The Daisy BB Gun Nationals, a five-meter, four-position, NRA-sanctioned match for youth ages eight to 15, is well known for creating lifelong memories for competitors. This year’s competition also gave shooters a chance to tell their stories about the experience in the first-ever Daisy Nationals Communications Contest, sponsored by the Outdoor Journalist Education Foundation of America (OJEFA).
Winners in the Story category for 12-year-old to 15-year-old entrants are Leityn Bolinder of Kansas taking first place, Camryn Nail of Louisiana in second plcace and Jayden Grider in third place.
The contest winners received $500, $300 and $200 for first, second and third places, respectively.
All entries were judged by three qualified outdoors communicators with more than 80 years of combined experience, and all three were especially moved by these stories.
In her winning entry, Leityn Bolinder said, “I attended my first Daisy Nationals when I was just a year old, when my dad was invited to coach, and my family has been every year since. Although I don’t remember much about my first few visits to Rogers, I’ll never forget the friends and bonus family I’ve made along the way.”
Bolinder mirrors the situation that faces many Daisy BB Gun Nationals competitors who have grown up attending the match. It’s not so much the competition that creates lifelong memories, but the people she’s met along the way and the fun that each Daisy BB Gun Nationals brings each year.
“I’ve only been involved with this event for six years, but I knew after the first match I emceed that it was the most-special event I’d ever worked on,” Daisy Public Relations Director Lawrence Taylor. said “And sure enough, the very first story I read from this contest had me tearing up. These kids are the best our country has to offer and just being with them gives me great hope for the future.”
In addition to writing about their experience of preparing for and competing in the Daisy BB Gun Nationals, contestants were encouraged to write about their background, why they like to shoot, what it was like to travel to Arkansas for the Nationals and about the memories made and lessons learned along the way.
Honorable mentions for ages 12 to 15 include Aiden Soltesz from Texas and Daniella Winkle from Kansas for their inspiring stories, along with Bria Butler from Arkansas for her photograph.
“The Daisy Nationals is often called a three-day party with a shooting match thrown in because we try hard to make it special for the kids,” Taylor said. “The Opening Ceremony features lots of contests and fun, the Barter Bar is a night where the kids trade items from their home states, and we rent out the waterpark for after Closing Ceremony. The essays really reflected that.”
Find out more about the Daisy BB Gun Nationals at daisynationals.com.
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