2021 - Third Quarter

PAIGE PEARCE

TAKES HOME 2 TITLES AT THE 2021 NATIONAL ROUNDUP

2021 RESULTS FROM THE NATIONAL ROUNDUP:

FIELD NATIONALS

TARGET NATIONALS

FIRST DAKOTA CLASSIC

Officers

President—Brian Sheffler 7006 Beargrass Ct. Indianapolis, IN 46241 317/627-3401 lbsheff@comcast.net

Vice President—Doug Joyce 30 Willow Ave. Somerset, NJ 08873 732/713/6473 jdjarcher@aol.com

Executive Director – Bruce Cull 800 Archery Lane Yankton, SD 57078 605/661-0877 bcull@nfaausa.com

Executive Secretary –Natalie Vollmer 800 Archery Lane Yankton, SD 57078 605/260-9279 nvollmer@nfaausa.com

Council

Great Lakes

Rocky Kline

1108 N. Korby St. Kokomo, IN 46901 765-438-6413 rlkline1@comcast.net

Mid-Atlantic

Mike Price

1886 Melvin Hill Rd Phelps, NY 14532 315/548-4825 mpricesr1@gmail.com

Midwest Reginald “Shorty” Faber PO Box 66 Carthage, SD 57349 605/772-4468 shortyfaber@alliancecom. net

New England

William Hall PO Box 57 Willington, CT 06279 860/987-2660 inner10@yahoo.com

Northwest Hubert Sims PO Box 1713 Orofino, ID 83544 208/476-5377 hmsarchery1077@gmail.com

Southeast

Tim Austin 1710 SW 76th Terrace Gainesville, FL 32607 352/332-1969 tim.austin@floridaarchery. org

Southern

Lee Gregory 112 Ridge Oak Drive Georgetown, TX 78628-7613 512/966-2799 lee@dlprint.com

Southwest

Tom Daley 23121 Oak Mountain Ct. Auburn, CA 95602 650/722-2713 lestom70@gmail.com

Board of directors

GREAT LAKES Robert Rayhel Director - IL 13984 E 1425th Ave Robinson, IL 62454 618/553-4648 ILarcherydirector@il-archery.com

Michael Arison Director - IN 2301 E 16th St. Muncie, IN 47302 765-748-5477 psearison72@yahoo.com

Mike Spence Director - MI 189 Paul Poppell Rd. Perry, FL 32347 734/649-6375 grysbok1mike@aol.com

Norm Newman Director - OH 103 Aleutian Circle Kenton, OH 43326 419/673-0021

Bruce Trimble Director - WI 9444 Rainbows End Amherst Junction, WI 54407 715/254-7015 stringmaker@gmail.com

MID ATLANTIC

Carol Protack Director – DE 107 Elm Ave. Newark, DE 19711 302/530-8387 carolpro@comcast.net

Tom Coblentz Director - MD 1 Ash Dr. Knoxville, MD 21758 301/834-7154 tomproarcher@gmail.com

Robert Wertz Director - PA 336 Third Street Hanover, PA 17331 717/451-7408 bulldogs4bean@aol.com

Jennifer Dean Director - NJ 115 Flipper Ave. Manahawkin, NJ 08050 609/290-0977 englishteach11@hotmail.com

Samantha Brenzel Director - NY 381 Roger Ave. North Tonawanda, NY 14120 716/930-0098 Sjbrenzel@gmail.com

Jim Quarles Director - VA 7911 Cherokee Rd Richmond, VA 23225 804/272-6512 jim427quarles@gmail.com

Donald Payne Director - WV 807 A Main Ave. Nitro, WV 25143 304/561-8495 b00tlegger.2003@gmail.com

NFAA OFFICERS, COUNCIL, & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MIDWEST

Ray Jones Director - IA 704 West South Winterset, IA 50273 515/462-6788 IowaArchery@hotmail.com

Ray Manfull Director - KS

141 N. Abliene Valley Center, KS 67147 620/755-0464 cqbowhunter@sbcglobal.net

Rob Knutson Director - MN 18437 230th Ave. NW Big Lake, MN 55309 612/598-8276 rob@themnaa.org

Bill Myers Director – MO 2529 Braintree Dr. High Ridge, MO 63049 314/458-3571

Ed Christman Director - NE 3818 34th St. Columbus, NE 69601 402/563-3504 eChristman@neb.rr.com

Lee Hetletved Director – ND 4456 149 Ave. NW Bismarck, ND 58503 701/226-2775 leethetletved@gmail.com

Tim Withers Director - SD 222 Grey Goose Rd Pierre, SD 57501 605/280-6435 timwithers@ymail.com

NEW ENGLAND

Amber Sullivan Director - VT 275 Nason St St. Albans, VT 05478 802/782-9242 vermontjuniorarchers@ gmail.com

Vacant Director - CT

Michael Broadbent Director - ME 117 Webtser Rd. Lisbon, ME 04250 207/607-9115 mbhunta247@gmail.com

David Ferrie Director - MA 52 Sumner St Auburn, MA 01501 d.ferrie@charter.net

Michael Wright Director - NH PO box 237 Marlboro, NH 03455 603/209-8007 barebownh@aol.com

Sunil Verma Director - RI PO Box 8830 Cranston, RI 02920 401/213/9532 RIFAADirector@gmail.com

2 scores, tournament info and more at nfaausa.com

NORTHWEST

Brandon Higley Director - ID 835 Burley Ave. Buhl, ID 83316 208/308-4267 bugz30x@live.com

Joel McNeese Director - MT 4205 Lewis Ave. Great Falls, MT 59405 406/727-2997 jrmcneese@bresnan.net

Bernie Punzalan Director - AK 1545 Hoyt St. SPC 8 Anchorage, AK 99508 316/258-0297

John Wainwright Director - OR 398 SW Bent Loop Powellbutte, OR 97753 541/420-0312 jvwriver04@hotmail.com

TC Parker Director - WA PO Box 613 Hoquiam, WA 98550 360/533-4698 parkertc@live.com

Andy Turnquist Director - WY 2060 Wolff Rd Gillette, WY 82718 307/257-7509 andyturn@bresnan.net

SOUTHEAST

Mike Albertson Director - AL 531 Laura Ln. Newton, AL 36352 334/324-9322 JMAlbertson@aol.com

Oliver Austin Director - FL 1620 Yearling Trail Tallahassee, FL 32317 850/688-2800 oaustin@fsu.edu

Charles Cumber Director - GA 224 Timberwood Dr. Thomson, GA 30824 706/690-1103 watermedic23@yahoo.com

Glen Baxter Director - KY 189 Tanyard Park Pl, Apt 144 Louisville, KY 40229 502/262-6738 gbaxter@heiltrailer.com

Joe Rozmus Director – NC 116 Trappers Run Drive Cary, NC 27513 919/606-5692 justxsroz@aol.com

Beth Anctil Director - SC 706 Chippendale Dr Myrtle Beach, SC 29588 843/340-2357 wildchildarchery@gmail.com

James Maze Director – TN

367 Deep Gap Rd Jackson, TN 38301 731/422-5529 jamesmaze5529@gmail.com

SOUTHERN

Billy Jacobs Director - MS 4107 Highway 51 NS Summit, MS 39666 601/248-4574 robinhood560@yahoo.com

Jim Metzger Director - LA 2019 Lovers Lane Shreveport, LA 71105 318/402-3381 GreyTrad@aol.com

Fred Hockett Director - OK 727 Kingsgate Rd. Yukon, OK 73099 405/202-7851 delainehockett@sbcglobal. net

Steve Coleman Director - TX 909 LCR 120 Mount Calm, TX 76673 254/723-4018 j13scoleman@yahoo.com

SOUTHWEST Caytie Belzner Director - AZ 1083 N. Boyd Apache Junction, AZ 85119 480/620-4644 caytiebelzner@gmail.com

Gary McCain Director - CA 27928 Clear Creek Rd. Keene, CA 93531 661/809-0947 gary@bgmach.com

Randy Brabec Director - CO PO Box 27 Loma, CO 81524 970/xxx-xxxx rebowtune@gmail.com

George Kong Director - HI 1255 14th Ave Honolulu, HI 96816 808/734-5402

Jay Boushee Director - NM 1508 Mossy Cup Dr. Farmington, NM 87401 505/801-1240 jay_boushee@msn.com

John Thayer Director - NV 7215 W. Tara Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89117 702/222-9878 mdthayer@cox.net

Regina Greenhalgh Director – UT 365 S. 100 W. Nephi, UT 84648 435/610-6100 regie@utaharchery.org

Professional Representatives

Great Lakes

Jeff Button 608/839-5137 jnbutton@aol.com

New England Crystal Gauvin 406-259-9801 gauvincj@gmail.com

Midwest

Julene Hakl 651-462-1916 wjarchery@gmail.com

Mid-Atlantic Kendall Woody 434-929-0223 bulldog267@comcast.net

Northwest Shawnn Vincent 360-929-5613 shawnnv@hotmail.com

Southern Jimmy Butts 518-986-1395 platinumbow@yahoo.com

Southeast George Ryals IV 678-901-9861 griv@archerylive.cm

Southwest Randy Brabec 970-314-4971 rebowtune@gmail.com

Pro Chairperson Chuck Cooley 404 10th St. Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607/343-8990 chuckcooley@gmail.com

Certified Instructor Committee Vacant

Bowhunting Chairman Tom Vollmer 800 Archery Lane Yankton, SD 57078-4174 605-260-9279 nvollmer@nfaausa.com

THE NFAA HAS 50 CHARTERED STATE ASSOCIATIONS. EMAIL US AT INFO@NFAAUSA.COM TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NFAA PROGRAMS AND EVENTS.

