The archery team competed at the Texas National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament on March 26, finishing eleventh as a team and earning several individual awards.

Junior Neha Veerabhadra placed first among girls and second overall.

“I felt like I did really well at state because before it I was stuck at the same score for a while but I ended up doing much better than I have been,” Veerabhadra said. 

The state competition separates middle school and high school divisions. For some athletes, it was their first time competing in that range.

“I really liked the environment of the State compared to last year,” freshmen McKenna Kelley said. “It’s nice that there are not any elementary or middle school kids being loud, so I was able to focus more due to people around being respectful.”

Other archers noted that the quiet nature of the sport allows for more focus, but that mental discipline is still a challenge during tournaments.

“It’s a quiet sport, so people aren’t interrupting and no one really trash talks,” senior Nico Dickens said. “There are times where I get in my head which is a big thing I need to work on.”

Before competitions, the archers do various stretches and exercises to warm up.

“I really like warming up with the team beforehand, and doing the team bonding exercises,” Dickens said.

Now with the state tournament behind them, the team is turning its focus toward preparing for the national tournament.

“[I’m focusing on] consistency because there were a couple arrows where it felt like I could have done something different, and I just needed to shoot the same as the last,” Veerabhadra said.