More than 740 competitors from 38 states attended the June event, which was the 25th anniversary tournament.

Three members of the Big Shooters and 10 other competitors were in the Wisconsin contingent. Alexander Erickson, Bo Glasheen and Vandan Pezzullo earned the right to represent Wisconsin in the .22 pistol category by being among the top shooters at various events across the state.

After Olympics-style opening ceremonies June 22, the first day of competition followed. The temperature at start time on the range was 103 degrees.

The first event was a 40-round slow-fire match. Erickson came in 29th place, Glasheen took the 35th spot and Pezzullo finished 46th in the nation.

Alexander Erickson of the 4-H Big Shooters engages silhouette targets at 40, 60, 77 and 100 yards. Teammate Bo Glasheen is spotting for him with a scope from a kneeling position. A member of the Wyoming shooting team is scoring for Alexander while the coaches from each team look on.

“This was not our premier event as out shooters do not do a lot of slow shooting,” said Erickson. Later that night the youth (ages 14 to 19) were invited to a teen mixer where they had a chance to meet other competitors in a more casual environment.

June 24 had a complete change in the weather. The morning started out at 54 degrees and the wind also picked up with gusts up to 60 mph. The event was 40 rounds of silhouettes.

Pezzullo and Erickson tied with a ranking of 18th in the field of 78 while Glasheen placed 22nd.

The final day of competition was June 25. It started with 7 1/2 inches of rain falling through the night and into the morning. Time limits were imposed and the element of speed was enforced during the modified Camp Perry shoot. The highest-ranked Wisconsin shooter was Erickson, placing 32nd. He was followed by Glasheen at 52nd and Pezzullo at 55th.

At the closing awards ceremony, the top .22 pistol shooter was Jorja Litwiler of Louisiana. He took home the national championship with a score of 801 out of a possible 1,200. The top Wisconsin shooter was Erickson, ranking 37th among the 64 competitors who finished the match. Alexander had a total of 650 points. Glasheen ranked 55th with a score of 549. Pezzullo placed 61st with a score of 440.

Vandan Pezzullo of the 4-H Big Shooters competes in the slow-fire 25-yard event. He is using his Ruger Mark 5 with a red dot sight.

“We did not come in where we wanted (top 10) but we know what we need to work on,” said Wisconsin pistol coach Anthony Erickson. “Our pistol program is still young and we will be better prepared for the future. It was a great experience for the boys and they represented Wisconsin with class.”

Many sponsors helped support the Big Shooters, including Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County, Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club, and Eastern Dickinson County Sportsmen’s Club. Travel, lodging, registration, equipment and the countless amount of ammunition was all covered by the generosity of the sponsors.

The 4-H Big Shooters Club meets at the Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club on the first Sunday of every month at 1 p.m. Central time. Youth are welcome to attend and learn gun safety. As they progress and enhance their performance they are invited to compete.

For more information about the Big Shooters Club, go to www.stsportsmen.com or contact Anthony Erickson at 906-396-1119.