RBC | The Rio Blanco County 4-H shooting sports archery team traveled to Pueblo this last weekend to compete against the top archers in the state. The junior compound limited team consisted of Eli Bennet, Auri Murray, Dawn Arnold, Jemma Bair, Taylor Kirkpatrick, and Heath Bennet, they came home as the first place state fair team. Individual competitors Ali Healy and John Bair also competed in their respective categories.
Their coaches had the following to say: “Our archers drew the short straw and had to shoot later in the day during 100-degree weather along with the afternoon winds that decided to make an appearance. We knew we had a good team this year when we saw the scores at our county shoot. Across the board the kid’s score’s increased by at least 30 points compared to last year’s county results. They competed against 135 kids. We had five kids place in the top 30 in the state, Eli Bennett placed first in his class, four shooters were in the top 15. We are so proud of their improvements and as always, their teamwork and positive attitudes. The future is promising as a few of the team members move up into the senior class next year. We also added a handful of new shooters this year and we look forward to seeing what they will do in the future.”
The shooters got a chance to develop new friends from neighboring counties and compete at a difficult venue. They represented our county well and we hope that everyone will congratulate them on their accomplishments when you see them around town.
“We want give a special thank you to the Meeker Sportsman’s Club and the Meeker Rec Center for allowing us to use their facilities and equipment all year for practice and special events. And thank you to the many sponsors who stepped up and helped us give more buckles at the county fair than ever before.”
