The Wyoming 4-H State Shoot competition took place in Douglas the weekend of July 7-10 and while a number of Park County representatives did quite well, a Powell trio were rewarded with the chance to attend the Raton, New Mexico, Shooting Sports Award Trip.

According to the Wyoming 4-H Youth Development Program, University of Wyoming Extension, 14 Wyoming 4-H members are selected each year to attend an awards trip to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton. Twelve winners are selected during the Wyoming 4-H State Shoot based on their outstanding shooting skills and two additional winners are selected based on portfolios submitted demonstrating their passion for shooting sports. To determine the top 12 competitors at State Shoot, point values are assigned to senior-aged youth who indicate they would like to qualify for the trip. Points are obtained for up to three disciplines in which they finish in the top 10.

Out of a state field that had more than 600 shooters on hand, Bronson Smith, Emily Sweet and Maddy Hanks were all selected to join in the trip to Raton.

“It’s a reward, based on points accumulated, for doing well at state,” Sweet said. “So the more events you compete in, the better chance you have of going.”

The trip is a one-time deal though, and while the likes of Morgan Erickson and Lexee Craig did very well at the state competition, they had the good fortune of earning the Raton trip previously and are thus ineligible. Erickson, in fact, set a new state record in archery.

“I hadn’t really even done much shooting with a bow and arrow before this year,” he said. “The old record was 297 points out of a possible 450 and I got 325 points.”

The goal, obviously, is to do as well as they can in competition, with the competition adding to the enjoyment of it and the New Mexico trip an added bonus.

“For all of us, shooting was something we did growing up, for fun with our dads and families,” Sweet said. “This adds to the fun by seeing how good you are compared to all the other kids who are so good at it.”

“The Raton trip lets you also experience all sorts of other types of guns,” Smith said. “When you go down there, you bring your guns, other people bring all the different ones they have and you get to try all of them. It’s like a smorgasbord of shooting.”

Smith took first in the .22 rifle and second in the air rifle, with Hanks getting a win in the Outdoor Skills competition and sixth in the air rifle, while Sweet had a top-10 finish by getting eighth in Outdoor Skills.

“It feels amazing to finally be going to Raton because we always hear about the amazing stories from the kids who have gone,” Sweet said. “It’s going to be a blast and we have to thank our coaches, Brad and Janet Erickson, Starla Craig and Dale Estes. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.”