Bull’s-eye! Local students excel in archery tourney

The Hayden Elementary School archery team.

Some of the best young archers in the country reside in Jennings County. The results from a national competition are proof.

Hayden Elementary School’s archery team won the national championship in the Elementary School Division of the 2019 National Archery in the Schools Program Eastern Nationals, conducted May 9-11 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Also, two local students earned individual honors at the tournament. Hayden’s Brooke Nolan placed third in the Elementary School Female Bull’s-eye division. Jennings County Middle School’s Aron Spencer tied for fourth place in the Middle School Male Bull’s-eye division.

The Hayden Elementary Team shot 3,229 out of a possible score of 3,600. Each member of the Hayden team will receive a $500 scholarship for their efforts.

“I am competitive and I do like trophies, but eventually trophies just sit on the shelf and collect dust. But, this experience will last forever,” said Jason Gambrel, head coach of the Hayden archery team.

“Our kids were just kids from a small country school and they faced kids from all kinds of schools from across the nation, and they took the whole thing. I don’t think they will ever forget that, and, to be honest, I am having a little trouble wrapping my head around it. We have come so close before, but these kids did it,” he added.

Indiana NASP Director Tim Beck also commended the local archers for their success.

“The Jennings County archers earned their right to be proud, and what the elementary team did was phenomenal. Jennings county should be very proud of all their archers,” Beck said.

More than 15,000 high school, middle school and elementary school students from across the country participated in the NASP national tournament. The competition was open only to students who had received archery training provided by the Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement, and who had attended schools that include the NASP as a part of the curriculum.

The NASP program is designed to provide international archery target training in Indiana schools’ physical education classes and other classes for students in Grades 4 through 12. More than 500 Indiana schools participate in NASP.

Indiana schools won two of the three national team titles at the tournament. Newburgh’s Castle High School won the High School Team Division for the second consecutive year.

Beck said Jennings County schools were among the first in Indiana to participate in the NASP.

“Jennings County was one of the 10 schools to participate in a pilot archery training program back in 2005, and Jennings County was the first school system in Indiana that had all of their schools enrolled in the NASP, and they have been going strong since,” Beck said.

Beck added that the NASP program is a good opportunity for students.

“Everyone can learn to shoot a bow and arrow, but to compete at this level takes an amazing amount of self discipline, confidence and mental control. A good archery training program will help teach students those things and other habits they can use their whole life,” he said.

The Indiana NASP is supported and funded through local school corporations, the Indiana Hunter Education Association,individual donations, conservation organizations and corporate sponsors such as the National Wild Turkey Foundation.

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Members of the Hayden Elementary School archery team are:

ARCHERS

Braden Biehle

Hope Brandt

Gavin Chandler

Kelly Claycamp

Wyatt Daniels

Isabella Evans

Mikailah Fries

Amelia Greshman

Addiston Grunden

Jacobi Haislup

Gwyn Lakins

Katie Malone

Kamberie Maschino

Brooke Mason

Jayden Matlock

Emma Maxie

Braxton McClanahan

Mackenzie Mullikin

Brooke Nolan

Riley Ramey

Carol Vojkufka

Molly Wathen

Reed Wilson

Drew Zohrlaut

COACHES

Jason Gambrel, head coach

Bryan Gresham, assistant

Paul LaGrange, assistant

Doug Zohrlaut, assistant

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