Three young men from Natchitoches have made quite a name for themselves in archery. Their journey began with a love of bow hunting and has come to include 4-H, USA Archery, and NFAA all encompassing various styles of tournament archery. These styles include the following.
FITA is a form of target shooting competition used in international and world championship events, authorized by the Fédération Internationale de Tir à l’Arc (FITA), the world governing body of the sport. The round consists of 144 arrows, 36 at each of 4 distances.
Field archery involves shooting at targets of varying and often unmarked distance, typically in woodland and rough terrain. As well as being a sport in its own right, it can be used to improve the techniques and abilities required for bowhunting in a realistic outdoor setting.
3D archery is a subset of field archery focusing on shooting at life-size models of game and is popular with hunters. It is most common to see unmarked distances in 3D archery, as the goal is to accurately recreate a hunting environment for competition.
All three of these styles are offered in 4-H competitions and each of the young men have won the state title in FITA, Field and 3D. Coleton Anderson won the State Junior Titles in FITA and 3D in 2018. William Morrison won the State Junior Titles in FITA and 3D in 2017. Bradford Morrison won the State Senior Titles in FITA and 3D in 2017. From the 2018 season thru the 2020 Regional Shoot, the young men have played fruit basket turn over with each of them taking a first place in one or more categories at a regional or state 4-H tournament all the while encouraging and competing against each other. They have not limited themselves to archery but have also all three won State 4-H Records Competi- tions.
From the beginning of bow hunting to 4-H tournaments to USAA and NFAA Events, they have traveled from Las Vegas, Nevada to Dublin, Ohio and from College Station, Texas to Newberry, Florida shooting archery and making friends. As with any other competitive sport a daily routine of practice was maintained thru out the year to meet the demands of both outdoor and indoor competitions.
A little over two years ago Bradford, William, and Coleton earned coveted spots on Archery Learning Center’s National Hornet Team and have increased their knowledge of all areas of archery under the tutelage of the Hornet Coaches. They have learned shooting skills, equipment management, bow variations, target and field course construction, and much more.
Bradford graduated high school this year and plans to continue shooting archery with the Hornets in his college years. William and Coleton are continuing their high school studies and will be eligible to shoot 4-H for at least one and two more years while also continuing with their Hornet team.
It has been an exciting journey for these young men and their families and even with the unknown of the future with the present national state, there are still definite plans to continue with archery!