THE SPORT OF ARCHERY IS A HEALTHY AND EXCITING SPORT PROVIDING AN ACTIVITY IN WHICH THE ENTIRE FAMILY CAN PARTICIPATE.

february 3-6

2022 the vegas shoot southpoint hotel & casino las vegas, nevada

march 18-20

april 9-10

nfaa indoor national championships

kentucky international convention center louisville, kentucky

break the barriers & NFAA 3d open fresno, california

nfaa national marked 3D championships straigh arrow bowhunters redding, california may 6-8

july 20-24

December 10-12

nfaa outdoor national field championships

Mechanicsburg Sportsmen’s Association enola, pennsylvania

north american field archery championships ft. lauderdale archers ft. lauderdale, florida

interested in Volunteering at Vegas or Indoor Nationals?

We are always looking for more help before, during and after our big events! To see what opportunities we have available for you to volunteer, please email us at events@nfaausa.com.

nfaaus a.co m

NFAA official sponsors

Thank you to our 2021 NFAA and NFAA Foundation sponsors. If you are in the market for archery equipment, please consider supporting the businesses that have supported our organizations the most. Without the support of our sponsors, we would not be the same organization we are today.

COUNCILMAN SPOTLIGHT

The National Field Archery Association (NFAA) Councilmen are elected from each of the following sections of the United States: the Northwestern, Southwestern, New England, Mid-Atlantic, MidWestern, Grake Lakes, Southern and Southeastern. Interested in getting more involved in the NFAA? Contact us at info@nfaausa.com for more information.

This issue we will take a moment to get to know our current Southeast Councilman. You can view a full list of NFAA officers at https://www.nfaausa.com/ sectional-representatives/.

southeast SECTION - timothy austin

Tim Austin is our current NFAA Southeast Councilman. He is married to Barbara with two sons and three step daughters and is a Retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. Tim is a strong, intelligent, well-educated, and experienced man, and in his words: “God’s gift to my wife…”

His archery career consisted of many different experiences including: National Senior Games Competition Manager, Florida State Senior Games Archery Chairperson, Florida Sunshine State Games Archery Chairperson, IFAA World Field Championship Event Management, IFAA World Bowhunter Championship Event Director, line judge in multiple Vegas Shoots and NFAA National tournaments, volunteer work at the Atlanta Olympic Games, NFAA Sectional Championships manager, All State Archery Association Championships manager, NAFAC manager, 2005 World Target Team Trials Manager, and designing several competition Field Archery Ranges including 4 ranges at NFAA HQ.

Tim’s archery memberships go back 60 years making him a Life Member, of the NFAA, Florida Archery Association, Archery Association Europe, and Gator Bowmen as well as a member of USA Archery.

He was the Secretary/Treasurer of Archery Association Europe from 1971-1972 and has been the Secretary/ Treasurer of Florida Archery Association since 1973. TIm was the NFAA Florida Director from 1998 to 2005 when he became the NFAA Southeast Councilman. He is also currently the Gator Bowmen President and Secretary/Treasurer since 2002.

His archery experience expands even further as a NAA Regional Judge, 1972 IFAA European Field Archery Champion, and in 1972 receiving the NFAA Medal of Merit. Other awards that Tim has received include: 2009 NFAA President’s Award, 2010 IFAA President’s Award, and 2012 IFAA Medal of Honor.

Tim is going on two years now on chemo and still working hard in the archery community!

6 scores, tournament info and more at nfaausa.com

A Legacy of Outreach

Texans Archery club celebrates 60 years

By Jackie Holbrook

A young archer steps up to the shooting line on a hot July afternoon. But instead of battling the Texas summer sun while learning to fling arrows, they’re shooting comfortably inside the Texas Archery Academy, a 30,000 square foot indoor facility in Plano, Texas. The Texans Archery Club operates the Texas Archery Academy, the largest indoor facility in the state and a critical outreach tool for the club.

“One of the biggest problems archery faces is the lack of infrastructure,” said Clint Montgomery, executive director of the Texans Archery Club. “It’s not like tennis or basketball where every park has a court. Try finding an archery range at a city park.”

The Texans Archery Club set a goal of making archery accessible to everyone in Texas a decade ago. However, the leadership felt they didn’t have a suitable teaching environment to grow new archers. While the club operated several outdoor ranges, they often battled inclement weather, mosquitos and poison ivy, which doesn’t create the most relaxing environment, especially when kids are involved.

“We decided we need to fix this and embrace the need to offer public access to archery through an indoor facility,” Montgomery said.

Today, the Texans Archery Club is the largest archery club in Texas, serving 3,000 families and around 9,000 individuals. It’s the state’s largest member contributor to the National Field Archery Association. It’s also one of the oldest archery clubs in Texas, celebrating 60 years in 2021. Members marked the occasion with an archery tournament and party that included a raffle with taco truck.

The Texas Archery Academy is a nonprofit, funded through membership dues. Members have access to the indoor facility as well as several outdoor ranges across Texas. Members are also asked to volunteer at least one hour per year to support the facilities and program goals. Within its thriving membership base, members are focused on growing the next generation of archers.

“We’re not the good ‘ole boys club, we’re a familyfriendly, safe place to be,” Montgomery said. “If there are 50 people in this indoor range, at least 20 of them are kids.”

The club uses USA Archery’s Discovery Archery program to teach lessons. They have several certified instructors, including level 4 coaches. Their focus is not only on teaching the fundamentals of archery but also offering a space for youth to grow and compete. The club gives kids a real shot at shooting, especially for those who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity. It’s a mission that’s very personal to Montgomery. As a kid growing up in San Antonio, it was an archery range at a city park that gave him the ability to learn the sport he loves.

“In most municipalities it’s illegal to shoot in the backyard, so if you don’t live in the country, where do they go?” Montgomery said. “These kids living in apartments in the city, they want to shoot a bow and there’s almost no place for that to happen. That’s why we made it our mission to be open seven days a week.”

Through education and tournaments, club members help foster a love of archery in students of all ages and backgrounds. Nearly every weekend of indoor season the club hosts an NFAA event. Participants learn various tournament rules, formats, scoring and more.

With thousands of members, a 60-year legacy and a thriving indoor range, you might think the Texans Archery Club met its goals and members could settle into their success. But according to Montgomery, they’re just getting started.

“We want the rest of the country to recognize that archery is the largest emerging sport since soccer,” Montgomery said. “I want to see parents encouraging their kids to take up archery because it’s a shot at a college scholarship.”

With their inviting atmosphere, wealth of facilities and commitment to growing archery, the Texans Archery Club is set to make an even bigger mark on the sport over the next 60 years.

NFAA VICE PRESIDENT DOUG JOYCE RE-ELECTED

DOUG JOYCE

Doug Joyce was re-elected as the Vice President of the NFAA. This is now his third term as VP. He has been a member of the NFAA for 30 years and also sits on the NFAA Foundation and is a member of the Tournament committee which oversees the Vegas Shoot and the First Dakota Classic.

He is a former State Director of New Jersey for 12 years, and has been President of his local archery club for a combined total of 19 years. He was President of the NJ State Field Archery Association for 6 years and was given the Award of Merit by the NJ State Field Archery Association “In recognition of outstanding and unselfish contributions to the sport of archery.” Since 1961, this award has only been given out 11 times.

Doug has been an NFAA shoot official for 19 years and a Director of Shooting for The Vegas Shoot, Indoor Nationals

and the First Dakota Classic for 10 years. Doug was the Lead official for the ESPN Great Outdoor Games in 2005 & 2006. He holds a Level 3 teaching certificate and created and taught a Beginning Archery course at Rutgers University for 20 years.

Doug has participated yearly in National, Sectional, State and Local tournaments since 1990. He won the NFAA Indoor National Championship in the Freestyle division in 2012.

“Working with President Brian Sheffler, we have made positive changes for the benefit of the NFAA,” said Doug, “including establishing a program to certify our tournament officials. We also began offering youth scholarships to student archers who won their event classes, which has increased participation among young

people at NFAA events. One of my main interests is drawing more people into our sport. I believe that young people are the future of archery. In order for the NFAA to continue growing, we should consider offering more youth programs via local clubs and state organizations around the country.”

term as Vice President of the NFAA

of the 2021 National Field Archery Association Board of Directors Meeting

NFAA HEADQUARTERS YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA

Field trial from the minutes. Seconded by Arizona. All in favor. Minutes will be amended as noted. Motion made by Nebraska to accept the amended minutes. Seconded by South Dakota. All in favor. 2019 amended minutes were approved.

14. For all tournaments below the Sectional level, all Barebow Recurve archers may shoot at Youth distances at the discretion of each State or Club.

MI-1, MI-2. Illinois moved To Table. Seconded by Arizona. Agenda Item is Tabled.

WA-1. No Action.

Respectfully submitted by Natalie Vollmer NFAA Executive

Vice-President Election: 39 Sealed ballots were opened and recorded. Candidates were Doug Joyce and Bob Borges. The NFAA Vice-President is Doug Joyce.

SE-6. North Dakota moved to amend the amendment. Seconded by Nebraska. Motion failed.

