Student archers aim to score spot in state contest
MUDDY CREEK TWP — The soft “thwock, thwock, thwock” sound of arrows hitting targets filled the gymnasium at Portersville Christian School on Saturday, Feb. 18.
It was the second day of the eighth annual Portersville Christian School State Qualifying Archery Tournament at the school, 343 E. Portersville Road. There were 376 contestants from 36 schools competing for a chance to qualify for the 2023 Pennsylvania National Archery in Schools Program State Tournament on March 24 in Manheim, Lancaster County.
The tournament kicked off Friday night and continued from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Teams and individuals were ranked according to the results of a flight of 30 arrows, launched from distances of 10 meters and 15 meters from the target.
Archers from fourth through 12th grade — divided into elementary, middle and high school categories — shot five arrows at their targets and then tallied the results.
All the contestants in each of the three categories use the same arrows and bows.
Erica Delattre, coach of the Portersville archery program, said “These are bare bows, there are no sights or stabilizers to help you win.”
The bows’ draw can be adjusted from 11 to 20 pounds.
“We find that with the younger contestants, their arms are much shorter so we have to raise their poundage so their arrows stick in the target,” she said.
Points were awarded depending on which color on the target the arrows landed.
“A perfect score would be 300, but that’s very rare — it’s never happened at this tournament,” Delattre said. A score of 288 would be considered a very good score, she added.
“We had the state champion boy in 2017, and we’ve had other people place in the top 5 out of 150 to 200 contestants,” she said.
Awards in the state tournament can include scholarship money.
“A good archer characteristic is mental toughness — 10% of it is skill and 90% is being able to repeat it over and over again,” Delattre said. “There’s a reason you don’t see 300s (scores) very often.”
Kirby Double, coach of the Riverside High School archery team in Beaver County, which sent 48 contestants to Portersville’s tournament, agreed.
“The nice thing about this sport is you really don’t have to be athletic to do it. A good archer’s characteristic is patience,” he said. “You have to be patient and take your time.”
Willow Hower, of Hadley, Mercer County, a home-schooled senior who was competing on the Grove City Christian Academy team, said she had been using a bow for 10 years — “probably when a scouting organization brought it to my attention” — and has been with the Grove City team for four years.
“It teaches you good teamwork, and you make some good friends,” she said.
Sarah Myers, 15, of Butler, a member of the Portersville team, said it was her first year on the team.
“My friends were doing it. You get to hit stuff. I think I’m doing pretty well today,” she said.
Sarah said the key thing to remember was breathing.
“You have to be breathing out when you go to release. It helps you stay steady and focused,” Sarah said.
Brittany Catron, of Ellwood City, was in the stands to watch her son, Logan Loccisano, 12, compete with the Riverside team.
“This is his first year. His friend told him about it,” she said, adding it was the third tournament she’s attended.
Karen Ambrose is a coach for Portersville. “I picked it up to be involved with my daughter, Katherine,” she said. Her daughter is a senior on the team.
Ambrose said, “The archery community welcomed us with open arms. I love it. I love the people. It’s a great community of people. It’s a Christ-centered school so we like to see each other do well.”
Ronee Haller, who was a tournament official, said she and Mary Lee Green started the Portersville archery team 10 years ago.
“My daughter Cassie was extremely interested in ‘The Hunger Games,’” she said of the book and movie series that featured a bow-wielding hero. “I was at Bible camp with Mary Lee Green and we said ‘We can start this.’
“We got a grant from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and started in 2013 with 25 students. Now there’s 58,” Haller said.
Delattre said at the end of the tournament Saturday trophies would be handed out to the first through fifth-place individual finishers for boys and girls each in the elementary, middle and high school categories. The top three team finishers would also receive trophies.
