Archers shoot toward success

Center Hill Archery has had a successful season, beating all but one team so far.

“We started out very well, had a little drop off, but we’re coming back up,” archery coach Judy Terry said.

The team had their highest score of the season on Feb. 19, and Terry said Kayleigh Miron, Dylan Haywood, Nichole Herbert, Logan Tomlinson and Randi Terry are among the many archers who have already reached their personal bests this season.

A North Half win and state competition appearance are among the top goals of the team.

“We would like to finish as well as last year – third in both North Half and state competitions,” Terry said. “The top eight go to state and I feel like we can do that.”

Haywood, a junior, is also confident in the team’s abilities.

“We’re gonna blow state out this year,” Haywood said. “Six out of 12 are above 280 in practice and that’s really good. It’s a really high score.”

With 37 archers, Terry has seen many great improvements, and she said many veteran archers have stepped up to help those with less experience.

“Upperclassmen help underclassmen with form and help them be consistent and encourage them to not get discouraged,” Terry said.

The team has a lot of determination, and it shows. Many archers put pressure on themselves and feel obligated to do their best.

“The junior class is really big and we’ll lose half of the team when they graduate,” Terry said. “They try really hard and have setbacks. They really want to win state.”

Tomlinson is one of these juniors.

“Along with all the other team members, we are working hard to raise our team’s personal record,” Tomlinson said. “It may be an underrated sport, but it means a lot to those who participate in it.”