Secretary

General Session – Monday July 12, 2021

General Assembly Meeting called to order by President Brian Sheffler at 10:00 AM.

Invocation: led by California Director Gary McCain.

Pledge of Allegiance, led by Iowa Director Ray Jones, Sergeant of Arms.

Alternate Directors: Katelyn Higley - ID, and Ken Dixon - OK were seated by a motion from Florida, second by Massachusetts. Passed by a show of hands.

Roll Call/Introductions:

Officers present: President Brian Sheffler, Executive Secretary Natalie Vollmer, Executive Director Bruce Cull Officers virtual: Vice President Doug Joyce

Council present: Great Lakes, MidAtlantic, Midwest, Northwest, Southern, Southwest.

Council virtual: New England, Southeast.

Committee Chairmen present: NFAA Pro Chairman Chuck Cooley.

NFAA State Directors present: IL, MD, IA, MO, ND, NE, SD, MA, FL, MS, AZ, CA, NM.

NFAA State Directors (or alternate) virtual: IN, MI, WI, NJ, NY, PA, WV, KS, MN, AK, ID, MT, WA, GA, OK, NV, UT. States not present: OH, DE, VA, ME, NH, RI, VT, OR, WY, KY, NC, SC, TN, AL, LA, TX, CO, HI.

Rules of Assembly and Meeting and Parliamentary Protocol handed out to the Directors and Council.

Parliamentarian Bruce Cull is present for interpretation.

OLD BUSINESS

2019 Annual Meeting Minutes: Motion made by ND to strike the shortened

NEW BUSINESS

President’s Report and State of the NFAA: President Sheffler deferred to the Executive Director and the Headquarters staff to give a brief summary in regards to membership numbers, providing services and activities for the NFAA members during the Covid pandemic, and an explanation of Covid relief received by the NFAA as well as the SBA disaster loan that is currently outstanding. The 2020 virtual events were overwhelmingly successful.

NFAA Foundation Report: Executive Director Cull also gave an update on the Foundation including a review of the Vegas Shoot, the First Dakota Classic and the virtual events that were held across the country.

Ballot Considerations: Total Weighted votes = 34; Two-thirds weighted majority = 22; Simple majority is 13. 30 Directors are present.

CA-1. New Mexico moved to adopt. Seconded by California. Motion made by Florida to adopt as amended. Seconded by Illinois. Motion passed.

Revision, Constitution, page 15, Article V, Edits to be determined by Legal Counsel

CA-2. No Action

CA-3. No Action

SE-2. Massachusetts moved to adopt. Motion failed.

IN-1, IN-2, IN-3. Pennsylvania moved To Table. Seconded by North Dakota. Agenda Items were Tabled.

MA-1. Massachusetts moved to adopt. Motion passed.

New Item, By-Laws, Page 34, Article II, Section I. paragraph 14.

SE-3. Nebraska moved To Table. Seconded by Missouri. Agenda Item is Tabled.

SE-1. Florida moved to adopt. Motion failed.

SE-4. Massachusetts moved to adopt as amended. Seconded by Arizona. Motion passed.

Revision, By-Laws, page 43, Article IV, Section B, paragraph 4

4. State Associations are eligible to host a NFAA sectional event or location if no other bids are received.

MA-2. Massachusetts moved to adopt. Motion failed.

SE-5. Iowa moved to adopt. Motion passed.

Revision, By-Laws, page 62, Article VI, paragraph 6 Housekeeping Issue: Protest committee language on page 42/43 needs to match page 62.

FL-1. New Mexico moves to amend the amendment. Seconded by Florida. Motion passed.

Revision, Policy, page 88, 2013: Selection of World Team

2013: Selection of World Team

1. The President will appoint an individual to selection and manage NFAA archers attending IFAA World Championships. NFAA’s Style team will be composed of archers registered for the shoot. Previous NFAA Champions will be given priority if they are tied with other archers registered.

2. Young Adults, Adults and Veterans both male and female are eligible to be on the team.

3. Professional, Senior, Junior and Cub archers are not eligible.

4. Archers must be registered for the event to be considered for the team.

5. All NFAA archers registered for the IFAA World Field Archery Championships will send their contact

information (email and cell phone) and current scores (Field, Hunter, Animal) and where they shot them (National, Sectional, State and NAFAC scores) to the NFAA Executive Secretary who will forward it to the Team Captain. This will allow for selecting the best team and communication amongst the team.

6. Styles that are not competed at NFAA(currently) Bowhunter Freestyle Limited and Competitive Bowhunter can qualify at the previous years North American Field Archery Championships (NAFAC and at their State).

7. The IFAA shooting styles are now divided into four groups, each with their own shooting styles grouped together allowing for a team with a maximum of nine archers and a minimum of four archers.

Group 1 = Freestyle & Freestyle

Bowhunter

Group 2 = Freestyle Limited or Freestyle Limited Recurve and Freestyle

Bowhunter Limited

Group 3 = Barebow Compound or Barebow Recurce and Competitive

Bowhunter and Traditional Group 4 = Longbow

Groups

The TR shooting style may be entered in Group 4 in the event that no HB or LB style can be entered. In that case no TR shall be entered in Group 3.

Exec Note: The TR style cannot be entered in Group 3 as well as Group 4. The TR shall not be entered in Group 4 to replace a “weaker” archer in HB or LB.

8. Points for the team are scored by how close you are shooting towards the IFAA World Record with the team getting the highest points from each group. Daily points are calculated from the daily score, expressed as a percentage of the world record, as it stands at the start of the tournament, of each individual division in each shooting style. E.g. if the world record in a style is 500 and the archer in the same style shoots 468, the day score of that archer will

be 468/500x100= 93.60 points. The maximum points each day is limited to 100 points.

9. A predetermined set amount, set by the Council, will be paid to each member to help with expenses.

10. The World Team shall be submitted to the President, Vice President, and the Executive Secretary for final approval.

11. The team shall be supplied with Team Shirts to be worn during the opening ceremonies and while receiving awards.

RIC 2020-1. RIC is upheld.

During an Indoor tournament in December of 2019, the Illinois NFAA Director was approached by a competitor who asked the following question: “Since the NFAA Board of Directors passed Agenda Item IL-3 at the July 29, 2019 NFAA Board of Directors Meeting that prohibited “Arrow Twirling”, what is the definition of an “Arrow Twirl?” NFAA By-Laws, Page 30, Article II (NFAA Shooting Styles and Equipment Rules), Section A, Paragraph 11: “No arrow twirling or handling of arrows in an unsafe way. Every attempt should be made by the archer to keep arrow pointed toward the ground or target at all times. A warning will be given on the first instance. Second instance will require removal of archer from the event”.

The NFAA Director from Illinois stated, “Merriam-Webster’s Intermediate Dictionary, (Newest Edition, 2016)” defines “Twirling” as “to revolve rapidly, to cause to rotate rapidly”. For example, “to twirl a baton”. The Illinois NFAA Director ruled that the definition of “Arrow Twirling” is as follows: “The spinning or rotation of an arrow, greater than 360 degrees, from the time the arrow is in the competitor’s quiver until the time the arrow is nocked on the bowstring”.

C-1. Florida moved to adopt. Motion passed.

The NFAA’s policy is to follow the guidelines of the US Olympic Committee (USOPC) in regards to transgender rules. This policy will be added to the By-Laws where appropriate, as determined by NFAA Legal Counsel.

C-2. Florida moved to adopt. Motion passed.

Revision, By-Laws, page 34, Article II, Section J, paragraph 1

1. A one, two, or three-piece straight ended bow constructed of wood or laminated wood with nonadjustable limbs. When the bow is braced, the

string must not touch the limbs between the notches on the limb. The belly and the back of the bow may have carbon or fiberglass on them.

C-3. California moved to adopt. Motion failed.

C-4. Illinois moved to adopt. Motion passed.

Revision, page 79, Article XVIII, Section A, paragraph 2

An archery club having a minimum of five (5) Head of Household members, one of which must be an adult, meeting requirements in NFAA Constitution Article III, Section A, Paragraph 2 or 3, may be chartered with the NFAA upon approval of the state association and the NFAA Director who has jurisdiction.

C-5. Nebraska moved To Table. Seconded by Florida. Agenda Item is Tabled.

Tournaments:

2022 Vegas Shoot Las Vegas, NV February 3-6, 2022

2022 National Indoor Louisville, KY March 18-20, 2022

2022 National Marked 3D Redding, CA May 6-8, 2022

2022 National Outdoor Mechanicsburg, PA July, 2022 TBD

President asked for anything for the good of the NFAA. Items discussed were Judging/ Officiating courses and the Instructor certification program.

Financial Reports were reviewed by the Directors. Proposed 2022 NFAA Budget was reviewed. Iowa moved to adopt proposed budget. Seconded by Florida. Budget was approved.

Iowa motioned to adjourn the 2021 Board of Directors Meeting. Seconded by Nebraska. Meeting Adjourned.

