Despite the winter storm, Sedona resident Cody Kirkham won the National Winter Range Championship on Feb. 24.

“Cody is very self-motivated, he focuses heavily on the big matches and this was an unusual competition,” Greg Kirkham, Cody’s father, said. “We got caught in the storm, so two out of the three days featured rain, hail and heavy overcast.”

Cody got off to a slow start during the first day as the weather made its mark on the outcome of the match.

“The first day he had a miss during the height of the storm and I think it helped him focus,” Kirkham said. “I think what Cody does well is stay within his edge. He typically creeps up as far as he can without going overboard.”

“The challenge was keeping the firearms as dry as possible and that took a lot of work,” Kirkham said.
“Usually, Cody just focuses and does his own thing and he shot an incredible match last month.”

Winter Range took place at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix.

“Since it is located in Phoenix, Winter Range draws the largest cowboy action-shooting event in the United States,” Kirkham said.

“Winter Range is put on by an incredibly devoted group of shooters from all over the nation. It is also a nonprofit event, so the proceeds go toward multiple separate
causes.”

Only 640 of the 750 registered shooters completed the competition.

Kirkham won his third overall national title with a time of 200.59, less than six seconds faster than runner-up Robyn DaVault, who shot 206.26.

Winter Range featured participants from 48 states and 13 countries.

The top 16 fastest shooters featured participants from the United States, Canada, Norway and Germany.

“We also had a Swedish participant finish in the top ten, so it really is an international
event,” Kirkham said. “Everyone in the United States is competing for the national championship.”

Cody shoots a replica of a lever-action 1873 Winchester made by Uberti, two Ruger Vaqueros — all in .38 caliber — and a 12 gauge side-by-side shotgun by SKB.

Cody is finishing his senior year at Sedona Red Rock High School.

“He did not train as hard, he has a lot of other things going on that have taken up his attention,” Kirkham said. “When it came to the performance, he was still sharp, so it was like he had been training.”

After graduation, Cody Kirkham said he aspires to be a firefighter.

“He is currently enrolled in the fire science program at Yavapai College,” Greg Kirkham said. “After high school, he hopes to get hired onto a fire department.”

Kirkham’s next event is the World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting on Thursday, June 13.

The event is held at the Single Action Shooting Society’s world premier shooting facility, Founders Ranch in Edgewood, New Mexico, and lasts over 10 days.

“Cody is training for his emergency medical technician test, so we are hoping the dates do not conflict,” Kirkham said. “We are looking forward to it though, as it is another opportunity to meet people from all over the globe.”

Cody is not new to the limelight, having also won the 2018 Winter Range and the 2016 Winter Range alongside his sister Jessica.

“It was the first time this millennium that siblings had ever won a national championship,” Greg Kirkham said.
Marksmanship runs in the Kirkham family, as Jessica is a champion in her own right.

From 2012 to 2015, Jessica won Overall Lady’s Champion at the Bordertown competition and Overall Lady’s National Champion at Winter Range.

“We started shooting as an event the entire family could partake in, but it just so happened that Cody took an interest to it,” Kirkham said. “It is a very self-motivating activity because we only shoot for trophies and buckles instead of cash.”