McKenzie County ND

I was amazed again with our community when we hosted the State B3 Hockey Tournament February 29 to March 2. We can count on our community and its volunteers!

We have hosted many tournaments in the past, but this one was special. It was run almost entirely by volunteers not currently involved with the program!

You see, three of our teams, of older youth and experienced parents, were out of town for their state tournaments. That left only a small amount of people back in Watford City, with experience in currently running a tournament.

About 50 people, with about 1/3 of them involved in the program now, worked together to make this tournament happen.

One game was held on Friday night, four games on Saturday with a special Skills Competition organized on Saturday night and three games on Sunday.

We hosted teams from Fargo, Jamestown/Valley City, Devils Lake, Sidney, Williston and Minot. A special ice cream social for all our guests was held on Saturday night.

It is amazing how many details are involved in running such an event. Leadership and organization, adult/youth partnering, cooperation and team work were keys to our success!

The McKenzie County Archery Club hosted their 3-D Indoor Tournament on March 8 and 9. My son and I have been shooting with the group for three years now, and this year helped with setup and running of the tournament.

We assembled old Christmas trees, dry weeds, tree stumps, tree limbs, antlers, bones, tree bark and even bones around 25 targets, simulating natural surroundings. Tools like saws, drills, hammars and nails are used in the setup process. President Wayne Foreman says, “It’s a long process but we have fun doing it.”

Kids could shoot at 10 targets in a cub division, as well as all targets in the adult category.

This is a wonderful skill building event that allows plenty of interaction between all ages (our two-year old neighbor shoots as well as senior citizens.)

The tournament attracted 140 archers from across North Dakota and Montana and including all ability levels from state champion shooters to people who picked up their first bow this season.

The event also serves as a fund raiser for the group, as many participants shoot throughout the day.

It is exciting to see the numbers of archers, especially children, grow each year. Our club’s goal is to construct a new facility in the coming years.

(Resource: McKenzie County Farmer March 12, 2008 edition “Archery Club Hosts Indoor 3-D Tournament” story by staff writer Tina Foreman)