Freestyle - Professional Male

Freestyle - Professional Female

Freestyle - Professional Senior Male

Freestyle - Professional Senior Female

Freestyle - Adult Male

Freestyle - Adult Female

Freestyle Limited - Adult Female 1 JONES Christina

Freestyle Limited - Senior Male

Freestyle Limited - Silver Senior Male

1 PFANNENSTEIN Joseph US-MN 1552 44

Freestyle Limited - Silver Senior Female

1 HOPPE Patty US-FL 1449 30

Freestyle Limited - Master Senior Male

1 SMITH Frank US-KY 1551

2 WITT Terry US-IA

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Adult Female 1

Freestyle

- Youth

Barebow Recurve - Adult Female

1 XIE Claire US-TX 1403 21

2 LYONS Christina US-IL 1388 28 Barebow Recurve - Senior Male

1 STONEBRAKER Richard US-TX 1470 30

2 OAKLEY Steve US-MI 1392 24

3 NESBITT David US-TX 1358 17

4 WEISS Daniel US-CO 1316 18

Freestyle

5 MANFULL Ray US-KS 1182 8

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Master

Longbow

scores, tournament info and more at

The NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center (NEYAC) hosted the NFAA National Roundup for a second year. NEYAC, in partnership with the NFAA, welcomed more than 500 archers from across the country for the 2021 National Roundup. It consisted of a four-day, multi-tournament setup from July 14th-18th.

This multi-tournament event allowed archers to compete in several national events in a single trip. “Looking at the numbers, we can tell that the archers are really happy with this format,” commented Bruce Cull, NFAA Executive Director. “We were pretty excited to get everyone together again and get back to competing.”

This year’s event featured three major events: NFAA Outdoor National Field Championships (July 14-16), NFAA Outdoor National Target Championships (July 17-18), and the First Dakota Classic (July 15-17). All rounds were scheduled to allow archers to compete in multiple events.

Paige Pearce set 6 National records this weekend. In the National Field Championships, she set the record for both the field and animal round along with the aggregate. She also set the record in the National Target Championships for the 600 round, 900 round, and total score as well.

Freestyle - Professional Female

Freestyle - Professional Senior Male

Freestyle - Professional Senior Female

Freestyle - Adult Male

Freestyle - Young Adult Female

Freestyle - Adult Female

Freestyle

Freestyle - Youth Female

scores, tournament info and more at nfaausa.com

3

Freestyle - Master Senior Male

Barebow

Barebow - Adult Female 1

Madison US-CA 1200 8

Barebow - Young Adult Male

1 WILKENS Owen US-CA 550 1

Barebow - Young Adult Female

1 CHAMBERS Rubie US-NC 834 0

Barebow - Youth Male

1 PARKER Drew US-TX 1258 9

2 WARREN Robert US-WI 1156 5

Barebow - Youth Female

1 LEMONS Jordan US-OK 1073 3

2 BURTON Larissa US-OK 941 1

Barebow - Cub Male

1 LURZ Bryce US-NE 1356 26

2 XIE Micah US-TX 1304 20

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Cub Female

1 HOANG Anabella US-OK 1402 36

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Senior Male

1 THELEN Keith US-TX 1317 12

2 CHICIU Dumitru US-CA 1182 8

3 GARCIA Matthew US-FL 1182

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Silver Senior Male

Barebow Recurve - Senior Male

1 STONEBRAKER Richard US-TX 1289 14

2 OAKLEY Steve US-MI 1289 13

3 WEISS Daniel US-CO 1162 3

4 KNIPPLING William US-CO 1110 7

5 NESBITT David US-TX 1094

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Silver Senior Female

1 THELEN Janet US-TX 1207 10

Freestyle Limited Recurve - Master Senior Male

1 PODRATZ Jerry US-MN 1309 14

2 SAUNDERS Thomas US-NE 1053 1

Traditional - Senior Male

1 SARNS Reynold US-TX 1177

2 HUDSON Michael US-KS

3 READ Sidney US-OK

Traditional - Silver Senior Male

1 JOHNSON Tom US-MN

Traditional - Silver Senior Female

1 HARMON Barbara US-TX 689

Traditional - Master Senior Male

1 PALMER Mike US-CO 1153

2 MCCAIN Gary US-CA 1123

3 GRABMAN Jerry US-IN 763

Traditional - Master Senior Female

1 MCCAIN Sandy US-CA 1086

Barebow Recurve - Adult Male

Barebow Recurve - Adult Female

Championship Recurve Female

1 Gracelyn Chambers $300

2 Clare Maness $200

Championship Recurve Young Adult

1 Shalini Krish $160

Championship Barebow Open

1 Rubie Chambers $160

OLYMPIC ARCHERY IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM

“My friends got me hooked into archery. It’s so cool to be part of a team and to compete together as archers!” – Crystal, North Hollywood HS.

The Olympic Archery in Schools program (OAS) is a program of the Easton Sports Development Foundation. It was originally introduced to the school community as a Physical Education program and/or after school program with a primary goal to raise awareness of Olympicstyle archery and the Olympic movement; to build pathways to next step programs such as JOAD, collegiate archery, and recreational archery.

OAS brought a cool vibe to the school community as the Olympic recurve archery program; it added a touch of originality.

Archers competing in the ranking round and Olympic round not only receive individual trophies but earn points towards a team award. As the program grew, coaches and archers desired a more competitive experience rather than only shooting for individual score. Seeing how other traditional high school sports bring the “team” into interscholastic competitions, OAS revamped the program by offering a unique archery league giving schools the opportunity to have both an archery program and a competitive archery team by participating in league games. Students gain the personal benefits from learning recurve archery as well as the benefits from participating on a school competitive team. Teams now go head-to-head with other school teams in the Ranking Round, Olympic Round and Team Round events as seen in the Olympic games. OAS is now fundamentally about team play.

OAS currently has programs in California, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Utah, Washington and New York. The program offers pin shoots, mail-in tournaments, league games and competitive events which provides students the opportunity to participate in archery year-round. During the competitive season of OAS, school leagues can qualify for their local conference championship, state championship and national championship event.

Students participating in the OAS program find a place for archery play. OAS incorporates the many benefits the sport of archery offers both on the field and off the field, in the community and in the home. The OAS program is an opportunity for all students who previously have not expressed an interest in team sports such as soccer, basketball, football, etc. to be part of a competitive school team.

30 scores, tournament info and more at nfaausa.com

OAS brings “team play” to life by promoting positive youth development through the OAS I AM an Archer recognition program. The recognition program promotes lifelong values such as Leadership, Respect, Honor, Confidence and Competence. OAS archers are recognized for exhibiting healthy behaviors on and off the field stemming from being caring and responsible young adults. The OAS community knows the importance of team relationships and aims to foster camaraderie through the OAS values.

OAS is For Sport, For All and For Life. For Sport, Archery is a competitive activity. The league season offers archers the experience of competing with other school teams in league games and championship events which allows them to utilize both physical and mental focus. For All, Archery has no barriers. OAS archers using adaptive equipment to compete, can do so alongside archers without adaptive equipment. For Life, Archery is a lifetime sport. The introduction to recurve archery at the grassroot level instills lifelong values allowing for the opportunity to transition to collegiate archery, recreational archery and/or competitive archery.

The OAS Season:

How to Join:

Start a school archery team with the help of the Olympic Archery in Schools (OAS) staff. As we move forward with less COVID19 restrictions, Archery continues to be one of the safest activities to participate in schools. The Olympic Archery in Schools program provides a place of belonging by encouraging team participation, all while practicing safe distancing protocols. Offering an archery program in your school provides the opportunity of participating in a sport while having the benefit of a healthy social environment for our youth.

Learn more about bringing the Olympic Archery in Schools program to your school, please email OAS@esdf.org

About OAS:

The Olympic Archery in schools (OAS) program is a middle and a high school league focusing on a fun and interscholastic team experience like Olympic archery. School archery teams compete against other local schools which lead up to a conference, state and national championship. Just like in the Olympic games, OAS focuses on recurve archery and team play creating an exciting and memorable experience. OAS can be run as a PE program, after school program, sports club and indoor and/or outdoors. To learn more about OAS please visit wwww.olympicarcheryinschools.org

scores, tournament info and more at nfaausa.com

NFAA NATIONAL FIELD LEAGUE 2021

The inaugural National Field League took place from May 31 to August 22. Archers submitted scores from local NFAA field courses across the country, providing members the opportunity to compete at a national level from their hometown shop or club. The archer’s top 10 scores counted toward their National League placement with the winners receiving a prestigious National League Champion belt buckle. Hosting clubs and shops with an active NFAA charter and range certificate even received rebates for each League archer who designated it as their home range. Erika Jones, NFAA Outreach Project Manager, spoke about the National Field League, “We were very excited to finally host the inaugural edition of the National Field League this past summer. It was well received by our member clubs across the country. Those who didn’t have the time to participate this year are very much looking forward to joining next year. It was very rewarding for us to be able to provide another benefit to our members while supporting our clubs with rebates at the same time.”

RESULTS: www.nfaausa.com

Details on the upcoming Indoor League COMING SOON!

CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS!

Step 1: Shoot your score at a NFAA Field tournament or League!

Step 2: Take a photo of your scorecard or the event results.

Step 3: Submit your score & purchase key chain & charms at shop.nfaausa.com.

Step 4: Attach to your quiver, key ring, backpack, etc. Wear it with pride! Choose

junior scholarship art & essay entries

The National Field Archery Association Foundation, in partnership with the Easton Foundations, awarded $18,000 in scholarships to junior archers that participated in the 2021 Vegas Shoot - Virtual to use toward higher education. Participants had two ways to qualify for the archery scholarships: competing and placing in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in each junior division and competing by submitting an archery themed essay or artwork. These next few pages include the entries that were submitted. Winners were selected by an independent panel and were included previously in Quarter 2 Magazine.

