Since 2016, archery at Winston Academy has taken the route that the sport itself has taken across the country.
It’s the fastest growing sport in the United States at this point and WA has 4th-12th graders involved as head coach Dawn Steed said 32 players are on the team. The Patriots are pretty good at it, too, with the team coming in first or second in all three tournaments they played in this season including a tournament they were able to host at the Louisville Coliseum.
COVID-19 ended the year prematurely, but Steed was happy with how things came out.
“We had a really good season this year. We made some good money at our tournament that we hosted and that’s gone a long way for us in getting more targets for our kids,” Steed said. “Our season is on hold right now with COVID-19 and we were supposed to go to North State qualifiers but that’s postponed as well. We hate our season was cut short but we’re hoping it will be over soon.”
One of the things that Steed is most excited about returning is the annual “Fun Day” that the team puts on for families of all of those involved. It’s a chance for the athletes to show parents how far they’ve come over the year and even shoot apples for fundraising opportunities. She said that they hoped to still do that when the dust clears from the virus.
This season, Bryce Clark and Kody Young were the leaders of the team for a second-straight year. After finishing among the top 50 males in the state and competing at the State Games representing WA as the first players ever to accomplish that, they were on their way again this year.
Steed also mentioned Sam Gilmer as another top finisher during the first three tournaments and JJ Peterman for the males while Brittany Robertson was the top girl finisher this year.
Bryce Clark and Kody Young went to the state games last year. Among the top 50 males in the state. First time that anyone from the school went to the state games. The last tournament was at Leake Academy with the Rebels and Starkville Academy on March 7 before play was suspended.
Since that time, Steed has been focused on her players remaining healthy and also getting out to shoot a little bit when they get the chance. So far, she’s noticed a great response from players just wanting to get better.
“I told them to keep practicing but also to spend time with their family right now and stay safe. A lot of my students don’t have the equipment with them at home to be able to practice but they can mimic the same routine that they already do. I’ve tried to stay in touch with them and they’re already practicing without me telling them.”
