Your Daisy Nationals Checklist
Important Information for New and Repeat Daisy Nationals Teams
No matter if it’s your first trip to the Daisy Nationals or you’ve attended multiple times, there are things you can do at home to make your experience the most fun ever. Even though this is a serious NRA-Sanctioned Shooting Match, all the kids know that the Daisy Nationals is one long party. To make it the most fun possible, a little preparation is in order.
First, make certain all of your forms are completed online at www.daisynationals.com. Each team member must log in and complete his or her part of the registration.
Decorate your vehicle! We have a Car Decorating Contest, so make it good! We make rounds of the parking lots several times daily to photograph and judge the decorations, but if you want to make sure to be included, post pictures of it on your social media while you are on the way to Rogers, Ark. Tag us at Daisy Outdoor on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X. Our social media is very active during this time, so don’t neglect to send us pics via DM to get shout-outs..
Don’t forget your door decorations! The Daisy Nationals is the National Championship, but it’s also a big party. Decorate your door with posters, photos and such, and bring a pad of sticky notes to write good luck wishes to stick on other competitors’ doors
Painted Gun Contest
The Daisy Nationals has something for everyone. The Painted Gun contest appeals to everyone with an eye for art! Many of the youth involved in competitive BB shooting decorate their Daisys, and that’s encouraged providing they stay within the parameters of the rules.
The Daisy Nationals acknowledges these painted Daisy 499Bs with the Painted Gun contest. We have two divisions – painted by the competitor and painted by a professional. We will award first, second and third to the winners in each division. The winners of the “painted by competitor” division will receive gift cards, and the winners of the “painted by professionals” division receive award certificates.
The Painted Gun Contest is just another way Daisy strives to make the Daisy Nationals special for the youth competitors. For the rules on painting/decorating your competition Daisy, see the NRA BB Gun Rulebook (Section 3.4).
Painted Homemade 1st Place
Professional Painted 1st Place
What to bring
Your BB gun and associated gear – this should be a given, but double and triple check prior to loading up. Got your kneeling roll? Glasses?
Don’t forget the fun stuff – got cards to play in the hall while waiting for your turn to shoot or for your teammates to finish up? How about other (quiet) games? Also, think about things to do outside during the evenings. Games like cornhole and stuff like frisbees are good, plus there’s a pool at the Embassy Suites Hotel, so be ready to jump in and splash around
Prepare your costumes, T-Shirts and such. You know we have contests, right? Opening ceremony contests are fun for the teams. Your team can choose between dressing in themed costumes (past teams have appeared as SpongeBob and Harry Potter characters), T-shirts designed by the team, and Patriotic dress – maybe a Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam and red-white-and-blue everything. These take planning, so don’t wait if you want to win!
Practice more than shooting – there’s a decent chance you will be interviewed for local television or YouTube Airgun shows. Practice getting interviewed so you’re ready. What do you like about BB competition? How long have you been shooting? What got you into BB gun competition? (Your Mom or Dad will tear up if you mention the time you get to spend with them while practicing.)
Study for the test! Before the shooting starts you will be given a 50-question test that covers the Daisy Curriculum, NRA competition rules, the Daisy Nationals Match Program, and gun safety. Set up study groups. The 100 points from the text is added to each competitor’s final score, and it makes a big difference!
Barter Bar This traditional trading event is one of the highlights of the Daisy Nationals. You can’t imagine the fun and excitement if you’ve never attended. Teams bring items to trade with each other. Items should be (but don’t have to be) representative of the team’s state or city, or represent their love of the outdoors and shooting. For example, a Louisiana team might bring Cajun Spices or Mardi Gras items, and a Kansas team may bring shed antlers and pheasant feathers. Other good trading items are craft or woodworking projects. Here’s a hint – go to your local bank and ask for coffee cups or other premiums that the bank gives out to new customers. Try this at various businesses in your town. Along with these small items, there will be some really cool items that Daisy brings to trade, and we are tough traders. We won’t trade unless it’s a good trade. We will have special one-of-a-kind BB guns and such, so if you want to bring home the good stuff, bring some cool items to trade.
And, of course, don’t forget your swimming attire. After the closing ceremony everyone goes to the Rogers Aquatic Park for a swim party. It’s a blast!