Anika Khanna

delilah renner

cub Female

cub Female

cub Female

cub Female

madison ritter

youth female

Tai Sitchanoff cub male

Nathan Perez

youth male

savannah odonohue

youth female

Hayden Mitchell

youth male

Blake Edwards

youth male

youth male

young adult female

young adult female

young adult female

young adult female

young adult female

Delaney Chapman

Jancy Page

Kyra Lee

Lauren Bezdek

Violet Dempsey

Yaroslava Kazakova

cub Female

Beginner then Winner

It all started when I saw my brother shooting and winning medals. We went to different places for different tournaments. From the top of Massachusetts to the bottom of South Carolina. And I kept sitting there watching my brother win. And I knew that this is what I wanted to do. So one day I came to my dad and told him that I wanted to start archery and also win medals like my brother. And that I also have an important purpose in my life. Then the first day of archery arrived. When I

walked in I saw a man with a beard and blue eyes. His name was Mr. Donald. He was my coach. That day he taught me how to pull back a bow. He also taught me when to fire and when not to. The day after that I was at home practicing with my brother. Everyday I got better and better. Then in a few months I could go to the competition in Connecticut. Every round I got better shots. Then at the end of the competition I won first place. But sadly I was the only person in the Yeoman category so I wasn’t so happy.

Callah Kenney

cub Female

name is Callah Kenney, and to learn about my experience with archery, keep reading. I believe you will enjoy my story.

The main reason I got into archery was because of my dad, he was and still is my coach. I began shooting when I was 5 years old in my backyard. I liked it, so I started shooting competitively at the age of 6 at our Montana state shoots. When I was around 9 years old, I got the experience of traveling out of state. That year was the first time I went The Vegas Shoot.

After more competitions it was finally time for nationals, this time I felt confident. At the end I won 29th place. I was so happy especially when I got a new bow! Then I was waiting for the Las Vegas competition shoot out. During that time I got weaker. No one knew why but then my dad started to help me by trying to be my coach and making me shoot more rounds to get better. He made me stand up and rise to the level where I was. Now I am still practicing and getting ready to be the person who I was before.

My Life with Archery

Have you ever enjoyed a sport so much that you wish you could do it every day? I certainly have! My

I am very passionate about archery. I love to shoot, I do it in most of my free time. I get to practice at home whenever I am able because my dad set up a 10-yard range in our basement. Shooting my bow

makes me feel happy and keeps me active.

Hometown competitions are great, but there are not a lot of competitors in the cub division. As I get closer to moving into the youth division, it is making me more passionate than ever. I’m excited that I will have more people to look up to and try to beat!

I have grown up with archery, and I love the competition. I am fortunate to have found a sport that makes me feel successful. Archery is and will always be a part of my life and who I am.

Cody Calvaruso

Cub Male

My Journey to Shooting a Perfect 450

I have been shooting archery for the past three years. Always being the youngest on my team (Raptors at Heritage Archery Academy in Phelps, New York) I would watch the older kids shoot perfect 450 rounds and tell myself I was going to do that too. There were many times that I came close, and I even shot perfect 300’s, but fell short with the 450 target and I would get upset. More training, focus and

confidence is what my coach told me I needed...and to goof off and have a little fun once in a while (I am very quiet and just take everything in when I shoot). I started working in my basement at home and in the shop as often as I could. Drills and shooting at ten yards was what I did during my spare time; I was improving and could see a perfect score happening soon. When COVID hit I was so upset. My brother, team and I were going to go shoot Nationals in Kentucky and that couldn’t happen anymore. To make it worse we couldn’t go into the shop to practice either. To help me continue training, my coach (Mike Price) worked with me virtually through zoom, watched my form, and gave me tips on what to work on. He also had me set personal goals to achieve. Once we were able to go back into the shop I was ready. My parents saved up and bought me a new Invicta and I loved it (whiten limbs with green strings)! My weekly practices were going great and I

Blaine Dahl

Working to Be a Better Archer

Have you ever worked really hard at something in order to succeed? I have! I’ve done it at school, home, and anywhere else I go. Recently, working hard has led me to the archery range. But, it all started in my backyard.

Archery is a type of shooting sports where you use a bow and an arrow. I shoot a compound bow the most, but I have also shot a

even joined an adult league to give me more competition. Finally I was ready for the virtual 2021 Super Bowl Shoot. The night of the shoot I was very nervous, but excited (my sister would say, “nercited”). I took deep breaths to center myself like I was taught and tuned everything else around me out.

I shot my personal best that night and achieved my goal; I shot a perfect 450! Just recently I found out that I won my division for the third year in a row. My parents, teammates and coach were very proud of me, but not as proud as I was of myself-I even took a picture with my coach next to my target and smiled (under my mask of course). Archery has taught me that no matter how hard you think something is, when you have people who believe in you and support you no matter what, with a lot of dedication, practice and confidence you can achieve any goal. My next goal is to go Vegas in person and win my division.

recurve. In competitions, I shoot my compound bow.

This is how my archery journey began. A couple of years ago, I got my first bow. I tried to shoot good and worked so hard, but I just couldn’t hit the target like I wanted to. It was a little frustrating to me because my dad could do it, my mom could do it, and my older brother could do it, too. It seemed like everyone could do it, but me. So, one day, my dad and

Cub Male

brother were watching me shoot. They wanted to help me get better and encouraged me. They told me things like, “Don’t drop your arm,” and “Find your anchor point.” They told me that I had to be consistent and shoot my bow the same EVERY TIME! I learned to start listening to the advice that they gave.

Then it happened one day for me, too. I nocked my arrow with focus like a camera, and I went through every step from my stance to my follow-through. I told myself in my head, “I can do this! I can do this!”

I slowly drew my bow back and aimed at the target’s bullseye. I slowly released. My shot was much better. So, I didn’t give up, and I kept trying! Now, I can hit the bullseye. But, when I don’t, I have learned to forget about the last shot and try again.

The most important thing I have learned about archery is that it is not only thinking about myself and what my score is. It it is cheering for others, too. It is about spending time with my family and making new friends. I really like going to

Donevin Lakey

archery competitions. I have met some good friends that I get to see when we travel. It is fun to have someone you know standing next to you on the line and to motivate each other.

If I could, I would practice 24/7. I try to practice in any condition. I have even shot my bow in the snow! That’s how I improve and strive to do my best at archery every day. I have learned that I must work hard and listen to others who are trying to help me in order to be more successful in everything that I do.

It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

As any archer knows you don’t always receive what you expect in this sport. It can be frustrating at times, amazing at others. However, through my seven-year archery career, if I have learned anything it would be this, “It’s Not Over Until It’s Over.”

The day I learned to never give up no matter the circumstance was no exception to the highs and lows of archery. It was frigid and bitter with piercing cold winds on Pomerelle Mountain. However, many archers still came, as if to see if they could survive the menacing weather. The first day the sun had shown across the green grasses of the slopes. The air had been still and there was no reason to have not shot

well. Even so, the second day was a complete disaster. It began in sheets of rain as our small group of Youth Freestyle Female archers made their way up the mountain on the ski lift. Once at the top, we began to trudge through the thick mud to course A. Shooting target one, then two, then three, and so on. It wasn’t until target ten on course A that something began to go seriously wrong.

As I pulled back my bow with frigid hands, strings soaked even after all of my attempts to keep them dry, the arrow let loose leaving me looking through my binoculars at a five on the pheasant target. A mulligan was used, however, I was still looking at a five. I held myself together as we plodded up to retrieve our arrows, holding back any sign of emotion as I wrote down scores. Our group moved on. The next target, nonetheless, brought my spirits even lower. As I continued shooting, nothing improved. I was letting loose of the poorest arrows I had ever shot while my competitors ran leaps

and bounds ahead of me. Still, a small thought came to me after every shot, “It’s Not Over Until It’s Over.” I was lucky enough to not break an arrow on the steel target at the finish of the course, though it did not raise my spirits. Sloshing back to the lodge it was apparent that to do well I would have to pull something spectacular on Course B. However, as I reached the lodge I was in for something I could never expect.

Unbeknownst to me, while I struggled through my shots on Course A attempting to not let loose the many tears stacking up inside of me, the rest of my competitors had made a drastic decision. They were quitting. I was shocked as I sat in the lodge. Yes, I was having a dreadful day, the weather was continuing to worsen, and I was on the edge of Hypothermia, but I hadn’t thought of packing up and going home. However, as I sat warming myself and drying my soaking wet clothes, a brilliant but obvious thought occurred to me. All of those girls

youth Female

were quitting, they were giving up, but I didn’t have to. Grabbing my bow, and every dry layer of clothing I still had, my parents, my teammate, who had also been quite on, and I headed up once more to finish what we had started. Once at the top, it was apparent I was shooting no better as a breeze began to start up within the rain. Nevertheless, I was still leaving an indention in the targets. After many

sickening attempts and failures, my teammate and I readjusted my sight for the temperature and elevation. I was back on track with an almost perfect score. In time small flakes of unwanted snow began to fall upon our little party. However, it did not dampen our spirits. Chilled to the bone, fingers frozen, we continued, and until the end we kept strong.

MADELINE WALLACE

could to help them. It was decided that we could go to a competition at one of our nearby ranges which soon led to me and two other kids being sponsored to go to the Vegas shoot.

In conclusion, I finished as Champion of the Pomerelle Mountain Shoot, receiving a wellearned buckle. Now as I look back on that time I realize I wouldn’t have had it any other way. That was the shoot that taught me the most important lesson of my archery career, “It’s Not Over Until It’s Over.”

