March 1, 2024
By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS
Rutherford County Schools
It’s been nearly 15 years since Buchanan and Christiana Elementary schools fielded Rutherford County Schools’ first archery teams.
Since then, archery has expanded to 31 schools with roughly 1,000 students in grades 4-12 competing.
“Rutherford has really grown. I think the (school resource officers) getting involved (as coaches) had a lot to do with it and then it just spread,” said Don Crawford, who heads up Tennessee’s National Archery in the Schools Program through the state wildlife office.
“That has to be the biggest program in the state, by far, and it just keeps growing.”
Tennessee joined NASP in 2004 with a dozen schools located in more rural areas, such as Meigs, Cumberland and Van Buren counties, Crawford said. Approximately 50,000 students statewide are on school teams with a typical team having close to 100 students.
Part of the draw, according to Crawford and coaches around the district, is that anyone can participate. Fees are minimal and schools provide the necessary equipment, but students are welcome to use their own.
“One of the best things about it is that just about anyone can be involved and it’s pretty inexpensive when you compare it to other sports. It can be a family activity,” Crawford said. “The beauty of archery is you can shoot anywhere with the right equipment.”
“You don’t need a lot of muscle. If you can perfect the technique, you can do pretty much anything,” said Jason Gray, who coaches at Siegel Middle.
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At David Youree Elementary in Smyrna, archery is introduced to students in fourth grade during physical education rotations. It exposes them to something new and helps build the team, said Tiffany Staggs, one of the school’s two coaches.
“We bring out the bows and targets and walk them through safety steps. This year, we’re a young team and we have lots of new fifth graders,” she said.
Of the 34 members on the team, less than five competed last year.
Fourth-grader Adrian Bolden made the switch from football to archery. He enjoys it so much that he was given a bow for Christmas.
“I broke my arm during football and with archery, I don’t have to really worry about it,” he said. “I don’t always have good days in practice and in tournaments, but I’m getting better.”
Hudson Black and Dylan Cruz are two of the returning archers on the David Youree team.
Cruz was recruited by a former teammate.
“When I was in third grade, a fourth-grade friend told me how fun it was. I like meeting new people,” he said.
Black joined the team to be more involved in his school.
“Baseball is my main sport and I do a lot outside of school. I just wanted to be part of something here at David Youree,” Black said.
Growth in the program, Staggs said, has forced the team to get creative with scheduling.
“Because our school is older, our gym isn’t as large as some others. We split the team into two days a week. Early on, we had them alternate shooting, but when we got to the tournaments, they had fatigue because they weren’t shooting as much during practice,” she said. “We’ve had to modify the range so they are able to shoot both distances.”
Students shoot 30 arrows, 15 from 10 meters and 15 from 15 meters with a maximum score of 300.
Upwards of 80% of students at David Youree receive free or reduced meals, which can impact the ability to compete at tournaments, Staggs said.
“Tournaments may be a challenge because most of them are not on our end of the county. That’s gas money and then it’s $5 per person to enter. For some families, that can be a real stretch,” Staggs said. “Even if the kids don’t go to tournaments, we want to make sure that they have this outlet.”
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Despite finishing third in the state tournament last year — just one point behind Stewarts Creek Middle — Siegel Middle is facing the challenges of being a young team, Gray said.
“We’ve been middle of the pack this season, but we’re getting there and finally starting to click,” he said.
Sixth-grader Madison Haupt is new to the sport but decided to try something new knowing her father and grandfather were bow hunters.
“I found it intriguing. Before tryouts, my dad got me set up with a bow and targets so that I had some experience,” she said. “The first practice, I shot blues and blacks (outer rings). Now it’s mostly yellows and reds (center of target).”
At the first four tournaments, Haupt tallied scores of 190, 217, 199 and 250. She has emerged as one of the team’s best shooters, Gray said.
“I feel very accomplished and I’ve made a lot of progress,” she said.
Gray has coached other sports but said archery is unlike any other.
“I’ve never been so calm and chill as a coach. In football, you kind of get up in people’s faces. In archery, when we get to tournaments, (coaches are) mostly spectators. It’s kind of weird,” he said.
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Logan Gibby got into archery through 4-H while in fourth grade. Now a senior at Rockvale High, he said one of his favorite parts of the sport is mentoring younger students during tournaments.
“Archery is really more mental than physical, but elementary kids can be really nervous,” he said. “I try to joke around with them and get to know them a little bit before I give them tips. Teenagers can be kind of intimidating because we’re bigger and older and I don’t want them to be any more nervous than they are.
“The one thing that works for me is to keep my mind clear and control my emotions. It’s almost like meditation for me,” Gibby said.
Rockvale coach Brian Smotherman introduced his son to archery through 4-H.
“He was in a lot of activities, but he really took a liking to this. I basically just followed him and started helping more with the team when he was in middle school. I got to coach him before he graduated last year,” Smotherman said.
“I absolutely love working with these kids. They get a lot of compliments from other coaches about how patient they are with the younger ones.”
Evalyn Bennett is another Rockvale archer with 4-H ties. She initially chose it because “it sounded cool” but now it’s something she looks forward to.
“Something I’ve had to remind myself of is a quote that basically says ‘someone else’s victory is not your failure,’” so if I’m not shooting well and someone else is, it’s OK,” said Bennett, a junior. “What’s been most important to me is that through figuring out who I am, I know that I belong here, maybe more than anywhere else.”
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To close out the season, Riverdale High will host the Warrior Classic on March 8-9. The tournament serves as the championship for the RCS programs and senior night for high school students.
The Tennessee state tournament will be held March 13-15 at Tennessee Miller Coliseum. The top team and top 10 individuals in each division receive an automatic bid to the national tournament in Louisville, Kentucky in May.