Sometimes the road less traveled is where the magic happens. That was the experience of Bernalillo County boys and girls who ventured beyond the typical team sports like baseball to take aim at a different type of competition—pistol shooting—and came away winners in more ways than one.

At every practice, team members have been reaping the rewards of camaraderie and lessons learned like discipline and perseverance. But this was a chance for Bernalillo County 4-H youths to show the state what they're made of as one of two teams, each with four members, took first-place at the New Mexico 4-H Shooting Sports Championship. This event, held May 2-5 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, marked the second consecutive year of victory for the county.

This year, individual members also excelled on this less traveled road, with Logan Porter and Savannah Tuss achieving first and second place respectively in a .22 pistol contest that embraced all of New Mexico.

Overall, the county’s 4-H students tested their skill in various disciplines, including archery, air-rifle, .22 rifle, shotgun, and hunting skills. The results included an individual first place in hunting skills and a fourth-place win for the shotgun team. 

In an interview with New Mexico Sun, Porter said he was looking to get involved in competition with his peers when he decided upon the pistol team. “I wasn’t participating in any sports at the time and felt the need for some healthy competition,” he said. “In addition, I had an interest in shooting sports. This program helped me experience competition but also grow in knowledge and gain a better understanding of the skills and equipment.”

Unlike Porter's experience, their head coach, Alan Sonntag, said most of the kids do participate either in other 4-H projects or school activities like wrestling and swimming when opting to try something different, sometimes because of family members who hunt. 

Both Porter and Tuss, the second-place individual winner, stressed the safety measures that go into making this a successful 4-H project. “I appreciate that safety is the priority, and I have seen it become a habit with participants quickly because of the coaches,” Porter said, thanking these volunteers for their help and the Zia Gun Club in Albuquerque for donating the range for practice. “It’s nice to see how supportive the community can be when we all work together.”

From a military family, Tuss grew up around guns with an emphasis on safe handling, so “when I learned 4-H had this, I thought it would be fun to add competition to something I enjoy doing.” 

She noted the pistol team—available to 4-H seniors, ages 13 to 14—is something she explored after long involvement in other marksmanship sports. Though her commitment to archery has been longest—a total of nine years, she's also invested about five years with shotgun and rifle and two years with muzzle loading.

“I think it really helps with becoming a leader because they show you how to do all these things, and you are able to help all the younger kids and show them how to do it properly, with discipline yourself and have a good work ethic,” she said.

Quite a few practices led to the pistol team’s win, Tuss said, as well as the attitude of wanting to “show everyone what we could do.” 

According to their coach, the kids start out practicing twice a month, but that climbs to three times a month in March and April to prepare or qualifications and the competition itself; and practicing on one's own time is "pivotal to truly excelling at the sport."

As she plans to pursue engineering in college, Tuss considers the discipline gained in 4-H a valuable life tool, and beams that success on the team “could get me a scholarship.”

Both students applaud the volunteer coaches, including the pistol team’s head coach Alan Sonntag, a National Rifle Association certified range officer, for making this sport happen. Sonntag told New Mexico Sun that he started the pistol team not to focus strictly on competition. 

“Instead, my primary object, which aligns with the fundamentals of the 4-H curriculum, is to teach youth about firearms (pistols specifically) and how to handle them.”

Shooting is a “complex” sport that builds qualities like leadership and perseverance, because there are off days, in the spirit of camaraderie. “It always makes me smile when one of the youths takes the time to encourage or help other members of the team,” he said.

A relatively new addition, Bernalillo County’s pistol team has been “growing and getting stronger each year” since its 2023 inception. Last year, the team even went to the 4-H National Championship.

What makes someone a great shot? Sonntag explains, “Again practice, but also—and just as importantly—the interest and the desire to increase one’s skills. Being willing to listen to and take advice from others, such as a coach, doesn’t hurt either.”

As New Mexico Sun reported on July 27, the team hit the bullseye last year progressing from a fledgling group to national ranking in just four months. This year, Sonntag said, the rules did not allow the team to move on to nationals, but he is contemplating other competition, including participation in the Junior Olympics.