My name is Madeline Wallace, I’m 12 years old and have been doing archery for about 3 years. I fell in love with the sport by accident. I was at a girl scout camp and we just happened to have an archery seminar. From then on i begged my mom to let me do archery and finally when i was old enough i joined the city’s archery team. We were a small team but slowly had more people join. Our coach is a calm and patient man who loved archery so much he started his own group, and with the help of an assistant coach and volunteers our team was started. I love the group I’m in and would do anything I

The first time I competed in the Vegas Shoot was in 2020, I finished in the bottom five. I was disappointed but it helped to strive to reach my full potential. With more focus on training and having my coach and team by my side I was able to increase my skill. Though I still have not reached my full potential, I’m putting in all my effort to do so.

I compete with the Sierra Shooters, we are a small team but we support each other like a family. We come together when someone is struggling with their archery skills or even home problems. This is a reason I fell in love with archery, and even though it can become frustrating at times it is the best feeling to see how much you’ve improved over time. To improve my skill I spent extra time with my coach realigning my bow and working on focus and patience. I do karate which helped me to be able to increase the weights on my bow

and apply traits of independence and teamwork.

Over time my skills started to improve and I became more confident and was ready to shoot in public competions. I slowly improved but was getting to the position I needed. My coach,my team, and family all believed in me even when I didn’t, which is what kept me going. I can’t repay my team enough. They had patience and were ready to help whenever it was needed. They were all my inspiration to keep going and reach my potential.

While I loved archery itself there was another reason I joined, when I was younger my parents separated and I never had a strong relationship with my dad. Though he loved archery and when I started archery it gave me and him something to do together. He’s not only a great archer but he’s a great coach as well, he made the sport have an extra sparkle. My mom on the other hand had never done archery, she signed me up knowing I would have fun. She loved watching archery but didn’t think she could do it not only because she is a single parent but because

youth feMale

she also has fibro, but with some support it has become one of her favorite things. And now I have something me and my parents can do together.

Overall, I was able to use my

placing in the Vegas Shoot to build up my potential and realize that I wasn’t alone. It helped me to strive until I was ready to compete again and it encouraged me to return and try again. I love archery and I will always cherish my time doing

Rachel Baek

youth feMale

A wise man once said “your only competition is yourself”. I’m not sure which wise man, or if it even was a man, and as I stood on the white shooting line of the grassy competition fields, I didn’t particularly care either.

15-point gap ahead of me. 7-point gap behind me. I have a 8+7+8+8+7=40 so far-- I think I’ll need at least another 8. Numbers buzzed through my mind as I nocked my arrow in place. I went through the same routine I’d practiced countless times, pulling the string taut towards the tip of my nose. My surroundings seemed to illustrate the perfect scene. Gentle wind graced the perspiring surface of my skin and the blistering sun reached a position that would allow the trees to cast shade on me. The electric guitar chords in the background music crescendoed, beats thumping in synchrony and adding to the build up of tension reaching this sublime moment. I glanced at the timer stand counting down in my peripheral. This was my moment.

And as Lenny Kravitz hit the “AAAH I GOTTA GO” in “American Woman”, I hit the white in my target.

Not unexpectedly, my confidence plummeted and so did my rank. On that day, a remarkable milestone etched itself in my six years of archery-- my first miss at my first serious competition. Such a shot could be considered a failure, and for a while, I thought of it as one. After that event, I’d continue to miss many other times; after each shot all I’d see for the following rounds was a prominent black hole torn through in stark contrast to its surrounding white ring. I’d check my rankings fall until I realized the truth in that random Tumblr quote I’d stumbled upon: your only competition is yourself.

It took large periods of staring aimlessly at grass and practicing on targetless targets for me to realize I’m only ever in control of myself. Accordingly, I learned to value the gift of isolation through archery-- to retain the silent determination of the mind as the body moves in its command. I’ve practiced and competed under the scorching heat, under trash bags to shield from the thundering rain, and under canopies that would be blown away by the winds; amidst such conditions, nothing acts as a better escape than holding a bow and drawing through, the tip of the arrow inching ever so slightly closer

it, but the thing that will truly stay with me forever is the memories I have of the friends I’ve made, the family sport, and winnings and losses. Archery isn’t the sport for everyone but there for anyone.

towards the clicker, anticipating its release and feeling a wave of satisfaction as the arrow explodes towards its mark.

Some shoot for therapeutic purposes, some for competition, and others for entertainment. I suppose I’m aiming to be somewhere in the mix. So I’ll nock another arrow, and another, and many other more, resulting in a couple yellows, reds, blues, blacks, whites, and the-hole-touchedthe-line-but-the-arrowdidn’ts. No matter the outcome, I’ll subconsciously peer up towards the glossy limb of my bow each time and narrowly catch sight of my reflection-- a bespectacled girl with a five feet one inch frame and a measureless love of shooting. I’ll remind myself that that girl is my competitor, then give myself a small wink, and shoot.

Carter Meints

youth Male

Final Arrow, First Scholar

I started archery when I was in 3rd grade at the Greene County Parks and Recreation range. My mom, dad, and I did a month-long class and I really enjoyed it. I planned on continuing but we just did not have time to continue. Then when I came to attend the Springfield Scholars Program I heard there was an archery team so I joined in 6th grade. I always looked up to the high school members on my team that had qualified for state but I never thought that I might be among them.

Archery means a lot to me. I like it because it is not about being better than everybody else but being better than how good I used to be. I always had a long term goal to qualify for the state archery tournament in NASP (National Archery in the School Program). To qualify one must shoot a score of 270 for middle school participants. This means averaging a score of 45 for each round of five arrows. There are a total of six scoring rounds with three at 10 meters and three at 15 meters.

In my 7th grade year I was at a NASP tournament and I felt confident in my skills during practice and in warm-up. I was on the final end and I calculated my score and was fairly confident that if I shot an eight on my next arrow, I was going to state.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My hands were slick with sweat as I knocked my arrow and drew my bow. I practiced that morning and before the tournament, so I had already shot

around 100 arrows and was weary. My muscles quivered and my arms trembled making it difficult to aim. I was shooting at 15 meters, which is much more challenging for me than the previous ten meters, and I was nervous.

Nobody had ever made it to state from Scholars, and I really wanted to be the first. I centered my balance, breathed, and focused my aim. I let go of the arrow and it initially appeared to arch high, before dipping down into the bottom eight. Shadows cast from the arrow’s shaft and the angle at which it entered the target made it hard to determine my score from the shooting line.

I tried to not get my hopes up as I approached the target. Eight! I tried to conceal my enthusiasm as I scored the arrows and handed my scorecard to the line judges. I did not want to be a bragger. Later, I saw other students taking their target faces and asked a line judge if I could do the same. This was my day and I wanted something tangible to remember it by.

While I was confident in my math skills, I knew I should not celebrate until the official scores were posted. I was driving home with my dad and I was texting my mom. She indicated the official scores were not posted, but one of my coaches texted, confirming my belief I got a 270. Happily and anxiously, I waited as the webpage reloaded. And there it was! Officially. I was in disbelief that I had reached my goal and been the first person ever to make it so state from Scholars.

I was unbelievably ecstatic to qualify

for the state archery tournament, let alone be the first Scholar to do so! Unfortunately, the tournament was ultimately canceled due to COVID-19 precautions which I fully support. While I was sad to miss out on the experience and utilize my practice, I know that if I made it once I can do so again!

Later during my second year at the Springfield Scholars Program (7th grade) I was at the same Greene county parks and rec shooting range except I was shooting for JOAD (Junior olympic archery development) which was 30 meters. My coach approached my parents and suggested I take up a new type of archery.

My coach wanted me to take up bowhunter compound. I had always wanted to be like the older kids with the very long stabilizers but I never knew what I needed to do. I was so excited that I was finally going to be one of them. At my first lesson with my coach on this bow, she taught me that you shoot with a release and not your fingers. I soon realized that there was a lot more I didn’t know about compound bows.

I really appreciate my mom and dad for all their encouragement during the start of my archery career especially during the pandemic. I had to quit all my other sports excpt archery and I am so thankful for my range that I could keep shooting tournaments such as NFAA and the Vegas Shoot. I was also able to practice field archery which is walking through the woods and shooting targets as well as 3D which is shooting at foam animals.

After a good indoor season with my bowhunter setup I had another chance to qualify for the next State NASP Archery Tournament (my 8th grade year). For the first tournament I shot a 260 which was not a state qualifying score. The next tournament I shot a 271,

my persona high. At the next two tournaments I shot a 275 and a 278. I was finally able to go to the state tournament. While I was knocking my first arrow for the practice round my hands were shaking and they were sweaty. It was a long tournament with ups

Alexander Mehta

youth Male

Archery: Commitment

Archery is an important part of my life, it did not start like that, but now has transformed me as a person. Archery started in seventh grade. If I were told what it would be today to me, I would never believe it, as archery has changed my life for the better. I joined archery when I was convinced to join the school club by some friends, I thought I would just do it for a week then quit as I had done with other sports. I had never enjoyed sports, especially when there were other people. I played baseball for a few years and hated every moment of it, I felt pressure from the rest of my team who were competitive. Although I never quit, I did not understand the inclusivity and significance of archery until I started practicing outside of school and went to my first tournament. During the summer, I realized archery was important to me and decided, although school is over, I wanted to continue this hobby, so I continued practicing with a team. Not only did I drastically improve, but I met new people and made many friends along the way.

