With
4-H enrollment in full swing, it is important for all to understand
Texas 4-H Rules for cross county participation. These are state wide
rules,
applicable to all counties and projects, and affect many project areas
including the Shooting Sports Project.
Some
counties do not have an active Shooting Sports project or do not offer
all of the shooting disciplines. The best option in this case is to
recruit
a willing adult or group of adults to be trained as Certified 4-H
Shooting Sports Coaches in the desired shooting discipline and start a
project within your resident county. Please contact your county office
for information and assistance with starting up a
Shooting Sports project group or club. See the Training Opportunities section
on the 4-H Shooting Sports website (http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/shootingsports) for more information about coach training.
If a project is not offered and cannot be started, the following excerpt from the 4-H Rules & Guidelines publication (http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/files/2012/09/TX4HMGT-RulesGuidelines-1213.pdf)
explains how youth in a county without a Shooting Sports Project may
choose to participate in a Shooting Sports Project in an another county.
These rules apply to all Texas 4-H members and project areas.
“Membership Requirements
o
A youth applies for 4-H membership when he/she either completes an
individual paper enrollment form, or individual online registration via
4-H CONNECT. Membership is not active until
applicants registration is entered onto 4-H CONNECT and approved by the
County Office. A youth participates in 4-H by belonging to a chartered
4-H club or county program or any recognized unit of membership in the
county where he/she resides.* Membership cannot
be held simultaneously in more than one county or state, but membership
may change with residence, as long as the member participates in a given
project in only one county or state.
§ *Exception
- If a 4-H member lives near a county line or if a
specific project is not offered in his/her home county and it is more
convenient, desirable, or logical to belong to 4-H in another county,
he/she may request permission to join 4-H in that county if the county
Extension staff in both counties approve. Approval
should be in writing. Request to change counties should be based on
concerns that affect the youth member developmentally (i.e.: requesting
to change counties because the adjoining county’s livestock show sale is
better will not be approved). If a specific
project is not offered in the county of residence, and the 4-H member
wants to participate in 4-H project work in an adjoining county, they
may; however, they must enter competitive activities through the county
in which they have their membership. This agreement
of cross-county membership must be renewed annually between the involved
county Extension staff and the 4-H member/family.
See
Section 3, for participation in specific events and activities, which
have additional entry requirements beyond being a member."
These rules accommodate a variety of Shooting Sports project scenarios that include but are not limited to the following:
· A
youth may enroll in their resident county that does
not offer the shooting sports project and participate in shooting sports project work with a different county
that offers the desired shooting sports discipline project area. However, to participate in any 4-H events/competitions, the youth must participate as a representative
of their county of enrollment (the resident county).
· A
youth who resides in a county that does not offer the shooting sports project may enroll in a different county
(non-resident county) that offers the desired shooting sports discipline project area. To participate in any 4-H events/competitions (across all 4-H project
areas), the youth must participate as a representative of their county of enrollment (the non-resident county).
All cross county participation/enrollment scenarios require approval and agreement by both County Extension Offices
involved. Approval and agreement must be documented in writing and on file in both county offices.
Please contact your County Extension Office or the State 4-H Office if you have questions about these rules!
