The Riverton Rams archery team is fresh off a Kansas State Championship in the high school bullseye competition, accumulating 3,724 points as a team to earn the title and qualify for nationals.
“It was such an honor to be able to be part of the team that is going,” Haylie King said. “And I’m so proud of all the individuals that get to go to.”
Coached by Russ and Michelle Ferguson, this group of archers has been putting in the work behind the scenes in preparation for the national competition.
“This is the first year that we’ve had kids come six nights a week,” Russ Ferguson said. “They want it to get better so that’s gratifying to know that you’ve got kids just wanting to do better.”
Several of the Riverton Archers on the team have two years of experience in the sport or less in some cases. But that hasn’t slowed down this group’s development one bit.
“The satisfaction of seeing one come in their freshman year that’s never shot that’s now shooting 270, 280, 290, you know out of 300, you feel like you’ve accomplished something,” Russ Ferguson said.
Regardless of the level of experience for each individual, this tightly knit group encourages once another to hone their craft.
“We all know each other, we’re all trying to help each other improve, and we’re all trying to just make each other that much better,” Vincent Elliott said.
Now, with the national competition taking place in Utah from April 25-27, the Rams are dialed in on tuning out the noise and staying focused on one shot at a time.
“It’s just you and the target. No one else is there,” Elliott said.
While the Rams qualified as a team, Riverton also has one individual state champion in both the 3D and bullseye competition: Bailey Hodge.
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