Williamsburg, KY – On the snowy morning of January 11th, archers from across Michigan converged at the Central Michigan Sportsman Club in Stanton for an exhilarating indoor target regional tournament. Ninety-five archers from six Michigan S3DA teams, including Aim to Achieve, Central Michigan Goldstars, Jackson County Outdoor Club, Mid-Michee Bowmen S3DA, MSU Demmer Center Spartans, and West Michigan Archery Center S3DA, participated in the event.

The competitive atmosphere was stimulating throughout the day as all three line times were at max capacity. Returning archers joyfully reunited with friends, while new friendships were made. The event was a celebration of not only skill, but also the fun, family-oriented spirit of the S3DA program. The camaraderie of the young archers was incredible, with fist bumps, high fives, and words of encouragement plain to see.

A standout moment came from young archer Oliver Patrick of Central Michigan Goldstars. After being congratulated by a coach for a stellar round, he was handed a set of binoculars to see his arrows in the target and exclaimed, “Wow! I really did great that round!”

Kyle Main, a new parent to archery, shared his enthusiasm: “It’s wonderful seeing young people getting involved in archery. I wish I had the chance to try this back in school. It is such a great way to build focus and confidence. I hope more schools and clubs introduce this as a sport.”

Michigan S3DA State Coordinator, Cara Waite, expressed her pride: “Watching these kids support and encourage each other, regardless of the team they shoot for, does my heart good. We are here to promote archery in a family atmosphere, help kids develop social skills, and provide support no matter their age or how their day of shooting is going.” Waite also highlighted the booming participation numbers Michigan S3DA is seeing in their S3DA clubs.

For more information on Michigan S3DA, visit their Facebook page or contact the Michigan S3DA State Coordinator, Cara Waite (carajonaitis@hotmail.com).

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 at kaylas3da@gmail.com, Ph: 423.494.2204