AUBURN – Gusty winds impacted the 4-H archery shoot to kick off of the 2025 Nemaha County Fair Saturday, but senior competitors were not blown off course.

The senior division challenges archers with 60 arrows at a target 40 yards away. Willa Fritz of Verdon said her goal is a perfect score this year, but she’ll have to wait for the state competition.

Fritz: “Not my best. I don’t think I was quite prepared for the gusty wind. But this is good practice for me for the state 4-H.”

 

Josie Zimmerman, 16, offered some advice for the conditions.

Zimmerman: “Sometimes when you shoot maybe a little bit higher or lower you just have to adjust the tiniest bit, whichever way you need to. And then with wind, if it’s blowing to the right, you want to aim a little more to the left and vice versa.”

Fritz competes year-around in the S3DA program and indoor settings in Nebraska and Missouri. She credits an aunt for her introduction to the sport.

Fritz: “May aunt gave me a play bow from Walmart and we’re like ‘oh, there’s archery in 4-H?’ And we’re like ‘sure let’s go do it’ so I ended up buying a bow and started in 4-H.”

She expects to reach her goal this season and then take on an even tougher challenge with the tiny x inside of the center ring.

Fritz: “And next year I’m probably going to end up going all Xs. That’s going to be crazy.”