Cibola County 4-H Archery Team Makes History Becoming First in Cibola to Qualify for Nationals

GRANTS, NM – The Cibola County 4-H archery team is heading to nationals after placing first in the state championship. The 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships is held each June in Grand Island, Nebraska. The team is holding fundraisers and accepting donations to fund the trip.

This year’s New Mexico 4-H Shooting Sports Championships was held from May 4-7 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. The Cibola 4-H archery team, Sophia Bassett, Adrianna Landschoot, Richelle Villalobos, and Ralph Ortega, competed in the archery recurve event along with the other archery teams from the 4H programs across the state. The team placed first overall, and two members of the team even placed second and third individually. When speaking with the team about their reactions many of them said, “I was shocked when we won considering we started late.” The team only began practicing a couple months ago and two members even said they began three weeks before the competition.

The team also spoke about their thoughts on being the first 4-H archery team in New Mexico to qualify for nationals, “We are grateful for the opportunity… we just want to place, but even if we don’t it’s cool that we even got to go.” They also said “It is daunting, but someone had to be the first.” This is a big opportunity for the team because according to the 4-H state shooting policy: “An individual may participate only once at the National Level in any one discipline.”

At the 2023 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships the team will be competing in the archery recurve discipline which includes three events: the field round, the FITA round, and the 3D round. The archery team practices five days a week for one to two hours. They practice the various events that will be taking place at the National Championships. The team stated, “We are new to field shooting… we will begin practicing it soon.” Many of them have said they are most nervous for field shooting as well as 3D shooting. The field round consists of participants moving through a course and shooting at targets scattered throughout the course. The 3D round consists of participants shooting at targets made to resemble animals in their environment. The FITA round consists of shooters standing in a line shooting at targets. The targets are shot at various distances ranging from five to 60 yards.

When asked about what they would say to others who are just now getting involved in 4-H, and archery they said, “Give it time, be patient, you won’t be good right away.” They also said what they would tell their younger selves now that they are heading to nationals, “Start Sooner,” “Look at where we are now,” “Don’t get as frustrated,” “Shoot the cat, it’s worth more points.” Overall, the team is very excited to go to nationals and are glad for the opportunity.

The 4-H program is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing. For more than 100 years, 4‑H has welcomed young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, giving kids a voice to express who they are and how they make their lives and communities better.

In 4‑H programs, kids and teens complete handson projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles. Kids experience 4‑H in every county and parish in the country through in-school and after-school programs, school and community clubs and 4‑H camps.

Adrianna Landschoot - 2nd Place Ralph Ortega - 3rd Place Sophia Bassett - 8th Place Richelle Villalobos 19th Place