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Women's shooting group wins award

The Annie Oakley Shooters of Northern Illinois.
Courtesy of the Annie Oakley Shooters of Northern Illinois.
The Annie Oakley Shooters of Northern Illinois.

The Annie Oakley Shooters of Northern Illinois received an Outdoor Excellence Award from the Illinois Conservation Foundation in December.

Vice President Crystal Curfman says that shooting is a little like playing golf.

“Those registered shoots, you know, can be 100 target events," Curfman said, "but if you're going out and practicing on your own, you can shoot about one box of 25 shells. You can shoot two boxes. It's totally up to you. It's no different than somebody going out and playing 18 holes of golf versus nine holes of golf.”

Curfman also says that winning the award shows the group is on the right track.

“We're completely honored by the award," Curfman said, "but I guess what it means to me is that what we sought out to do and who we sought out to impact is working and, and we should be really proud of the entire group.”

The organization was founded a little more than two years ago. It’s a women’s only clay shooting group. Since then, they’ve hosted hundreds of women at clinics and events around northern Illinois. More than half of these were first time shooters.

Women can get involved in the group by following them on social media or checking their website for upcoming events.

Jess is a graduate of the University of Vermont and Northwestern University specializing in health, environment, and science reporting. Jess is a reporter with WNIJ, Report for America's Ag and Water Desk and Harvest Public Media.