The End

It’s hard not to hear that tune by "The Doors" when you watch today’s major networks. They specialize in covering bad and inflammatory news, so it’s little wonder none of them showed up in Rogers, Ark., over the July 4 holiday to witness the positive impact trigger time can make on young shooters.

Miniskirts were in fashion, postage for a letter cost 5 cents and Ronald Reagan was California’s Governor the year Daisy held its first Annual National BB Gun Championship Match. A lot has changed, but the dedication of the company to the nation’s youth and the character traits instilled by the discipline to deliver precision shots at 5 meters, timed, remains unaltered.

For the 50th annual match the company even managed to round up every member—and the coach—of the original winning team, which was from Joplin, Mo. The story on NRA Family has full details, but one interview summarizes the hidden values of firing line time.

Fourteen-year-old Daniel Peters, from the winning Walton County, Ga., team, explained the sport has taught him “…discipline, concentration and perseverance.” He added that the biggest thing was to, “Focus on one shot at a time. Everything you did is in the past. Concentrate on the here and now.”

That’s an impressive quote from a high school freshman, so I immediately turned to his coach, William Carlan, and asked if they recite that before every practice. “No,” he said, “I’m very pleased he put it so well.”

Concentration can be a challenge in today’s virtual, game-console world, so I asked Carlan if he’s seen it spill over into his team’s scholastic work. “I’ve had parents tell me the shooting program has done more for their children’s education than anything else,” he said. As for how well it translates in a career, each of the original champions took turns at the microphone, and emphasized the discipline and focus they learned on a BB gun team helped them immensely in their careers.

No more co-workers who start other projects before nearing completion or even planning for the first? That sure would reduce the number of times the company’s effort misses the goal (target) entirely, and altogether too much positive news about shooting for major news outlets to digest.