Union County Hawkeye 4-H Archery Club members make a name for themselves at the county fair
Aug. 6—LA GRANDE — As the sun set over the Blue Mountains, young archers stepped into the line for the Union County Fair 4-H Archery Competition. They nocked their arrows and set their sights on the rings of their targets.
"Fire when ready," said Jordan Null, her voice traveling across the Union County Fair Horse Arena.
Arrows whizzed toward hay bales. The archers quietly drew again from their quivers, zeroing in once more on the yellow center of the target face.
For the Union County Hawkeyes 4-H Club — the county's only archery club — the yearly fair may not mean livestock and showmanship competitions. But just as other 4-H members spend all year caring for their animals, these young archers have worked for months for the chance to show off their skills.
"Learning archery long-term is a much different journey than learning how to hit a target in a week," said Null. "Getting to see kids take that longer journey is really, really cool."
Null is one of the club's founding members. She first found a knack for the sport after taking a summer class 13 years ago. With a new passion for the sport, Null and her father Glen sought out a way to make archery a part of the county's 4-H program. By 2013, Null was shooting as an inaugural member of the club, led by Tommy Benitez, Brent Boulton and Cody Peterson.
Clayton and Casey Lowe — two of the club's current co-leaders — credited the many leaders and parents who have pitched in throughout the years to support the young archers and build the club's momentum.
Casey has been involved with running the club for almost 10 years. She watched Null grow up through the program. Now, Null helps teach current members.
"She was so itty-bitty," Casey recalled of Null. "I remember her just flinging it out there like a boss. It was great."
Over nine years ago, Casey helped establish the club's spot at the fair. She wanted members to feel that, as 4-H participants, they too could be an integral part of the yearly event. She also noted that having the visibility of a fair competition has helped kids see that shooting isn't quite as complicated as it looks.
"The livestock gets to be there and the home ec gets to be there," she said. "I wanted them to be able to be part of the fair."
Carole Ann Smith, a 4-H agent for Union County, said that clubs like this one are a great way for kids who may not have livestock or a knack for cooking and sewing to get involved with 4-H programs.
"This brings in kids who have other interests," she said.
Although there have been other shooting sports events at the fair in the past, archery has been the only shooting event on the schedule for the past few years. Because it's held on the outskirts of the grounds — for safety reasons — Smith said that fairgoers often don't know the event is taking place.
"It'd be nice if more people came and watched," she said. "They would really enjoy it if they did."
When the fair was shut down during the pandemic, Casey worried that the club would lose its momentum, especially because it was still a relatively new fixture of the fair. Nonetheless, in the past two years, the club's popularity has grown, reaching around 20 members during the 2021 season and 18 this year.
"It's grown and it's shrunk," Casey said. "But it's definitely been growing, which we like to see."
Many of the club's members this year, including Morgan Rynearson, are new. Rynearson, 17, has been shooting for over four years, and said that in between work, school and caring for her two pigs, she likes to practice shooting as much as she can.
"It keeps me busy," she said. "It keeps me out of trouble."
Throughout the year, members practice indoors at La Grande's Alpine Archery Fish and Fly. In the spring, they move outdoors to the Grande Ronde Bowmen range, where they practice shooting 3D targets, learn range safety and practice judging yardage.
The year-round practice seems to be paying off, as four of the club's members qualified for the national team. This year, club member Danner Burton was named reserve champion for the state of Oregon.
As the Thursday, Aug. 4, event wrapped up, club members filtered out of the arena to greet their family and friends. Casey, Clayton and Null stood in front of a stack of ribbons, poised to announce the final scores of the night. As club members looked on, Casey took a moment to thank them for their year of meetings, support and commitment.
"It's what keeps our club alive every year," she said. "Thank you guys very much."
Shannon Golden is a reporter for The Observer. Contact her at 541-624-6015 sgolden@lagrandeobserver.com.