My parents convinced me to go to my first tournament, at first, I was afraid. What were others going to think of me? I do not know any of these people. Will anyone

I know be there? Luckily, I got over my nerves and attended the competition. When I first arrived, I was afraid, but soon realized that archery wasn’t like other sports. It didn’t have the overly aggressive competitive feel. As soon as I arrived, people were friendly, offering food, and conversing. When the tournament started, I got to meet other archers, who I was able to connect with, some of which, I am still friends with over a year after the tournament. I got to socialize and share laughs, something you would not find in any other sport.

Unfortunately, after this, Covid-19 struck, minimizing the number of possible tournaments. Although this happened, this did not stop me from continuing practicing, though on and off during the ebbs and flows of the virus. Class sizes became smaller, tournaments became fewer; it had almost seemed like everything had shrunk. This led to the introduction of the Vegas Shoot, although it was not all in the same place, I still had confidence that I could have the same feeling as earlier tournaments before covid.

The tournament frightened me compared to other tournaments since I had never been to a tournament of this scale. Although

and downs. After I got over my nerves I was able to shoot a 274 at the state tournament. It was a great experience and incredibly fun after I was done. I plan to keep doing archery as long as I have time and money.

this tournament was different, I still had the same community feeling that I had felt in earlier tournaments. I met new people and the tournament itself improved my confidence in my archery skills. It was at this time I had a moment of reflection. I realized the effect of archery on my confidence. My confidence and willingness to take part drastically improved in and outside of archery because of it.

Archery profoundly changed my perspective on participation in tournaments not just in, but outside of the archery world. You can think of it as shooting an arrow. You must commit to shooting it and can’t take it back, you can only go forward. This is the philosophy I now take to other extracurriculars and life in general. Once you let go, you can only go forward, not back. Archery has truly inspired my life, and I hope others see this in their experiences as well.

Ben Houts

When most people hear the word archery, they think of Robin Hood. Or maybe a branch from their backyard that they strung with a piece of fraying twine to launch bamboo skewers. When a competitive archer hears the word archery, their mind flashes through various memories of shooting night and day; and the tournaments they’ve competed in; and their bow, their arrows, the tools that they use to fix things gone wrong.

Although the archery community is a small one, we are gaining traction. Every year, more and more people hear of Olympic archery or pick up a bow to hunt or try out target archery for fun. And every year, more people hear names like Brady Ellison, Kyle Douglas, Linda Ochoa-Anderson, and Ki Bo-Bae. These incredible archers are inspiring a new generation of athletes to join our sport and try out a bow for themselves.

What I’m getting at is: competitive archery is an amazing sport that not a lot of youth know about, and I know that they’re missing out. We need more programs like the NASP or JOAD program to teach people, especially kids like myself, about archery.

I learned about competitive archery because my middle school

participates in NASP and hosts an afterschool archery club during the winter. As I began shooting my Genesis bow, I looked for a local place to practice, and I found an archery club that has a JOAD league on Fridays. There I met my coach Steve, who taught me all about Olympic recurve and the parts of the bow and the discipline involved.

One of my dreams is to have an easily accessible archery training system. People of all ages could sign up for and learn about a bunch of different types of archery. If this dream becomes a reality, lots of diverse people could get interested in archery without having to go to a school that has NASP, or worrying about finding a reliable place to practice and/ or joining the JOAD program. In a perfect world, we would build archery ranges in every country and have basic equipment and great coaches like Steve in all of them.

The students that enroll in these ‘classes’ could be any age. They would be taught about at least 2 different kinds of archery- target compound and Olympic recurve. Then they would try shooting both kinds of bows, without stabilizers and with basic components. They could come to another weekly

class and keep shooting either type of bow, and decide whether they want to pursue archery or not. If this ‘student’ wants to keep doing archery, they could keep coming to the weekly classes and pick either compound or recurve, or maybe keep doing both. Their coach would help them the whole way through their archery journey, regardless what bow they shoot.

I believe it would be rewarding to see students progress into intermediate and advanced classes where they would learn more advanced techniques like how to score and how to compete in a tournament. They would learn how to get the right equipment for their bow, and how to properly take care of it.

If this dream of mine ever becomes a possibility, I think that it would make a lot of people, specifically kids just learning about archery, a whole lot happier. Over the last two years since I started shooting Olympic Recurve, I’ve realized that archery has made me happier. I know that a lot of kids would be happier with a bow in their hands, too.

Cassidy Lacson-Villafuerte

leading archery forum about how hideously I performed. My game was described as shoddy, and that’s me putting it lightly. It was hurtful and humiliating.

I am a fighter. An athlete. A champion. Even champs stumble and fall, not just sometimes but often. I’m an archer who has represented my state and country since I was 9 years old. I have won National and State Championship titles. A few uninspired games never bothered me at all. In 2018, however, I didn’t expect that the beginning of my long and deep athlete’s slump would take place at the US Nationals in North Carolina.

I had an outstanding first round. My arrows found their way to the gold as expected. On my second, I made a few injudicious shots which broke me inexplicably. All my arrows hit the ground, completely missing the target. Dread churned in my gut as it slowly crawled its way up my throat. Defeat tasted powerfully and more bitter than bile. The embarrassment was painful. I had dropped out of the game, something I had never done in my seven years of competitive shooting. Predictably, I placed last out of 114 athletes. I bawled pitifully in my mom’s arms. I was ashamed to go back to my club. I felt that I let everyone down— my coaches, my mom, and myself. Matters were made worse by criticisms in a

I took a couple of weeks off to regroup and recharge. I went back to the grind and trained relentlessly; blocking off what happened at Nationals. Months of gruelling practice tired me no end. I felt I was back in shape. I went on to compete at the World Series in Macau. Sadly, I faced the same crushing blow. I placed last... again, in one of the biggest international archery events in the world. The horrible and putrid tastes of pain and shame left in my mouth during US nationals returned to spook me endlessly. I felt powerless and broken. That moment, resignation was a tempting option.

The flight home was quiet—no words, just tears. Mom and I just held hands. She affectionately showered me with kisses and looked at me and snappily said, “I’m forever proud of you but, you quit only when you die.” We chuckled softly and remained quiet throughout.

Back home, my coaches welcomed me with warm hugs and a Pro Staff Shooter sponsorship, at the lowest point of my journey. All the fear, shame, sadness, and self-doubt dissipated. I’ve realised over the years that I have earned love and respect from the archery community. Failure does not equate to losing everything. Still burdened with unpleasant memories, I continued to show up at practices and tournaments— a

good start, I thought. After being wounded and broken—twice, I gained a better understanding of myself and my technique. I got back to competing in 2019. My confidence was unwavering and I’m left to fully trusting my abilities. I couldn’t spare time thinking what others thought of me. My focus was on my process.

I shot my personal best scores at Nationals, won NV State Championships, and bagged Silver and Bronze in two events at the World Youth Championships in Macau. I made it.

Whenever I stare at my wall decorated with medals and plaques, I know I am an unfinished project with great need of finetuning my skills. But I’m proud of my progress and how I have managed to rewire my brain into thinking that I am one of the best archers I’ve known. Had I quit earlier, I would have never tasted the thrilling victory of conquering the hard-fought athlete’s mental battle.

Defeats are part of one’s victories. I am stronger now, unshakeable. I wouldn’t have bounced back to my winning state without a strong belief in myself and the nurturing support of my family and team.

Defeat strengthens a champion.

Natalia Manjarrez

young adult feMale

the backyard and added an elastic string. I also found several small branches I could use as arrows so I started shooting. It didn’t really work as planned but I had so much fun pretending that one day I would become an olympic archer.

Archery goes way beyond shooting to a target. If there is something I’ve learned from this sport, the takeaway would be the value of honesty, patience and the beauty of performance. An archer who thinks process is primary, knows that focusing on making his expression beautiful and blending his motions together centering his attention on every single detail, will become one within himself. What drew me to this sport is the freedom of shooting, knowing that if I’m one with my movements and my bow, the arrow will follow because at the end the arrow is the answer that never lies in the execution of every shot.

The first approach I had with archery was when I was 9 years old. We didn’t find anywhere I could practice this sport, so because I was very excited to feel the sensation of shooting, I created my own bow with a curved tree branch I found in

When I decided this sport was what I wanted to do, I was 10 years old so we finally found a place to start my training. During the 7 years I’ve been committed to archery, it was only until this past year that I understood several important aspects of the discipline that makes this sport so beautiful and unique. I always knew that archery was a sport that not only required commitment, consistency and perseverance but that also required passion, honesty and truth. Thanks to these unprecedented times I was able to acquire in a much deeper way all of these values and also learned that patience plays such an important role in this sport because being able to maintain performance every single day is definitely not easy. There are some days we have our ups and downs but archery has become a true test of my ability to come back from a tough situation to be able to perform with my heart, blending all of my motions together to make my expression beautiful.

One of the most valuable things of this sport and the one I enjoy the most is being able to shoot with my dad. He has been my biggest supporter and a very big influence to me who has taught me that this sport is much more than shooting to hit the center. He introduced me to the philosophy of practicing archery as a form of art that involves a huge element of mental mastery. Mental management and meditation has driven me to become mentally strong and achieve consistency when performing under pressure. I’m proud to say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the support, trust, confidence and important lessons my dad has given me.

