Griffin archers get ready for national competition

A team of students from Griffin School are headed to a national archery competition next month in Louisville, Kentucky.

“They’re going to witness archery competition at a whole new level,” said Paul Whitney, a parent who coaches and helped form Griffin’s archery program. “I’m really proud of these kids.”

In March, Griffin Elementary School’s team took first place out of about a dozen teams in a state archery competition, and Griffin Middle School’s team took second place out of about 23 schools in the state.

“It was just pandemonium — you know, screaming yelling, not just the kids, but the parents,” recalls Stacey Nelson, Griffin’s physical education teacher and archery coach. “Everyone was so excited, and to find out they could go to nationals was a huge accomplishment for all of the hard work that they’ve been putting in.”

The National Archery in Schools Program’s tournament, slated for May 12-14, is expected to draw nearly 14,000 student archers from around the country, according to the organization’s website.

Griffin has 42 students in grades 4-8 in its archery program, and it is sending 24 to nationals, Whitney said. Each student needs a parent to go along as a chaperone, and travel costs are expected to be about $2,400 per family for airfare, hotel and registration, he said. So in addition to sharpening their skills with extra practices, the team is trying to raise money for the trip.

The Griffin archers are hosting a car wash and bake sale this weekend. They’re also planning to hold a spaghetti feed and silent auction in the coming weeks, Nelson said.

Fifth-grader Jonas Brown, 11, competed individually at nationals last year. He said he’s more excited about this year’s competition because more kids are going from Griffin.

Brown said the sport has improved his hand-eye coordination for other activities, including basketball.

“I think it’s just a fun sport,” he said. “It takes concentration to keep yourself steady.”

Griffin launched its archery program about three years ago. The equipment, which is also used in PE class and during an after-school enrichment program, cost about $4,000, Nelson said. About half of that was covered by a grant from the National Archery in Schools Program, 25 percent was paid for with a grant from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Griffin School Foundation paid for the rest, Nelson said.

It’s also the second trip to nationals for Griffin eighth-grader Serenity Looney, 14. She recently took first place among middle school girls at state and won a $1,000 scholarship and a customized bow.

What’s her secret?

“You just have to practice and practice,” she said.

Looney said Capital High School in Olympia, where most Griffin students attend high school, once had an archery program. She said she hopes Griffin’s successful trip will help generate more interest so that Capital’s program can be reinstated.

“I really want archery to be in high school so I can continue on,” she said.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Griffin archers get ready for national competition."