What is 4-H? 

4‑H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing.  The goal of 4-H is to teach youth citizenship, leadership, and life skills.  For more than 100 years, 4‑H has welcomed young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, giving kids a voice to express who they are and how they make their lives and communities better.

Purpose: 

The 4-H shooting education club Bow Benders is for the development of club members to occur through 4-H archery and air pistol project work; club meetings, demonstrations, and community service; club, county, district, state, regional, and national 4-H events; and other activities.

Meetings: 

Monthly club meetings occur on Sundays through the month.  Archery meeting practices are held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons of the month.  Air Pistol meeting practices are held on the 2nd and 4th Sunday afternoons of the month.  Due to being an outdoor sport Bow Benders does take the winter months of November through February (March temperature and weather dependent.)

Occasionally, the Club will have Business meetings outside of our normal practice schedule to plan for upcoming events, discussion, and to get information out to the group.  In March, we hold our "Welcome Back," Business meeting to go over expectations and schedule for the new season.

Bow Benders is meant to be a fun way to learn the sports of archery and air pistol.  While there are opportunities for competition that are highly encouraged, they are not required.  We do encourage members to complete their 4-H Project Books for the shooting specialty they participate with (can be found on the Resources page).

Fauquier County 4-H frequently has additional events and opportunities at other times that we highly encourage our members to participate, but are not required.

Parent (or Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, etc.) Involvement:

4-H Club Membership is free thanks to the 100's of volunteers that offer their time to organize activities for our clubs.  Volunteers help us to run practices safely, put on fun events for the Club members, and assist in fundraisers and other events.  

If you are interested in volunteering with our club please reach out to Nic and Hannah Wall at fauquierarchery@gmail.com for more information.

Club Activities: 

• Practices

  • • Practices are held twice a month (based on weather, holidays, and availability of practice locations).  Parents and family members are encouraged to stay and watch, however, safety practices will be strictly enforced.  

      • If a younger family member can not safely watch, they may be asked to sit in a vehicle or other area for the practice time.

    • Practice sign-ups are done in advance through Sign-Up Genius to make sure we have enough lanes and equipment for those who are participating the practice time.  

• Competitions

  • • The Club gives the opportunity for members to compete at 4-H District and State Shooting Competition events.  Participation is not required, but highly encouraged.

    • There is a fee for participating in competitions that is set by the competition organizers.

• Fundraisers and Volunteering

  • • Occasionally the Club does have a fundraiser to raise funds for Club equipment or other needs or a volunteering opportunity to support our local community.

Membership: 

Right now there is a wait list to join Bow Benders, and we have had to limit membership to Fauquier County residents only.  To participate in Bow Benders members need to:

• Be 10 years old or older (Air Pistol 11 years old by Oct 1, 2022)

• Be a Fauquier County Resident

For more information about how to get on our waitlist please email Nic and Hannah Wall at fauquierarchery@gmail.com.

Contact

For more information, please contact Nic and Hannah Wall at fauquierarchery@gmail.com.