Aiming for Success
Boyd County Middle School Archery Team Earns Consecutive Trips to Nationals
Deidra Bowling-Meade
Ashland Beacon
World Archery Champion Jesse Broadwater stated, “Archery is the ultimate test of skill, patience, focus and discipline.” For the last two years, Boyd County Middle School Archery team has put their skills to the test and scored high enough to complete at Nationals. Middle school archery teams must score 3000 or higher to qualify for state and national competition, and 3050 to qualify for the Open Championship.
This month, Boyd County Middle School Archery Team scored 3075, which is their best score for the 22-23 season.
The students who participated include: Isabella Adams, Cayce Blankenship, Michael Brickey, Baylee Brown, Landon Bryan, Patrick Bryant, Kolter Christy, Ava Cobern, Claire Conly, Blake Corey, Gunner Crouch, Braedon Dotson, Lynden James, Amelia Morgan, David Osborne, Katherine Pelfrey, Gracie Richardson, Anna Salyers, Christian Sanderson, Jacy Sanderson, Riggs Sparks, Wyatt Spencer, Caleb Sullivan, and Payton Wilson.
The Boyd County Archery Team has been coached by Christi Shelton and Bill Criss the last two years. Shelton discussed how the students prepared for competition, “During our regular competition season, our team practices twice per week after school, plus a special Wednesday class during school. We encourage every archer to set personal goals to better their highest competition score. The foundation and focus of each practice is the 11 Steps to Archery Success:
1. Stance
2. Nock
3. Set Draw Hand
4. Set Bow Hand
5. Pre-Draw
6. Draw
7. Anchor
8. Aim
9. Shot Set Up
10. Release
11. Follow-Through & Reflect
When practiced correctly and consistently, these 11 steps help each archer score consistently high in competition.”
Goal setting refines a person’s outcome by giving long-term vision and motivation. Shelton and Criss have seen growth in their players the last two years due to the team’s mindset. Shelton remarked, “Each year we discuss individual and team goals, and then organize our practices toward reaching those goals. Our goal each year has been for each student perform better than the year before and to qualify for state competition. We are glad to say that our team has gone above and beyond by also qualifying for Nationals each year. This year, our score at Nationals also qualifies for the NASP Open Championship held at Myrtle Beach, SC, in June.”
The archery program at Boyd County Middle School will continue to aim for success. Shelton commented on the future of this team, “We are very proud of our team's progress. We anticipate that our team will grow and improve even more in years to come.”
Archery is making a difference in so many of the students’ lives. It builds mental toughness and physical endurance. It’s a skill that can be used a lifetime. Shelton discussed the impact school archery programs play in students’ future,
“Many colleges and universities are now starting to implement new archery programs. There are numerous scholarship opportunities for students who wish to pursue archery after high school, so be sure to keep participating in archery programs in high school and beyond!”