Greater than any personal record or competition won over the past year, the biggest prize has been that archery has changed me, it has given me the opportunity to grow as a person, as a shooter, as a competitor and everything I’ve learned in this sport has given me the basis to define who I am, who I want to become, what dreams I aspire to accomplish but most important, this disciple has taught me to live in the present moment, to think one step at a time, to know that there is no losing if I win or learn something from it.

Cody Shows

young adult Male

Archer’s Paradox

Oscillating up and down as it soars through the air. Seemingly flexing to the point of no return, but always returning. Out of control yet always in control. Defying ignorant expectations and always hitting center. An arrow in flight is more than just a stick flying through the air; it is the symbol of my life and how I have learned to take on challenges.

I was not very passionate about archery until I got my first high-end compound bow during Sophomore year. My parents knew I wanted a nice hunting bow so they surprised me with a Mathews Traverse for Christmas. None of us expected me to become absorbed into the competitive side of the sport. When I received my bow in February of 2019, I went outside and shot hundreds of arrows every day. I began getting pass-throughs on my target within a matter of weeks. It was mainly just something fun to do, until October of 2019.

Coach Chip Hemphill, level four Olympic coach and the owner of my local archery pro shop, had watched me practice and saw a potential in me that I had not noticed. For months he tried to

convince me to join his Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) team. In October of 2019, his attempts toward making me a member of his team finally paid off. At first, I was mildly intimidated by the other experienced archers because they had been on the team for several years and I was just beginning. Coach Chip noticed that I was paying attention to the archers around me more than I was paying attention to myself so he began to spend more time working with me. Each month, I earned a new pin (comparable to belts in karate) and quickly became a role model for the other archers on the JOAD team. Where many archers typically begin to struggle scoring high enough to earn the next pin, I breezed through them and quickly became one of the best archers on the team. In less than a year, I could not control the desire to be the best. I earned all eight of the standard pins and my Bronze pin (only about ten archers on the team have their Bronze pin) and became a beacon of inspiration to those who shoot around me. As of today, I have secured first place in my division and podium placement at many tournaments, including multiple state tournaments. Throughout this process, I became a more confident, more engaged, and harder working individual.

Archery has carved away at the mold of who I am today. Junior year was a struggle for me more than most. Beginning the exponentially growing chain of stress was a massive 800-point English project that would make or break our grades. The teacher assigned us a research project in the form of a

magazine and instructed us to pick a documentary to be the center of it all. With my passion for archery growing ever stronger, I naturally chose a documentary about an Olympic archer who overcame social criticism in her home country and worked her way up to be the first female archer from her country to reach the podium. She was able to overcome all of her setbacks by managing her mental game. Coach Chip also recommended “With Winning In Mind,” a book written by an Olympic medalist about how to win tournaments by taking control of the mental trinity: conscious, subconscious, and self-image. While studying these two sources, I slowly began adopting what they taught into my own life. I had many instances during the course of this project that made me want to throw my magazine in the trash and give up, but these two sources held me together. Then halfway through the spring semester, Corona virus shut down the schools and only the college and AP classes were required to continue. With my luck, I was taking three AP classes and a dual-enrollment course, and they all transitioned to online for the remainder of the year, adding more links to my chain of stress.

I quickly realized the importance of finding a way to remove some links from the chain that had begun to weigh me down. Archery became the activity I used to clear my mind and regain focus. It taught me patience and persistence to a degree that many people do not learn until they are out of college. It gave me the confidence to rise above the monotony of the world and demonstrate what I can do. . . one arrow at a time.

Riley Laws

got sick. Hoping for him to be able to return to work, and not become totally disabled.

enjoy spending time together. Archery is becoming our family’s new adventure.

I never thought that I would find much joy in the sport of Archery. I have a disabled brother, and he started shooting archery with the Disabled Sports Athletic Association. And just like all of the other sports my older brothers participated in I had to go, support, and cheer them on. It wasn’t until I was watching him shoot archery that I started to think that maybe I would enjoy giving it a try. The only problem is that a pandemic was hitting our area pretty hard, and there really wasn’t any place for me to go and learn. But my parents found a way to make it become a reality.

Covid-19 had hit my family pretty hard. My dad was in the ICU for 2 weeks, and spent another week in the hospital. My mom tested positive while he was in the ICU. And then on Christmas morning I got the worst present ever, a positive Covid-19 test result. Covid separated our family. The idea of all of us being in the same place without the chance of seeing one another was very difficult. I have to now watch my dad fight so hard to get his health back. He goes to therapy 3 days a week, and what seems to be a new doctors appointment everyday. I have watched him work so hard to be back to where he was before he

For my 17th birthday, I knew exactly what I wanted. I felt like Ralphie wanting his “Red Rider, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with compass”. But in this case it was Riley wanting a Bear Legit 2021, Ghost Grey, with red, white, and blue bow sling, all I had to do was convince my parents. I was shocked when all I had to do was ask.

Our family made a full day trip to pick up my bow. It had been over a month since our family had been able to leave the house together. It was during this trip that our family was starting to heal and laugh a little. At the shop that day, we spent hours shooting. My brother had his bow, I was getting my bow, and to my surprise my parents each got a bow. And I knew then that this was more than just archery.

We started looking for places around us in order for us to go and shoot. We only found one place open, that had safety precautions in place, to help stop the spread of Covid-19. My parents immediately signed us up. Every Saturday, all 4 of us pile into the car, with our equipment, and head to the range. We finish every Saturday off with a family shoot out. This is where all 4 of us shoot 2 arrows in a round robin match. The closest to the center gets to pick lunch for that day, and gets bragging rights for the week. Each one of us have had their turn in the winner’s seat, and in the loser’s seat. What we all always get to do is laugh and

As the pandemic precautions get more relaxed in our community, we have found the world of 3D targets. Every Thursday night, my mom and I shoot on a team, against my dad and older brother. I have met some amazing people that have offered their help and guidance. This past weekend we even competed in an outdoor 3D event. Our family was able to spend 6 hours outside in the fresh air, shooting together, with no cell phones.

My Covid-19 experience with archery isn’t the same as other’s. While Covid-19 had a huge negative impact on my family, it also had an even greater positive impact on our family. We have found that archey brings us closer to one another when we go shooting. As a family we are taking on new challenges. If it was not for Coronavirus Pandemic, I would have never found a sport that I have grown to love, and will carry with me the remainder of my life. I can’t wait to share this sport with future generations. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow and learn a new sport, while getting closer with my family despite Covid-19.

Great Lakes Section

EDITED BY NFAA HEADQUARTERS

Complete sectional tournament information & results are available online at www nfaausa com/results

50 scores, tournament info and more at nfaausa.com

New England Section

Southeast Section

Southwest Section

For information regarding upcoming tournaments, sectional news, and full results, please contact your section’s Councilman or visit nfaausa.com

When he was younger, Braden Gellenthien was shooting the first end of 70 meters at the beginning of the Junior World Trials. As he finished his six arrows, he came off the line and shook his head in disgust, even though he had made a perfect score of 60. Then he approached me and said, “I know. I’m aiming too much and it will stop.” Braden listened and adhered to the coaching I gave him when he was learning the sport. Today he has gone on to establish a phenomenal archery career.

When a competition heats up and the scores are close, archers tend to place more pressure on themselves, often trying to be too precise with the shot placement. By doing this, they add several seconds to their normal shooting rhythm and cause a breakdown in their form. Usually, the added time results

QUIT AIMING!

By Terry Wunderle

in a weaker follow-through with the bow arm, producing a low or low-right shot (low-left shot for left-handers). When overaiming happens, the bow arm loses forward pressure and more sight movement occurs. A weak shot is likely to follow.

The problem of over-aiming starts when one’s thinking process is centered on the score or winning. Such pressure often begins days before a tournament and intensifies after the competition gets underway. Focusing on scores and first place is an excellent blueprint for a poor performance. Then where should you direct your attention? Picture yourself shooting your best possible form. This process will build a positive image, help you relax, and produce a more excellent shot.

Many archers put their confidence in the sight picture, not their form. When they get nervous and see sight movement, their game begins to deteriorate. Very few archers are steady enough to “lock on” to the X ring and have the pin stay there. They keep waiting for the shot, wanting the pin to hold on the mark. This can also

add several seconds to their normal shooting rhythm, which allows the back pressure to decrease and sets the stage for an ineffective shot.

How can you remedy the problem? Trust your form, not your sight. If you tighten muscles in an attempt to guide the sight pin, the effect of this tension will be reflected in the shot execution. Concentrate and make sure you produce a shot with your best form. If the form is good, the result will be much better than if you had continued aiming.

To prove this concept to yourself so you will trust your form, place a 40-centimeter target at forty yards and shoot twenty arrows for score. Now, repeat the process, but let the pin float as you shoot a rhythmic shot and concentrate on form. The scores should confirm where to place your trust. The next time you find yourself in a pressure situation, you should have the skills to make a good shot. Instead of worrying about erratic pin movement, focus on perfect shot execution. Having confidence and trust in your form will help you perform like a champion.

[Terry has coached students to over 350 national and world titles and set over 450 national and world records. This article and more of his professional coaching tips are in his book, Archery: Think and Shoot Like a Champion, found at wunderlearchery.com.]

The problem of over-aiming starts when one’s thinking process is centered on the score or winning.

NEW FOR ‘19

BRADY ELLISON Easton Pro-Staff