The Mississippi team of Romy Whistle, Bailey Garrison and Misty Page won the 2021 Ladies Bowfishing World Championship on Oklahoma’s Ft. Gibson Lake in August.
Whistle, from Nesbit, has been bowfishing for the past 5 to 6 years. She saw information advertising the tournament, which was the first all-women’s bowfishing event.
“I saw the advertisement and thought it would be fun, so I asked Bailey Garrison and Misty Page if they wanted to go with me and compete, and they were all in,” Whistle said. “We represented Mississippi in a field of 22 entries and proudly brought home the team championship along with a few individual awards.
“We had planned to go have fun, say we were part of the first- ever all-women’s championship, meet some new bowfishing peeps and maybe snag a prize or two. But to come home with a load of awards was way more than expected, and we were certainly grateful for the adventure and glad to say we did Mississippi proud.”
An impressive team
Garrison, a Byhalia resident who recently set the world record blue catfish by bow in Arkansas, finished second during both the day-shooter and night-shooter divisions. She also won the Molly Carpenter Hagler Memorial Award for her first-place finish as overall top shooter for the tournament.
Garrison also shot the biggest fish, a 25-pound gar.
Page, also from Bahalia, placed fourth in the night-shooter division.
“Randy Woodward is the founder of the tournament and (the) man behind the scenes who made this tournament happen,” Whistle said. “He is also the championship director for the Youth Bowfishing Association, and their championship tournament was also held at this same lake. It is a great venue for any kid wanting to participate in the sport, and they had 150 entries this year. He dedicates a lot of time and deserves to be acknowledged for all he does for the sport.”
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