On April 6 the Ray Welch American Legion Post 13 in St. Regis presented an award to members of the Montana 10X Shooting Sports Club.

Two of the team members Bailey Milender, and Heath Edison accepted certificates congratulating the team on becoming Montana’s Team Sporter Champion of the 31st Annual American Legion Junior Shooting Three Position Air Rifle Postal Tournament. To win such an honor it takes years of practice as well as precision.

That’s something that Superior High School Senior, Bailey Milender knows from experience. She shared, “I started shooting when I was in like 5th or 6th grade because I went to Hunters Education class and got to shoot one of the air rifles there and did fairly well. I knew that I was going to start hunting and I liked it a lot, so I decided to give it a try. And here I am today!”

Today, Milender is ranked 10th in the nation and anticipates qualifying to attend the National competition in Colorado Springs this coming July.

“Last year my main goal was to make it to the American Legion in Colorado Springs. This tournament is three rounds and only takes the top 15 in the nation. I ended up making it to the national tournament, but it was cancelled,” Bailey recalled. “I was really sad, but then I started working towards making it this year. It was also really upsetting for the National 4-H tournament because several of my team members have had that opportunity taken from them as well.”

Other members of this year’s Mineral County MT 10X team were Madeline Drey, Brydon Drey, and Mackenzie Chapman. Bailey’s father, also one of the teams coaches Richard Milender, explained, “We're down in numbers this year due to COVID.”

The shooting team is associated with two groups, Mineral County 4H as well as the MT 10X club. The MT 10X club operates under the Mineral County Shooting Sports Association. Richard said, “Main reason for this is for fundraising. The 4H regulations for fundraising are difficult, at best, to keep straight so we stepped outside them and created the club.”

MT 10X owns all of the rifles that are used by the team. They are .177 pellet air rifles. Each shooter is assigned 1 rifle that they use for the season. The shooters previously used CO2 but now they use bottles of compressed air which are refilled for free by the Superior Volunteer Fire Department. The bottles then stay at the Mineral County Shooting Sports Association building to cap-off rifles as needed.

The Sporter shooting category is competing with a low caliber air rifle at about 10 meters with no extra support. At tournaments competitors prove themselves in three different positions, prone, which is lying down and shooting on a mat, standing, and kneeling.

Bailey explained, “We do several tournaments through 4-H around the state in Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell, and other cities. There is also a National 4-H tournament in Nebraska that is really fun! Aside from 4-H we also go to a lot of tournaments affiliated with the NRA, CMP, American Legion, Army Nationals, and Junior Olympics.”

In conjunction with Montana 4H, the American Legion also has many youth programs available, and the MT 10X team competes under the Junior Shooting Sports program. The competition is made up of several rounds of postal shots where participants shoot targets at their local range facilities and then mail them in for judging. Richard stated, “The rules of the competition require us to be associated with a Legion Post who witnesses each of the postal rounds.”

During round 1 in the postal competition, they determine the best shooter and team in each respective state as well as qualify individuals and teams to get a 2nd round target. Richard said, “Round 1 state competition is what the awards were for on April 5.” In the 2nd round of postal shooting qualifiers vie for the opportunity to compete in the National shoulder to shoulder event held at the Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, in July.

In a normal year the competition starts with roughly 800 to 1,000 shooters around the country, but with COVID participation was about half that.

Qualifying for the second round requires individuals to shoot at least a 530 out of 600 possible points or be ranked in one of the top 10 teams. Richard explained, “Round 2 actually has two competitions associated with it, an individual and a team. The team competition in round 2 is to determine their national ranking, last year we were second in the nation. The individual competition is to determine who goes on to the shoulder-to-shoulder match and must be in the top 15. Bailey is ranked 10th right now so she will get to attend the national competition.”

Attending the national competitions are quite expensive with flights, hotel, food, and vehicle rentals. Richard shared, “The community, through fundraisers and direct donations, over the years has helped the kids attend these events and see parts of the country that many never have the opportunity to see. The nice part about the American Legion is that they pay for all of that for qualified shooters.”

Over the years, the team has been very successful, Richard stated, “I attribute that to those past coaches who established the program and have given kids the chance to compete and even continue competing in college with scholarships like Jonna Warnken. I think, at last count, there were 13 or 14 Montana shooters competing in collegiate level shooting programs. Unfortunately, all out of state.”

Richard has been involved with the team since his daughter Bailey started shooting when she was 12. Before that he didn’t know it existed. Richard remembered, “Bailey was attending hunter's education, taught by Deb Reagan. Donnie Warnken was there that day and asked if Bailey would be interested in shooting 4H. Michelle and Donnie were involved with the program and believe Deb had just stepped out but had been involved for many years prior to that.”

Bailey has been grateful for the chance to participate in shooting sports over the years.

"With this being her last season, she realizes it has made a lasting impact on her. “I would recommend shooting sports to any young group of kids because it opens up doors to so many opportunities. There are several scholarships they can apply to as well as scholarships they can win in tournaments. Not to mention there are so many incredible people I personally have met through this great sport, including my first college roommate. It overall is just a great sport and gets kids involved in their community and the extra-curriculars,” shared Bailey.

Her Dad echoed that sentiment. Richard said, “So much to talk about with this program and the kids, I could go on and on. It's amazing to watch them develop not just shooting skills but life skills. Some great stories and memories we've created. Last year was going to be my last year coaching but we couldn't find a replacement, so this is now my last year coaching. Although, I will probably continue to be involved in the MT 10X side with fundraising and helping future coaches.”

As an adolescent, in any kind of team setting where challenges are presented character molding occurs too. Bailey noticed, “I have learned that I tend to overthink. While a little negative I have also learned that I can stand being under pressure, and I will give it my best even when the situation is less than desirable.” While Bailey prepares for Nationals this summer in Colorado, she will also have time to reflect on this closing chapter in her life. She expressed, “I will for sure miss the environment and community within the sport. I absolutely love how close our team has been over the years and how supportive everyone is to one another! I will miss all the team members and being coached by my Dad the most though!”

The Montana 10X Team will hold its next fundraiser, their annual cornhole tournament sometime in August or September.