By NATE KING
Salina Post
Seven members of the Central Kansas District (CKD) 4-H Shooting Sports program recently traveled south of Topeka to compete at the Kansas 4-H State Archery Match on Saturday, September 30.
To participate at the state level, youth must have shot an eligible score at one of several regional qualifiers earlier in the summer.
"We start practicing usually in the spring," said Cade Rensink, executive director for the CKD office. "Historically we've started even before school was out for the summer but this year we started right after school got out in May and the state shoot was here in September which was the end of the season."
Rensink said qualifiers, the name given to archery competitons, take place all across the state and occur typically each week of the archery season.
"We've gone as far as Hays to the west, Wichita to the South, Horton to the northeast. In years passed we've been clear down to Eureka," Rensink said.
In total, there were over 180 4-H members from 25 different local Extension units. Those making the trip from Central Kansas District (CKD) were Bailey Mader and Kaydence Freemen of Bennington, Charlie Klein, Coy Malmberg, Callan Rensink, and Colyer Rensink from Minneapolis, and Andrew Knopf of Gypsum. Mader and Klein shot in the Senior Age Division with all others entered in the Junior Age Division.
Rensink said those interested in competitive archery can start after they turn 10 years old.
"They can actually start practicing at the age of nine but the competition side of it won't kick in until they're 10," Rensink said. "This is just to give them a little bit extra time, extra size and a little bit of maturity, but that's relative at that age."
The cut-off age for competitive archery within 4-H is determined on January 1, so as long as a participant is 18 on January 1, they can still compete.
The district was represented in several classes including Open Compound, Compound Bowhunter and Barebow (Recurve). Each discipline consisted of a FITA Target Course and 3-D Trail Course. Combined scores for the two courses make up the Aggregate Score. Several season bests were obtained as well as two personal records.
In the Junior Division, three young men brought home awards. Coy Malmberg was fourth in Aggregate for Compound Bowhunter. In the Barebow discipline, Callan Rensink placed fifth in Trail and his brother, Colyer, placed third. Malmberg was fifth in the Aggregate while Colyer Rensink took fourth. The team of Callan Rensink and Coy Malmberg was named third high overall in Junior Barebow. This marks the first year there have ever been any state placers from the district.
When asked what interests kids about competitive archery, Rensink said it was because some young people want to participate in a program with a bit of "flair."
"They [4-H'ers] just want a little bit different flair than you know the other projects we offer," Rensink said. "They can participate with us and some of those kids do hunt but honestly for a lot of these kids, this is their sport. They are not maybe into football, baseball, or basketball, but this is this is their thing. And they do it more from the standpoint of they just want to be part of the team. They want to have a sense of belonging and have that mastery of a skill."
With the archery season complete, attention now turns to the State 4-H Shotgun Match on October 14 and 15 near Wichita. CKD will have seven youth contending for top spots in Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays.