by Emily Richardson
Davis High is known for defending the tradition. However, breaking out of the mold, the school started an all new archery team this year. The team practiced every B-day at lunch for about a month to prepare for the state tournament, where the team would compete against other schools for the state title.
“Being part of the archery team is very fulfilling. I feel very accomplished. At the beginning of the year, I had no idea about archery. But I decided to sign up and it seemed like a good experience to get to know people,” said senior Chase Carroll. The team allowed students who had perhaps never shot a bow and arrow before to try something new and different.
The archery team began when archery coach Lori Salvo applied for a grant last summer. After being chosen for the grant, the school received archery equipment to start the program. “It gives kids that were archers outside of school an opportunity to do it in high school. A lot of kids love the thought of getting to shoot,” said Salvo. “It was an opportunity to do something different. Maybe kids who wouldn’t be involved on a regular sports team had an interest in archery and this allowed them to get involved with a team.” Such a unique sport can attract a variety of students.
“I feel like it brings a new aspect to kids lives. It’s new and kids can try something that they haven’t tried before for not that much money,” said Carroll, who traveled with the team to participate in the state tournament on Feb. 23 at the Salt Palace.
At the competition, competitors would shoot from 10 meters and 15 meters away, 20 times each. Davis was being represented by 14 different archers who were just getting the hang of archery. “A lot of the teams that won had a club and practiced on a regular basis. So for us to be better we need to practice more,” said Salvo.
The sport was introduced this school year and Salvo hopes it will be more popular next year, saying that “everyone that participated had a great time and got a free t-shirt and just went down and had a blast [at the tournament].”
The archery team allows students to not only develop archer skills, but also helps them as individuals. “I learned that I could teach myself how to do things and that by trial and error, I can learn to be great. I learned a lot through archery club about myself and who I am,” said Carroll.
