Arrows zip past, the punch of the target being struck, the shriek of whistles instructing what to do, and the crowd cheering silently are all sounds one would hear throughout gyms during archery season. The sport of archery has seen rapid growth in recent years. In Iowa alone, the sport has added over 200 new school clubs in the last decade. This rapid increase is likely due to how unique the sport of archery is. With archery being accessible to everyone, at any tournament in Iowa, one may see someone shooting with only one arm, from a wheelchair, and also see athletes of all sizes and strengths. Thus, many middle and high school students gravitate towards it. The rapid increase in the program’s statewide participation has also led to some changes to ensure that the sport can continue to grow and be successful.
This year, one of the biggest changes was to increase the required score to qualify for State. Archery is governed by an organization called NASP (National Archery in the School Program). This means that NASP makes all the big decisions concerning middle and high school archery tournaments across the country. Last year, the State requirement was 530 using any two tournament scores from that season combined. The score to qualify for State as a team was 6,200; this is made up of 24 archers with a mix of boys and girls. Although the decision has been made that the scores will be increased, the exact requirements have not been released. With the season being underway, these numbers should be announced soon.
At the high school, it seems like the announcement of the score increase has received positive feedback. Archery coach, Doug Juergens, has been coaching for seven years. Juergens said, “Higher level is more motivational.” He thinks these changes are mostly positive for the program. Coach Juergens claimed the increased scores in the Marion Archery team are because archers are committed to improving and also due to the team getting more gym time and support from the school. To make sure that the school’s archery program is ready to compete at the new level, Coach Juergens said that they have tried to make practice more focused by breaking it up into two parts. At the end of the day, it is clear that Coach Juergens sees a bright future for Marion Archery. He said, “I have faith in our kids; they all work hard.”
From an athlete’s perspective, Lily Juergens, junior, has been in the Marion Archery program since 7th grade and is currently one of the student ambassadors for the team. Juergens has qualified for State every year. She thinks that the new score requirements are fair and a needed change. She is planning on practicing more due to the changes and talks about how important it is to practice often. She said, “Some people don’t realize archery is one of those sports where you have to stay on track and can’t skip days.”
With all the growth within the archery programs throughout the country, it is clear that the sport has a bright future. The plan is that new changes will help the school programs in Iowa grow. It is clear that the school’s archery is right on target to take on the new challenges.
