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The morning air felt just right as 128 archers converged on the Central Michigan Sportsman’s Club, nestled just 4.5 miles east of Stanton, Michigan. Surrounded by forested tranquility, the club hosted the highly anticipated Michigan S3DA 3D State Championship. A steady line of cars rolled in early, archers stepped out with wide smiles, and many headed straight for the range while others stopped to grab a cinnamon roll for a burst of pre-competition energy.
By 9AM, excitement buzzed throughout the crowd. A parade of eager competitors walked down the driveway through a tunnel of cheering family, friends, and supporters. State Coordinator Cara Waite delivered a comprehensive safety briefing, followed by a rousing pep talk. With the flag raised and the national anthem concluded, archers began their journey to each range.
“This is why we do this,” Waite shared. “It takes an entire village to put on an event like this, and seeing those smiling faces makes it all worthwhile. Thanks to strong support from local businesses, every archer received a well-stocked goodie bag. The raffle prizes were phenomenal with five bows, a charter fishing trip, targets, food-plot packages, hunting pop-ups, and much more.”
The camaraderie and support extended well beyond the course. During the shootdowns, archers from different teams came together to hold umbrellas and gave coaching pointers under tense conditions. “That’s the beauty of archery,” reflected Coach Marney Ryan. “It’s a family, regardless of team. I’ve never seen athletes rally and support each other like this.” Her sentiments echoed a club mission that emphasizes community and sportsmanship above competition.
Young Adult archers were competing for more than medals. Young Adult competitors had the chance to receive scholarship opportunities from several colleges and universities. Dominic Greenman, head coach at Indiana Tech, was on-site with a booth offering information on collegiate archery opportunities. His presence highlighted archery’s potential as a lifelong pursuit.
Want to Get Involved?
If you’re in Michigan and curious about youth archery, check out the Michigan S3DA Facebook page – you’ll find updates, photos, and tons of details from how to join a local club to where the next event is going to be held.
About Scholastic 3-D Archery
Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) is a unique, family-oriented youth archery program which has grown exponentially across the United States as a next-step initiative to follow introductory archery programs. The mission of the Scholastic 3-D Archery program is to foster, educate and guide youth in the areas of 3D, indoor target, and outdoor target archery as well as safe, ethical bowhunting practices. The goal of the S3DA program is to provide archery and bowhunting opportunities to youth in after-school settings, as well as with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in the community. S3DA youth participate in 3D and target archery using compound and traditional archery equipment. Youth members can participate at regional, state and national archery events and earn college scholarships from colleges and universities across the United States. S3DA addresses the need for a program to bridge beginning target archery experience and more advanced activities such as 3D shooting and bowhunting. The program currently operates across the United States with hundreds of certified coaches serving thousands of youth archers.
Contact the Scholastic 3-D Archery National Office at:
www.s3da.net or 410 Sycamore Street, Williamsburg, KY 40769, Ph: 606.524.3685
Media contact:
Kayla Bolton
423.494.2204