Wyoming Sisters Shine at Nationals

Two sisters from Powell, Wyoming walked into the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championship having trained for disciplines their home state doesn't even run.

Driving the news: Esther (18) and Ellie (17) Feathers competed June 21–26 in Grand Island, Nebraska, representing Wyoming in the .22 rifle division against more than 800 competitors from across the country.

By the numbers:

• Ellie placed 6th in silhouettes, 10th in CMP Rapid Fire, and 12th overall individually
• Esther placed 4th in CMP Rapid Fire and 23rd overall individually
• The field spanned nine disciplines, each with three separate events

The catch: Wyoming 4-H shoots four positions and doesn't include silhouettes — so neither girl had practiced shooting animal-shaped targets at distance before arriving at nationals. Ellie took sixth in that event anyway.

"I had never practiced silhouettes until the week of the competition and I took sixth." — Ellie Feathers

To close the gap, Esther spent two weeks working through the national rulebook with her sister and their father, Patrick Feathers, so both girls understood exactly what they were walking into. That kind of preparation — quiet, unglamorous, effective — explains a lot about how they compete.

The intrigue: This was Esther's final national 4-H competition after nine years in the sport. Rather than reflect on her own results, she pointed the spotlight at her younger sister. "I have watched Ellie come by and completely blow my scores out of the water," she said. "I think this year Ellie is going to blow the state record out of the water."

Behind the results are two people the sisters credit directly: their father, who handled equipment, motivation, and range logistics; and Starla Craig of Powell, their 4-H shooting and safety instructor — who also taught Patrick Feathers to shoot when he was a 4-H student decades ago.

The bottom line: Competing in unfamiliar formats, against the best young rifle shooters in the country, the Feathers sisters didn't just hold their own — they placed. Ellie has one more year of eligibility. Watch Wyoming's state record in .22 rifle.