Scholastic 3-D Archery recently held their 3rd annual Western 3D National Championship at the Great Divide Ski Area and the 2nd annual Western Outdoor Target National Championship at the Siebel Soccer Complex in Helena, Montana. Helena is the capital city of the state of Montana and the seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena is known as the “Queen City of the Rockies” offering a blend of culture, history, and nature as well as exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities. Archers from across the United States met to compete for the title of “Western National Champion” in their respective class and division. All archers that shot the 2023 Western S3DA Indoor, 3D and Outdoor Target National Championships also qualified for S3DA Western National Shooter of the Year.
Archers arrived early Friday morning to compete in the qualification rounds of the Western Outdoor Target National Championship but were faced with nearly every weather condition possible. There were high crosswinds, followed by a little sun, then came rain and lightning delays. Archers were able to complete their qualification rounds but had to wait due to the high volume of lightning in the area to begin their elimination rounds. During the waiting period, the staff drew the winner for a Vortex Rangefinder that was donated, and Katrina Windom was the lucky recipient.
On Saturday archers switched over to the 3D format and shot the first leg of the Western 3D National Championship. The youth shot two challenging mountain ranges over the course of Saturday and Sunday. National Outreach Coordinator, Kristi Wilson reflected on the 3D portion of the tournament by saying, “This tournament had lots of wildlife and the kids were picking wild huckleberries while they were waiting to shoot. The terrain was rocky, steep, and absolutely breathtaking. The geography makes archery out west so much more different than how 3D archery is shot in the east. The Montana S3DA staff along with the countless volunteers were amazing and very accommodating.”
Montana S3DA State Coordinator, Jeremy Garness said, “There was some fantastic shooting in the Youth and Young Adult classes which set-up some exciting shootdowns. In the youth male open class, the shootdown was settled by a closest to the center of the lower 12 shoot-off where a mere 2 millimeters declared the winner. In all, it was a great turnout for Western 3D & Outdoor Target Nationals. We want to thank our many volunteers who made the weekend successful.”
The staff raffled three $50 Scheels gift cards with the recipients being John Bair, Kael Gross, and Sheridan Weaver. The Great Divide Ski Area donated a t-shirt and lift ticket punch card to the lucky winner Nels Haggeman.
The S3DA National Staff is already planning for future events and looking forward to the 2024 competition season. S3DA encourages archers and their families to take some time off from target archery and spend time in the great outdoors. If you would like to participate in upcoming conservation activities or simply learn more about the S3DA conservation program, we encourage you to contact S3DA National Conservation Coordinator, Patty Reel, (conservations3da@gmail.com).
To learn more about the Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) program follow us on social media @s3darchery!