Page 30 - January/February 2023 Outdoor Oklahoma

“Having a good group of archers there has helped me to excel. They set
the tone way back when.”
This past June, Butts went to Kentucky for the USA Archery 3D Team
tryouts. “This is the highest you can compete in 3D archery. It’s like the
PROVIDED Olympics of 3D.” In fact, it’s USA Archery that selects Team USA for the
Olympic Games.
After two days, Butts and two others were selected to represent
the United States in the longbow category. He said it really wasn’t
until weeks later, when he
received the team shirt, that “It’s a very humbling and
the honor truly sunk in. “Until truly speechless experience
the jersey arrived, it didn’t to open up a package and see
really hit fully. No words
could describe seeing that. It a USA jersey with your name

was a defining moment. on the back of it .”
“It’s a very humbling and
truly speechless experience to open up a package and see a USA jersey
with your name on the back of it. And the realization of this whole jour-
ney really set in when I put it on for the first time.”
His 5-year-old son, Traeger, is following in his dad’s footsteps as an
accomplished archer. When the boy saw his dad’s Team USA jersey, he
said he needed one of those, too. Butts was a step ahead; he managed
to have a small version of the jersey made for his son.
“My little coach and biggest fan was just a little excited to get a
Father and son with matching jerseys. matching one, too. To see his eyes light up, it was just priceless.”
DON P. BROWN/ODWC

28 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA