Youth between the ages of seven and 17 gather at the Sunshine Coast Rod and Gun Club in ts’ukw’um every Wednesday evening.
With the help of some passionate adult members – including instructor Allan Harding who was himself a junior shooter back when there was a range in Gibsons and who has since become a national shooting champion several times over – the youth practice shooting .22 calibre rifles in bench, prone, kneeling, and standing positions.
“We get a lot of kids who are interested in something other than team sports and want to do something,” says Harding. “Shooting is a great individual sport for kids to get involved in. We have a very strong focus on safety and I bring my years of competing at the highest levels to help coach the fundamentals.”
Safety is a major part of the program for the youth. “We go over rules and quiz the kids weekly,” said Harding. “It’s incredibly important to keep that respect of firearms when doing a sport like target shooting.”
