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We are excited to welcome you to the fastest-growing 4-H project club in Louisiana and the beginning of a new shooting sports year! The information below contains some of the information you will need to start the year off right! Please make all efforts to attend the informational meeting for new members on September 24th, 2025 at the Gonzales VFW Hall, 42430 Churchpoint Rd at 6pm for complete details about our program and to receive the informational packet. 4-H members do not have to attend this meeting. Please contact the office to make arrangements to meet with the 4-H Agent if you are unable to attend. (225) 621-5799. All new member registrations must be complete in 4-H online by October 8th, this is a firm deadline due to the rapid progression of our shooting sports program and will ensure the members get the best possible experience with our club.
For returning Ascension 4-H Shooting Sports members, registration opens August 18th, 2025 and closes on August 29th, 2025. Once again, this is a firm deadline.
For adults and parents interested in becoming an instructor, our Instructor training Day will be held September 13th, 2025 at the Ascension Parish Sheriff's training range. Registration for this event is currently open in 4-H Online.
All participants of this project club must be bonafide 4-H members, here are the options:
Shooting Sports Club Dues can be paid in several ways:
General Safety Training Requirements for our Members
We offer a Hunter’s Ed course for our 4-H Members to take, which will be held:
Thursday, October 9th from 6-9 pm and finishes Saturday, October 11th from 8 am - 3 pm. You must attend both days to receive your certification. If you are not able to attend this course offering in October, you are still required to take a class and have it completed before 1/31/2025. Please go on the Wildlife and Fisheries website and look for an alternate class. LDWF (louisianaoutdoors.com)
Each new member will have an opportunity to try these offered disciplines:
On Sunday, October 5th from 11am to 3pm, we will host the New Member Introduction Practice at our range in Sorrento. Youth must have completed the registration process by October 8th to attend. The members will rotate to different stations allowing them to try Archery, Air Pistol, and Air Rifle/BB gun. Once they have been introduced to all disciplines, the members and their parents will be able to choose which one they would like to focus on. We strongly encourage only one discipline for their first year, but more are allowed.
4-H Shooting Sports is just like any other sport when it comes to the learning process. Shooting sports is a progressive sport. Learning will continue to take place each time they attend a practice and when they practice at home (even non-firing practices, like proper posture, can be done at home). Although a member is not required to attend every scheduled practice if a member attends the first two practices, then misses several consecutive practices, they will be behind the other students who hadn’t missed as many consecutive practices. This also makes teaching the group harder on the instructor who may have to stop or step aside to catch your member up to speed on where the group is, and this is not ideal. We completely understand things come up and things don’t always go as we plan. We also know that illness and jam-packed schedules for all family members plays a part, we just want to shed light on situations that may cause the overall experience for your 4-H member to be diminished for this program.
To be an active member and in good standing with the Ascension 4-H Shooting Sports club, all members must complete 8 hours of instructed training in each discipline they choose to participate in.
Side Note about our 4-H Online Enrollment System
If you have questions regarding the enrollment system, please contact Mrs. Mary Lynn Laiche (our Administrative Coordinator) directly so we can work through the kinks together!! 225-621-5799
Additional Club Information
For our Ascension Shooting Sports club to offer training to our members, we are mandated to have current state-certified instructors for each discipline offered. These instructors must be present every time practice is conducted. Practices are set to best fit everyone’s schedules, but may be adjusted based on instructor availability. We also have assistant (parent) instructors that have been trained by our parishes’ state instructors; however, they cannot conduct a practice alone. If you are interested in becoming an Instructor, the LSU AgCenter hosts state trainings throughout the year, so please let us know if you would like to volunteer.
As safety is our number one priority, only 4-H members, instructors, and authorized adults are allowed on the firing range during practice. While Shooting Sports is a project with plenty of family involvement, please make sure that if siblings are present, they are supervised. Our range does not have any seating or shade so please remember to bring chairs, an umbrella or a pop-up tent (optional), and plenty to drink for everyone in your party attending practice.
Proper attire to participate in practice is expected. Open-toe shoes are not allowed. No Crocs, sandals, flip flops, etc. Shorts need to be of a modest length and gym shorts (mesh shorts with only an elastic waistband) are not acceptable for certain disciplines. A good rule of thumb is if it can’t be worn on a school “dress down” day please do not allow your child to wear it to practice.
Each child must be accompanied by a parent/grandparent, guardian, or authorized adult at every practice and every competition. No drop-offs. This is a family-oriented organization, we hope that you and your child learn together and experience the activities together. If your child will be attending any 4-H Shooting Sports activities/events, we expect them to be supervised by an adult. Our parish instructors and volunteers are often working at these events and are therefore unable to provide the proper supervision for our club members. A normal practice lasts 2.5-3 hours long. First introductory practice lasts at least 4 hours. Trying to give everyone a heads up so you won’t be surprised.
Without the endless hours that our instructors and parent volunteers donate, our club would not be possible. We cannot function at our highest potential without your help!
Therefore, we require that each family donates at least five (5) volunteer hours to our program. There are numerous opportunities for you to donate your time.
Please let Mr. Eddie or Ms. Mary Lynn know if you do not know where your talents and time will be best spent, we will assist you!
Ascension 4-H Shooting Sports has multiple companies and organizations that annually support us, and we submit an NRA grant application annually. If you know someone who would be interested in donating, please contact us (Mr. Eddie or Ms. Mary Lynn) for further assistance and information. We have a club informational letter that we offer to explain our organization.
**Our main funding source is our annual raffle.**
In the 4-H program, you will hear us refer to members as Jr.’s and Sr.’s, and we sometimes forget to address what this means!
Junior Shooters – 4-H members 9 – 13 years of age.
Senior Shooters – 4-H members 14 – 19 years of age.
Plus, you need to know the cut-off date! The member will be classified as a junior or a senior based on their age before January 1 of the current fall school year. For example, if Susan is turning 14 on December 12th, 2025, she will be classified as a senior for the 2025-2026 season. If Paul turns 14 on January 12th, 2026, he will be classified as a junior for the 2025-2026 season. These classifications come into play when our members decide to compete. Juniors compete separately from Seniors and some disciplines are reserved for Senior level shooters only such as .22 Smallbore Pistols.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our 4-H Agent or our Coordinator. We look forward to an exciting year and thank you in advance for all of your help in making this year a great one!
Shooting Sports Coordinator
Mr. Eddie Sanchez: Latechbulldog@gmail.com
225-621-5799 Ascension Extension office
mlaiche@agcenter.lsu.edu
Office Hours 8:00am - 4:30pm
