Here at NRA Family, the Daisy National BB Gun Championship Match (Daisy Nationals) is one of our favorite yearly events to cover. Part of the reason why is the sheer caliber (no pun intended) of talent on display, as the nation's best junior shooters take their shot (pun intended) at the win. But the other, subtler reasons relate to Daisy's commitment to helping NRA Families raise well-rounded sportsmen. With an emphasis on safety--it's not possible to win the Daisy without acing a written safety test--the Nationals are famous for creating lifelong friendships among competitors. This year, however, Daisy gave us a new reason to love the Nationals: a writing contest!
The first-ever Daisy Nationals Communications Contest, sponsored by the Outdoor Journalist Education Foundation of America (OJEFA), has just announced its winners. For the Story category for 12- to 15-year-old entrants, we have: Leityn Bolinder of Kansas in first place, Camryn Nail of Louisiana in second and Jayden Grider in third. All entries were judged by three qualified outdoors communicators with more than 80 years' combined experience. While all of the stories were impressive, the judges were particularly moved by these three.
In her first-place 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.”
Leityn's thoughts echo those of the generations that have grown up Daisy. It’s not so much the competition that creates lifelong memories, but the friends she’s met on her journey and the joy that each Daisy Nationals brings.
“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,” said Daisy Public Relations Director, Lawrence Taylor. “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 Nationals BB Competition, contestants were encouraged to include a little 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. The winners received $500, $300, and $200 for first, second and third place, respectively. Honorary mentions for ages 12 to 15 include Aiden Soltesz from Texas and Daniella Winkle from Kansas for their stories, and Bria Butler from Arkansas for a 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.”
