Emmanuel College, Only Georgia College To Offer Archery Scholarships

Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs is the only Georgia college to offer archery scholarships. They have a coed varsity NCAA Division II archery program and compete under the USA Archery umbrella of intercollegiate play.

There are 126 schools in the USA Archery Program that compete from all over the country. Other Georgia colleges that offer archery programs—but not scholarships at this time—are Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, University of Georgia, Augusta State; plus there other schools that are getting ready to announce archery programs, said Emmanuel College’s head archery coach Rodney Estrada.

Coach Estrada is a Level 4 national coach and a national judge for USA Archery.

“My first graduates will be this year. The program will be turning out the first of four people who will graduate with degrees out of my program this year, so I am very proud of that,” said Estrada.

This year will be the beginning of the fifth year of existence for the college archery team.

Emmanuel College offers the divisions of Olympic Recurve, World Archery Compound, Bow Hunter Compound and Barebow Recurve for both men and women, said Estrada.

“This is a scholarshipping team, so I provide scholarships to the athletes to shoot for me,” said Estrada.

He said scholarship levels depend on the individuals and what they bring to the table. It can be a minimum of $3,000 but up to $15,000 a year, depending on what they bring to the team.

“For the collegiate division, there will be four set competitions, but we also compete in NFAA (National Field Archery Association) regionals in state. The commitment to practice is off season 10 hours and on season 20 hours per week, and they also have a cardio and weight-lifting regimen, as well,” Estrada said.

He also added that he recruits actively and is always trying to bring new people into the program.

“I draw heavily from NASP (National Archery in the Schools Program), OAS (Olympic Archery in the Schools program), 4-H and any other locations where there is formal and organized archery,” said Estrada.

Emmanuel College offers training on campus with many different facilities.

The team has never placed below seventh in the national championship, and this year they placed fourth in the nation behind only Texas A&M, James Madison University and Michigan State.

There were five academic All Americans, nine all region team members, and four people who made All American from Emmanuel’s team.

“I was ecstatic,” said Estrada. “I’m very proud of these kids. They worked hard all year to be amongst the powerhouses when it comes to schools. We have a small dedicated team, and the team is getting larger, but I was thrilled for them, and they all deserved the accolade and honor they received.”

Recently, team member Alice Buswell competed individually in the Buckeye Classic national tournament in Dublin, Ohio. There were more than 400 attendees, and Alice placed first in the Olympic Recurve junior division, said Estrada.

Coach Estrada will talk to anyone who has the desire to work hard and shoot. If you have an interest in shooting and possibly would like a scholarship doing so, reach out to Coach Estrada.

“I’m always recruiting. Never hesitate to contact. Visit us on our website at www.ec.edu,” said Estrada.

If you have any questions or are interested in Emmanuel’s archery team, you can contact Coach Estrada by e-mail at [email protected].