Shooting for gold

Yesterday marked the beginning of a three-day shooting extravaganza as youth archers of all ages compete in the 2026 national archery tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.

Twenty-nine Creston archers have joined thousands of students from across the nation in an attempt to earn gold.

“We started the season with about 99 archers and 53 of them made it onto state and then out of that 53, the high school and the middle school teams qualified to go on to nationals,” Creston Archery Team coach Jake Williamson said. “We’ve got really good kids across all the ranges. Our middle school team is phenomenal. Our high school team’s on a rebuild year, but they’re still doing awesome.”

Students can shoot in both bullseye and 3D. Bullseye shooting involves the traditional target with scoring rings, points ranging from one to 10. 3D targets are animal shaped. Targets include turkeys, coyotes, bears, deer, antelope and rams.

Along with the two teams, two individuals qualified for nationals on their own. Williamson’s sons, seventh graders Finn and Leo, ranked in the top 10 in Iowa.

In 3D shooting, Finn took first as middle school individual boy with 293, while Leo took second with 290. Finn also took second as middle school individual boy in bullseye shooting with a score of 290.

“It feels good [to see them succeed], but it would also feel a lot better if... there are so many of the athletes that are really close to that point too,” Williamson said. “I consider them all our kids, and I love to see my own kids do it, but I want to see other kids with them.”

Though the students have been shooting since November, Williamson said the national tournament is a little more intense.

“We’re used to 40 kids on the line and like a local tournament,” Williamson said. “State tournament, there were 167 kids on the line, and at nationals, there’s 500 kids.”

Williamson encouraged curious students to join the team next year. Though not a school-sanctioned sport, the Creston Archery Team has seen plenty of community support and high numbers since their inaugural team of 15 students in 2016.

“We’re glad to have more kids on the team and the school works really well with us,” Williamson said. “[The season] runs from right around Thanksgiving until all the way until May. The last couple years, there’s been a couple kids that have went on to the Open Champions, which is in June.”

Williamson said information on joining the group will be sent out to all students in October.

Headed to nationals on the high school team are seniors Kaycie Britten, Noah Brown, LJ House, Ryder Loudon and Lizzie Sprague, juniors Dylan Dornack, Hunter Kiley, Delaney Rooney and Candace Zollman, sophomores Jarrett Pingree and Lexi Slick and freshman Colton Decker.

On the middle school team are eighth graders Brynn Dornack and Jackson Howard, seventh graders Carlee Briner, Nolan Cochran, Ava Lane, Avery McNichols, Lincoln Means, Ava Schultz, Mason Slick, Chloe Stull, Silas Howard, Finn Williamson and Leo Williamson and sixth graders Braxton Brown, Dexter Strauss, Everly Weis and Wylee Zellweger.