On Saturday, MCHS sophomore McKenzie Woods competed at Wisconsin S3DA State Indoor Target Tournament for archery at Fond Du Lac Expo Center in Fond Du Lac, Wisc. She competed on the Kenosha Bowmen team and placed second.

“It requires a lot more mental focus and practice than people think,” Woods says. “I am proud of how my mental game went.”

Woods has been shooting for 8 years and won Archer of the Year in 2022. She recently just placed 6th place at the. Vegas Shoot on February 4th.

“I first got into archery because of my sister, Zoe. She started off at the park district and continued to encourage me to join. Preparing for Wisconsin state involved going to local shoots and practicing as much as I can in our basement if I wasn’t at practice. Wisconsin State was a lot of fun to see how I improved from last year. Last year I shot a 300 49x so I was really happy to see that I only dropped 8 x’s on Saturday. ”

Woods shot a 300 52x, which is one of the highest scores you can get. However, she is looking to improve for nationals in March. In such an intense sport she found comfort in her dad coaching and pushing her.

“I feel like I can improve by focusing on one thing at a time,” Woods says. “My Dad coaches so he pushes me to shoot more and helps me improve.” 

Woods was against a hard competitor who she tied with her at the Vegas shoot, Jadan Reed who placed first at state. Reed scored a 300 57 times. She recently became a serious contender in the S3DA shootouts.

“I would see her at tournaments but I didn’t know if she was in my category,” Woods says, “If I knew she was in the category at state I would’ve focused harder.”

Woods had her family, friends and her team members behind her and supporting her last weekend.

“Thank you to my family and friends who supported me at the archery tournament, and helped me through the day,” stated Woods. “I am excited to compete at NFAA nationals on March 16 and 17 in Kentucky.”