Teen duck-calling ace wins world champs
A Manawatu¯ teenager has become the first non-american to be crowned junior world duckcalling champion.
Ritson Galloway, 16, has returned from the United States, where he made the sound of a dream come true. He had been working hard to earn a chance to represent New Zealand in duckcalling for most of his life.
Duck hunting is a Galloway family tradition and Ritson has been imitating ducks since father Andy and grandfather Rusty Galloway first took him out with them when he was 3.
Ritson started entering competitions when he was 9. He won his first Manawatu¯ title at 11 and has been showing flocks of veteran callers with years of experience over him how it is done ever since – including taking the national title for the second year in a row in September.
The world championship, held in a small Maryland town this month, was a brilliant cap to Ritson’s first trip overseas.
‘‘It was a bloody amazing experience. I loved every minute of it,’’ he said.
Ritson led the field from the first round. But the competition kept nipping at his heels, forcing a tiebreaker, which he aced – winning the final round by 200 points.
Although the junior competition was restricted to under 17, Ritson also faced off against the older, veteran callers in the open duck-calling competition, like he did for his national titles.
He narrowly missed qualifying for the senior finals by one point, to finish sixth overall.
‘‘It is next level compared with the competition here, so I was really stoked.’’
Ritson almost went to the world championship last year, after winning the New Zealand Duck and Goose Calling Championships in Taupo¯, but was too busy with NCEA tomake the trip.
He received a second chance when he scored the national title again this September with a near clean sweep, taking out four of the five categories he entered.
‘‘My next goal is to get into the top three at the worlds within the next three years. And I want to get into business making and selling duck callers.’’