Citizen Spotlight: Dantin McBee

At just 12 years old Excelsior Springs Middle Schooler, Dantin McBee has already reached some pretty impressive goals in the sport of archery. Dantin said he had always had some interest in archery but his involvement in 4-H has really helped him excel in the sport. As he’s grown in the sport he’s had the opportunity to join several clubs that have given him a chance to learn and grow even more. Aside from his participation in Ray County 4-H, he’s a member of the Missouri Bow Hunters, National Field Archery Association, Carroll County Bow Hunters, the Archery Shooters Association, and is on the Missouri Scholastic 3D Archery (S3DA) team called the Western X-Bandits, who are coached by Julie Griggs.

*Dantin McBee is making a name for himself in the competitive archery arena (photo S Jason Cole).*

Although he’s been participating in the sport for only the past four years Dantin has already racked up an impressive slate of awards. In 2022 he was named Shooter of the Year in Missouri S3DA. He also had the top combined scores in Indoor target, 3D outdoor, & Field for the three statewide archery tournaments. He also took first place at the Missouri Bowhunter 450, a statewide tournament. For the past three years, he has been awarded Best of Show Overall for Shooting Sports, and this year he took first place in Archery and first place in Trap Shooting at the Ray County Fair.

Dantin’s success at the state level has opened the door to participation at a national level. For the past two years, Dantin and his parents have traveled to Camp Minden, LA where he has participated in the S3DA/ASA National Youth Tournament. This year he took first place competing against a very strong field of competitors. He has also traveled to Metropolis, IL for the Matthews Pro/Am and Saint Bernard Abbey in Cullman, AL for the ASA Classic Shoot. All of Dantin’s winning ways over the past four years have led to a spot on the Victory Archery Pro Staff, who supply Dantin with his jerseys and three-dozen arrows each year.

*Dantin proudly shared his S3DA Shooter of the Year buckle (photo S Jason Cole).*

Dantin has made lots of friends participating in archery and looks forward to the camaraderie as well as the competition that the sport brings. He said there are always a group of kids who he can count on seeing at the tournaments he goes to, and they offer each other a lot of support and encouragement. Dantin has a lot of support from his family, friends, teammates, and clubs, but he said other than his parents he owes much of his success to his shooting coach. “I want to thank my coach, Julie Griggs, she’s helped me a whole lot with archery and I wouldn’t be here without her,” said Dantin.

When he’s not practicing his archery skills Dantin loves to go fishing and hunting, and is a big help on his family’s farm. One of his favorite yearly traditions is helping to make maple syrup from sap collected from hundreds of trees. Dantin’s parents Justin and Danelle McBee say they’re proud of Dantin’s focus and dedication that he gives to his interests. Dantin has certainly proven that he can put in the work and effort to succeed, and we’ll look forward to seeing where he goes from here.