“Have you ever shot at the wrong target entirely?” That seemed like a fun way to begin my interview with Shiloh’s four NASP (National Archery in the Schools Program) archery competitors last Monday. To my amazement they each cheerfully acknowledged, “Sure!” They all had done it before and on purpose. This revelation sidetracked my original intent for the morning.
I wanted to share that one of the primary words for “sin” in the Greek manuscripts is “hamartia”. It means to “miss the target”, but often with the understanding that the person was actually trying to hit it. Why would an archer intentionally aim at the wrong target? (More about that in my closing words….)
But let’s see what our five youngsters had to say about their involvement in this increasingly popular sport.
GRACELYNN
I have done archery for the past four years. Going on to my fifth year, archery is just pretty natural to me. I’ve learned that no matter how hard you try, you will always have a bad tournament at some point. As the emotional girl I am, I would always get into
my own head and start to freak out halfway through, which then would just make that entire tournament worse.
As I have gotten older, I have done a little better at not freaking out as much. As my Coach, Mrs. Stevenson, would tell me, “You can’t get that arrow back, so focus on the next one.” So, when that “bad arrow” comes, I tell myself to breathe and focus on the next one.
This lesson can apply to life in a way. When a not-so-good arrow is thrown your way, you have to remember it is just temporary. And you focus on the main target in life is Jesus and sharing His loving mercies with the world.
HUNTER
The best thing about this archery season was learning and improving. I did a lot of improving. It taught me to be more patient with myself and how I do things.
t was hard this season because of doing basketball and archery in the same time frames. Basketball is challenging as it is, but it teaches many life lessons. Archery taught me to be a patient, hard-working and dedicated individual.
Life gets challenging and sometimes you’ve got to make the best of it.
KIERSLYNN
I am a sophomore at South Shelby and archery has been fun and good for me. It has helped me to be more sociable and be
myself. This is my first year in the sport and I have been doing really good. I made it
to the State Tournament as part of the team.
My Mom and Dad have been to most of my archery meets and they have supported me through it all. Even though they have to stay quiet during shooting, they still cheer me on. Thank you for your support to Shiloh.
DEVIN
I like archery because I get to shoot with my friends and I get to meet new people. One fun thing about archery is getting to travel to different schools and other places.
The fun thing about going to State Tournament is that afterwards, when we are coming back, we usually do some fun extra activity. And another great part about State is you get to go to Branson, MO.
ETHAN
I decided to join archery in my freshman year. It seemed like a cool, fun sport to be a part of and I liked that everyone that joins gets a chance to shoot, there is no JV or Varsity, even if a person is not super great at it, they still get to fully participate, no sitting on the bench or standing on the sidelines for anyone. I have learned that archery is definitely very much a sport of mental focus. I like that I never have to rush, I can step up to shoot, take the time I need to think through what I have been taught, then aim carefully and take my best shot with each arrow. I appreciate that our coach always reminds us not to get upset when one shot goes bad, just forget about that one, refocus and do your best again with the next arrow.
I also like that I get to not only be shooting for my individual score but I am also a
part of a team working together toward a goal. I am excited that this year for the first
time I will get to go shoot at the state level tournament with my team. Most of all I like having friends, teammates and coaches around me that are always encouraging me to just keep doing my best!
Intentionally shooting at the wrong target in the spiritual realm is never good, so why would these competitors admit to doing so in their sport? Hearing the words, “We all do it!”, didn’t comfort me. But they continued with knowing smiles, “We do it in practice as a joke sometimes.” Childhood pranks and old- fashioned orneriness. I could instantly see myself doing that as a kid and it brought a chuckle. These kids aim for perfection when it counts, put the past behind them when needed, and press on for the prize (Phil. 3:13,14). Your faithful prayers and generous partnership provide a safe place for our kids to learn of Christ’s Grace and even child-like joy.
We appreciate the dedication and guidance of the coaches for 2026 South Shelby Archery Team – Lisa Stevenson, Melissa Ratliff, Matt Gill, Rusty Hammond, & Andy Roth.