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Recreation
They're Right on Target
Henderson County archery teams produce straight arrows
Lucinda Laughlin and Matthew Hudnall take aim during archery practice at South Middle School.When students on the Henderson County archery teams stand with bows drawn inside the school gym, they are aiming at more than a bull’s eye.
The Henderson County High School and South Middle School teams are hitting the mark not only in national competition but in the classroom, too.
Five years ago the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Kentucky Department of Education teamed up to start archery programs in the state’s schools. South Middle physical education teacher D.D. Harrison decided to get involved despite his never having shot an arrow. Thankfully, school maintenance man and 25-year archery enthusiast Billy Austill was eager to help.
As Henderson County High’s archery coach, Austill measures success by more than if his team can hit the bull’s-eye. Improvements in students’ grade point averages, decreases in disciplinary problems and near-perfect attendance records are true signs of how successful the program is.
“We have very strict standards,” Austill says. “Every week we check each team member’s grades.”
That focus on academics led to last year’s team average GPA jump from 2.74 in October at the beginning of the archery season to 3.4 in March at the end.
“They know if they’re in trouble in school, they’re in trouble on the archery team,” Austill says. “It’s like daylight and dark. It’s motivating.”
Harrison, now coaching South Middle School’s archery team, agrees that success in archery can also lead to academic success.
“We have had five ‘students of the month,’ two students to earn college scholarships and 10 students with GPAs over 4.0,” Harrison says.
One of those 4.0 students is South Middle’s Audrey Slaughter, who placed first nationally among middle school girls for the second year in a row. Her score of 282 out of a possible 300 earned her a Sports Illustrated mention as an up-and-coming athlete.
“She’s a competitor with great sportsmanship and determination. She works hard and has great support from her family,” Harrison says.
Taking his best archers to nationals to shoot against 2,400 other competitors is a thrill, Austill says, but he quickly adds that the sport is open to all students of varying ability.
“One young man on our team shoots from a wheelchair. As long as you have use of the upper body, shooting with a bow and arrow is possible,” he says.
Harrison says archery has opened doors for many kids.
“Cheerleaders, dance team members, special ed kids. Everybody is able to participate. Archery gives them a chance to be a part of something. Students become instant celebrities,” he says.
Story by Tara Bell
Photo by Antony Boshier
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