Shooting for Success

            There was a time when I thought there was something I could not do.  The impossible thing was to shoot a shotgun.  It was my first year at Boy Scout Summer Camp and I had to take T21 (Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class).  T21 helps first year Scouts get to First Class in only two years, jump starting them on their way to Eagle, which is the highest rank in Boy Scouts.  Other than T21, I was taking Archery, one of the hardest merit badges for first years to complete, because they are usually not physically developed enough to handle the bow.

            My merit badge counselor’s name this year was Jake, one of the meanest merit badge counselors.  During free time we could do many different thinks like shoot shotguns, shoot rifles, shoot bow and arrows, swim, and go to the Trading Post.  Archery was free, but I had to pay for ear buds and chits for shotgun and rifle.  The chits are the tickets used for shotguns and rifles; 5 shots for a shotgun chit and 10 shots for a rifle chit.  Most of these were bought from the Trading Post.

After my T21 and Archery classes, Alex and Jimmy, who are other Scouts in my troop, and I went to the Shotgun range to shoot for fun.  I was a little scared to be honest.  I wanted to be last so I could steel up my nerves to shoot.  Before I knew it, it was my turn to shoot.  For a while, I was scared that the shotgun would backfire and blow my shoulder off, but then the guy in charge told me to relax.  After I had gotten over my fear, it was great; the feeling of it, it’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ll try.  The feeling was like being on a roller coaster; the anticipation as the roller coaster climbs up the track matched my initial fears.  The adrenaline, fun and exhilaration when it finally reaches the top and goes over spiraling downward was how I felt after taking my first shot.  The noise of the shot was like a thunderclap.  The kickback of the shotgun felt like being punched in the arm really hard, in a good way.  The bullets zipped out of the gun like rain causing the clay pigeons to shatter and fall like breaking china plates.  When it was all over, it felt like the happiest moment in my life multiplied by 100.  After that, nothing felt better except maybe shooting at the Archery range, which is where I spent most of my free time practicing for the merit badge, which I did earn in my first year.