RAPID CITY - It's a sport that teaches concentration, focus and commitment, things kids will take with them into their adult lives.

Those are three of the reasons B.J. McGuire teaches kids to target shoot.

The other reason is more obvious. He wants to share his love of shooting with the next generation.

McGuire has coached a junior shooting program for the past 21 years in Rapid City. The team, now sponsored by the Rapid City Rifle Club and supported by the South Dakota National Guard, teaches marksmanship with a focus on recreational shooting and rifle competition. The program usually has from 45 to 50 kids who participate.

The Rifle Club program, which begins team training in January, is actually just one of three in Rapid City designed to teach kids the sport of target shooting.

The VFW Post 1273 currently offers a free class for kids each Tuesday, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the VFW building at 420 Main St. The program teaches kids safety and target shooting using pellet rifles. Coach Dennis Bush said the organization is hoping to expand its program and organize an official rifle team this year.

But Bush said it's challenging to get a steady group of kids because there are so many extracurricular activities available nowadays. "What we're trying to do is get as many kids as we can. Teach them gun safety. Teach them how to shoot accurately," he said.

Pennington County 4-H also has a shooting club, which begins training in January. The club teaches BB guns, air rifles and air pistols and is considering adding .22 rifles to the program.

Both the 4-H club and the Rifle Club, which starts kids on BB guns, progress them into air pellet rifles and then move them into .22 rifles. Both clubs travel to competitions throughout the state and have members who've garnered national attention.

For instance, Rifle Club team member Shelby Cammac, 16, of Sturgis earned a slot in April at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, where she placed third in her age bracket and 11th overall.

That kind of success is just what coaches like Bush and McGuire love to see. And they hope to attract a new crop of shooters in 2009, kids who just might follow in Cammac's footsteps.