Kansas Compound Archery Team, from left, Barrett Pirtle, c0ach Brad Boulanger, Dylon Harris, Wylee Boulanger, Nathan Livingston. Keri Harris photo.
For the first time in 22 years, the state of Kansas is the home of the National 4-H Shooting Sports Sweepstake Championship team. Two Frontier District 4-Hers represented the state in the archery-compound discipline at the national contest, held June 26-July 1, 2022, in Grand Island, Neb., and also helped claim the first archery-compound national championship for the state of Kansas.
Dylon Harris, North Osage 4-H Club member, from Osage County, and Nathan Livingston, Rambling Ranchers 4-H Club member, Franklin County, both in the Frontier District, along with Wylee Boulanger and Barrett Pirtle, both of Greenwood County, represented Kansas as the Archery-Compound Team.
Brad Boulanger, Greenwood County, was selected as the Kansas Team Archery Coach for the National Team.
The Kansas Archery-Compound Team claimed first place in the FITA (World Archery Federation) and 3D competitions, was runner-up in the field division, and claimed the overall 1st place compound archery title, for the first time in the history of shooting sports, which began in 1980.
During the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships, 4-Hers from across the nation competed in one of nine disciplines they had qualified for during state contests. Only 4-H senior participants (ages 14-18) are eligible to compete at nationals, and are selected based on their state finishes in the following disciplines: air pistol, air rifle, archery-compound, archery-recurve, hunting skills, muzzleloader, shotgun, small bore pistol and small bore rifle. 4-Hers are only able to compete in a discipline at the national level one time; but can compete in various disciplines if their state offers that discipline and they qualify for the event.
Although 4-H shooting sports began in 1980, the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships didn’t begin until 2000. The Tom Davison Sweepstakes is awarded to the state that has a complete team (competing in all nine disciplines) that accumulates the highest points for the year. This year, seven states were able to compete in the sweepstakes contest, with Kansas claiming their first ever sweepstakes by two points. Louisiana was second, with Texas placing third. Other states competing in the sweepstakes were: Colorado, South Dakota, Missouri and North Carolina.
Livingston, Harris, W. Boulanger and Pirtle competed against 113 other archers in three contests with their compound bows: FITA, field and 3D. The team claimed first in FITA with Pirtle placing second, W. Boulanger placed sixth, Harris was 22nd, and Livingston was 30th. In the field division, Kansas placed second as a team with Pirtle again finishing in second place, W. Boulanger in 26th, Harris in 32nd, and Livingston was 68th. In the final division, 3D, the team claimed the title with Pirtle placing third, W. Boulanger in fourth place, and Harris in ninth.
Individually in the archery-compound division, Pirtle was named National Runner-up, W. Boulanger placed fourth and Harris was 13th.
Dylon Harris is the son of Delvin and Keri Harris, Overbrook, Kan., and a 10-year member of the North Osage 4-H Club. Dylon said it was an honor to be part of the national championship team and to bring a national title to Osage County Shooting Sports program and the North Osage 4-H Club. Harris also participates in shotgun events which includes trap, skeet and sporting clays and he hopes to end his 4-H career by returning to nationals as part of the Kansas 4-H Shotgun team.
Information and photos thanks to Keri Harris.
