By Bill Aston,
4-H Shooting Club Coach
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) hosted the first leg of a youth shooting competition, which resulted in a championship known as the Governor’s Cup.
The competition is for youth in the 6th through 12th grades and includes shotgun events of skeet, trap, and sporting clays. The first leg of the competition was an open skeet shoot for all teams of schools and clubs.
The open competition was held at two sites, the Wateree Range near Sumter and the Palmetto Shooting Complex near Edgefield.
The top teams and individuals from these qualifying events will be invited back to compete for the skeet championship in many different divisions.
The Dillon County 4-H club had four members to attend the qualifying event at Wateree. There were also teams there from neighboring Pee Dee Academy and Moree’s Sportsman Preserve. Dillon Christian School is in the process of putting a team together to compete.
Some of the Dillon County shooters competed at their highest levels. Zane Sawyer, a ninth grader competing in the JV division, shot 38 out of 50. Daniel Jones, an 8th grader, was moved up to the JV division to shoot with Zane. Daniel also shot 38 out of 50 and shot his highest score to date, 20 out of 25. Jake Davis was also moved up to the JV division to complete a JV squad. Jake shot 32 out of 50.
The Dillon County 4-H team was led by Harris George, who shot in the Middle Club division. Harris shot his highest score of this season, shooting 21 out of 25. His total score for the competition was 39 out of 50.
The 15 shooters in each division will be invited to compete in the skeet leg of the Governor’s Cup, which will be held in February 2024 at the Palmetto Shooting Complex.
The SCDNR does not allow 4th and 5th graders to compete. Landen Cole, a 5th grade 4-H member, recently won the Rookie Division skeet State Championship in the SCTP/4-H shooting competition.
The Dillon County shooters hope to qualify to compete in the Skeet Championship.