Desert Valley 4-H shooting team aims for state title games

If you are driving through Socorro, Texas you may miss it. The El Paso Skeet and Trap Club home to the Desert Valley 4-H shooting team. The team has been in existence for 14 years and is home to shotgun shooters of all ages.

“My arm started hurting and I was like oh my gosh, that hurt,” 10-year old Aleigha Cruze said. “But, I am still here.”

The team is also competing for the 2017 Texas 4-H Shooting Sports State Games, but everyone at the range knows this game is one that takes intense determination like any other sport.

Xidney Salvosa, who has had a gun in his hands since the age of 6, said there is more than what meets the eye while on the range.

“It’s really an art because it takes a lot of practice and commitment and dedication to do it right and to be able to hit your target,” Selvosa said.

The Desert Valley 4-H shooting team is also home to some impressive talent, including Ethan Herrera. Herrera joined less than a year ago and already had the opportunity to try out for the USA Shooting Jr Olympic training.

Herrera, who is 15 years old, said the experience was beyond what he expected, and hopes he can take his talents with him well past El Paso.

“I want to join the Air Force Academy,” Herrera said. “They have an Olympic bunker team, and I want to try to join that.”

The sport itself can challenge everyone from beginners to experienced veterans, but if taken seriously, could provide scholarship incentives for students.

“The kids are able to shoot to obtain scholarships,” Tess Clark, the club manager said. “$100,000 in scholarships available at these shoots, and they give out $10,000 scholarships to kids with good enough scores and all of that.”

The shooting team is open for boys and girls, who are 9 years old and older, with safety as a top priority.

“They are trained with utmost importance on safety control and muzzle control,” Clark said. “It’s implemented on day one and continues every time they approach the field.”

4-H hosts their Annual Benefit Shoot every May, which typically houses about 300 people as all of the incentives go towards funding the growing program.

If you are hesitant about using a gun for a sport, it is worth giving it a try as the Desert Valley 4-H Shooting team is more than just a club, it’s a family.

“It is not just my 2 biological children,” Clark said. “I have 48 shooters and they are all my kids.”

The Desert Valley 4-H shooting team shoots at the El Paso Skeet and Trap club that is celebrating it’s 70th year of operation.

If you are interested in joining the team, call Tess Clark at (915)-526-8624 or visit dv4h.com