OOGDEN, Utah -- The Hill Air Force Base archery club hosted the Arrows and Afterburners competition over the weekend of March 22, 2024. And to Master Sgt Jared Jeppsen, the president of the Hill archery club, it’s sharing his passion for the sport to those living on and off base.
“I've been in the club for a couple of years now and we do get quite a few people that are at contractors and military,” said Jeppsen “but a lot of military guys have no idea that we're on base.”
The competition was held at the Weber County Archery Park, is a multi-class archery competition where those of all experience levels were welcomed. Over 150 archers ranging from kids to seniors, came and participated. Though many came to shoot for the fun of it, there are those that came for the more challenging twist to a standard archery competition.
“We introduced a brand new competition a couple years ago called The Rhino Class. Where you carry a 30 pound pack for guys or a 22 pound pack for girls, and you shoot the targets and scoring systems differently and get penalties for hitting the body instead of hitting the vitals.”
With animal targets ranging from small raccoons to large bucks, the Rhino Class Competition is meant to challenge even the most experienced archer. Target size, difficult angles, dense foliage, and weather can ruin a perfectly lined shot.
“It's not easy. You look at targets ranging from 17 yards all the way up to 64 or five yards. especially when you add a backpack and we are expecting some rain on Sunday,” said Jeppsen. “So it will be a challenging thing for people to come out and try to overcome.”
Arrows and Afterburners is the first of three legs in what the Hill archers called the triple crown. In conjunction with the Cache Archer and Brigham Bowmen clubs, they will host these competitors in the upcoming months to see who will take home the grand title. But at the end of the day, the goal for these clubs is to get more interested.
“Our mission as the club is to get more people the opportunity to do something fun.”
If you are interested in joining the Hill Archers Club, they meet on base on every second Wednesday of the month. Those that are members will have 24/7 access to the multiple base archery ranges. Call Outdoor Recreation for more information at 801-777-9666.