I was born in Northern Ireland, which at that time made me a British subject. Private firearm ownership was limited in Ireland with firearms relegated to shooting club use and storage. Boy Scout organizations provided me with an appreciation for the outdoors, but did not introduce me to shooting in any form. It was not until I lived in England (near London) that I took up shotgun shooting, hunting pheasants on a farmers land at the age of 17. Not being properly introduced to safe shooting, I just borrowed a shotgun and went out to the fields to shoot a bird. Luckily, I did not see one and did not pull the trigger. Later that same year, a friend of mine was hit in the back of the head with shotgun pellets that could have been serious. Fortunately, he fully recovered from what turned out to be superficial wounds, but all the same, it reminded me of how dangerous shooting can be. I joined a local shooting club and paid for a professional to show me how to handle a firearm-a little late perhaps? If only England had a 4-H program when I was in my formative years, or understood that firearms are intriguing to youth and the subject must be addressed in a supervised environment, I would have had the opportunity to learn safe ownership and handling BEFORE I stepped out with a loaded shotgun. Now that I look back at my heritage, I could have enjoyed and benefited from the camaraderie and competition that comes with the 4-H programs.

On a more personal note, never in my wildest imagination did I ever think that one day I would own a well-known firearms company like Savage Arms and that I would have the opportunity to shoot targets and hunt everything from prairie dogs to moose in this wonderful country of ours. I also enjoy Sporting Clays and Trap shooting, although I admit that my shotgun shooting skills are still lacking.

The National 4-H is the largest organization of its kind in the world, and it reaches (and positively effects) over 300,000 youth each and every year. To be part of the Foundation that oversees the funding and marketing of the 4-H Shooting Sports is both an incredible honor and a responsibility. Your National 4-H Shooting Sports Board is made up of industry professionals that give their time and money to further the shooting sports and to ensure that the programs are relevant, focused and safe-always. In the field, thousands of adult & teen 4-H volunteers nation-wide give their time to provide life skills, using the rifle, handgun, muzzleloader, shotgun or archery equipment as a means to develop ownership, accountability, healthy habits and team building for tomorrow's adults. I believe that the 4-H Shooting Sports is more necessary and vital than ever, as our society continues to need positive role models and safe activities while parents find less and less time to teach their children the fundamentals of life and citizenship. We need more volunteers, money and programs that will continue to stimulate our youth and help them pass along the benefits of shooting in a safe environment in order to fill the gap that the pace of our society has created. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute the future of 4-H and am equally determined to encourage others to get involved and see for themselves how they can make a big difference in so many lives.

While it is certainly our future, it's more about who we are, what we are becoming and a new chapter in our American heritage.