Cobden archer wins title

Cobden’s Forrest Blakley was a winner at the National Target Championship Archery Tournament held in Cincinnati, Ohio, Aug. 7.

Blakley, who won the 15-16-year-old division at the tournament three years ago, won the 17-18-year-old division this year.

“If he would have been shooting as an adult, he would have finished seventh in the nation,” said Patty Blakley, Forrest’s mother. “He’s slowly improving every year.”

Forrest competed and won at all four distances, including 90, 70, 50 and 30 meter targets.

In his 90-meter shoot, he defeated the entire United States 2008 Olympic team.

Forrest, who will attend Shawnee Community College in the fall, has a new coach for training, Larry Skinner.

Skinner was the former assistant archery coach at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. He has retired and is living in Moberly, Mo., where Forrest goes for training.

Forrest competed for the final time in the youth division and will compete in the adult division in 2010.