, Arkansas is a long way from Palmyra, Pennsylvania- 1,100 miles to be exact. That meant about two full days of travel for seven central PA BB gun shooters and the 11 adults who accompanied them to the 50th Annual Daisy National BB Gun Championship, held July 4th weekend.
But the long, arduous trip was worth it. In a field of the 68 best shooting teams in the United States, Palmyra finished second overall, edging out nearly all other competitors- 458 shooters in all- from eighteen different states.
“It was a great trip,” said 31-year Palmyra coach, Frank Pulli. “It’s second place- not first like we had hoped for- but out of 68 teams (a match record), we’ll take it. The kids held it together under a lot of pressure and shot really well. They showed tremendous patience and poise, and I’m really proud of them.” The team qualified for nationals when they won the Pennsylvania State Match this past April, shooting an all-time high score of 2,390, which topped their 2013 National Championship score of 2,374.
This year, the team shot a 2,372 at nationals, including seventy-six center shots and a team average of 95. The overall score fell just short of reclaiming the championship title, but it was still good enough to bring home the silver.
All five competing members placed among the top 45 shooters. Rookie McKenna Logan (Hershey) shot an average score of 96.2- 3rd place overall, Matt Weaver (Lower Dauphin) averaged a 96- 8th place, Coral Hetrick (Cedar Crest) averaged a 95- 28th place, Gillian Stewart (Northern Lebanon) averaged a 94.8- 35th place and Nick Suhr (Central Dauphin) averaged a 94- 45th place.
Even the team’s two alternates, Hunter Anderson (Palmyra) and Dale Suhr (Central Dauphin), whose scores didn’t count towards the team total, shot averages of 93.7 and 92.9 respectively, placing them in the top 25th percentile of shooters.
One of the most amazing success stories is that of thirteen-year-old McKenna Logan’s unbelievable rise to the top. Having never shot competitively before January of this year, she quickly learned how to master her shooting skills over a period of six months to individually place third in the entire nation. “I’m still in that mode that I don’t really believe it,” Logan said. “I used to shoot with my dad in our backyard for fun, but after going to Palmyra Sportsmen’s Youth Field Day last year, my dad signed me up to try out for the team.”
“I never would’ve thought I’d finish 6th in the state and then 3rdin the nation in such a short amount of time. But I just followed what my coach told me to do. I think my patience and listening skills are the qualities that helped me get to this point,” Logan said.
But it’s not just the shooting skills that are essential to team success. These kids have to be smart too. The Palmyra team actually tied their first-place rivals, (Walton County 4-H, of Georgia), for the Highest Educational Award on the written test.
Palmyra had four perfect test scores, and their fifth shooter missed a hundred-percent by only one question. This is a reflection of the time invested by Sherry Weaver, a first grade teacher at Palmyra’s Pine Street Elementary, who regularly quizzes her son’s team on the 18-sections of eligible question material on the written component.
“My mom spends about two hours every Saturday creating a written test for us to take at our practice sessions each week,” said fifteen-year-old veteran shooter, Matt Weaver. “After the practice tests, she helps us go over our scores and figure out what we still need to study.” “You know going down there that everyone at the match is just as good a shooter as you, so the written test gives you an extra opportunity to raise your team score. In 2013, we actually won the championship by one question on the written component, so we all know how important it is,” Weaver said.
Weaver, Hetrick, and Stewart are all aging out of the program this year, since fifteen is the maximum age limit for competition. That means new leaders will have to emerge and take over the reigns just as they have done.
Weaver and Hetrick, whose parents actually met in Lamaze class prior to them being born, have been shooting together since they were eight-years-old. It will be strange moving on without their shooting partners to push them. “If I could keep competing, I would,” said Weaver. “We are so competitive that we’ve actually made each other better because of it. With all the hours and time put into this, you get pretty close to your teammates and it kind of stinks that it has to end.”
“We’re like a big family,” said Hetrick. Even though we are huge competitors, we’re always there to help pick up our teammates when they have a bad target. It’s sad that it’s over.”
Looking back, though, Hetrick considers her time with Palmyra’s BB gun team an extremely worthwhile experience.
“I have learned so much, and it feels really good to know our hard work has paid off,” said Hetrick. “Aside from the shooting, just getting to know other people has been a big part of it. I am a shy person, but going to all of those competitions and shooting well under pressure has really gotten me to open up. I’m going to miss it.”
The graduating kids still have an opportunity to continue their competitive shooting careers in either .22 caliber or air rifle, but for now, they are just enjoying the moment and relieved they don’t have to spend another 16 hours in a van.
In addition to a team trophy and individual silver medals, each member of the Palmyra team came home with a customized 50th Anniversary Daisy BB Gun, which they were able to build themselves at the Rogers competition. It will serve as a fine keepsake to remind them that dedication and teamwork can lead to great things.
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