The Wichita South Archery Team qualified to compete in the JROTC Western Nationals and the National Archery Competition in Sandy, Utah on April 23rd, 2024. They competed in two different events. The bullseye (traditional targets) and 3D (animal-shaped targets). They have all worked so hard this year and are ready for the JROTC Western Nationals 3D championship. They are also wanting the NASP titles as well. I cannot be prouder of these guys and have had the pleasure to know most of them.

I had talked to one of the JROTC teachers, Mr. Rivera, and two of the JROTC kids, Kalon Kirk and Logan Freeland. Mr. Rivera has high hopes for everyone: “It’s exciting to be defending the title as well as qualifying for the NASP bullseye and 3D tournaments, it’s exciting to see the kids (Kalon and Logan) grow with the program.” He also mentioned it’s not going to be easy, but they’ve been working hard to get better.

I talked to Kalon Kirk, a senior this year who competed: “It’s extremely bittersweet. I felt extremely accomplished at my last archery practice today and I was proud of how far my team, and I have come. 3 years ago, we started out as a brand-new program with no experience or clue what we were doing and now we are one of the best JROTC teams in the nation with a chance to prove that we are the best NASP team in the nation.”

I also talked to another senior, Logan Freeland who competed with Kalon. “I’m excited I get to spend time with the archers. I can aim a lot better with shooting a bow because last year I was not that good but after a few months I got the hang of it. I’m going to miss hanging with everyone.”

With this being Kalon and Logan’s last archery tournament, what Kalon will miss the most is the smiles, the music, and the jokes.