3 Capital Region students qualify for national archery tournament
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Students from four Capital Region schools had the chance to compete in the New York National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament last Friday. Three students from the area will move onto nationals.
39 schools — including Germantown School District, Johnsburg Central School, Mohawk Valley Christian Academy in Little Falls and New Lebanon Junior-Senior High School — traveled to the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse to compete in the archery tournament. The competition, which is hosted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is separated into three age divisions: High School, grades 9-12; Middle School, grades 6-8; and Elementary School, grades 4-5.
"We have schools from urban areas, we have schools from rural areas," said DEC Environmental Program Specialist Kate Ritzko. "Each competitive scene, it doesn't really matter where you're from, it's just how well the schools are supported and how dedicated they can be to the program."
The National Archery in Schools Program began in 2002 and launched in New York in 2008. It is an in-school program that uses archery to improve educational performance for students in grades four through 12 by teaching patience, focus, discipline and other life skills.
"As the students are learning archery, they're looking over the form and function, they're focusing on themselves, and they're really putting themselves in a more positive mental state," Ritzko said. "Schools find that their students are more engaged, students feel more connected to their schools."
A total of 558 students competed this year. Five students came from Germantown, 16 from Johnsburg, 28 from Mohawk Valley Christian Academy and four from New Lebanon.
"Being able to hang out with my friends and having a blast shooting and having fun," Johnsburg's Kinleigh Lawrence said when asked about why she enjoyed archery. This was Lawrence's second year competing in the elementary girls division, and she placed 15th out of 50.
Students who earned first through 10th place in each of the divisions earned awards. The top 10 girls and top 10 boys in each division also qualified to compete in the National NASP Tournament, which will take place in Louisville, Kentucky in May.
Three students from the Capital Region placed in the top 10 of their divisions. Those students will go on to represent New York State at the national tournament.
Qualifying Capital Region Students
- Orin Richards, from Johnsburg Central School — ranked 5 out of 55 in the Elementary School boys division
- Daniel Busch, from Mohawk Valley Christian Academy — ranked 2 out of 126 in the Middle School boys division
- Ella Blush, from Mohawk Valley Christian Academy — ranked 3 out of 100 in the Middle School girls division
"They've worked really hard to get to this point. A lot of them are super dedicated," Ritzko said. "So if they just walk away knowing they were part of something, and that they can build relationships with other archers, even outside schools... I just want them to walk away feeling confident about what they achieved."