The Bernalillo County 4-H Pistol Team hit the bullseye in its first year.

“What makes the Bernalillo County Pistol Team stand out is what they have accomplished this year — and this year being in just four months' time at that,” Coach Alan Sonntag said. “The team was formed and from the team (of 10 total youth), eight qualified to be squadded on two competition teams for the 4-H State Level Competition (each team consisting of four shooters). Of those two teams, one earned the title of 4-H state champion. That team went on to compete at the 4-H National Competition, where they earned 10th place out of 18, making them a National Top 10 Competition Pistol Team. The latter being what I consider the biggest accomplishment, in four months' time going from starting a pistol team to being ranked nationally.”

Sonntag is the only 4-H certified pistol coach in the county in 2022 and accepted the role as the Bernalillo County 4-H Shooting Sports Program leader.

The Shooting Sports Program is overseen by the Shooting Sports Committee, an all-volunteer body. The program consists of six different shooting disciplines: hunting skills, smallbore (or .22) pistol, smallbore (.22) rifle, shotgun, archery and muzzleloader. The National 4-H Shooting Sports Program also includes air pistol, air rifle and western heritage disciplines, which are not currently part of the Bernalillo County Program.

“With respect to the Pistol Team, from my perspective, I differentiate the Pistol Team from the Competition Pistol Team(s),” Sonntag said. “The Pistol Team writ large is composed of all the youth that participated this year. Not all members of the Pistol Team qualified for one of the competition teams.”

Brittany Johnson, an agriculture and natural resources 4-H Extension agent, said the shooting sports program is comprised of many disciplines, including the pistol team.

“As with all programs, 4-H ebbs and flows each year with participation. We have had youth members participate in the pistol project through the years, but as far as I know, this is the first pistol team that Bernalillo County 4-H has sent to state and then onto nationals,” Johnson said. “We haven’t had a pistol team for a few years. However, this year we were able to revitalize the program due to interested youth and a dedicated leader.”

As the agriculture and natural resources 4-H Extension agent, Johnson is responsible for all project areas that fall under either area.

“Shooting sports falls under the natural resources project area,” she said. “Shooting sports is one of the more popular projects in Bernalillo County 4-H, and we have coaches for several of the disciplines including archery, shotgun, rifle and muzzleloader.”

Two other adults have since become certified, but Sonntag said he remains the “de facto” head coach for the Pistol Team, since it is not formally defined in bylaws or in other documentation. Johnson said Sonntag deserves a great deal of credit for the team’s stunning success.

“This was the first year, in several years, that we have had a dedicated and engaged pistol coach. Alan did a great job this year, having regular practices, making sure our kids were ready to compete at state and then at nationals,” she said. “Each individual team member had experience in a shooting sports discipline, but for a couple it was their first year in pistol. It was amazing to see each individual progress through the year.

“As a new team and not having a lot of experience we far surpassed our expectations this year at state,” Johnson said. “Both the state and national competitions are very competitive. It was a great honor for what our team achieved this year.”

The national competition team members were between the ages of 16-18, while members of the two state competition teams were 13-18 years old.

“The pistol discipline is unique in that the minimum age requirement is higher than the other disciplines,” Sonntag said. “To participate on the Pistol Team, youth must be at least 13.”

Johnson said there is an overwhelming emphasis on safety in the Shooting Sports program.

“Safety is the number-one priority for the NM State 4-H Shooting Sports Program. To be a shooting sports coach, one must be an enrolled adult volunteer in the county’s 4-H program, which includes signing a waiver, taking a working with minors training every year and passing a background check,” she said. “Once they are an enrolled and certified volunteer, then they must go through the shooting sports certification training program and be certified in a specific discipline. So, Alan went through the certification for pistol, meaning he is only a coach for pistol and no other discipline. This training program emphasizes safety at every step. 

“Further, there are very specific policies and procedures in the shooting sports program. Only certified coaches can run a practice and run an active line,” Johnson said. “Only specified targets can be used at practices and during competitions, and no humanoid targets are allowed, this means 4-H events can never include activities such as paintball or laser tag. Firearm safety is emphasized at every practice and at every competition. It is never overlooked.”

Sonntag echoed that.

“The entire 4-H Shooting Sports curriculum is built on a foundation of safety. The 4-H Shooting Sports Program as a whole prides itself in being one of — if not the — safest programs in the country,” he said. “Therefore, everything we do within the Pistol Team (and every shooting discipline as far as that goes) starts and builds from a -safety-first’ mindset. This mindset is paired with 4-H Shooting Sports fundamental paradigm of, ‘learn by doing.’”

Sonntag said coaches work directly with youth who are just learning to shoot. Both the shooter and coach go through every action step-by-step, without any time or other pressures to cause distractions.

“As the shooter becomes more familiar with how to safely handle and operate the firearm, they are afforded more latitude to act independently from a coach’s direct involvement. Over time, each shooter reaches a level of proficiency in which they are able to load, fire, unload, clear malfunctions, and render their firearm safe condition on their own,” he said. “Furthermore, we not only teach safe firearm handling and operation on the firing line, but how to safely store and transport firearms as well. Through all of this, the importance of safety is reinforced. There is a well established ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for unsafe behavior and actions.”

That is an ethic he takes very seriously.

“My fundamental principle in coaching the Pistol Team is to teach youth how to be safe and responsible members of our community with respect to firearms,” Sonntag said. “Moving into the future, I plan to have the Pistol Team become a year-round activity for the youth to participate in.”

Most 4-H programs operate in the late winter and early spring. Sonntag said youth shooting sports do face several challenges.

“Impacts stemming from the current challenges our society is facing with gun violence is perhaps the single most significant challenge facing youth shooting sports,” he said. “Even the most well-intentioned law meant to help stem the tide of gun violence has the potential to invoke the law of unintended consequences by negatively impacting youth actively or wishing to participate in shooting sports. Further, the negative stigma that some associate with firearms can be felt within any shooting sports — youth in particular.”

Sonntag said the Bernalillo County team promotes safe handling and overall gun safety more than success against other teams.

“The competition portion of the sport is not something I necessarily drive towards or emphasize; however, for the youth that are interested in competing, I will ensure they have every opportunity to learn and prepare to be competitive,” he said. “As I continue to grow and evolve the Pistol Team in general, I expect (or more so hope) that more youth will take an interest in learning how to shoot pistols.”

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want the team to continue to thrive and earn honors. It is a competitive arena, after all.

“While not necessarily my fundamental driver, right now my goal on the competition side is to have both State Competitions Teams place first and second in the same year,” he said.

A lot of that depends on adults, businesses and organizations continuing to back the team, Sonntag said.

“Support from the community is key to the success of any volunteer-led and run organization/activity,” he said.

Johnson said the young people who benefit from 4-H programs need adult guidance.

“As with many other youth programs, some of the challenges our program faces is having dedicated adult volunteers willing to put in the time to become certified and hold regular practices, keeping youth engaged and interested in the program, as there are a lot of other activities that youth are involved in, and finally the cost of the program,” Johnson said. “We work hard to recruit and support both youth and adults to our local 4-H programs.”

Sonntag said he was appreciative of the support the team received from the Zia Rifle and Pistol Club, which he said “went above and beyond in their support” for the young people.

“They not only allowed us use of their facilities (including their indoor range, which is not open to general membership), but they provided all of the ammo, targets, and other equipment (everything but firearms) that the team used in our practices,” he said. “They, in my opinion, are key to the success the team has realized thus far and will continue to realize in the future. BMC Tactical is also noted with appreciation for their donation of 5,000 rounds of ammo for the National Competition Team.”