Dalton Hinkle: A National Archery Champion

Dalton Hinkle is a local archery superstar. His most recent win placed him third out of 2,605 people at the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) World’s Tournament. Dalton placed first out of over 14,000 people at the NASP National’s Championship, meaning that he was the Top Overall Archer in the United States. He also placed fourth at the State NASP Championship.

At the World’s Tournament, Dalton shot for a $20,000 scholarship. He was successful, shooting a perfect 50 out of 50. He shot with the best of the best and still managed to come out on top. The Henderson Archery Program and Henderson County School System is very proud of him.

Dalton has been a part of NASP for 10 years, having joined when he was only 7-years-old. He says he has been shooting, however, since he first learned to walk. Dalton says his father is the reason he first picked up a bow, as he also shot competitively during his childhood. 

During these competitions, you are tested mentally and physically. He said that clearing your mind is sometimes harder than shooting but is just as important. Dalton is a bullseye shooter, meaning he deals almost exclusively with basic targets. Dalton’s best score of the three competitions was at Nationals, where he scored 299 out of the possible 300 points. He says he has been inspired to do better during competitions because he began mentoring fellow archery student, Christian Jones. “I started coaching him and mentoring him and everything and now he’s getting a shirt that says ‘Dalton’s Mini-Me’.”

Dalton owes all his success to God. That was one of the first things he said when he sat down for the interview. “I’m very religious. I’m a Christian, and I give God the glory for a lot of things, including my talents that He has blessed me with,” he said. Dalton goes to Landmark Missionary Baptist on 41 A, and they are always welcoming new members. He is an avid church goer and teaches high schoolers at his church. 

Dalton is not only involved in archery; he is also on the Rifle Team at Henderson County High School through the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program. He has an extreme talent for marksmanship that carries through in multiple mediums. In the JROTC program, he is a Cadet Captain. He has been involved with JROTC since his freshman year and will be continuing it into his senior year. After high school, Dalton has already enlisted to go into the Air Force.

When asked if he wanted to thank anyone for supporting him, he mentioned his family and his girlfriend, Sarah. Dalton says Sarah has been his “biggest supporter and number one fan.” 

Dalton practices archery at least twice a week. He also works at Subway. In his spare time, he enjoys reading his Bible and hanging out with friends that allow him to clear his mind of all his stress and troubles. He specifically mentioned his two best friends, Reid and Jacob. 

Dalton offered advice to anyone wanting to pick up a bow. He said, “Keep your mind straight. Know what you’re shooting for. Everyone has a reason to shoot, just know what you are shooting for. I have two reasons. One is to show God’s glory, and the other is to shoot for the people that actually look up to me.”

Dalton is a very talented individual. His family, friends, and coaches are all proud of how far he has come and excited to see how far he can go. Henderson is lucky to be home to someone such as him. 

Kaycee Garner has lived in Henderson her entire life and plans to keep it that way. She loves animals and movies, and enjoys drawing with charcoal and working on local political campaigns in her spare time.