Building a home on the range

Archery has made its way to Boone, and the team’s first season is underway after the announcement of the team was made last school year. Not only have the competitions started, but the team has been performing better each competition.

Since the team’s second competition at the Ryle Haven Games on Dec. 6 and 7, the team score has risen each competition with the most recent score being a 3078 at the “Ready for Region” shootout at Ryle High school on Feb. 1.

Even with this being a new team, junior archer Luke Smalley, says that they have become closer as the competitions go by.

“It is a small team of many different people but it just feels like we are all equal,” Smalley said. “We have definitely gotten closer over the past couple of weeks.”

Freshman archer Amisha Sharp, also said that the team is positive and uplifting towards one another.

¨I would say that everyone on the team is very encouraging,” Sharp said. “Everyone on the team is very supportive of everyone else.”

Archery coach Nora Cody has seen an improvement of another type from her archers as the season has progressed.

“Our biggest adversity has been the unfamiliarity of archery technique,” Cody said. “Archery requires form that is not natural and may even feel uncomfortable, and our archers have had to overcome preconceptions of what they think archery feels like and looks like. Now, they know the ‘why’ of the shot process steps and each archer has established ‘their’ shot.”

Smalley commented on how going to the first few practices and competitions with his new team made him a bit nervous.

“It was kind of scary joining a team that is brand new,” Smalley said. “I didn’t really know anyone but as practice and tournaments went on, we got a lot closer and it has gotten less and less scary to just hang out with all of them.”

Sharp commented on the new team and how it made her feel knowing that she could shoot archery for the school.

¨I was in archery from sixth to eighth grade and I was bummed knowing that there was not an archery team at Boone,¨ Sharp said. ¨But I was very excited when I was informed that Boone was starting an archery team.”

Sharp also commented on how it was comfortable and familiar to be shooting archery again.

¨As for the first few practices and tournaments, it had given me a nostalgic feeling to be holding a bow and shooting an arrow,¨ Sharp said.

With the team being brand new to the school, they needed to get new equipment that they could use for the upcoming season. Athletic Director Lance Melching said that the equipment for the team ended being worth about $4,000.

The school did not have to pay for it all though, as the team received grants from different programs to help fund the supplies. Quails Unlimited donated $1,000 to the team and the National Archery in the Schools Program also donated $1,000 to help fund archery equipment.

Other schools near Boone also donated supplies to the program. Both Gray and Camp Ernst Middle School donated supplies for the inaugural season.

The team is always looking for new members to join the team. Both Smalley and Sharp commented on what new archers could look forward to when joining the archery program.

“I would say that if you are looking for something to join and you do not want to feel left out, then you should join archery because, like I said, it feels like we are all equal since it is a brand new team,” Smalley said.

¨I would say that the team has very good camaraderie and teamwork,¨ Sharp said. ¨When someone would have a bad round, practice, or tournament, we (the team) would bring each other up, instead of down.¨