District Employee to Compete in Pro Am Archery Competition

Julie Gordon, Shawnee Conservation District, takes aim with a bow she uses in archery competition.

Julie Gordon, Shawnee Conservation District administrative officer, has been selected to represent the Pearson Archery Company at the Hoyt Pro Am archery competition in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 6-8. In Pro Am competitions, professionals and amateurs compete for separate awards in various categories.

Julie has been shooting 3-D archery competitively for a couple of years now. In 2007 she won several state championships in Oklahoma and Texas. In 2008 she ventured out and started competing on the national level. Being selected to represent Pearson at the competition is a "very big boost," Julie said. She will be competing nationally this year throughout the U.S. at several different Pro Ams including the one in Hattiesburg.

In 3-D archery, a course of 20-30 foam animals are set up in the woods or in a field to simulate a hunting situation. The scoring rings are where a hunter would place his best shot, with a 12 being the best placement. There are 3-D tournaments almost every weekend in Oklahoma and all across the country. There are qualifiers and state championship shoots, as well as the Pro Ams. Julie said that 1,500- 2,000 shooters compete at the Pro Ams for some "rather nice contingency money."

Julie's sponsors include Pearson Archery, HCG Grips, Coyote Bluff Archery, Spot-Hogg Archery Products, Trophy Blend Scents, Quail Ridge Hunting, and the Shawnee Conservation District.